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Ephant Mon Figure (Jabba's Head of Security) Saga Series 2002 (Fan's Choice no. 3) Action Figure Star Wars...

Ephant Mon Action Figure: Overview

The Saga Series Ephant Mon figure (Jabba's Head of Security) is one of the rarer Fan's Choice action figures and demand seems to exceed supply with carded versions fetching up to £50 in 2017. It's also one of those action figures that it's hard to pick up cheap in a job lot on eBay because, being so big, the figure sticks out like a sore thumb and is not one that you might just spot out of the corner of your eye and put a cheeky bid on because someone else will have spotted it too and be determined to outbid you. It took me about a year of looking before I managed to get a good deal on an Ephant Mon action figure.

What really surprised me about the Saga Series Ephant Mon action figure was the difficulty in getting him to stay stood up. It took ages to get the bottom of his feet to sit more or less flat and get his tail out of the way. This was really frustrating as usually the wider and more rotund Star Wars action figures stay erect much better than the slimmer ones.

In fact, between writing the above and re-visiting my display Ephant Mon action figure had taken yet another tumble and taken Pote Snitkin, Klaatu and Lando in Skiff Guard Disguise with him. Even with a figure stand he lost his balance three times and brought Jabba's throne room in to disarray before I could finally get him to stay up.

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Ephant Mon and Star Wars Naming Conventions

Ephant Mon's name as an obvious contraction of Elephant Man is one of the many Star Wars character names that is an aptronym, i.e. where the character's name aptly suits his appearance. Other instances include the pig-like Gamorrean Guard (gammon) and of course Hammerhead to name but a few. And then we have Jek Porkins for another – Lucasfilm just can't help pointing out all the fat characters with aptronyms. On the inverse side of this there is Han Solo who likes to think he acts alone but in fact never goes anywhere without Chewbacca – his name is an inaptronym which defies our expectations in the same way that the mighty Chewbacca who (we are initially told) is capable of tearing a droid limb from limb actually spends most of his time fixing droids and other machinery.

The ubiquitous use of aptronyms in the naming of Star Wars characters raises the ugly question of whether the categorising of life forms in this way could be seen as a type of eugenic prejudice.

It seems strange that whilst portraying a struggle between good and evil, Lucas's character naming system almost seems to impose a eugenic principle on them which suggests that some physical features are suggestive of a life that is less valuable than another. Lucas's naming practices suggest a prejudicial classification system and shows us that evil in the Star Wars universe perhaps doesn't just originate from the Empire, the Sith or the Hutts. It can be found on Tatooine, Naboo, Yavin and Bespin alike.

To C-3PO the Jawas are 'disgusting creatures' and Anakin brands the Sand People as 'animals', but these are just passing remarks. More surprising in terms of species prejudice is Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's reaction to Jar Jar Binks. The first thing Qui-Gon asks him is ‘Are you brainless?' and Obi-Wan asks Qui-Gon 'What's this?' upon seeing Jar Jar, and later in the film Obi-Wan infers that Jar Jar is a 'pathetic life form'. Species prejudice is even present amongst the Jedi so it would seem.

The naming conventions suggest an even more systematic prejudice and also one more liable to go unnoticed since with the exception of Porkins, these are names that are not always mentioned in the films and the first time we encounter them is on the card backs of our figures. What starts out as a rather neutral designation of animal features (Hammerhead, Walrus Man) quickly seems to become pejorative. Examples include the Gamorrean Guard, Ugnaught, Yak Face, Prune Face, Ephant Mon, Elis Helrot, Salacious Crumb, Greedo, Malakilli. Finally we have in the Attack of the Clones Elan Sleazebaggano. Poor old Sleazebaggano! What was the point in him going home and rethinking his life with a name like that? He'd already been pigeonholed into his role of worthless ner-do-well before he started trying to make a bit of extra money selling contraband around the bars of Coruscant. Likewise Janus Greejatus the Imperial Dignitary from the 2003 ROTJ Saga Series can't be anything other than a two-faced schemer.

The Star Wars Galaxy is a prejudicial place when it comes to physical appearance, species and personality and as such it is unsurprising that the first lesson that Yoda gives to Luke is that of not judging on first appearances. The ironic thing is that Star Wars naming conventions themselves seem to contradict Yoda's lesson and to judge characters by their size. In fact, the naming (and by implication shaming) of the larger characters within the Star Wars movies perhaps also gives us some insight into the rather peculiar handling of the subjects of food, drinks and meals within the films. See my article on the subject of food, drink and meals within the Star Wars films: here.

Perhaps one of the best aptronyms in the entirety of Star Wars character names is that of Salacious Crumb. It is a name which suggests that he is at once indecent and obscene and also insignificant. His name perfectly reflects his personality, his lewd appearance and his role as Jabba's pet. This attribution of insignificance also occurs in the name of the Ugnaughts, with 'Ug' suggesting a Neanderthal-like grunt and 'Naught' suggesting nothing. Just like with Salacious Crumb, the name brands them with their inferiority and calls into question the worth of their existence. A close second would be Greedo who as a member of the Rodian species is essentially being portrayed as a greedy rodent.

So, naming in Star Wars reflects both physical appearance and personality in a way which suggests that the two are inextricably bound. In this interpretation Porkins' weight becomes a character flaw, just as the pig-like features of the Ugnaughts and Gamorrean Guards suggest their repellent characteristics. It is in the naming of the evil characters though that the names most truly reflect their personalities, and amongst the aptronyms we find here are Sidious, Grievous, Maul, Malgus, Plagueis, Rancor and so forth. While it is possible to conceive of turning the good characters to the dark side (and often attempted), you couldn't really contemplate any of these characters changing their nature. Their nature is as fixed as their names. In some ways this shows us that Vader is never really turned – he is always from the moment of the birth of his children Darth Vader, or dark father (Vader being so close to the word for father in most Germanic languages – Dutch Vader, German Vater, e.t.c.). He is always the father. So, when Luke turns him back from the Dark Side he is actually remaining true to the character suggested by his aptronym.

The only exception to the naming rule is arguably the Jedi Knight Foul Moudama who appears to have risen above the determinism of his name, unless he's just simply always in a bad mood.

Other Saga Series Action Figures

All Star Wars action figures, vehicles, collectibles and Star Wars toys shown on this website are the 3.75 inch scale and from my own private Star Wars collection unless otherwise stated. Where possible original vintage accessories have been used but in some instances I have placed Kenner Star Wars figures with either reproduction weapons and accessories or for Hasbro figures close approximations have been used. This is mostly the case for modern Star Wars lightsabers where the correct item can be very difficult to identify on some ocassions. Vintage Star Wars action figures are shown with their original weapon or accessory when I have them. When a vintage Kenner action figure is shown with an accessory which is not original I have tried to point this out where possible.

All of the Star Wars action figures shown were purchased second hand, usually incomplete, and in bulk. They have been reunited with their original weapons and accessories where we could get hold of them.

All opinions expressed are those of the author and not those of LucasFilm, Disney, Kenner or Hasbro toys. All Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Ephant Mon Figure (Jabba's Head of Security) Saga Series 2002 (Fan's Choice no. 3) Action Figure Star Wars...

Ephant Mon Action Figure: Overview

Ephant Mon and Star Wars Naming Conventions

Other Saga Series Action Figures

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