For those who don’t know, 'Glup Shitto’ is an affectionate term used by the Star Wars community, to describe a very minor character from the series that fans nonetheless have a great love for. These characters are rarely important to the plot, they’re often on-screen for mere seconds, and rarely have a single speaking line. And yet, they remain in the hearts and minds of many Star Wars fans to this day, just for briefly appearing on screen: they must have made a serious impact.
Glup Shittos are an extremely special example of worldbuilding in the Star Wars franchise. Any Star Wars fan could tell you that the series has some seriously rocky moments, especially in the highly controversial prequels. However, Glup Shittos continue to be a shining light, even in the darkness of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and The Rise of Skywalker - thank goodness for Ben Quadinaros, Elan Sleazebaggano, and Klaud. Even when you’re watching a bad story with a bad script, joy can come from seeing one of these guys for just 15 seconds.
Some Glup Shittos may get the opportunity to play a very small role in the plot, such as Dexter Jettster in Attack of the Clones (who assists Obiwan Kenobi with a tracking device), or might have a stronger presence in a scene - like Max Rebo on Jabba’s Palace in Return of the Jedi. But even in these cases, Glup Shittos are almost always just doing their own little jobs, actions, hobbies, and behaviours largely outside of the main plot.
Though a large amount of the charm around Glup Shittos, especially when it comes to the original trilogy and the sequels, often comes from their delightful practical effects and puppetry. They also serve an important role in Star Wars worldbuilding, by reminding audiences that life exists outside of the clashes between The Empire/The First Order and The Rebels, alongside The Jedi and The Sith. Dexter Jettster runs his own diner on Coruscant that Obiwan visits, Ben Quadinaros is a podracer on Tatooine, and Max Rebo is the leader of his own band.
By witnessing these minor characters engaging in their day-to-day activities around the plot, we actually get to see the world that the main characters are fighting over. This is really important, as it gives the conflicts weight, meaning, and stakes. You can’t just have two groups fighting for a world that we know nothing about outside of the conflict, which is why these Glup Shitto characters are important despite their small screen time.
Populating your own world with ‘Glup Shitto-esque’ characters for players to encounter, will provide opportunities for some fun downtime between major plot moments and action. As well as offer some much needed breathing room, to remind players about the good things in this world. This can be a tricky challenge when it comes to balancing tone in your story and world - you don’t want to suddenly inject a moment of bizarre comedy, when it will clash with important emotional drama. However, subtlety and timing can help a lot with managing this, and you shouldn’t be put off from inputting the Glup Shitto method.
When making your Glup Shitto-esque characters, consider the Star Wars approach - these are characters with very little depth that audiences don’t spend a lot of time with. As such, your Glup Shitto characters should be conceptually arresting, visually stand out, and have a core personality trait that you can utilize if players do interact with them. Don’t overthink your Glup Shitto characters, don’t spend too much time preparing them in advance, but it’s a good idea to have a few you can pull out of your pocket when needed.
Let's make a Glup Shitto character now:
Let’s say this character lives in a small Riverside town with a waterwheel. Our Glup Shitto-esque character guards this waterwheel, believing it to be an incredibly important duty assigned to them. They live in a house connected to the waterwheel, wear an eccentric-looking uniform they made themselves, and spend their days patrolling around the waterwheel. Should players attempt to approach the waterwheel or walk past the waterwheel, our Glup Shitto character will aggressively challenge them - questioning why they're here and what they want.
This is a silly character, who is going about their day-to-day life (albeit, in a weird way), that players could have a fun time interacting with. They’re not important and they’re not connected to the plot, but they provide a moment of pause from drama and some life into the world. In other words, the perfect Glup Shitto.