Who Is Yakface: The Most Valuable Star Wars Character You Likely Never Heard Of
Over the years, the "Star Wars" franchise has introduced us to a staggering number of unique and lively aliens from across the galaxy. Some of the most iconic "Star Wars" aliens include the slimy crime lord Jabba the Hutt (voice of Larry Ward), the Wookie warrior Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and the squid-like Admiral Ackbar (Tim Rose).
In addition to these more prominent extraterrestrials, "Star Wars" also features a huge number of distinctive background aliens — like the violent patrons of the Mos Eisley cantina or the alien criminals who visit Jabba's palace. One of these background characters is a Yarkora con man named Saelt-Marae (Sean Crawford), whose huge snout and drooping whiskers have given him the nickname "Yakface" among crew and fans. While most fans have probably never heard of Yakface, the character is actually tremendously important among "Star Wars" collectors due to his rare action figure.
Fans can spot Yakface near the beginning of "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi," when he appears briefly in Jabba's palace and aboard Jabba's sail barge. In 1985 the now-defunct toy company Kenner created an action figure for Yakface, though production on the figure ended quickly when Kenner's "Star Wars" line was discontinued. As such, the figure was never available for retail in the United States, making the Yakface action figure one of the rarest "Star Wars" collectibles on the planet.
Yakface action figures retail for thousands of dollars online
While Kenner released Yakface figures for sale in Europe and Canada, the figure's lack of a domestic release makes it one of the most highly sought-after "Star Wars” collectibles on the market. Demand for Yakface rose as collectors started to realize just how rare these figures actually were and began hunting them down.
Kenner released two separate editions of this figure; the first was the "Tri Logo" version, which was released in Europe and features three "Return of the Jedi" logos in different languages, and the second was the Canadian version, which has logos written in French and English. Though both of these items regularly sell for thousands of dollars on eBay and other retail sites, the Canadian version is actually more valuable because it was packaged with a special collector's coin.
The Yakface coin alone retails for over $100 online, and Canadian packages with the coin intact are considered to be the most valuable iteration of the Yakface action figure. Although he may not have made much of an impact on the screen, it's clear that the alien criminal Saelt-Marae is a legendary figure in the world of "Star Wars" collectors.