SWTOR Species - Analysis of sentient life forms populating The Old Republic

The worlds of the Star Wars Galaxy are bustling with life: from primitive creatures relying only on basic instincts and promising races with an evolution suppressed by conflicts or unfavorable habitats to highly intelligent life forms that managed to build remarkable civilizations and influence the faith of the entire Universe.

Playable species

From the great number of sentient species found in Star Wars: The Old Republic only the Human, Miraluka, Rattataki, Sith Pureblood, Twi’lek, Zabrak, Chiss and Mirialan are playable. Unconfirmed rumors state that Cyborg is another playable race available for all or some of the Sith Empire classes.

Human




Miraluka

Playable classes: Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular.

Description: Miraluka is a humanoid species, originating from the planet Alpherides, whose light source is a red dwarf star which emits light only in the infrared spectrum. In time, the Miraluka adapted and are now capable of seeing through the Force. As they no longer need eyes to see, the Miraluka have vestigial eye sockets which they cover with decorative veils. Their deep Force attunement led them into contact with the Jedi, and some Miraluka became valuable members of the Jedi Order.



Rattataki

Playable classes: Sith Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter.

Companions: Kaliyo Djannis – female (Imperial Agent).

Description: The Rattataki have war running through their blood: the violent nature of this species is the result of thousands of years spent as small tribes in underground caverns while fighting for scarce resources. They only got to the planet’s surface and began to interact with other civilizations from the galaxy after the great warlord Rattatak managed to unite them as a nation for a short while.

Realizing the potential force of this race, the young Sith Lord Darth Vich, recruited 100 tribes of Rattataki to build a personal army. When Darth Vich’s desire for power achieved exaggerated proportions and his plans ended in total failure, the Dark Council enslaved or killed all the Rattataki that where serving him. Still, some vague rumors say that there was a small group of Rattataki acolytes who betrayed Darth Vich and were accepted for Sith training as a reward.



Sith Pureblood

Playable classes: Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor.

Description: A group of Dark Force adepts, exiled by the Jedi Order came across the ancient Sith race living on Korriban. With the initial intention to subjugate the primordial Sith, the Jedi Overlords adopted the Sith philosophy and interbred with them over hundreds of generations.

The resulted species is known as the Sith Pureblood, a hybrid between the original Sith and the Dark Jedi overlords. Their inherited Dark Force powers reflect in the competitive and ambitious nature of the Sith Pureblood, which currently form the majority of the elite ruling class of Korriban.



Twi’lek

Playable classes: Jedi Consular, Smuggler, Sith Inquisitor.

Companions: Vette – female (Sith Warrior).

Description: The Twi’lek nation has an unfortunate history. Their home planet, Ryloth, fell in the hands of Hutt crime cartels and the Twi’lek ended up mostly as slaves in their own mines or sold on the open-market across the entire galaxy. Their species has amazing physical and cognitive skills but is also recognized for its beauty. The Twi’lek have an exotic appearance thanks to the colorful skin that varies from one individual to another and their “head-tails” or “lekku” which are actually advanced organs used for mental functions and communication.

Through their abilities as well as good looks many Twi’lek managed to become free inhabitants of the Galactic Republic as history led them far away from their homeworld, which currently persists only as a vague notion for most of them.



Zabrak

Playable classes: Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Trooper, Sith Inquisitor.

Description: A strong will, independence and perseverance are the traits that best describe the Zabrak species. Even though this race is humanoid, the red skin along with the horns and traditional tattoos clearly differentiate the Zabrak from their human ancestors.

The Zabrak have exceptional physical and mental abilities and combined with their tradition of intense martial arts training made them superior warriors and explorers. Now, the Zabrak can be found in the some of the most significant positions within both the Empire and the Republic which is just another proof of how far they’ve evolved throughout the ages.



Chiss

Playable classes: Imperial Agent.

Description: The Chiss developed their civilization totally isolated from the rest of the world, in the unknown regions of space. When the Sith Empire discovered the Chiss, the unexpected happened. Instead of subjugating the Chiss like the Sith usually do when they find an advanced civilization, they granted the Chiss full autonomy over their planets in exchange for their armies, resources and taxes.

During the long fight against the Republic, the blue-skinned humanoids have proved to be valuable allies for the Empire and some of them became trusted members of the Imperial society.



Mirialan

Playable classes: Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Trooper, Smuggler.

Companions: Nadia Grell – female (Jedi Consular).

Description: Starting from a young age, the Mirialan begin intensive physical and mental training as well as the study of their cultural ideologies.

Although their physical appearance strongly resembles the human one, the skin of the Mirialan varies from dark green to very light tones and the geometric tattoos visible on their bodies represent milestones of each individual’s experience and achievements. The patience and trained intuition of the Mirialan, is what makes them excellent negotiators and suitable candidates for the Jedi Order.



Others

Besides the playable species, in-game content features dozens of other sentient races and some of their members will be present as companions for players. We will list below a selection of species, notable for their availability as companions or for their importance and influence as a civilization.

Trandoshan

Companions: Qyzen Fess – male (Jedi Consular).

Description: The cold-blooded warriors of the Trandoshan species are some of the most dangerous enemies of the Wookiee. They possess exceptional regeneration abilities, highly evolved eyesight, resistant scaled hides and a native strength superior to the human one, which as a whole makes them some of the most fearsome soldiers.



Wookiee

Companions: Bowdaar – male (Smuggler).

Description: The furry humanoids known as Wookiees are highly intelligent beings that are capable of effortlessly learning many languages. However, the structure of their vocal cords only allows them to speak their native language.

Their tradition states that if someone should save the life of a Wookiee than that Wookiee would become a devoted servant to his savior for the rest of his life.The Wookiee are brave warriors usually preferring to use blades during combat, as their culture forbids them to use their native retractable claws.



Weequay

Companions: Tanno Vik – male (Trooper).

Description: As the Weequay rarely use speech to communicate they were considered a primitive, unintelligent species for a long time. In fact, the Weequay have a pheromone-based communication system, which naturally cannot be deciphered by other species, moreover the Weequay clans developed their own codes, usable only for their members.

As a result of the harsh climate of Sriluur,their desert home planet, the Weequay have developed a thick, wrinkled skin. Most Weequay males keep their hair tied into braids, each one representing a Sriluurian year spent away from home.



Dashade

Companions: Khem Val – male (Sith Inquisitor).

Description: The Dashade faced an almost successful genocide during the Great Sith War. At that time Urkupp, their home planet, suffered extensive damage but thanks to their natural resistance against Force powers a few Dashade managed to survive and now represent a fair percent of the galaxy’s total population.

Their violent nature and high resistance against the Force led the Dashade to become elite assassins, mercenaries or other similar professions, and in some cases, assistants for powerful Sith Lords.



Kaleesh

Companions: Xalek – male (Sith Inquisitor).

Description: Not many foreigners get the chance to see the face of a Kaleesh uncovered from the traditional masks they usually wear. The reptilian traits of this humanoid species can be easily noticed through the scaly skin, tusks, and long nostrils present in their common physiology.

The Kaleesh own a highly evolved sense of smell as well as accurate sight in the dark thanks to the presence of thermal pits under their pelicular eyes.



Houk

Companions: Skadge – male (Bounty Hunter).

Description: The anatomy of the Houk displays a very muscular build, and it’s hard to find a match for the physical strength they possess. The Houk can be dangerous opponents in combat, not only because of their native strength but also for their characteristic inclination towards violence.



Jawa

Companions: Blizz – male (Bounty Hunter).

Description: Jawa is a species from the planet Tatooine. These short rodent-like creatures are usually non-aggressive and like to wander over the deserts of Tatooine while scavenging resources and equipment in gigantic vehicles, called Sandcrawlers. Their predisposition to sell obsolete and defective technologies to both locals and passing foreigners classified them as notorious scammers.



Hutt

Description: The Hutts are the supreme rulers of the Hutt Space, with the main focus points being their capital, the world of Hutta as well as Nar Shaddaa also known as the Smuggler’s Moon, the place where all sorts of underground trading and negotiations take place. Nonetheless, the Hutt influence has far-reaching tentacles across the entire galaxy, through their well-organized crime cartels.

The adults of this gastropod large species can reach an impressive body-weight as well as size. The Hutts have semi-sedentary habits, just as their physiology implies. In their culture the ponderous specimens are considered to be more powerful than the thinner ones. Surprisingly, this is a true fact, as the robust Hutts have powerful muscles that allow them to perform swift, agile moves and strike deadly blows with their tail.

The Hutt race also shows regeneration capabilities and significant physical resistance to various substances that are toxic to others as well as mental resistance to Force mind tricks.



Gormak

Description: The Gormak is a native species of the planet Voss. Their civilization is mainly focused on developing technology while their rather basic tribal culture and communications patterns suffered only minor modifications throughout countless generations.

They are fierce enemies of the Voss, the other sentient species native to this world, which they see as an aberration. Since the Republic and the Empire altogether are very interested in the skills of the small Voss nation, the Gormak see both superpowers as their enemies, as they realize that any help received by the Voss could diminish their chances of gaining total domination over the planet.

However, a more imminent danger could await the entire galaxy: the Gormak started to salvage ship parts from the wreckage left behind by the Empire and the Republic after the Battle of Voss, in order to build their own starships.



Voss

Description: The Voss are a sentient race, who named themselves after their home planet. They live in the city of Voss-Ka, a stronghold which they built to protect themselves from their numerous and tech-savvy enemies, the Gormak. Despite the fact that the Gormak have much more advanced technologies and greatly outnumber them, the Voss managed to survive until the present thanks to their Force-sensitive Mystics that provide accurate predictions of the future.

A long time ago, the Voss Mystics had a vision after which they issued a law to forbid the eradication of the Gormak. Since then, the Voss nation is struggling to repel the attacks of the Gormak but has no intentions of destroying them. The unique skills of the Mystics are of great interest for both the Sith Empire and the Republic, which established embassies in the city of Voss-Ka to conduct diplomatic negotiations, and hopefully win the Voss as their allies.