Swokes Swokes

Last Updated: 2/6/2024 (INCOMPLETE)

Name: Swokes Swokes

Humanoid: Yes/No

Classification: Reptilian/Alternative

Homeworld: Makem Te

Coloration: Pale Green, Gray, White, Pink, Tan, and/or Orange

Biology: Swokes Swokes were very bizarre looking creatures, and could very easily be considered non-sentient upon first glance. Their bodies were rather grotesque, and while they stood about 2 meters tall, they were rather stalky. Despite their large stomached, their legs were usually fairly thin (at least in regards to the rest of their mass).

Many Swokes Swokes seemed to be patchworked together, and did not have consistent biology. Some had tails, while others did not. Some had lidless eyes and pupils while others had large, black, bulbous eyes. Some had four-toed, pseudo-webbed, duck-like feet, while others had three toes and large reptilian toenails. And their some had four finders, while others had five.

Their general shape usually remained the same, however, as well the randomly sprouting spikes or horns on their head, and their massive, razor-like teeth. Their brains were slightly underdeveloped, leading to violent and irrational behavior among most of the species, and their sharp claws and teeth were designed for a creature of predatory descent.

They had three nostrils, spots and warts all arose their body, and usually emitted a mucous-like saliva from their mouths. Despite all of these bizarre and usually unhealthy attributes, Swokes Swokes has a natural healing ability, allowing to have a lifespan similar to that of a human. This healing ability actually allowed for them to regrow any lost limbs or other body parts, aside from the head.

Their blood was sticky and compared to a runny sap-like fluid. This fluid was what helped them repair injured body parts. Without any extra exertion, the average time for a limb to grow back was around ten days.

Their interiors were also bizarre, as they lacked most vital organs and almost the entirety of a nervous system. They only had the most necessary nerves, and generally did not feel pain, or at least had an incredibly high tolerance to it. In fact, that could not feel much of anything physically, which matched their general psychopathic tendencies. Their interiors are said to resemble that of a tapeworm, and they are able to digest almost any material.

They could not physically grow hair, and directly under their skin was always a thick layer of blubbery fat. Their skin’s texture was said to resemble either dough or rubber. Female Swokes Swokes could have up to six nipples.

All Swokes Swokes were easily addicted to most forms of spices, and their withdrawals were incredibly serious, although they could not feel the pain due to their lack of neurological pain receptors and other nerves. Instead, they suffered from severe physiological damage while on and away from spices. They grew relatively faster than most species, being considered a young adult at around 9, and fully mature by 14. Despite this they still lived as long as the average human, and didn’t show many signs of actual aging, only getting stronger and larger with age until they eventually just succumbed to death.

Society: The Swokes Swokes were a predatory, warrior race. They tended to be violent in nature, and practiced grotesque rituals and habits. Their society as a whole seemed to worship the idea of death, although it was rather hard for them to die due to their healing abilities. Instead, they created something on Makem Te known as the “Tract,” a massive burial ground for both their own people. This became one of the major economic drives for the Swokes Swokes society, as tourists flocked from all over to see it, and the Tract grew until trillions of graves lined the planet’s surface.

The Swokes Swokes went relatively unnoticed in the galaxy until rather shortly before the Clone Wars, when they were discovered by the Galactic Republic. They were offered a seat in the senate, and while galactic politics went against their better nature, they accepted the offer and allied themselves with the Republic. None of the senators or representatives from Makem Te really enjoyed their jobs, and longed for more violent occupations. They really disdained having to dress up and attend meetings, and usually the turnover rate for Swokes Swokes senators was very high.

Their planet itself is a desert wasteland, and the Swokes Swokes were forced to adapt to harsh environments and even more dangerous predators who also called Makem Te home. This constitutes for the evolution of their bizarre biology, and they spent so much time trying to survive, that they never really evolved much socially or technologically. They did develop tools for mining, as well as ones for taming the planet’s wild beasts, as there was no surface water or food found on Makem Te.

While they were a much more primitive species, their planet we’d caught up in both the war with the Great Sith Wars, as well as the Mandalorian Wars, although they were little more than bystanders. The Galactic Republic really started to take an interest in the world when they discovered rare spices deep within the planet’s crust. Mining operations were quickly formed all across the planet, however, the Swokes Swokes did not really benefit from this, as all the spices and profits went directly into the Republic’s pockets.

When the Clone Wars began, the Republic’s taxation of the Swokes Swokes was heavily increased, and they actually approached the Separatists and Count Dooku to help them liberate their planet. However, their mining operations were put at risk, and shortly before the end of the Clone Wars, they rejoined the Galactic Republic to save their mines and their 2 million citizens. When the Galactic Empire rose to power, they actually abandoned most of the mines and surprisingly left the Swokes Swokes to their own devices, even supplying the people with all sorts of weapons. This is believed to be because they knew the race was still primitive, and hoped that they Luke kill each other off so the Empire didn’t have to expend any extra resources to govern them.

Because of these actions, however, the Swokes Swokes adored the Empire, and allowed Imperials to seek refuge on their planet after the Battle of Endor and the subsequent collapse of the galactic dictatorship. Many Imperial Warlords made themselves home on Makem Te, fighting for dominance, and it eventually became an Imperial bastion during the rise of the New Republic. The Swokes Swokes hated the New Republic, and swore their allegiance to the Empire time and time again. It is unknown whether they did the same for the First Order or not.

The majority of the Swokes Swokes population were religious fanatics, and their planet was populated with hundreds of widely varying violence-based religions. Most of these religions involved self-mutilation and sacrifice, and all stated that if you were a part of any other religion, you were a heretic and must be put to death. Massive civil wars were fought between these grotesque religions, and the Swokes Swokes enjoyed every minute of each.

They generally did not feel any remorse or empathy, although it is not confirmed whether this was biological or sociological in nature. In essence, every Swokes Swokes was a psychopath and/or sociopath. This made them great assassins, mercenaries, bodyguards, and bounty hunters, all professions they commonly sought out and were sought out for.

Above all else, Swokes Swokes adores and respected their ancestors, often visiting their massive graves to pay respects. Funerals were the most sacred ceremonies a Swokes Swokes could attend, and they, along with burials, were taken very seriously. They had mandatory mourning periods, where they would cease all hostilities, and they would carry artifacts or body parts of their dead ancestors and loved ones into battle as good luck charms.

They also valued jewelry and gemstones, and often had precious gems surgically implanted into their body near their vital organs. While they could not be seen, they were still treated as a status symbol, and the more gems you had on or in you, the more politically powerful you were.

As stated above, a lot of the planet’s economy was based around the Tract. And they did not benefit from their own spice industry. However, they did begin to produce basic materials such as metals, lumber, and glass, to be sold to the galaxy, with many Swokes Swokes departing to be merchants on poor and desolate worlds similar to their own. They also had a rather large animal breeding business, and the massive predators that they taped were bred and sold for mounts and gladiatorial beasts.

The funeral industry was also booming on Makem Te, with anything from monuments to coffins being produced and sold to offworlders. Self-proclaimed psychics would help mourning tourists contact their deceased loved ones. The cremation business became the centerpiece for many marketplaces. Warehouses were stocked filled of both funeral supplies as well as dead bodies. And they even began diving into alchemy.

Many Swokes Swokes were employed at the Tract, which, at the time of the Galactic Civil War, covered roughly 10% of Makem Te’s entire surface area. Tourists could look at the gravesight from outside or above, however, if any offworlders were to enter it was considered sacrilegious and Tract bodyguards would maim or kill them. They also had landspeeder drivers who would take pilgrims on day long trips to visit their ancestors graves, as well as restaurants, vendors, and shopping centers sprung up outside of and at designated checkpoints within the Tract.

Food was also a big deal on Makem Te, as the Swokes Swokes at a lot of it. They could literally eat and digest anything, from massive insects to reptile meat to sugary candies and spice laden alcohol. They were messy eaters, did not care about hygiene whatsoever, and preferred eating out of communal feeding troughs to traditional restraint style meals. The Swokes Swokes food industry was fairly popular both on and off of their homeworld. Cannibalism was also an acceptable practice among the Swokes Swokes. Although it was only usually related to severe punishments. It was honorable to be eaten by your own family and loved ones, but dishonorable to be eaten by strangers.

Their Swokes Swokes spoke a language known as Swoken, which sounded incredibly ugly to most other sentient creatures. It consisted of guttural cries, screeching, and screaming. Despite this, they could learn Basic (English) quite easily, although they could not speak it without a slur, and generally thought it was an unattractive or repulsive language altogether. Their naming convention was rather unique, as they went by one name, and if possible, a title. For example:

Fabswa the Mutiliated or Gragra the Repugnant

The only Swokes Swokes who were allowed to use double names were this of nobility or fame, and one had to either be born into it, or do something outstanding to earn it.

Legends/Canon: Most of the Swokes Swokes cultural history has unfortunately been de-canonized. In addition to everything mentioned above, the Swokes Swokes also allied themselves with Grand Admiral Thrawn, were conquered during the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, and fell under the control of the New Galactic Empire and Darth Krayt within Star Wars Legends. Since none of these events take place anymore, and most likely never will again, they should not be mentioned when characterizing or exploring your Swokes Swokes character.

Everything else above could very easily be fit right back into the current canon, and so I included it. The extent to which you mention some of that history should not matter or make your work suddenly non-canonical anymore.

Unexplored: In Legends, they literally explored every facet of Swokes Swokes life from thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin, and hundreds of years after. There were not many prominent Swokes Swokes characters, but there didn’t need to be. Now, nearly nothing exists about them aside from the fact that they were allied with the Republic and had violent tendencies. So the question is, which way do we go when exploring a character of this species. Do we start to rely on old information and re-canonize what was written above, or do we take it in new and even more bizarre directions, if that’s even possible.

The exploration will be expanse in either direction, and with the First Order and Resistance now canonized, it will be interesting to see how this crazy race reacts to both factions. Lastly, where you can take their religions and the expansion of the Tract are nearly limitless.

Additional Notes: This species is freaking fun to write about!!! Like, there’s so much here to unpack and expand upon. There’s literally an in universe “Twenty Wonders of the Galaxy” list, and the Swokes Swokes’ massive Tract is on there. And don’t even get me started on their crazy religion Temple of the Beatific Razor. I barely touched on the ins and outs of some of their religions above.

This is one of the richest species lorewise Star Wars has to offer, and it’s great for creating characters with no moral obligations or desire to do anything for anyone other than themselves. They aren’t evil, but they are the pinnacle of “different.” They are so different from humans, that we see them as repulsive and disgusting. But it would seem that they tend to view humans the same way. And because of that, there is so many themes and characterizations to explore.

Swokes Swokes definitely get an A+ in storytelling potential from me!

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