Phydolon

Last Updated: 12/6/2023

Name: Phydolon

Humanoid: Yes and No

Classification: Alternative/Symbiotic

Homeworld: Mydasos

Coloration: Pink, Tan, Orange

Biology: Phydolon were possibly one of the most unique sentient species in the current Star Wars Canon, although they have only made one real appearance so far. Strangely enough, this species is actually two separate entities, the humanoid “Agaran” and the fungal symbiote “Orucytes.” These two species cannot exist for long without each other, and only when they are united do they collectively become the sentient Phydolon.

This species’ humanoid form stands incredibly tall, usually reaching at least 2 meters in height on average. Their feet were long, possessing three toes lacking toenails. Their arms were also long, and their elbows (and presumably knees) were segmented. Their hands were oblong, possessing four fingers and nails, unlike their toes. Their bodies themselves were very thin and presumably muscular, and their skin was a dark brown or purple at the hands and feet, but became a much lighter pink near the chest and face.

The Phydolon had very distinctive heads, with massive, wide-set, glossy black eyes with small white pupils. Their noses were flat and they only had very small nostril openings. Their mouths were small and turned down naturally. While the Phydolon did wear clothing, it was very minimal, and what appeared to be a shawl and hood on their shoulders are actually constructed from the symbiotic fungi. You can see said fungi extending down from the sides and the backs of the head, where it has rooted itself into the body. The Orucytes themselves were just a brown fungal growth that could take on amorphous properties.

Both the base creature and fungi are conscious while separated, the the humanoid Agaran is semi- sapient, although they cannot achieve true sentience, and in turn, complex intelligent thought, speech, and other advanced activities. It is unclear what would happen if one one the two dies or is forcibly removed from the other, but it is most likely that they would lose sentience and turn back into a beast or fungus respectively. The process in which they bond is known as “intra-species gestalt consciousness,” although they have yet to be studied by New Republic scientists in depth, let alone any group before.

Lore: Phydolon are few in numbers, as the way they achieve sentience is no simple feat. They are an incredibly rare sight, and even rarer in the outside galaxy, as they rarely leave their marshy planet of Mydasos, and definitely do not have the means to do so. They instead lived in small settlements across the world, some in the marshes, forests, or even a few on the planets massive but sparse mountains.

As a collective species, the Phydolon worshipped the Living Force, and sought to understand it’s ways. They placed value on the collection of wisdom, and were a very spiritual people, although they were not actually considered religious. The small communities were very close and shared everything. They also did not really form societal hierarchies, and instead attempted to remain as equal as possible, however, they would consider the one who possessed the most knowledge or wisdom to be the community leader or elder.

As with their villages and communities, their native language was very primitive. However, because of a mix of the synoptic fungi and their natural connection to the Living Force, they possessed empathic powers when in close range of each other. They could send their emotions and feelings to other nearby Phydolon, and when one member of the community was sad or elated or frustrated, everyone felt it in waves. They seemed to have the capacity to speak languages like Basic, it they held a disdain for them, as they were far too large and complex, which they saw as unnecessary and wasteful.

They had a very strong connection to the Force, but were somehow not located by the Republic or Jedi until only a few years before the Clone Wars. When they were discovered, at least one Phydolon was inducted into the Jedi Order, and possibly became the most powerful Phydolon societally because of all of the knowledge they obtained in such a short period of time. Unfortunately, said Jedi perished at around the start of the Purge or slightly before, and the species has rarely if ever appeared afterwards.

They had a very unique naming convention, with names looking like the following: “Ark ol Loor” or “Alk ol Nojj.”

Legends/Canon: Phydolon only exist within the current Star Wars Canon, and were uniquely introduced in the “Knights of Fate” tabletop RPG where they remain exclusive to.

Unexplored: As you can probably already tell, there is a whole lot to be explored with this species. Possibly more than any other species on this list. But for the sake of semi-brevity, I will only cover the most interesting points. First off, we definitely need to explore their origins. Why did they evolve in such a bizarre way? How would this symbiotic relationship even come about, and why would they suddenly just develop sentience? Is it due to their connection to the Force, and how did they learn about the Living Force if they were only recently found by the Republic? Were they visited by ancient Jedi in the past, and their existence was just kept hidden or lost to time? And what do they think of the non-sentient Agaran and Orucytes Hett hey see around them? Do they treat them as primitive beasts and fungi, or do they seem them as potential brothers and sisters and try to speed up the symbiotic bonding process?

We also need to explore how they would react to the outside galaxy, as that has seldom happened? What are their thoughts of the Separatists, the Empire and Galactic Civil War, or even the First Order, if any? Were they ever affected by outside factions aside from the Republic? And did others leaves and take up professions aside from Jedi? Did Luke seek out the Phydolon to help booster his New Order? And what happened to them, or even the Republic Jedi we do know about? Would they equally pursue the ways of the Sith because above all else, they simply value knowledge and believe in one universal Force? And would a Sith Phydolon be considered evil, or simply benevolent and wise? All these and more can be explore when looking deeper into this intriguing species. The rest is really up to you!

Additional Notes: Do I think this species is bizarre? Yes. Do I think that this species looks like it was plucked straight from the Mass Effect universe? Absolutely. Do I think it has potential as an interesting species, or to produce interesting characters? Yeah, I kind of do. I wouldn’t say they have my favorite design, as it is very strange even for Star Wars, especially when it comes to Canon. But with the proper setup and writing, this species could definitely make their mark on the Star Wars universe big time. And I think seeing things through their perspective, no matter where that perspective may lead, would be incredibly intriguing! Let’s just say, for the time being, they’re growing on me…

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