Drabatan

Last Updated: 1/29/2024 (INCOMPLETE)

Name: Drabatan (Drabata)

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Amphibious/Alternative

Homeworld: Pipada

Coloration: Gray, Blue, Pink, or Cream

Biology: Drabatan’s most distinguishing feature is their massive mouth. They also have incredibly squinted eyes, scrunched or non-visible noses, and are generally slightly shorter than the average adult human. They are regarded as Amphibious, although they dwell on land on their homeworld of Pipada, and they do not require being submerged at any time in order to survive like some aquatic species. Where they actually got the Amphibian classification is unknown.

Drabatans seeming could not pronounce Galactic Basic, instead speaking at least two different tongues, the loud, screaming-based language of Drabatese, and a second, much quieter, unnamed language that relied on the vocal pouch they possessed. Drabatese was used when communicating with fellow Drabatans, while the secondary language was used out among the galaxy as they realized their first tongue may make other species uncomfortable or come across as rude.

Lore: Not much is known about the Drabatan society, especially pre-Galatic Civil War. The Empire invaded their swampy homeworld of Pipada early on into the war and turned it into a mining and resource processing world, driving most of the Drabatan population either onto reservations, or completely offworld. They are generally known as a warrior race, and almost every known Drabatan has been a Rebellion-allied fighter (or an skilled Rebel technician).

Drabatan naming conventions always follow the same pattern. For example:

Paodok’Draba’Takat Sap’De’Rekti Nik’Linke’Ti’ Ki’Vef’Nik’NeSevef’Li’Kek

There is a distinct first, middle, and last name. However, only fellow Drabatans refer to each other by their full name. When speaking with non-Drabatans, their “full name” would be their first name or the first three-ish segments. Example:

Paodok’Draba’Takat

Then, in turn, they can go by a “first name,” which would be all or part of the first segment of that name, such as:

Pao, Pao’, or even Paodok

Legends/Canon: Drabatans did not exist in Legends, and were only introduced into Canon as of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Unexplored:

Additional Notes: I guess this species is still relatively new, but because of their seemingly warrior-based lifestyles, they could prove to be an incredibly interesting race to explore. And as new information is gleaned, I can promise this article will be revised. This is an incredibly underutilized species and should definitely be explored more in your next Star Wars project, unofficial or otherwise (really hoping we see more of Pao’ in Andor Season 2)! You’ll also notice how big of a fan I am of the species by how often I include them within the fan fiction I post to this site, and how frequently I include unofficial worldbuilding elements to their homeworld and lore. (Pablo Hidalgo also revealed not too long ago on Twitter/X that he believes they named the species after the frog superfamily “Dendrobatoidea,” although couldn’t 100% confirm that that was what he had done. Just thought it was a fun potential fact!)

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