Ootoolan

Last Updated: 12/5/2023

Name: Ootoolan

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Amphibious

Homeworld: Ootoola

Coloration: Blueish-Green

Biology: Ootoolans were an aquatic species hailing from the oceanic planet of Ootoola. They swelled underwater, although it seems like they have the capacity to breathe above land, at least for short periods of time. Male Ootoolans and female Ootoolans differed greatly in appearance, although they both had the same blueish-green skin with rectangular spots, utilized for camouflage underwater.

Male Ootoolans stood approximately 1.8 meters tall, with the general body shape and height of an average adult Human male. Their hands, however, were similar to squid tentacles, and they used suction cups to grip objects. Their heads were triangular and squid-like, with a flap of skin protruding from the back of their head and wrapping all the way around their necks. Their necks themselves were unusually thick and muscular, and it was uncommon to find a non-muscular Ootoolan because of the amount of swimming they were forced to do. The Ootoolans’ eyes were large and yellow, with big black pupils setting in the center. Their eyes were set deep into their sockets, and they lacked any form of eyelids, often giving them an unsettling look. They lacked a proper nose, and their mouths lined with sharp, shark-like teeth and flanked by a short tentacles on either side. They also generally have an underbite, revealing their lower teeth even when their mouth is closed.

The female Ootoolan were similar in body shape, although they only stood approximately 1.5 meters and sported general female physiology, including cleavage. Their heads were where the real changes were most evident, as they were immensely wide in size and took on a much more frog or fish-like appearance than the squid-like males. Their eyes were much larger, still lacking eyelids. And there were six stalks protruding from their circular heads, with multiple fleshy ribbons extending from each. These were most likely used as underwater sensory organs, although their purpose has never been specified. Their face was flat and circular, they lacked an semblance of a nose, and their lower jaw was overlapped by the res of their head, although it is assumed they still had the same pointed, predatory teeth.

It is unknown whether the Ootoolans has webbed feet with toes, or tentacle feet like similar to their hands, as their lower extremities have yet to be seen. They do seem to have at least some capacity to speak Galactic Basic Standard, although to what extent we do not know, nor do we know anything about their native tongue.

Lore: The Ootoolan society places a great emphasis on the ideas of peace and purity, and they all attempted to remain as pure as possible. This meant that they generally did not interact with the outside galaxy, for fear of corrupting their perfect society. Unfortunately, this often conflicted with how their government was set up, as it was run similarly to a theocratic monarchy where one person has all of the political and religious power. This meant that the king acted as both their ruler as well as the chief priest of their “purity religion.”

Approximately the same time as the Battle of Naboo (33 BBY), an organization comprised of mostly religious zealots, known as the Revolutionary Purist Council, has grown tired of their theocratic society and saw the king as impure for possessing so much power. They usurped the throne and killed the entire royal family for not being pure enough, creating a government more closely resembling a democracy in the process, and only one royal family member, the young Princess Foolookoola, was able to escape. She was forced to turn towards offworlders for assistance, and because of their relatively new introduction to the galaxy and their bizarre appearance, the race soon earned the nickname “fishfaces.” The mercenary Vilmarh Grahrk was hired to deal with the insurrection, the princess was safely relocated offworld, and the royal pancake and the Revolutionary Purist Council were utterly destroyed, leaving Ootoola to pick up the pieces and attempt to return to their former glory and purity.

Legends/Canon: The Ootoolans only exist in Star Wars Legends, and have not been canonized.

Unexplored: As a non-Canon species, you can technically re-explore or define whatever you like or dislike about the Ootoolans. However, if you want to treat all of the information above as canon, then the first thing you will want to explore is “what happened next?” We do not know if the Ootoolans went back to being peaceful and distancing themselves from the rest of the galaxy, or whether everything that happened left the open and vulnerable to an attack from either side of the Clone Wars. If they didn’t participate in the Clone Wars, then did they get dragged into the Galactic Civil War by an Imperial occupation? And did they ever see a cause that they considered pure enough to join or ally themselves with? Along with diving deeper (no pun intended) into their history, culture, economy, and the lives of the Ootoolan common folk, there is a lot of ways you can take this anti-social and religious people.

Additional Notes: I think there is definitely some potential here to develop a character who has never been exposed to other planets or people. You can characterize them as naive and “pure,” although once they get out into the galaxy, they realize that not everything is black and white. That could open up avenues to a plethora of interesting conversations and scenarios. They also have a pretty unique design, as many of the humanoid amphibious species do. And because they’re still not Canon, they can truly be taken in any direction, so have fun with it (in fan OR official works)!

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