Em’liy

Last Updated: 4/10/2024

Name: Em’liy

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Near-Human/Reptilian/Alternative

Homeworld: Shalyvane

Coloration: Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow, or Gold

Biology: The Em’liy were tall, colorful humanoids found on the planet Shalyvane. They were all incredibly lean and muscular, standing around 2 meters tall on average. Their bodies were devoid of any hair below their neck, and their skin was smooth and often shiny. Their pigmentation ranged widely, being anywhere from blue, to green, to orange, or even yellow, gold, or tan. Their arms were long and bulky, and their hands were abnormally large. Unlike the rest of their body, the Em’liy’s heads and neck were often times wrinkled and rigid. Their foreheads were often grooved, and some even had slight protrusions on the sides of their eyes similar to that of the Vodran or Kadas’sa’Nikto. They lacked any visible nose or nostrils and had incredibly beady eyes. They also grew long, dark black hair on the very backs of their head in one distinct location.

Lore: Prior to the Galactic Civil War, the Em’liy were considered an incredibly advanced, sophisticated race of complete isolationists. They had achieved great feats in many fields, acquiring riches, building a mighty military, and constructing massive, technologically impressive cities. However, the rest of the galaxy barely even knew of their existence and the Em’liy never left their homeworld or received any offworld visitors. When the Galactic Empire rose to power, they learned of Shalyvane and saw the Em’liy as a potential threat, launching an all out campaign against the species. Shalyvane was ravaged by war, and with Darth Vader at the forefront, the Em’liy stood no chance. Many of their cities, including their capital of Chinshassa, were destroyed, and countless citizens were slaughtered.

Directly following the Imperial invasion, the Em’liy made no effort to rebuild or recover. Whether it was due to lack of resources or lack of manpower and innovators, many of the survivors simply became nomads or formed rather primitive tribes surrounding the area near the capital. They lived very minimalistic lifestyles, wearing light clothing and covering their heads with hoods. It seemed they had a caste system determined by the number of ponytails an individual had, and covering them was a sign of disregard for that cultural norm. 

At some point they began to acquire weapons in an attempt to fight back against any Imperial occupiers, but without assistance, it was futile. When news of Shalyvane’s occupation began to spread, the Empire pushed the narrative that Humans had been the primary inhabitants and the local Em’liy natives had attempted an uprising, only to be put down by the heroic Empire. After far too long, the Rebellion finally saw past the Empire’s ruse and liberated the Em’liy people. For the first time, they were truly introduced to the outside galaxy. Many remained as nomads, becoming accustomed to their simple living, while a few others began to attempt to rebuild. Others still joined the Rebellion or became galactic vagabonds, wandering from planet to planet with their only intention being to see new things.

Before the collapse of their civilization, the Em’liy had been an incredibly religious and traditional people. They worshipped a countless number of gods and deities, and divided the people up into four castes based on religious reasonings. These social classes were known as the “Argwin,” “Criclamon,” “Dojufi,” and “Damilini” castes, each named after one of their gods, although it is unclear why these specific ones were chosen for the names. You could immediately tell an Em’liy’s caste based off of the number of ponytails they wore on the back of their heads.

Their religious beliefs still remained, but were drastically weakened following their societal downfall. The caste system was mostly abandoned, although many of the tribes were still formed from same-caste groups. An intense dislike for anyone who had been a part of the Damilini class did begin to form following the Imperial invasion, as they were responsible for the military and security forces and had, in their eyes, failed at their only purpose miserably. There were disputes and small skirmishes between caste members and tribes during their nomadic days, but no serious conflicts seemed to ever break out.

One religious belief that they never let go of, however, was their reverence for the “Circle of Kavaan,” a holy site found amidst their capital city of Chinshasaa. This was a temple of sorts where only the righteous Em’liy could go to commune with their vast pantheon of deities. Unworthy Em’liy and any offworlders were forbidden from stepping foot inside of the Circle, and upon learning that the Empire had desecrated their holy place, the Em’liy collectively formed a disdain for any non-Em’liy offworlders. This would continue through their liberation by the Rebel Alliance, and was only quelled when they interacted with Luke Skywalker who used the Force to convince them that his “gods” were real and in support of him. Learning that offworlders could be “holy,” hostilities lessened rather substantially and Skywalker was even let within the confines of the Circle. The Em’liy seemingly could not develop Force Sensitivity and most likely had an incredibly low baseline M-Count.

Legends/Canon: When I initially wrote this article, this section simply said, “The Em’liy have yet to be Canonized, and most likely never will be.” I suppose the THR creators took that as a challenge, as they were recently introduced, at least visually, in “The High Republic (2023) 6,” a revelation I found very exciting! So yes, I am proud to announce that the Em’liy are, indeed, Canon, though no new lore exists and their only current appearance seems to have been taken directly from an existing EU illustration.

Unexplored: The Em’liy was actually rather fleshed out, at least during the Galactic Civil War and New Republic time periods. Of course, in Canon, details can be changed, added, or taken away. Assuming the entire species isn’t rewritten, it’d be interesting to explore how they viewed the outside galaxy before the Galactic Civil war, if they even regarded it at all. Did they believe they were alone in the universe, and was Shalyvane tucked away in some unknown star system or region? How did they react during the fall of the Empire and rise of the New Republic? Were there still pent up hostilities aimed at non-Em’liy or even just the members of the Damilini caste? How many of them actually joined up with the Rebellion, did they get involved with politics on a grander scale at any point, and what would happen to them during the Resistance/First Order debacle, if anything?

Additional Notes: First, I would just like to comment on just how funny this species’ name is? I know a lot of people named Emily (including my wife now), and it just makes it funnier every time I look at them. I do think this history is fairly interesting, and reminds me somewhat of a blend between the Gorothites and the Woostoids (funnily enough, another species that was Canonized the same week as this one within the “The Living Force” novel). Their design may not be the most unique, but I’m still glad to see them make the jump into Canon, and can’t wait to see what new things they do with the species!

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