Kubaz

Last Updated: 12/4/2023

Name: Kubaz or Kubazian

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Near-Human

Homeworld: Kubindi

Coloration: Black

Biology: Kubaz closely resembled humans from the neck down, although they had dark gray or pitch black skin. Their heads were slightly bulbous, and if they weren’t entirely bald, they sometimes had short, spiky hair that was usually black or a dark green in coloration. Their ears were often long and pointed as well. Their snouts were elongated and sported a long tongue that could be used to slurp up insects, their main, if not only source of nutrients. Because of the weird shape of their mouths, Kubaz spoke a very unique language consisting of buzzing and whistle noises that was often known as Kubazian. They could only Basic after years of intense practice, and even then it had a strange, very nasally accent to it. Kubazian was hard for most beings to understand, so usually Kubaz required either a translator droid or some form of cultural flute like instrument to communicate with other species. They also developed a form of sign language that allowed them to speak a crude hybrid of Basic and Kubazian.

Their trunks themselves were full of circular rows of sharp teeth used to cut and grind insects before entering the stomach. This genetic oddity was actually developed due to their homeworld’s hot and dry environment, which was devoid of almost all other nutrient sources, including animals, plants, and surface water. Aside from their short trunks, insectivorous diets, and strange language, the Kubaz were also distinguished by their hypersensitive eyes. The sun that scorched the surface of Kubindi was still a relatively young blue star, and their eyes had been forced to over-adjust to the intense light from this sun. When directly exposed to the light from red or yellow suns, their eyes grow incredibly irritated, often to the point that they are not able to function anymore.

Their dark skin is, of course, a result of the intense exposure to the sun. This gave them a decent resilience to high temperatures and harsh, sunny environments, especially ones emanating from blue stars. Kubaz born on other worlds would eventually see their skin become a slightly lighter gray pigmentation than ones born on Kubindi. Despite all of these unique traits, Kubaz were still fairly humanoid in nature. However, they did have two-toed feet, which are rarely if ever exposed. Their height was generally the same as most humanoid species, and their lifespans were often well over 100 years. Kubaz were said to have an unnaturally low natural midi-chlorian count, although the reason why has never been expanded upon.

Lore: The Kubaz are relatively new members of the galactic community, only being discovered and introduced into the Republic a few hundred years before the Clone Wars began. This was mainly due to the fact that their entire species now dwells completely underneath the crust of Kubindi, and the surface of the planet appeared to be an inhospitable wasteland that travelers generally tried to avoid. When the Kubaz developed space travel, they actually traveled to three of the eleven smaller worlds/asteroids orbiting their blue giant sun named Ku’Bakai. These worlds, Ku’Bakai 6, 8, and 11 were quickly colonized, and this was what finally led to their initial discovery by the Galactic Republic.

When they were eventually discovered, they quickly became acclimated to being a part of the greater galactic landscape. They made a name for themselves among the Republic, and their history became synonymous with some of the more war and espionage driven governments among the galactic coalition.

Since they had gained sentience, the Kubaz had been participants in a number of wars, mostly among themselves. Originally evolving from an anteater-like mammalian species on the then lush world of Kubindi, when their world was ravaged by sudden intense solar flares from Ku’Bakai, they were essentially forced to evolve or die. As they gained sentience, they realized they would need to move underground to avoid the intense heat and to hunt the only remaining food source on the planet: insects. Of course the insects they fed on were limited as well, and so a clan system was developed to split and lay claim to different insect colonies. This was the start of the first Kubazi society.

Each of the Kubazi clans were ruled by a self proclaimed queen, and the clans and clan members all took on the last name of the Queen whose domain they belonged to. The clans were each based in large underground caverns known as nests, which were situated near plentiful food supplies. The Kubaz quickly developed a pension for advanced genetics, and as the insects grew fewer in number, fledgling Kubaz scientists developed rudimentary insect farms where they bred only the finest and most nutritious specimens. These farmed insects were larger, grew faster, and reproduced much more often than normal. They were also able to breed these bugs so that they were color coded, differentiating each clan’s supply from the others by stripes and other colorful identifiers.

Of course, only the largest and smartest clans could afford to do this, and so the smaller, more primitive clans began to raid the insect farms, leading to the start of a planetary conflict that would become known as the “Hive Wars.” As the Hive Wars raged, many Kubaz were slaughtered, the smaller clans were often completely wiped out, and shaky truces were made among powerful queens and hives. The war was quelled as more scientists made large advances in the field of insecticulture, developing insects that multiplied quick enough to permanently supply Kubazi’s entire planetary population with a sustainable food source.

At the end of the Hive War, the first Kubazi society had all but collapsed and most of the clans disbanded, uniting under a more standardized planetary government. During this time of peace, the Kubaz people started to make cultural and technological advances, developing many of their long lasting customs and traditions, as well as developing weapons and even space fairing vessels (although they could not fathom the idea of hyperspace-based travel at this point).

This was when they began to settle the other aforementioned colonies within their system, and the Republic discovered them and brought them into the fold. Around the same time, they began to expand their reach further and moved into the neighboring Roche Asteroid Belt, where they encountered another sentient species: the Insectoids known as the Verpine. Seeing them as nothing more than large sources of food, the Kubaz began to initiate a war with the Verpine. However, since the Verpine were also allied with the Republic, and the Kubaz would be committing war crimes by starting this conflict, the Republic stepped in and forced them to stop, sweeping the whole incident under the rug.

Because of their aggressive nature, and the fact that they viewed all Insectoid species as inferior and unworthy of attaining sentience, the Republic actually revoked their right to hyperspace travel and dissuaded them from researching it any further. This opened up an entire space fairing economy, where the Kubaz’s only way offworld was to hitch a ride with a pilot either passing through or just wanting to make a quick credit. They still begin to spread rapidly throughout the galaxy, taking up many different roles including becoming pilots, smugglers, and spies for the Galactic Republic (as well as spies for their own government).

Sometime between 50 and 30 B.B.Y., their entire system was usurped by the Hutt Empire and the Republic no longer had control of the Kubaz. The Kubazi people still considered themselves a part of the Republic, but they held no seat in the Galactic Senate. Still, with this newfound “freedom” they began to experiment with hyperspace technology. Many Kubaz began to turn towards crime for the first time since they had stolen from each other’s insect farms so many years ago, and some even became poachers and bounty hunters, usually hunting attack Insectoid monsters and other sentient insect-like galactic denizens. When the Republic went to war with the Geonosians, the Kubaz were ecstatic, as they held a special hatred for the winged Separatist Insectoids. They also maintained rocky relations with the neighboring Verpine during this time.

Shortly prior to the Clone Wars, a large number of Kubaz helped form a criminal group known as the Black Heth. This gang-like organization was based off of Coruscant, and actually helped pave the way for some of the first Separatists to break away from the Galactic Republic. The group itself did not last long against the might of the Jedi, but they did help plant that seeds of rebellion into many disgruntled politicians.

As they were nearing the completion of their hyperspace technology, the Republic collapsed and the Galactic Empire rose to power. They stepped in and dissuaded the Kubazi again from actually achieving hyperspace travel. They did so by sabotaging and bombing their research facilities, then blaming the attacks on the growing rebellion. This actually helped the Empire recruit many of the Kubaz into their ranks, as they quickly become known renowned spies and hackers throughout the galaxy. The Kubaz were one of the few non-human species who were allowed to serve the Empire in some capacity (not technically as slaved), and often served the same, or at least a similar role to the Imperial Shistavanen scouts.

Of course, not all of the Kubaz joined up with the Empire, as they were still technically under the Hutt’s jurisdiction. Many expanded their reach even further and colonized the planet Doornik-319, renaming it “Morning’s Bell.” This became sacred location to them, as the surface was habitable, there was plentiful vegetation, and even more insects than they could ever image. All things they more or less lacked back on their homeworld of Kubindi.

Still, other Kubaz actually saw through the Empire’s lies and allied themselves with the Rebellion. These Kubaz were far and few between, and were not quite as skilled at espionage as the Bothans, but they were still crucial in the Alliance’s information department. Among their people, these rebellious Kubaz were considered outliers, and the Imperial Kubaz treated them as straight up traitors to their kind.

After the collapse of the Empire, most of the Imperial Kubaz became freelance spies. They did not instantly ally themselves with the New Republic as many other species did in the wake of the Empire’s destruction, and did not even consider the idea until much further down the road. They still, however, heavily relied on offworlders to shuttle them around the galaxy, so their setbacks in developing hyperspace technology may have been too great to overcome after the Galactic Civil War.

The Kubaz society as a whole has changed much over the course of only a few hundred years. Most of their cultural identity was developed directly following the Hive Wars. The Kubazi valued both science and fine arts. They were actually incredibly intelligent, especially for a species that remained isolationists for most of their short sentient existence. They produced many fine paintings, sculptures, songs, and works of literature. They also treated occupations such as smuggling and spying as “fine arts” in and of themselves.

The Kubaz were some of the most truthful species in the galaxy, and hated the idea of lying, at least to each other. The only time they found lying acceptable was while they were committing acts of espionage or smuggler activities, as they saw it as simply “part of the art.” Otherwise, the Kubaz were very trustworthy and hated traitors, which made them reliable informants.

After being introduced into the galactic community, their society morphed again, as they began to adopt traditions found on many worlds. The Kubaz government actually deployed a great number spies out across the galaxy to report back on other societial practices, weak and strong governments, hospitable worlds, and most importantly, what kinds of insects could be found on each planet. The spies often brought back specimens that were used in the genetic development of even greater tasting insects for their ever expanding farms. The Kubaz also developed a black market of sorts for body parts and corpses of dead sentient Insectoid species, which they considered to be absolute delicacies.

The clan system still remained in some form or another, as there were still queens that ruled the matriarchal governments, and the Kubaz still took on the names of their familial queen. Family was incredibly important to the Kubaz, and no matter their allegiance or occupation, their family, clan, and nest always came first.

Finally, because of when they were introduced to the galaxy, there have never been any known Kubaz Jedi. This is in part due to their incredibly low base midi-chlorian count, as well as the fact that the Jedi Order’s time in the galaxy was rapidly coming to an end. In fact, there has only ever been one Kubaz in their entire history who possessed some level of Force Sensitivity, and he was quickly found and recruited by the Sith, becoming known as Darth Glenk. Even then, he was actually a spy for a rival Sith faction, placing his cultural heritage before his very unique abilities.

Legends/Canon: Kubaz have existed since the very first Star Wars film back in 1977. All the information about their biology remains the same, while most of the information about their greater society as a whole, as well as their tenuous history, has been wiped clean for Canon. It seems that they actually attempted to join the New Republic at some point in Legends, however, before they had a chance, the Yuuzhan Vong swept through the galaxy and conquered or destroyed all of their colonies.

We also learned relatively recently that there are a few changes made between their EU and Canonical lore that is hard to reconcile. Canonically, the Kubaz’s association with the Empire was much less nuanced, essentially being no more than another enslaved race, although their “allegiance” was due to mass brainwashing efforts. It has also been stated that they are simply incapable of pronouncing Basic in Canon, regardless of how much they practice. Anatomically, their mouths and the language incompatible now.

Unexplored: So this species has been explored fairly heavily at this point, even if most of the information listed above is not considered Canonical. As always, you could technically rewrite the entire history of the species with no real repercussions to continuity. However, all of the info above also does still fit into the current Canon without really messing up any events, so we will just roll with it for now, as it is one of the more interesting entries in this list of over 1000 species.

The biggest things left unexplored from the information given include why they have such a low connection to the Force, who in the Republic actually first discovered them, how did the Sith locate Glenk (since presumably it was before the Kubaz had any other outside interactions), and did they view the Force as a strange, scary, or intriguing phenomenon, as they did produce many brilliant scientists and artists. Other questions include: What caused their Ku’Bakai suddenly start emitting dangerous solar flares? And what was Kubindi like before it was ravaged by it’s sun? What are the finer details regarding their insect production? What kind of arts do they actually produce (paintings, cultures, or something we couldn’t even imagine)? What was the extent of their conflict with the Verpine? Which sentient Insectoid species did they hate the most, or at least find the most delicious? And what exactly do Kubazi Queens look like, as well as how does one exactly become a Queen?

Other more Canonical questions include: What senatorial role did they play (if any) in initiating both Battles of Geonosis, or at least what were their collective thoughts on the matter? Did any Kubaz ever get over their preconceived notions and get along with a fellow Insectoid? How many worlds did they spread to and spy on, and where or how exactly did they keep and catalog all of their exotic insect specimen? How did the Hutt’s treat them when the Kubaz entered their jurisdiction? Did they ever end up joining the New Republic, at least before the First Order destroyed the Hosnian System? Were they actually affected by the First Order in any way, and did they ever come into contact with the Resistance? Did they ever finally get to create hyperspace travel, or were they forever restricted to greater galactic travel via offworld vessels? And finally, what was Morning’s Bell like? Was it an absolute utopia, a false paradise, or a world that would be overlooked by most other species.

Additional Notes: Funnily enough, until very recently, I referred to this species the Garindan. In fact, that was actually just the name of a Kubaz who appeared in A New Hope…. Anyway, the idea of a species working for the Empire doesn’t pop up very often, and I actually find their species incredibly unique and full of potential. Do they come across as one note individuals? Sure. But there’s still so much to work with here, and you can absolutely make a Kubaz character become more than just an Insectoid hating, war loving spy. It would serve as a very interesting character arc to see them overcome their biological programming and bias, and could serve as some potent commentary on real world prejudices and the like.

I think exploring the life of a Kubazi Queen would be incredibly interesting as well, as would anything with this species if I’m being honest, and I hate to see so much of their history get brushed by the wayside with the rest of the obscure Legends lore. Hopefully much of it will be Canonized, but until then, I definitely encourage you to fit a Kubaz into your next Star Wars fan story. They get an A+ in potential from me!