Nephran

Last Updated: 1/25/2024

Name: Nephran

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Amphibious/Crustacean

Homeworld: Nepotis

Coloration: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and/or Purple

Biology: Nephran were a sentient crustacean creature hailing from the watery world of Nepotis. They evolved from either lobster or shrimp like creatures that dwelled in the world’s large planetary oceans. They had hard, bumpy exoskeletons that ranged from orange to olive-green to dark blue in coloration. They stood roughly 2 meters in height, although their often hunched backs made their true height hard to determine, especially with their heads drooping as far down as over their chests.

Their black, glossy eyes were mounted on stalks extending from their heads, and they had two long and four short tendrils dangling down over where their toothy mouths were located. They had massive, lobster-like claws in place of hands, although they had expert control over these appendages and could use them very precariously and precisely. Their feet had six toes each, with long black toenails, and their knees had a secondary, inverted joint not found on many other species. As mentioned above, they also possessed a thick chitinous exoskeleton which was interestingly covered in large, sporadic hairs serving a currently unknown purpose.

Nephran had incredibly extended lifespans, living for at least 400 years, although from what we’ve seen, they could easily live for much longer. The species surprisingly had the capacity to speak Galactic Basic Standard, although commonly preferred to utilize their native language known as Nepotisian. There are currently no confirmed instances of a Force Sensitive Nephran, although that didn’t mean it wasn’t possible but would mean, should they be adopted into the Jedi or even become Sith, special lightsaber hilts would need to be fashioned to accommodate their less-than-conventional “hand” or claw shape.

Lore: Next to nothing is known about the Nephran as a people at the moment, and that is partially due to the fact that in-universe they are (or at least were at one point) described as a poorly documented species. Most members of the species still seemed to dwell on their watery world of Nepotis, while at least a few had ventured out among the stars. Many of those who did would eventually adopt lives of crime, although we’re not entirely sure the root cause of this issue. One thing we do know is that Nephran usually had very long and complicated names, often shortening them to better blend in to the greater galactic societal landscape (not unlike Drabatans or Chiss) i.e. “Thermoculus Krisintvolt Scissorpunch” shortened to “Therm Scissorpunch.”

Legends/Canon: Nephran only exist in Canon, being introduced in Solo: A Star Wars Story and popularized both in The High Republic and Jedi: Survivor!

Unexplored: The first thing you want to explore when dealing with an aquatic species from a primarily water covered world is “are their cities above or below water?” This will determine their level of both development as well as openness to the outside galaxy, as underwater cultures were usually more closed off and oftentimes primitive, while cities built suspended above water or on islands were much more open to outsiders and tourism. This will often determine wealth, exports, economy, intergalactic trading and more, as civilizations above water often have access to more widespread technology, and are more likely to be a wealthier society within the grand galactic scheme of things.

With most these relatively lore-less Canonical entries, you can also explore things such as: How well can they speak Basic and what does their native tongue sound like? Can they do anything unique, like regrow claws or shed their skin to escape dangerous situations? What can they do differently underwater that they cannot on land, and how long can they remain exposed to oxygen or other gasses? Why did we rarely see any during the Prequel era/Clone Wars, and again during the Sequel era (in-universe lore)? How would a society underwater like theirs evolve? Are they peaceful, or do they usually use their massive claws and toenails for more primitive, hand-to-hand combat? What other sentient or non-sentient aquatic species exist in their homeworld (if any), and do they co-exist, or are they the predators or even the prey? As you have probably already seen with other entries in this database, the possibilities are nearly endless!

Additional Notes: As far as amphibious creatures go, the Nephran are nothing incredibly new. They do have the added bonus of being based off of a crustacean instead of the usual “fish species,” and the claws are pretty sweet and versatile, but the design still isn’t the most inspired or alien that I’ve ever seen. Still, if you’re doing a story that explores watery worlds or has a colorful cast of amphibious creatures, I think the Nephran will fit right in! (Also Therm Scissorpunch really is one of the greatest Star Wars characters of all time!)

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