Gamandar

Last Updated: 1/25/2024

Name: Gamandar

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Near-Human

Homeworld: Gamandar

Coloration: Red or Pink

Biology: The Gamandar were a race of near-Humans who were sometimes depicted as having bright red pigmentation very similar to that of the Sith species, while other times they were simply shown as being the same coloration as a pale baseline Human. That being said, they were very Human-like, sharing the same general build, height, features, and anatomy, with only a few minor differences outside of their coloration. The Gamandar appeared to walk with a slouched posture, and males had long, hairy arms and large hands. Both males and females also shared a similar brown hair color, if they weren’t completely bald. From what we’ve seen, they are generally very thin and have slightly drooping facial features, although these traits may simply be the result of malnutrition. Regardless, they were described by non-Gamandar as “feeble.”

Lore: Nothing is really known about the Gamandar, aside from the fact that they built a fairly mighty civilization that all but collapsed when they were enslaved by the Galactic Empire shortly after the Battle of Yavin, designated to be used as another workforce to fuel the Imperial machine. Their homeworld of Gamandar became an Imperial stronghold and HQ for the Empire’s efforts to subjugate the entire Iskalon System. It remained this way for some time, although it appears they were eventually liberated by the Rebel Alliance. They were also apparently associates of “the School,” a collective of amphibious refugees who had taken up residence on Gamandar’s twin planet of Iskalon, although the extent of their bond was unclear.

Legends/Canon: At the moment, the Gamandar have only appeared in the original 1977 run of the Marvel Star Wars comics, and thus are relegated to Star Wars Legends. Even then, between their two appearances, in one comic they were all dark red and the other they were all Human-colored, leading to a bit of confusion that was probably just spurred on by a miscommunication between colorists. Still, it’s hard to say which version should be considered more official or concrete, although it would be a stretch to say they were distinctive subspecies or were intended to be intentional variants.

Unexplored: The Gamandar are, or were, in dire need of further exploration. Were the Gamandar a mighty people who put up a valiant fight against the Empire, or were they an overconfident civilization who put too much trust in either themselves or even the Galactic Empire? When were they first discovered by and/or introduced to the greater galaxy? Did the Gamandar have any unique traditions, cultural practices, ideals, religions, or even exports that set them apart from other species, or more specifically other Near-Humans? And how advanced was the Gamandar society, civilization, technology, political system, economy, etc. and how were they viewed by the rest of the galaxy and their various factions? These are the basics that need to be covered for the Gamandar to receive some true characterization, then they can be taken into even more complex directions. (Also, a solid answer would be helpful as to their true coloration.

Additional Notes: There’s not much to say here at the moment. The Gamandar were really just used as a plot device to redundantly reinforce the idea of “Empire Bad.” I wish they had done a little bit more with them, but I understand that this wasn’t really a priority back in the early EU and 1977 Marvel Star Wars comic run, so I’ll give them a pass. Who knows, maybe we’ll see the Gamandar pop up in something like The High Republic in the near future!

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