Yahk-Tosh

Last Updated: 11/21/2023

Name: Yahk-Tosh

Humanoid: No

Classification: Insectoid/Alternative

Homeworld: Xolu

Coloration: Green, Yellow, or Tan

Biology: The Yahk-Tosh were a large slug-like creature seen in the Star Wars universe. Their average “standing” height at any given time was approximately 1.5 to 1.8 meters, although their bodies were much longer from head-to-toe, with a tail almost just as long from their waist as from their waist to the top of their head. Their bodies were incredibly heavy, potentially upwards of 1300 kilograms. They were slow moving, propelled by their legless torsos, sliding using both mucus and surprisingly intense muscles. Yahk-Tosh had thick, scaly skin covered in a slimy secretion, and they were usually yellow or yellowish-green in coloration, with underbellies.

One of the Yahk-Tosh’s most notable traits were their three sets of arms, six in total. These arms were rather stubby, but incredibly muscular, ending in chubby three-fingered hands and no nails or claws. Their third set of arms were also much smaller than the other two pairs. Yahk-Tosh heads were large, lacking any chins and merging directly into the rest of their bodies. The top of their head was covered in varied lumps, and displayed four elongated antennae arranged in two sets of two, the longer pair in the forefront. They possessed massive mouths full of sharp teeth and an incredible strong bite force. And there was a small, beady eye on each side of their head partially obscured by flaps of skin.

Yahk-Tosh could be surprisingly agile for their size and build, although they are still, by no means, considered to be a fast moving species. As stated above, they were also extremely muscular from head to tail, their strength outclassing many other sentient aliens. In addition to their mucus secretion, they also produced large quantities of slimy saliva that helped them swallow prey. Unlike many other Insectoids, Yahk-Tosh had red blood. They also had a resilience to the Force, often unaffected by attempts at persuasion or mind control. At least one Yahk-Tosh had naturally strong telepathic abilities, although we don’t know if this was indicative of the species as a whole, nor if this was a Force power or something else. Yahk-Tosh had the ability to pronounce Galactic Basic. And they were distantly related to the Hutts, sharing a common ancestor long in the past.

Lore: At some point in the past, a slug-like creature split off into a few different species, one of those being the powerful Hutts, and another being the Yahk-Tosh who were far fewer in number. The species that developed into the Yahk-Tosh ended up on the small planet of Xolu, where they would be forgotten for many millennia. Eventually Xolu and the Yahk-Tosh were re-discovered Republic explorers sometime between 15,000 and 5,000 BBY. Shortly thereafter, Xolu were usurped by the Hutt Empire, often referred to simply as “Hutt Space.” 

By approximately 4,000 BBY, the Yahk-Tosh had been fully incorporated into Hutt Space. This was something that they fully embraced, kissing up to the Hutts and practically worshiping them on some occasions. They had also spread out to nearby planets such as Far Pando and Near Pando, with all of their worlds serving as a source of slaves for the Hutt Empire, whether those slaves were lesser Yahk-Tosh or other “imported” species. Under the Hutts, the Yahk-Tosh were also given their own limited amount of power. 

Many Yahk-Tosh started their own criminal organizations, and many became galactic crime lords, although their reach was never quite as large as any of the powerful Hutts. In the centuries closer to the fall of the Galactic Republic, the Hutts had generally become too lazy to become physically imposing on their own, however, the Yahk-Tosh crime lords remained perpetually horrifying for both their influence as well as simple brute strength. Much of their power was lost late into the reign of the Empire and around the rise of the New Republic, coinciding with the fall of the once-great Hutt Empire as well.

Legends/Canon: The Yahk-Tosh are currently exclusive to Star Wars Legends, although they may have found a Canon counterpart(s) in either the Trodatome and/or Whippomorn.

Unexplored: In regards to Canon, the Yahk-Tosh are completely unexplored, and there’s no proof that they actually even exist as of yet. So they can be taken, expanded upon, or changed any which way if they are ever Canonized (as with many other species I have written about), but under the pretense that they are adapted with their general Legends history intact, here are some things that still need further exploration. Fleshing out the answers to the following questions would help set the Yahk-Tosh apart from other similar species such as the Hutts and solidify their places among the many, many species of the Star Wars universe.

How long ago did they break away from the Hutts (or their predecessor species) and evolve into their own fully distinct species? What was their homeworld of Xolu like, and did it offer any advantages or was it rich in resources that let the Tahk-Tosh live in luxury? Was it common for lesser class Yahk-Tosh to be enslaved, or did they primarily ship in offworlders as slaves for the Hutts? What level of power and influence did the Yahk-Tosh and their crime lords possess, and how many worlds were they in charge of? Did any Yahk-Tosh ever break away and pursue other careers throughout the galaxy, something that may benefit from their overwhelming strength? And did any of them become something like a Jedi, Sith, or other type of Force-wielding individual?

Additional Notes: This is a really fun, slightly basic, and surprisingly horrifying species design. The Yahk-Tosh rarely appeared in anything and were most definitely simply created to be a one-off species when Hutts couldn’t or shouldn’t be used. However, in creating the origins for this species, they actually became very unique and fairly important to the universe given their relationship to the Hutts themselves. I really hope we can see them more in the future of Star Wars Canon, and with the knowledge that the Hutt Empire collapsed shortly following the rise of the New Republic, it’s the perfect time to see a new species rise to power, a role that the Yahk-Tosh could most definitely fill.

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