Houk

Last Updated: 11/10/2023

Name: Houk

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Alternative

Homeworld: Lijuter

Coloration: Blue, Purple, Green, Orange, Brown, & Tan

Biology: Houks were a large creature with a particularly infamous reputation. They stood approximately 2.2 meters when fully grown, and their bulky bodies were considered almost pure muscle. They had broad extremities and torsos, as well as thick, coarse skin that was difficult to penetrate and completely hairless. Said skin was a variety of colors, often dark blue, purple, brown, or green, sometimes with lighter tan or orange patches on their underarms and stomachs, and often they had mottled green, pink, or orange mottled spots scattered randomly across their bodies. They were also known for the variety of wrinkles and warts that could form on the bodies of Houks of any age.

Houks had large heads with incredibly thick skulls. They had rigid, bony head crests that were usually discolored, consisting of a varying number of rows of large bumps. They had small yellow eyes that were set far back into their head. Houks had no visible nostrils, although there was a nose-like ridge on the middle of their face. They also had large, downturned mouths and massive, bumpy chins. They also had small cavities on the sides of their head surrounded by lumps that served as ears. They had longer lifespans than the average Human, and only grew larger with age. They also had the capacity to pronounce Galactic Basic, although they were more comfortable speaking their deep native tongue of Houkese.

Lore: Houks were a species who were renowned for their short tempers and violent outbursts. They were not necessarily known for their intelligence, but were considered hard workers and even harder fighters, often taken to be gladiators, or even worse, slaves. They believed that any major conflict could and should be solved with war. And generally, Houks were opposed to progress, although they did embrace the expansion of their species. Shortly after they developed space faring and hyperdrive technology, they began to colonize the worlds surrounding Lijuter, establishing “independent” governments on each, although they all technically answered to “Lijuter Congress.”

The Houks were discovered by both the Galactic Republic, as well as the Hutt Empire, in the early days of the Old Republic era. Although they were technically within Republic jurisdiction, they attempted to remain neutral. And due to their close proximity to Hutt space, it wasn’t uncommon for Houks to be stolen away by the Hutts and placed into their servitude or sent to mining worlds like Kessel. The Houks also made an enemy of the Weequay species when they colonized some of their worlds, although this would not come to a head until well after the Galactic Civil War when they entered into a ten year-long war. Throughout their history, Houks preferred hand-to-hand combat or their custom-made “Neuronic Whips.”

A little less than four thousand years before the fall of the Republic, Lutijer was touched by the great “Galactic War,” causing a split in ideology among the native Houks. Many would leave and set up their own civilization on the planet Phorliss, where they would then integrate themselves into the greater galaxy. These few Houks, as opposed to the ones associated with the Lutijer Congress, were much less confrontational and generally fit in with the other species of the Republic, conforming to their traditional norms and practices. By the time of the High Republic, and especially shortly prior to the start of the Clone Wars, Houks could be found across all corners of the galaxy.

At the start of the Galactic Civil War, the Empire took control of Litijer, its many moons, and most of the other Houk colonies. Originally, the Houks were simply occupied, and tolerated the Empire as they set up facilities and labs on their moons and placed space stations all across their skies. However, the Empire eventually deemed the Houks as the “perfect slaves,” and after a small but bloody invasion, they began rounding up and selling the now broken and conquered Houks. Some were experimented on by the Imperials, while others were used as a replacement labor force for the Wookiees. It is unknown whether the Rebellion ever got involved, or what happened to most of the Houk after the end of the Galactic Civil War.

Legends/Canon: The Houk originated in Star Wars Legends, although they were Canonized very early on and have appeared sparingly across Canon media since late 2014, appearing as recently as Phase II of The High Republic multimedia event!

Unexplored: A lot of the Houk’s history and lore have been explored across Star Wars Legends, and some of that lore has even been adapted into Star Wars Canon already, although in much less detail so far. So in Canon, it would be great to explore some of the following concepts in-depth: When exactly were the Houks first discovered, and who was it that first discovered them? Did they ever hold a seat on the Republic Senate? And how expansive was their little Empire? How were their different governmental structures formatted, and how did they all answer to the Lijuter Congress? What was their homeworld like, and was it the environment or many predators that caused them to evolve the way they did?

What were the Houks up to during the High Republic or Clone Wars eras? What were their thoughts on the Jedi, and were they affected by the Nihil or Drengir? Were they touched by the Clone Wars, and were they forced to take a side during the conflict? How quickly did the Empire invade Litujer, what sort of conflict(s) occurred, and how large was the conquering force? Did the Houks reach out to or even join the Rebellion, or were they forced to endure their oppression for the entirety of the war? Were many involved with the New Republic? And what happened to them during the Cold War era and beyond? Exploring all of this, as well as some of the smaller aspects such as traditions, economies, philosophies, religions, etc. could definitely benefit the Houk in Canon!

Additional Notes: I really, REALLY like the Houk species, glad they made their way into The Old Republic MMO. I’m also glad to see them continually and consistently referenced in Canon media, keeping them alive within the minds of fans. Now they just need one final push to really get them into the spotlight and recognized by the majority of the fandom, so hopefully we’ll see them in some sort of upcoming major animated or live action project in the very near future!

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