Kessurian

Last Updated: 11/10/2023

Name: Kessurian

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Near-Human

Homeworld: Unknown

Coloration: Red, Brown, and Tan

Biology: Kessurians were a species that were incredibly similar to Humans biologically. They were bipedal with the same general build, height, weight, and lifespan as the average Human. They did, however, possess a few distinctive traits. These unique characteristics included red or burgundy pigmentation with tan spots and markings found on their arms and face. They had pointy, elf-like ears, yellow, orange, or silver irises with small black pupils, and horn-like “Montrals” protruding from both their foreheads and the sides of their heads, with the former horns having a stump like appearance while the latter were fully pointed. Kessurians also grew reddish-brown brown hair between and behind these Montrals (although not on the sides of their head) that turned gray with age, with male Kessurians also possessing the capacity to grow full beards.

These distinctive Montrals functioned almost identically to that of the Togruta species’ larger, more colorful Montrals. They gave the Kessurians what is described as “360 degree depth perception” at all times, as well as allowing them to pick up changes in atmosphere, temperature, the electromagnetic spectrum, and potentially more. Their ears were also much more sensitive than that of Humans, meaning they can distinguish small sounds sounds or hear over incredibly long distances. They also had the capacity to pronounce Galactic Basic.

Lore: We still know very little about the Kessurians as a whole at the moment. From what has been detailed so far, we know that the Kessurian government on their currently unidentified homeworld was run similar to a monarchy. They had a royal family consisting of a king and queen, as well as “Thilas,” who were royalty that were second in line for the throne and possessed their own level of influence and prestige. They had rich society, with many of the Kessurians pursuing recreational careers within the entertainment industry. Kessurians considered a part of the Galactic Republic, being discovered sometime prior to the High Republic era, however, it is unknown whether or not they held a seat on the Republic Senate.

Legends/Canon: Kessurians only exist within Star Wars Canon, being formally introduced within “The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary.”

Unexplored: Of all of the species that came into existence thanks to recent live action media, the Kessurians have definitely become one of the more fleshed out instances. They continue to appear randomly in books and comics, with each emergence granting the species slightly more lore. However, in order to really push them over that line into a recognizable and memorable Star Wars species, here are some questions that need to be answered. Where do the Kessurians come from, what is the name of their homeworld, and what is it like? When were they first discovered, what sort of history did they have, and what sort of species did they evolve from?

Could we get a more in-depth look at how their government and royal family operates? What about their allegiances and ally-ships? Were they ever represented in the Republic Senate, or maybe they aligned themselves like another major galactic power or movement such as the CIS, Galactic Empire, Rebel Alliance, New Republic, etc.? Were the Kessurians involved in any major galactic events, and are they famous (or infamous) for anything among the galaxy? Do they have a unique economy or special galactic exports? And do they have any notable traditions, habits, cultural practices, religious beliefs, philosophies, etc. that would really set them apart from other similar and much more established species such as the Togrutas?

Additional Notes: Originally, I was not a fan of the Kessurians, and thought they were a bit too derivative of the Togrutas. However, since their inclusion within The High Republic in the form of Jedi Master Estala Maru, I have taken a much bigger liking to their overall design and hope to see more of them in the future. Since we know they’re fairly easy to pull off in live action, maybe we’ll see them in one of the many upcoming shows! And as always, until then, I hope the fandom includes the species within their own fan works. When researching for this video, I came across a surprising amount of Kessurian OC fanart, so there’s definitely hope for this species to reach peak popularity!

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