Caridan

Last Updated: 09/09/2025

Name: Caridan

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Near-Human/Alternative

Homeworld: Carida

Coloration: Tan

Biology: The Caridans were a somewhat Human-like sentient species with some unique proportions and other traits. Despite an almost insectoid appearance, they were officially classified as mammals. They stood approximately 2 meters in height, with surprisingly intense musculature and light tan skin covered in what appears to be a thin layer of tan fuzz. Caridans had wide, rounded torsos with pronounced pectoral muscles. However, both their arms and legs were incredibly spindly, their skin practically hugging their bones. They possessed what appeared to be massive, flat, two-toed feet with a downward facing spike on the bottom of their heel, giving off the impression of high heeled shoes. They also had small, boney, three-fingered hands with no visible fingernails.

Caridans lacked a traditional neck, sporting rounded heads and double chins. They had pronounced lips and noticeable dimples. They appeared to have furry faces, with males sporting small tufts of hair on their head, while females had long, flowing hair and a definitive hairline. Both males and females also possessed thick, elongated, black eyelashes, and males also had the capacity to grow long black facial hair on their chins. Caridans also had tiny noses and rather small ears. Cardians body shape and dense musculature was actually a result of their homeworlds elevated gravity levels, and they felt much more comfortable on worlds with similar gravity, although they came across as stronger and faster on worlds with lower gravity. Caridans could easily pronounce Basic, but preferred speaking in their native tongue of “Caridan.”

Lore: The Caridans were the original natives of Carida, although they had long since been colonized by the rise of the Galactic Empire. In their early history they were brought into the fold of the Galactic Republic, being integrated into the greater galaxy, given a seat on the Republic Senate, and hosting Republic military academic institutions and mercantile-based corporations. Since Carida was rich in natural resources, the Caridans developed a number of in-demand products that they then personally exported across the galaxy. This meant that it was fairly common to see Caridan wandering traders or businessmen. A great number of prosperous Caridan-owned businesses began popping up on their homeworld under the Republic, before spreading out to other Republic-allied worlds.

Unfortunately, when the Republic collapsed so did much of the Caridan’s collectively built mercantile empire. The Galactic Empire took control of the planet, strengthening their grip on the locals as they grew the Republic-turned-Imperial academy that was located on Carida. Some of the Empire’s finest came from and were sent to Carida, as as the school grew, so did the number of Imperial garrisons stationed there. While they did crack down on some of the Caridan’s intergalactic operations, they were surprisingly lenient on the non-Human natives, allowing them to continue many of their planet-side operations unimpeded as they were generally beneficial for the Empire as well. Some Caridans were also allowed into the Empire itself, serving as low level workers or, on occasion, in higher political roles.

As the Empire’s power started to wane, however, their presence began to build more and more on Carida. It became one of their last great bastions, and the Caridans came under more intense oppression because of it. Everything came to a head when the Empire’s secret superweapon known as the “Sun Crusher” was turned against them, using its experimental weaponry to detonate Carida’s nearby sun. This caused the star to go supernova and scorch Carida, break the planet in half and killing most of the Caridan population with little to no warning. Fortunately, a fair number of traveling Caridan salespeople were offworld at the time, and so, while it would be a long road to recovery, the species was able to come back together and persevere.

Continuity: While Carida has been made Canon, the Caridan species themselves still are not.

Unexplored: While the Caridans’ history and lore was somewhat fleshed out in early Star Wars Legends media, there are still a lot of holes in their lore, and if they should be made Canon, a lot of information will need to altered anyway to accommodate the current Star Wars timeline. That being said, finding the answers to these following questions would help to establish this species whether in the confines of their previous lore or whatever happens with them should they make their way into Canon. Of course, we need to start with their history. When did the Caridans first develop sentience and what sort of mammalian did they evolve from? What was the extent of their strength and speed in lower-gravity environments, and what effects did they suffer when leaving gravity levels that they were used to?

When were they first discovered, and what was the process of being made a member of the Republic and their Senate like? What were their thoughts of this shift for their species, and did they prefer their original individuality or did they appreciate being part of a larger conglomerate of worlds? How long did this setup last, and when did the Republic first start establishing outside services on Carida? How long did it take for the Caridans to start growing wealthy, and how many of them actually left Carida to spread their products across the galaxy as opposed to those who stayed behind? What did the Caridans think about the shift from Republic to Empire, and how did they perceive this new intergalactic regime?

How were the Caridans oppressed under the Empire, and what freedoms and privileges were they granted that other non-Humans were not? How many Caridans were left after the destruction of Carida, how long did it take for them to recover, and where did they choose as their new home? Within Canon, did the destruction of Carida ever even take place, and if so, how? If not, how did the species proceed under the Empire’s rule and were they ever liberated or did they ride out the Galactic Civil War? Would Carida become a stronghold for the Imperial Remnant, and whether the planet was destroyed or not, did they ever consider siding with the New Republic or any other post-Empire groups? In addition to their timeline-related lore, did the Caridans have any generally unique details regarding their governmental structure, society, economy, diplomatic relationships, religions, cultural practices, traditions, habits, languages, arts, etc. that would help further set them apart as a unique sentient species among the already crowded Star Wars universe?

Additional Notes: There’s definitely a unique design here, although I think it’ll probably require some sort of overhaul before they could viably make their way into Canon. And that’s a big “if” as their pre-existing lore in addition to what we know about Carida in Canon so far doesn’t leave a lot of room for their existence as it stands. There would have to be quite a few substantial alterations, either in history, homeworld/name, or both, and at that point, are they even these Caridans anymore? I just don’t know if they can pull it off, but I hope that if they are ever Canonized, they actually put in the legwork to flesh out how, and don’t just mention the species’ name in passing only to leave them in the unexplored void for the rest of time.

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