Hiitian

Last Updated: 11/7/2023

Name: Hiitian

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Avian

Homeworld: Hiit

Coloration: Tan and Brown

Biology: Hiitians were a flightless avian species occasionally encountered throughout the Star Wars galaxy. They were a muscular, often hulking species, standing anywhere from 2 to upwards of 2.5 meters on average. Hiitians had relatively smooth, tan skin that was almost completely without hair or feathers, save for the top of their head and portions of their back. Supposedly a number of long feathers grew from their upper back, although we do not know their true purpose, color, or size. Hiitian legs and torsos were on the thin side, growing much broader towards their breasts and shoulders. Hiitians had two long toes on each foot with long talons that could seemingly be shaved down to accommodate certain types of foot coverings. Their hands sported four to five lanky fingers each, with pointed fingernails at the tip of each.

Hiitians usually stood in a sort of hunched nature, although this posture seemed to grow more severe the taller the individual was. Hiitian heads were elongated, featuring massive, dark brown beaks that hooked downwards towards their chest. They had small nostril slits located on the upper portion of their beaks. Their pronounced brows gave them a perpetual look of anger. Their eyes were often squinted, with some instances possessing black pupils and sclera, while others had solid black eyes. Back behind their eyes, towards the top of their head, Hiitians had two hollow, ribbed lobes, one on each side, that presumably served as ears/aural canals. The top of their skull was pointed, curving slightly up and forward, and was the only part of their body covered in short, black stubble.

Hiitians possessed increased strength, as is usual among species their size, although they may have also had heightened speed and agility, something unusual for the archetype. Hiitians were capable of pronouncing Galactic Basic, despite the rather odd shape of their mouths, although we do not know what their native tongue was. Due to their buzzard-like traits and tendencies, Hiitians were presumably a carnivorous species, possibly even preferring carrion. And the species was supposedly fairly ancient, quite possibly not changing much in appearance over the millenia, although we are unsure of their average lifespan. Finally, it was possible but not common for Hiitians to be Force Sensitive.

Lore: The Hiitians, sometimes known simply as the Hiit, were native to the Outer Rim entity also known as Hiit, located within the Hiit System in the notorious Corporate Sector. The Hiitians were first discovered by the Trianii Empire, who befriended them and encouraged them to spread out into the galaxy to seek out success and riches. The Hiitians obliged, and underwent a mass exodus seeing a large portion of their population distribute themselves in nearly every corner of the galaxy and make themselves fairly well known among the galactic populace. As the Hiitians became collectively richer, they formed strong trade agreements with the Trianii, and the two species prospered in tandem. It is alluded to that the Hiitians were coerced and manipulated by the much more advanced Trianii, becoming a sort of makeshift “servant species” without even knowing, but if this is true they clearly did not notice or mind.

During the never-ending war between the Trianii Rangers and the Corporate Sector Authority and their CSA security police, the Hiitians were eventually caught up in it, suffering in the process. The tyrannical Corporate Sector fought for control of Hiit space, their resources, and their people, eventually winning it in 5 BBY. The Hiitians still living on Hiit were treated horribly by their new overlords, and while it’s not outright stated that they fought back or rebelled, we do know that tensions were high, and public perception of the CSA was at an all time low.

Hiitians outside of their home sector often pursued less than savory careers, often turning to a life of crime. Given their natural strength and skills as warriors, they were commonly hired as bounty hunters, mercenaries, or bodyguards. It was also common to see them among the ranks of criminal empires or pirate organizations, such as Black Sun or the Nihil. There was also at least one pretty well known, fully Hiitian marauder group known as the Hiitite Ravagers, although they were dealt with pretty thoroughly after a confrontation with the Trianii Rangers.

Hiit itself was a barren moon that would be considered uninhabitable by most species’ standards. Orbiting a gas giant, the moon seemingly had a strong gravitational field, resulting in the Hiitian’s unusual body shape. The planet also had little in the way of vegetation, fauna, or water, making Hiitians natural born survivors. To help in the process, the Hiitians living on Hiit lived almost exclusively in enormous nests inhabited by entire clans, known as “Aeries.” Hiitian families were fairly close-knit, although those who left the moon were much more independent.

Legends/Canon: While the Hiitians first appeared in EU media, they have since been Canonized, and while they remained mostly the same in appearance, there appear to be a few discrepancies between the two iterations. The Hiitian homeworld remains exclusive to Legends, while their inclusion within the High Republic era is obviously Canon-only. Anatomically, Canon Hiitians have solid white eyes while Legends ones have pupils. Hiitians in Canon are also shorter, are said to have feathers on their back, and may only possess four fingers, while Legends Hiitians had five on each hand. Fortunately, most of these differences could easily be explained away as simply variation, subspecies, or mutations. Their history/lore in Canon also remains essentially a blank slate, so the direction it’s going to be taken, and how closely it adheres to what was established in the EU is currently a toss up.

Unexplored: In Legends the Hiitians were at the very least partially fleshed out, while in Canon we still know next to nothing about them. So questions we can ask that would help to expand upon the species, based primarily on what was previously established, include: When did the Hiitians first evolve sentience? When were they first discovered by the Trianii? How did their first interactions go? How have they changed over the years? How do they survive on their sparse homeworld? Are they carnivorous scavengers, or were their diets altered by the state of Hiit? What was the gravity like on Hiit? And would it be possible for other species to survive there? What percentage of the population left the planet at the behest of the Trianii? And how did they respond to the CSA encroaching on their territory? Were there any sorts of violent rebellions? And did they ever earn their freedom?

In addition, could there be in-universe lore that explains away their various depictions, or is their Legends appearance simply nonexistent now? How common was it to encounter the Hiitians on any given world? Why were they sometimes referred to as Hiitians, sometimes as Hiit, or even occasionally Hiitites (at least according to themselves)? Were they ever involved in any major galactic events or conflicts? What happened to them following the CSA’s losses of power at the hands of the Galactic Empire and beyond? Did they have any sort of favorable or unfavorable galactic reputations? And finally, as usual, what sort of government, politics, economy, exports, society, traditions, cultural practices, religious beliefs, philosophies, anatomical anomalies, biases, rivalries, or habits might they have possessed as a whole? In addition, what would they (or their home moon) look like in different art styles or mediums?

Additional Notes: For having as few appearances as they do, the Hiitians really stand out to me, and have remained strongly in my mind for the past few years. I love to include them in my fan stories, and their design remains pretty unique and fun. I can’t wait to see more of them in the High Republic, and hope to someday maybe see them transition into animation or even live action. But until then, we at least have the above Legends lore to work with should you ever decide to include them in one of your own works!

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