Shadowman

Last Updated: 12/14/2023

Name: Shadowman

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Alternative/Insectoid

Homeworld: Nivek

Coloration: Purple, Blue, or Pink

Biology: The Shadowmen of Nivek were incredibly agile, predatory sentients. They had thin, bipedal bodies, possibly with exoskeletons, that were usually any varying shade of pink, purple, or blue in coloration. Their bodies were segmented at certain sections, including around their neck, waist, torso, and limb and extremity joints, which seemed to grant every part of their body extreme flexibly and fluidity. They had clawed feet, a second, inverted knee, and incredibly thin waists. Their forearms were oblong and their claws varied in shape and length. Sometimes their forearms also displayed a row of sharp, blade-like scales that protruded from the outer sides.

Their long necks had the appearance of an exposed spine, covered in segmentation and spindles. Their heads were angled, with a fin on top, and their jaws were very pronounced. They possessed a row of jagged, often rotting teeth, and did not have a visible nose, nostril openings, ears, or aural cavities. Their eyes were huge, yellow, and luminous, and they had massive black eyelids. Their blood and internals were generally a pink or purple color.

They had a propensity for darkness, as the darker it was, they better they could see. They were hyper-sensitive to bright lights, which disoriented and possibly even harmed them. It is unclear whether or not they were capable of pronouncing Galactic Basic, although from what we’ve seen it’s fairly unlikely. Instead, they communicated with a series of murmurs, hisses, and growls, as well as potentially nonverbally when hiding in the dark. It would seem both males and females of the species were referred to as “man/men.”

Lore: The Shadowmen thrived in darkness, and as such, never left their pitch-black homeworld of Nivek. The Republic attempted to either colonize or assimilate the planet around the start of the Clone Wars, but because of this perceived invasion, the Shadowmen would ally themselves with the CIS almost immediately. The Separatists built massive droid factories on Nivek, which remained relatively hidden due to the darkness. Eventually, however, still early into the war, the Republic learned of these factories, destroying the primary one and killing hundreds of Shadowmen in the process, possibly ending their usefulness to the CIS.

The Shadowmen were incredibly hunters, and picked most of their planet clean. It appeared that they were suffering from an overpopulation issue, although this could have just been due to the size of their local militia. They were still fairly primitive, as they limited their access to the outside galaxy, however they did eventually gain certain technologies, including sonic weaponry and durasteel nets. They were very territorial, which also attributed to their lack of interactions with offworlders, and despite sporting seemingly close knit communities, there is no indication that they were ever on truly friendly terms with outside species or individuals, the Separatist presence on Nivek only ever consisting of mindless droids.

Legends/Canon: The Shadowmen only exist within Legends, although they seemingly inspired the concept of the Umbaran species who, while also technically originating within the EU, were made Canon by default thanks to their debut within the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series.

Unexplored: I wouldn’t say there is a whole lot to explore here, as the likelihood that the Shadowmen are canonized is incredibly low. We don’t even know if that’s their species’ real, accepted name, or just a possibly derogatory nickname. However, if you absolutely wanted to go back and write within Legends, or even try to work around adding this species to the current Canon, then here’s what will need to be explored in the form of worldbuilding questions: First off, when were the species first discovered, as they’re a tad harder to find than the average galactic denizen? How long had the species existed with sentience, and were they the ultimate reason why Nivek was so barren or was it the result of some natural disaster, possibly even their sun burning out or going supernova? Is it possible the Shadowmen used to be much more advanced and civilized before their world was plunged into darkness, or was dwelling in the void the only existence they had ever known, removing the necessity for “beautifying” their home?

Where did they gain access to their unique and advanced hunting technology, such as the sonic weaponry, as it would seem they may have possessed them prior to linking up with the CIS? Did they ever develop space travel, but possibly realized the galaxy was just too bright, or did all of their technology come from outside benefactors and they nave no idea what environments outside of Nivek appear like? What did the Republic do to cause them to join the CIS, and were they originally a part of the Republic before the Clone Wars, or were they neutral? In fact, would it ever be possible for them to interact with the outside galaxy in any meaningful way, given their absolute aversion to light, a pretty common resource almost everywhere else? And would they have to be accommodated with ships and rooms devoid of life, or possibly special helmets or goggles that filtered it out or darkened their surroundings? What did they bring to the CIS outside of space for factories, as usually the Separatist Council required you bring something to the table before you could just join? How many factories were on Nivek, as we only see one get destroyed?

Did they stay with the CIS during the entirety of the war, or were they kicked out or possibly conquered by the Republic? Did the Empire (or even Darth Vader himself) come and slaughter them after the Republic’s collapse, just as they had so many of the other ex-Separatists? What did they do during the Galactic Civil War or further eras (Cold War if you’re still in Canon, or maybe something like the Yuuzhan Vong or Krayt’s Ascension if you’re in Legends)? Is it possible that far into the future they will adjust to light eventually, finally traveling offworld and assimilating into the galaxy, or can they simply never function when they’re not dwelling in pitch darkness? Finally, do they struggle with overpopulation, possibly due to a lack of spreading out because of the dark, and have they overhunted/overharvested their world to the point of no return? There really is a lot to work with here, and if you want to try to fit it into the current Canon, it is possible as long as you differentiate them from the Umbarans, which really shouldn’t be that hard as their lore has greatly diverged and their design was never similar to begin with.

(I also think we need to see some artistic exploration and figure out what a realistic Shadowman might look like. It may turn out pretty awesome, given some fan interpretations I’ve seen on platforms like DeviantArt!)

Additional Notes: I really like this species, but I know they’ll probably never be considered for Canon. I also kind of wish they had a more traditional name, but I suppose Shadowmen is still pretty cool. The title is referenced during the Umbara Arc in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which becomes the permanent nickname for the Umbarans, especially when they’re on their homeworld. So again, something may have to change before they could make the transition into Canon. If you want to add a CIS species to your next story, and don’t want to work around the complexities of species like the Umbaran’s relationship with both the Republic and the Separatists, then I think you could get away with throwing the Shadowmen into your work. Plus, they really do have a very unique and appealing character design, which would look great on a book cover or comic panel in any style!