Atoan

Last Updated: 09/07/2025

Name: Atoan

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Near-Human

Homeworld: Atoa

Coloration: Pink or Tan

Biology: The Atoans were a species of near-Humans who were nearly identical Humans, save for a few internal traits. On the outside, they were indistinguishable from the average Human, with the same general height, weight, build, and frames as healthy Human adults. They also shared similar visual traits such as hair placement, documented as having black, brown, or blonde hair (all males balding as they grew older), as well as generally hazel irises within their eyes. Given the frigid, fairly rocky nature of their homeworld where the sun was often blotted out by blizzards, Atoans were pale, with fair pinkish-tan pigmentation. The species was naturally toned and muscular, with the information we’ll cover below leading us to believe that it was difficult for them to become overly heavyset.

The main distinction came from the species lack of a traditional, centralized heart. Instead, the Atoans had thousands of small artery-like hearts nestled within every inch of their bodies, although these pumping organs were so small that they were not easily detectable upon dissection. These hearts offered a number of benefits for the species that made them all around superior to that of normal Humans. Their most notable function was heightening the Atoans senses and natural physique. This made Atoans superb combatants, as they had increased strength, speed, agility, reflexes, and stamina. Alongside this, these hearts also lead to an elongated lifespan, Atoans generally living one and a half to two times as long as the average Human. Despite these differences, however, Atoans possessed Human-colored blood.

The one thing seemingly not enhanced was the Atoans’ sense of vision, with many of the species donning goggles that may have assisted with their sight, at least at night or in low light environments. Atoans seemed to still possess the necessary reproductive faculties to allow them to interbreed with baseline Humans. The species seemed incapable of speaking Galactic Basic under normal circumstances, instead relying on their native tongue of Atoan, which sounded like incoherent babbling to Basic speakers. On one occasion, an Atoan Priestess cut off and consumed a Human’s tongue, and was able to understand and pronounce Basic instantly. This seems to have been due to the Atoans’ unique and strong connection to the Living Force, although strange Magicks may have been involved as well.

Lore: The Atoans were a mysterious race known but never extensively studied by the Galactic Republic. Their homeworld, Atoa, was cold, possessing rather diverse biomes, including icy mountains, dark swamplands, and crystalline plains. They lived in near isolation for millennia, observing galactic events from afar, put on edge when their neighboring world of Umbara went to war, but never interfering. Still, their technological capacities and civilizations grew, as did their religious fervor and military might. When the Galactic Empire came to power, the Atoans were almost immediately deemed a threat. When a number of Imperials defected from the regime less than a year into their reign, including the high priority target Admiral Garoche Tarkin, all fleeing to the safety of Atoa, the Empire found their perfect excuse to invade the world and quell their growing rebel movement.

The Empire would arrive in full force towards the end of 19 BBY, with Darth Vader and the 501st Legion in tow. Given their lack of established intelligence, the fight was much more difficult than usual for the Empire, the Atoans using all of the resources and environments of their home turf to their advantage. The invaders were also led into believing that there was a sort of schism happening between the Atoans, with one of their most influential leaders, a witch-like High Priestess known as Saro assisting the Empire at first. After some brutal displays of loyalty, however, this was all revealed to be a ruse, as the Atoans and even more Imperials than first thought were unified against Vader and his forces. Despite almost succeeding, the Atoan plot was brought to an end when the secret lovers, Garoche and Saro, were both killed.

Following this event, Atoa was demilitarized, but not before a sizable number of Atoans were killed. The rest of the species was subjugated, their early efforts against the Empire propagandized and further fueling xenophobia against non-Human species, adding to the paranoia that they could be hiding anywhere. The failed Atoan revolution was one of the reasons it took so long for the Rebel Alliance to pick up steam, making the species rather infamous across the galaxy although the extent of their exploits during the conflict were forever hidden. If one good thing came out of these events, however, it was that the species became much more well known and understood, potentially leading to opportunities to ally themselves with the New Republic, Galactic Alliance, or other major factions after the Empire’s rule came to an end.

The Atoans themselves were fairly prideful and resilient, with strong bonds among their people although they were willing to sacrifice whatever, including their own lives or the willing lives of their peers for the betterment of their entire species. They could possibly be seen as elitists, holding themselves in very high regard compared to the rest of the galaxy. However, they were also an incredibly religious species, worshiping their pantheon of twenty-nine gods throughout the sanctuaries and halls of grand cathedrals. Religiously, and potentially politically, they were led by at least one High Priestess who possessed incredible powers, although whether these unique abilities were gleaned from the force or a gift from the deities remains to be fully explained.

Continuity: The Atoans are currently not Canon, exclusive to the Expanded Universe.

Unexplored: There’s quite a bit here left to be explored, although with any intentionally mysterious species, some of the questions may best be left ambiguous. Still, I’ll pose some questions here that would be beneficial for the Atoans’ worldbuilding, especially should they ever make the jump to Canon. For starters, when did the Atoans first develop sentience and when were they first discovered by the outside galaxy? Is it possible they were an offshoot of Humans, considered the next step in their evolution, maybe sharing a common ancestor with the nearby Umbarans, or potentially both? And were they ever approached by the Republic with an offer of membership, or was there some other reason why they remained relatively unexplored and without representation on the Republic Senate?

What did the Atoans think of the galaxy prior to the Empire’s rise? Were they ever involved in other major galactic events or did they manage to avoid all prior outside engagements? And what happened to the Atoans after the Empire’s rule and their suppression ended? Did they remain in isolation or begin to better integrate into the greater galactic landscape? Within Canon, would their trajectory remain the same as a number of elements have been slightly tweaked and some characters no longer exist? Were the species actually commonly Force Sensitive, and what is up with the High Priestesses powers? How might she have manipulated the people via religion, what were the extent and source of her abilities, and was there any truth to the legends of their deities? Exploring the answers to these and many other general worldbuilding questions would prove very beneficial for setting this species apart from the average Human.

Additional Notes: Utilizing these Human-passing species, especially within a visual medium, can be tough, as you can’t really tell they’re not Human unless something or someone goes out of their way to directly state so. Still, I enjoy the occasional near-Human who is internally different (i.e. the Kiffar or Hapan) as opposed to just recolored Humans. I know this species holds the usual place within the EU as a one-off element, however, given the nature of their existing lore, I could see them easily becoming an influential recurring race should what was established throughout “Darth Vader and the Lost Command” make its way into Canon more or less unchanged.

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