Xendekian

Last Updated: 1/31/2024

Name: Xendekian

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Alternative/Dwarf

Homeworld: Xendek

Coloration: Green, Blue, Green, Orange, Brown, or Gray

Biology: Xendekians were a humanoid alien species found within the Star Wars galaxy. They were bipedal, with two arms and presumably two legs, standing just over one meter tall on average. They had smooth, seemingly hairless skin that could vary widely in coloration, currently observed as widely varying shades of blue, green, yellow, and orange. Most members of the species also had elongated oval marks running horizontally on the back of their head that were always a few shades darker than their individual pigmentation.

The species had rounded features, including plump bodies and bulbous heads. Their arms ended in what appeared to be at least two to three fingers, including a thumb. Their faces included large, bulging, white, yellow, or light blue eyes with thin, horizontal, slit-like pupils, as well as small mouths with white teeth only visible on their top jaw when their mouths were open, plus small, purple tongues. In addition, all Xendekians had fleshy, hair-like growths consisting of a handful of spiked lobes extending upwards from the lower back portion of their heads.

Xendekians did not possess very evident sexual dimorphism, although female members of the species were noticeably shorter and more pronounced breasts than the males. The species also seemed to change fairly dramatically with age, the oldest members of the species we’ve seen so far having a much larger cluster of lobes sprouting up from the napes, as well as dark, bushy eyebrow-like growths that may have been hair or flesh, and two thin, dangling lobes dangling from their chin. The species also grew considerably more wrinkled with age. Generally, Xendekians had the capacity to pronounce Galactic Basic Standard, although their native tongue remains unnamed.

Lore: The Xendekians were a little known species at least partially documented by the start of the Galactic Civil War era, hailing from the lush, multi-biomed world of Xendek. Xendek had been seldom explored by the outside galaxy by the time the Galactic Empire rose to power, although they weren’t completely undiscovered as they had already seemingly adopted Basic as a prominent language, and knew of other foreign concepts as well, such as interstellar travel and a few other technologies. The Xendekians themselves were fairly primitive, intentionally so, living quiet, peaceful lives among the natural environments of their homeworld.

Living in harmony with their planet meant they did not hunt any of the local wildlife, instead living as farmers and surviving on a diet of grains and vegetables. They also seemed to seldom construct dwellings, choosing to live in cliffside caves near bodies of water. This meant that they appeared to exist in large, close-knit communes, and their families and communities seemed very important to them. Xendekians also appeared to be rather religious, their beliefs tied greatly to nature and especially a rare local four-eyed, griffin-like avian known as the Argora. To the natives of Xendek, the Argora was like a deity, or at least a sign from the higher powers, namely the “Spirit Fount,” granting their lands good fortune, prosperity, luck and a bountiful harvest as long as it remained present. They were led by an elder, who seemed to act as both Xendekian chief and high priest, and all dressed in plain robes, while the elders’ were more ornate.

A couple years before the Battle of Yavin, an Imperial contingent arrived on Xendek to capture an Argora for Emperor Palpatine’s personal zoo. They were successful in this venture, the now mythical being so endangered that it was said only one was born each Xendekian generation. Its presence was immediately noticed and the locals assumed their lands would wither and they would suffer, never able to recover the Argora from the vastly superior Empire. However, they managed to contact the Rebellion’s Phoenix Cell who, along with a little “help” from the infamous pirate Hondo Ohnaka, managed to infiltrate the Imperial cargo vessel containing the avian before it fled and rescue the Xendekian oracle before any tragedies befell the people.

A massive celebration was held as the Xendekians were reunited with the last known Argora, and the motley rebel crew who saved it were met with great appreciation. Through this event, the Rebellion gained another planet of supporters, although the Xendekians were made aware of the very real threat that the Empire would return to the planet in greater force to exercise their vengeance and reclaim the Emperor’s prize. The natives promised they would work hard to hide the beast and themselves, their diligence a high priority until the Rebels managed to topple the Empire for good, although we do not know if the Empire ever did return or if their resources were redirected to more pressing matters as their impending demise grew more and more evident.

Continuity: The Xendekians exist only within Star Wars Canon, specifically related to eternal Star Wars Rebels media.

Unexplored: Aside from the one, two-issue snapshot we got into the existence of the species, we know essentially nothing about them. Of course, with a species that was seemingly intended to be nothing more than one-off, there probably wasn’t or isn’t any intention to explore them further, however, in Star Wars’ landscape today, especially with the existence of something like The High Republic (and with official Star Wars authors and illustrators using sites like Wookieepedia, or possibly even this website, as a resource for their works) there’s a pretty even chance that any previously established species could appear in a future project, which is why it will always be beneficial to explore any and every species to their furthest possible extent. With that said, the following are a handful of questions that, if expanded upon, would help this species be consistently portrayed within subsequent appearances.

First off, what did Xendekian history look like? What sort of species might they have evolved from, when did they first gain sentience, and when were they first discovered? How far back do their spiritual beliefs date, and was there a time when they lived side by side with many Argora? Raising a question partially posed in the source comic itself, were their beliefs about the Argora and the prosperity it supposedly brought baseless, or was the connection between it, them, and the “Spirit Fount” actually all rooted in the Force? What other beliefs might the Xendekians have held, and did they attribute any other native fauna or flora with spiritual concepts? 

Were the Xendekians an isolationist species, or was it possible to find other members out among the galaxy? Were they overall pacifists, or just relatively peaceful? Had they ever been involved in any other major galactic conflicts, and was it possible they were previously under the protection of the Republic or had they gone almost completely undiscovered? How would the Empire/Emperor have learned of the Xendekians and Argora, and could Xendek have been a vergence in the Force? Did the Empire ever return in an attempt to occupy the planet, suppress its people, and recapture the Argora? If so, did they fail in these endeavors now that the Xendekians had become more prepared, or were the species all but wiped out or enslaved? Additionally, what happened to the Xendekians following the war and during subsequent eras? Exploring the answers to these various questions, as well as the usual list of general worldbuilding concepts, will help immensely in making the Xendekians a much more viable part of the universe!

Additional Notes: A fun design that is still generic or simple enough to pass for any number of background of crowd species in various comics that are intended to just look like sort of generic, smooth, large-eyed aliens. This would make them pretty hard to place in other comics unless they’re directly identified, so don’t expect any concrete Xendekian sightings for some time!

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