Ssither

Last Updated: 2/12/2024

Name: Ssither

Humanoid: No

Classification: Reptilian/Serpentine

Homeworld: Jatee (and Butler’s Cove)

Coloration: Unknown

Biology: The Ssither were a sentient race of cobra-like beings. They were a rather long species, capable of “standing” upwards of 2.5 meters, although from nose to tip of tail, they were seemingly about twice that length on average. Ssither were a hairless, scaly species, and although we don’t know their exact coloration, they had larger, dark scales on their back while their front seemed both smoother and lighter. They were also an incredibly muscular species, with prominent abdominal muscles and large arms ending in four-fingered hands tipped with elongated claws. Like normal cobras, Ssither had defined “hoods” that seemed to be perpetually outspread, although their shoulders and necks extended outwards and barely seemed to merge with the hood until it blended with the top of their heads.

Perched atop their tall necks were elongated, reptilian faces. They had prominent brow ridges overshadowing their large, reflective, solid gold eyes that let them see well in low-light environments. At the tip of their faces were a pair of nostrils, and situated below them was a wide mouth full of jagged teeth as well as a serpentine, forked tongue that occasionally flickered out of their mouths. Ssither had the capacity to verbalize speech, although they usually preferred to communicate using their natural telepathic abilities. They had great control over whose minds they could project their thoughts into, as well as receive from, and were incredibly empathic. Presumably this was due to natural Force-based abilities and a heightened baseline midi-chlorian count. Ssither were physically enhanced, being strong, durable to both physical damage and extreme weather, and quick in the way they slithered.

Lore: The Ssither were a primitive species native to a Core World known as Jatee. Despite their primal nature as of the time of their discovery, it was believed they had held sentience for quite some time, once living on the surface of Jatee with somewhat more advanced civilizations before a planet-wide catastrophe caused by their nearby sun ravaged the entire planet, driving the survivors of the species below ground. During their subterranean existence, they lived without any artificial constructs, such as structures, tools, weaponry, or clothing, simply surviving on the underground wildlife for sustenance, dwelling in small underground pockets, and spending much of their time expanding upon and navigating the many tunnelways with their communities usually only existing of family units. Despite their intimidating appearances, the Ssither were actually a generally peaceful race, and did not believe in committing aggressive acts against other groups they came across during the roaming.

The first documented discovery of the Ssither did not come around until the height of the Galactic Civil War, when they were encountered by the Imperial Species Identification Bureau, who had traveled to the world after hearing about a mysterious subterranean species spotted by the Imperial mining facilities established on Jatee. One of the ISIB agents, a disgruntled individual named Soron Hegerty, defected from the Empire shortly after arriving, befriending the Ssither and organizing them into a small rebel faction that would perform raids on the various Imperial facilities. Hegerty was able to convince the Ssither to forgo their peaceful ways by showing them the damage the Empire had caused on their world, which was fueled only further when it was learned that the local Imperials had actually secretly enslaved a number of Ssither families prior to the ISIB’s arrival to use as labor forces among the mines.

Eventually a large-scale explosion at one of these facilities killed quite a few Imperial personnel, finally convincing the Empire that mining operations on Jatee were not worth the manpower, and they subsequently pulled most of their presence off the world, only leaving a few autonomous facilities manned by droids behind. This newfound cause for celebration was short-lived as only months (or possibly a few years) after this event, it was made public that Jatee’s sun was on the verge of going supernova, a fact that Republic researchers had realized a few decades prior, although their projections had been far too liberal. This sudden revelation resulted in an intervention by Hegerty, who had since joined the Rebel Alliance. Unfortunately, this small Rebel contingent could only commandeer one ex-Imperial vessel as an evacuation craft, and it was decided they were only capable of saving a handful of the healthiest and young Ssither to give them a chance at survival. Now marked as extinct on Imperial records, these few Ssither were transported to the previously uninhabited world of “Butler’s Cove,” where they were secretly left to regrow their kind, once again untouched by outside forces.

Continuity: The Ssither only exist within Star Wars Legends.

Unexplored: Some of the mystery surrounding the Ssither definitely seems to be intentional, although there’s still a fair bit to be explored, especially when it comes to their (hopefully) eventual adaptation into Canon. So, here are a few questions that might help us better understand the species a bit better should they ever reappear within the franchise! So, how old were the Ssither, what sort of species might they have evolved from, and when did they first develop sentience? Did they possibly have a much more advanced society in the past, or were they always as simplistic as when they were finally discovered? On that note, had they ever been unofficially discovered some time in the past? And when did the supposed catastrophe that first ravaged their world take place? What exactly was the cause, was it truly related to their star, and how many Ssither perished then? Additionally, how many Ssither survived the second devastation that completely destroyed Jatee? What were they up to in the following eras while on Butler’s Cove, and was it possible they ultimately actually went extinct?

Additional Notes: I really enjoy the diversity in serpentine species introduced in the earlier EU! I would also love to see a team of snake people consisting of a Thisspiasian, a Sluissi, and a Ssither in something someday, although I don’t want to see their unique and secretive history (and future) altered too much either… Regardless of how they are approached in the future, I’ll be here to update this article when it happens!

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