Skandit

Last Updated: 2/19/2024

Name: Skandit

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Beast (Canine/Rodent)/Dwarf

Homeworld: Unknown

Coloration: Bluish-Gray

Biology: The Skandits were a short canine race possessing traits similar to real life foxes, wolves, raccoons, and even squirrels apparently. They were squat creatures with rounded stomachs yet thin limbs, standing no taller than .5 meters in height. Skandit bodies were covered in a thick layer of blue or bluish-gray fur, with solid feet seemingly lacking toes (though they may have simply been obscured by hair), as well as wide three-fingered hands. Their knees were perpetually bent, oftentimes giving them a rather strange gait and posture. Additionally, Skandits possessed extremely bushy tails that were almost as long as the species was tall.

Skandits had canine-like heads with extended snouts and puffy tufts of fur extending from their cheeks, making their faces seem very angular. They had wide mouths with dark red tongues and only six visible, pointed teeth, two on their lower jaw and four on their upper, two of which rested on top of their lower lip when their mouths were closed. Skandits also had rounded, black noses situated at the tips of their snouts, large eyes with white or yellow sclera and beady black pupils, and elongated ears that pointed up and outward from the top of their head.

Uniquely, Skandits had a natural black band running across the center of their faces, giving off the impression that they were perpetually masked. The species seemed incapable of pronouncing both Basic and Ewokese, instead preferring their own native tongue consisting of high-pitched snickering and whining sounds. From what we can tell, the Skandits were a herbivorous species, living almost entirely on a diet of nuts, though they may have had omnivorous tendencies. And it seems that, by their very nature, Skandits were treacherous, greedy, and sly, somehow managing to be crafty yet relatively unintelligent at the same time.

Lore: While their homeworld remains unknown, a large number of Skandits could be found living on the Forest Moon of Endor around the time of the Galactic Civil War, presumably one of the many newer denizens who had arrived when an ark full of alien travelers crash landed on the moon some time in the past, though it is possible they moved in on the world later seeing the abundance of vulnerable inhabitants. Skandits seemed to dwell in close-knit packs, preferring to live among Endor’s forest clearings rather than around the dense trees themselves. Seen as somewhat primitive, Skandits donned only cloaks and no other clothing, lived in rudimentary structures and dens, and utilized basic objects like whips, slingshots, and their signature “batons” or blunt spears consisting of long sticks with rounded cloth heads attached by string.

Skandits had developed quite a nasty reputation among the various citizens of Endor due to their ambushes. They would often form into raiding parties dedicated to attacking traveling parties, primarily those consisting of Ewoks, so that they could plunder their goods and take them back to their encampments. This is how they acquired many things, such as unique foods, jewels and other flashy objects, tools and weaponry, and even simply vehicles, mounts, or livestock. They would also occasionally take prisoners to be held for ransom or other nefarious deeds, though they were not opposed to temporarily associating themselves with other species when those others had something to offer, such as when they allowed a troupe of Jinda performers to stop at one of their encampments and treat them to some entertainment.

Continuity: While species like the Ewoks and even the Jinda are Canon, the Skandits have yet to make their way into the current continuity, instead relegated to one of the earliest iterations of the Star Wars EU.

Unexplored: There’s a fair bit we don’t know about the Skandits as of yet, and if they are to ever appear in the future with most of their established lore intact, then the following questions would be great to get answers to so that we can better understand this otherwise rather basic species. Of course, we must first start with: Where did the Skandits come from? When did they first develop sentience, who first discovered them, were they on the legendary ark that crashed on Endor, and if so, why? If not, how did they arrive on the moon given their seeming lack of advanced technologies and technological knowhow? Were they always raiders, or was it later that they lived up to the root of their name? And why were they not incredibly violent, instead always resorting to non-lethal means of robbery (outside of the fact that they originated in a show geared towards practically babies)?

Could some still be found on other worlds, or were the observed bandits the last known members of the species in the galaxy? Were they ever a part of groups like the Galactic Republic, or allied with any other well known governments or factions, or were they so little-known or few in numbers that they were never consequential enough to even be considered for these things? What was the name of their language, and could they ever speak anything else? And did they possess any additional unique anatomical or biological traits that we have not been made privy to as of yet? Did the Ewoks ever retaliate and wipe them out given their sometimes bloodthirsty tendencies? Was it possible the Skandits made themselves enemies of some other violent group or species on the Forest Moon like the Fftssfft, Duloks, Gorax, Lizard Warriors, Quork, or any of the various deities? And were the Skandits affected by the Empire’s eventual presence, maybe wiped out by them instead?

Additional Notes: While my first thought when it came to the Skandits design would have been “Swiper” from Dora the Explorer, the Skandits have actually been described primarily in established lore as being a “squirrel” species, which I just don’t see outside of the whole nuts thing? I guess the color and tail could be contributing factors too, but I just don’t think squirrel is what they were going for when they initially conceptualized this species, and it was only branded that way later due to some crossed wires and/or miscommunication. Still, I figured it was worth mentioning since it’s not immediately evident why I added the “Rodent” classification to the species, but that’s the story for now, so we’ll see if they’re ever included in anything in the future of the franchise that confirms or changes this concept.

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