Lynna

Last Updated: 4/12/2024

Name: Lynna

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Beast (Feline)

Homeworld: Livno III

Coloration: Varied

Biology: The Lynna were a large, felinoid species found rarely within the Star Wars galaxy. Lynna stood approximately 2 meters tall on average, with large bodies, thick limbs, and rounded proportions. Their entire body was covered in a thick layer of fur possessing a rather unique property. The color of a Lynna’s fur was a direct representation of their current mood, fluctuating between yellow, orange, green, burgundy, blue, and gray, though we know little about the correlations between each color and emotion, how many other colors were possible, or what their baseline coloration was. The species also had round feet with stubby toes, fluffy paws with at least four fingers and tiny, pointed claws, and long, two-pronged tails.

Lynna had large heads with flat, feline faces. Their small lips were accentuated with slight underbites and two short, pointed, tusk-like teeth that rested on the outside of their upper lip when their mouths were closed. They had puffy tufts protruding from their cheeks, as well as two-to-three elongated whiskers. Lynna also had small, upturned noses, as well as narrow eyes with vertical pupils. Unlike most of their fur, which was the same color across their entire body, they did have smaller, much darker patches on their faces, specifically across their eyes and nose, as well as running up across the top of their heads. Lynna had long, pointed ears that extended out from the sides of their head, in addition to long hair on the backs of their head often worn as ponytails. Though it seemed they had the capacity to pronounce Galactic Basic, the Lynna generally preferred to speak their growling language known as “Lynnesse.”

Lore: The Lynna were an obscure race hailing from Livno III, a relatively uncharted planet found deep within Wild Space. Given the fact that Livno III was not located near any stars or other astronomical light sources, the species had developed in almost complete darkness. This existence continued for much of their early history, the species constantly in turmoil and on the brink of extinction, until mysterious saviors arrived in the form of a mysterious and advanced group referred to simply as “The Architects.” These beings brought with them many mystical technologies, most important of which were the “Three Globes.” The first was the “Breeze Globe,” a device capable of creating gentle winds that aerated the world. The second was the “Rain Globe,” which brought regulated rain to the Livno III that turned barren wastelands into lush plains and farmlands. The last was the “Solstice Globe,” which somehow managed to provide the world with what could only be considered a faux sun, which brought with it warmth, light, and allowed for plants to photosynthesize.

The three golden orbs only provided their benefits when slotted into a grand machine left by “The Architects,” located within a half buried structure referred to as the “Chamber of the Sun.” This location was considered the holiest of holy places to the Lynna, who thanked their benefactors for their innumerous blessings even millennia after they had left Livno III to its own devices. The Lynna even held onto a sacred chant that would activate mechanisms inside of the orbs that caused them to glow, though the exact purpose outside of the rare cases of needing to identify them remain a mystery. As the Lynna began to thrive, they also grew more advanced, gaining access to interstellar travel, though they rarely-if-ever actually left their homeworld, and most of the galaxy continued to be ignorant of their existence, even after the fall of the Galactic Republic. By that time, the Lynna were split up into different clans across Livno III, and were ruled by an enigmatic body known as the “Free Lynna,” as well as a religious leader named Zim Azul.

At some point shortly prior to the Galactic Civil War, one of the three globes, specifically the Solstice Globe, had been stolen from the Chamber of the Sun. This orb would end up in the possession of the royal family of Hynestia, who, coincidentally, had one of the few galaxy-trodding Lynna among their staff. This Lynna, who went by the name Zel Gris, discovered the orb in Hynestian royal treasury, and through a series of hijinks, mishaps, and hardships, as well as assistance from the initially apprehensive Henestian princess Rinetta Gan and dashing smuggler and gambler Lando Calrissian, eventually returned the Solstice Globe to her homeworld. In its absence, the weather-controlling device had begun to go haywire, plunging the world into severe planetary storms and driving the Lynna to ruin. With no way to fix it, they assumed all hope was lost, until the miraculous discovery by Gris which the people saw as a divine sign. Upon returning the Globe to its rightful place, the machine began to glow and a golden beam of light was shot into the sky, nearly instantaneously returning Livno III’s weather to normal.

This event would lead to a strong relationship between the Lynna and the Henestian Humans, who were seemingly repentful of unwittingly acquiring the Solstice Globe at some point. In fact, when Hynestia was eventually occupied by the Galactic Empire, many of its population, including the royal family, fled as refugees and were welcomed to Livno III with open arms, becoming the planet’s first community of non-Lynna inhabitants. Following the initial escapades, Lando was also granted the title of “Savior of Livno III,” and was viewed favorably by the Lynna from that point forward. Unfortunately, said title meant very little outside of Livno III as nearly no one else knew or cared about the planet and its people, some even questioning if the stories of his exploits leading there were even true. This was probably for the best, as it turns out Livno III is home to an incredibly rare and valuable ore known as “Kakaorzum.” The most well known fact regarding the Lynna traversing the greater galaxy was that they were terrible gamblers, as their uncontrollable color-changing fur generally gave their hands away via their mood.

Continuity: The Lynna are exclusive to Star Wars Canon, still currently relegated to one primary source, “Flight of the Falcon: Lando’s Luck,” though a few related elements like their homeworld and the Hynestians, have been referenced sparingly elsewhere!

Unexplored: Intentionally or otherwise, there is quite a bit of mystery surrounding the Lynna which might be fun to explore some time in the future! The first and most important question we need to ask doesn’t actually pertain to the Lynna, but instead regards the Architects. Like, who were they? Did they intentionally make themselves obscure, were records of them simply lost to history, or is it possible they’re a species or group we already know of, such as the Zeffo (due to their many orb-based mystical technologies)? What brought Livno III to their attention, did they seek to be worshiped, did they want something in return for the gifts they bestowed, or did they see it as such a small and obvious act of service that they simply did out of the kindness of their hearts? How long did they remain on the world, did they interact with the Lynna as gods or equals, and where did they go next? Again, have we seen their handiwork anywhere else, or did they remain in the far reaches of Wild Space, only leaving their mark on seldom-explored worlds and little-known species?

What sorts of religious beliefs, cults, and philosophies did the Lynna form during and after the Architects time on their world, what sorts of instructions were they left with and was there a promize they might return someday? And how were the stories of this event passed down through history, how might the accounts have been altered, how and why did they remember certain titles, practices, and chants, and how sacred was the Chamber of the Sun to the entire world? Staying on the Lynna’s origins in particular, what sort of creature might they have evolved from? When did they evolve sentience, what was their early life like, and why were they in such a dire state prior to the Architect’s arrival? Was the species ever naturally blind given the darkness, had they developed their own light sources before the Globes granted them an artificial sun? Why did their fur change color, what benefit would that have given them, especially in pitch darkness, and what did they think of when they could first see and experience other common galactic weather phenomena like wind and rain?

On that note, how did the Globes work? Was it some sort of magic we cannot begin to comprehend, especially when it came to their bizarre light source, were they Force-based mechanisms, potentially alluding to Livno III being a vergence in the Force, the Lynna being highly Force Sensitive, or the Architects being some sort of early Force-related faction, or was there some other practical explanation that the Lynna simply didn’t understand or chose to not look into for fear of breaking the illusion of the Architect’s sovereignty? Why did the orbs glow when chanted to, how well understood were they by the Lynna, how closely guarded were they (especially to allow one to be stolen), how long did they negative effects of one or more Globe being missing take to fully set in, and was it expedited when more were removed? Who actually stole the Solstice Globe, and how long was it passed around before ending up on Hynestia? Additionally, what did the Hynestians think of the globe, if anything at all, and how did they acquire it? Why did so few Lynna leave Livno III, and what was the reasoning behind the few who did?

When were the Lynna discovered by someone other than the Architects, and was it possibly by the Galactic Republic, or some other Wild Space charting group or family such as the Grafs or the Galactic Society of Creature Enthusiasts? Was there ever an offer for them to join the Republic Senate, or were they simply too far out, too small, too poor, too obscure, or too uninterested for that to be applicable? What percentage of the galaxy knew of their existence, and did that number grow or shrink through the millennia? Who knew of their homeworld’s rich supply of raw Kakaorzum ore, and would they ever be raided or occupied by those who sought to take advantage of it and strip mine their world? Were the Lynna fierce fighters given their size, did they have any sort of organized militia, and would they be capable of fighting off invaders? What did their government, both politically and religiously, look like? What happened to the Henestians who migrated to Livno III while fleeing from the Galactic Empire, did the Empire ever pursue them there, and would they ever ally themselves with the Rebel Alliance or New Republic to protect their newfound allies?

Additional Notes: When combing over my list of every sentient felinoid, I initially thought the Lynna were probably going to be the most generic and boring given the brief glimpse into their design and lore I had. Instead, I found them to be incredibly fascinating, and to honestly have one of the most unique feline appearances and anatomical gimmicks that I dearly want to see adapted into other media! This species has a lot of potential for future storytelling, as do the mysterious Architects who are involved in their early history. The trick to getting them to reappear in-universe now, I suppose, would be for more official Star Wars authors, illustrators, directors, etc. to learn of their existence as they’re still INCREDIBLY obscure, and I’m hoping the publishing of this article will help, even if but a little bit, to make their name, design, and lore, that much more well known! Now I guess we’ll have to wait and see if I ever have a reason to come back and update this!

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