Persta

Last Updated: 9/4/2024

Name: Persta

Humanoid: No

Classification: Beast

Homeworld: Unknown

Coloration: Tan, Orange, Red, and/or Brown

Biology: Perstas were a sentient species possessing various animalistic traits, including resembling real world kangaroos or other similar marsupials. They were bipedal in nature, with two arms and two legs, seeming standing somewhere around .6 to .7 meters tall when fully grown. Technically falling within the realm of macropods, they had large tails almost the length of their bodies, as well as thick, powerful legs, both used for jumping, with the latter constantly bent in a way that their knees sat near their torsos when standing still. Their feet were large and long, with two toes each, while their hands bore three fingers, though none of their digits seemed to display “nails.”

Persta bodies were rounded, with both males and females possessing stomach pouches used to store objects or young. The species had long necks, with oval heads perched atop. These heads featured drooping, rounded ears, large, dark red noses, wide mouths, stretchy cheeks, pronounced brows, and massive eyes sporting wide, blue “pupils.” The species seemed to be smooth, though they may have been covered in a thin layer of fur, ranging from tan to brown to orange in coloration regardless. They also grew tufts of hair at the end of their tails and on the upper back portion of their heads, which was usually bright orange in coloration. Males could additionally grow mustaches and dark bushy eyebrows, and their tail hair could match this dark brown brow color instead. The species had the capacity to speak Ewokese.

Lore: Next to nothing is known about the Perstas, aside from the fact that a community of them lived on the Forest Moon of Endor by the height of the Galactic Civil War, possessing good relationships with the native Ewok population. They possessed “traditional” family units, and seemed to have well-to-do attitudes, though they generally adorned themselves with nothing aside from the occasional bandana or flower tucked behind the ear. It’s realistically possible that the Perstas were one of the many sentient species among the passengers of the mysterious ark that crashed on the moon some time in the past, taking up residence in the aftermath, though this has yet to be officially confirmed.

Continuity: The Perstas only exist within Star Wars Legends at the moment.

Unexplored: Most everything surrounding the Perstas remains a complete mystery, even remaining unnamed until Pablo Hidalgo dug up and published their name from a script at the end of 2023. With that in mind, let’s take a deeper dive into some of the many questions surrounding the species that, if answered, would help us better understand them, and in turn characterize, adapt, or include them within future media, whether fanmade or official. This simply begins with: Where were the Perstas from? Is it possible they’re one of the many species native to the Forest Moon of Endor, were they one of the races stranded there via the “ark,” or did they migrate to, settle on, or attempt to colonize the moon? Were they a dwindling species, or did they have a massive population elsewhere?

Were they well known among the galaxy, or had they remained relatively obscured? When were they first discovered? What elements affected their evolution? What sort of species did they come from prior, kangaroo-like or otherwise? And when were they first introduced to the Ewoks, or even the greater galaxy as a whole? Were they ever members of the Galactic Republic? Were they ever caught up in any major events, conflicts, etc.? What sorts of species,worlds,  groups, or governments might they have been allied or associated with? Did they have any major galactic accomplishments, whether that be art, export, or even public figure? And where are they at as a species as of the most current “modern” eras of the universe? Alongside these questions, there are numerous other worldbuilding traits to address that we commonly discuss across other articles. It also would be beneficial to see the species in other art styles or mediums to help better understand their anatomy and physiology.

Additional Notes: It was pretty exciting to learn that, after all these years, the species finally received a name. If Twitter had continued to exist as it previously had pre-X, we may have gotten a bigger influx of these revelations from various official creators, but we’ll have to settle for these scraps now. This does beg the question of just how many other species from the Ewoks television series have names floating around behind-the-scenes that will never see the light of day, but finally, now that the Perstas can be referred to as such, there is a greatly increased chance that they will be Canonized as they can now simply be mentioned in any book, or really any comment across any medium, without having to be directly pictured! (Also, writing this article made me aware of the general lack of sentient kangaroo/wallaby/pademelon species that exist within the Star Wars universe.)

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