Caarite

Last Updated: 09/09/2025

Name: Caarite

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Diminutive/Alternative/Beastite (Suidae)

Homeworld: Caarimon

Coloration: Pink

Biology: The Caarites were a race of short pig-like, almost orc-ish mammalian beings found within the Star Wars galaxy. Standing no more than 1 meter tall when fully grown, the species was bipedal, with two arms and two legs. Their feet were large and rounded, shaped almost like elephant feet, with three white toes/nails, the largest in the center. Their hands were much more Human-like, though they only possessed four fingers each. The species was seemingly hairless, possessing pale pink, wrinkled skin. Their torsos were fairly wide, and the species was relatively muscular for their size, though the extent of their natural strength is unknown.

Caarites had slightly elongated necks and small heads, with lumpy craniums and somewhat pronounced brows. The species had long, pointed ears that extended out from the back sides of their heads. Their noses were upturned, and their eyes were wide set and small, with unsettling, beady eyes. One of the Caarites’ most notable features were their wide mouths stretched out in a perpetual smile, displaying bulging cheeks, thin lips, and mouths full of white teeth. Caarites had a high tolerance for intensely hot environments, though, in turn, they did not handle the cold well, often choosing to avoid frigid locations due to discomfort or health concerns. The species had a lifespan very similar to that of the average Human, and could clearly speak many galactic languages, including Basic and their native tongue, Caarimala. On rare occasions, the species could also be Force Sensitive, seemingly possessing a lower Midi-chlorian count.

Lore: The Caarites were native to the humid rainforest-covered planet of Caarimon, a world nestled within the Outer Rim known for its blistering, steamy surface environment that was nearly inhospitable for many outside species. The planet wasn’t always this way, however, some thousands of years before the collapse of the Galactic Republic, potentially even prior to the Republic’s existence, the planet was struck by a massive asteroid which shifted its axis, greatly affecting the Caarite population at the time by increasing the planet’s surface temperature, twisting the previously established seasons, and messing with all cycles of the world. This forced the species to rapidly develop, and they eventually created the technologies necessary to create floating cities in the atmosphere above their world. This was primarily in response to the discovery that their previous civilizations suddenly seemed to be damaging and poisoning the newly developing flora that was enveloping their world, a concept the species was strongly against, instead preserving the new environment out of respect and curiosity.

Millenia later, the Caarites found themselves members of the growing “Trade Federation,” developing a strong relationship with a fellow member species from the Inner Rim known as the Filordus. During the reign of Nute Gunray, the Caarites began to grow disillusioned with the organization, finally abandoning it after the Blockade of Naboo as they saw that as the beginning of the downfall of the Federation as a whole. When jumping ship, they convinced the Filordus to leave with them, and the two species would partner together to form a new similar but much smaller conglomerate known as the “Metatheran Cartel.” The Cartel would quickly become quite successful, with the Caarites becoming the face of the organization, while the Filordus served more as the unseen backbone. They sought to imitate the Trade Federation in structure, performing business both over and under the table, and as they grew, they invited more and more species to partner with them, including the influential Sullustans and their profitable SoroSuub Corporation.

Despite being busy with other endeavors, as soon as the Caarites left, the Trade Federation employed pirate factions to assault the Cartel in an attempt to force it to dissolve. Instead, these attempts backfired as, when news of the Federations defeat at Naboo began to spread, the Cartel offered their attackers payment, and the pirates all quickly abandoned their previous employers, becoming a new, corrupt security force for the budding organization. Still, despite this unprecedented success, the Caarite higher-ups had seceded and reformed without the support of many of their people, and for some time the average member of the species had suffered at the hands of the Trade Federation, slightly relieved to be free of their grasp but with a renewed fear that the Cartel would be just as oppressive, if not worse.

These fears were quickly substantiated as greed and corruption ran rampant among the various newly established leaders of the Metatheran Cartel, each seeking to fulfill their own goals and desires which often put them in opposition with each other, setting an unsustainable precedent full of infighting and mistrust. The primary Cartel head, a Caarite man by the name of Velin Wir, established for himself a secret base on Caarimon’s surface, executing his shady business practices from the safety of its walls. This rampant degeneracy rapidly lead to the creation of Caarite resistance movement, who first verbally opposed the Cartel, but eventually took up arms as well to fight the pirates and Droidekas used to rob and oppress the people, as well as protect the precious rainforests below their floating cities who were now being harvested by the conglomerate for wood and other resources. The Cartel would then establish an official police force to further suppress the populations of the various cloud platforms, which further fueled angry sentiments, eventually resulting in a raid on Wir’s base that led to his death.

In the wake of his passing, a new face of the company would arise, a Caarite known as Thurm Loogg. Though still quite greedy and overbearing, he attempted to avoid the mistakes of his predecessor, putting on a much more friendly public persona as he attempted with all his might to repair the relationship between the Cartel and the Caarite population, even offering them a warship for their own protection. These prolonged negotiations and public relation tours would end with little success as trust had been all but broken between the organization and the people. They additionally soiled their relationship with SoroSuub during this time, attempting to prop the Metatharen Cartel higher than their massive supporters, resulting in even more popularity lost for Loogg. The last we heard of the Cartel, they had been placed on the Galactic Republic’s radar due to the public falling out with the Sullustans, eventually infiltrated by Republic spies in the years leading directly up to the Clone Wars, though we don’t know what happened to them or the species as a whole afterwards.

The Caarites possessed quite the galactic reputation, with many knowing them only for the unsettling smiles permanently glued to their faces. In fact, non-Caarite individuals who had a propensity to smile often, or who were forced to smile constantly as a part of their job, were sometimes referred to by the nickname “Neo-Caarite.” They had also garnered a second reputation, even pre-Cartel, as being greedy and devious. They commonly put on friendly demeanors that hid their inner feelings, causing those they interacted with to be disturbingly charmed. They also commonly leaned into less-than-savory professions, such as piracy or smuggling, and most outsiders went into interactions already wary of deception or theft. Still, Caarites generally cared for members of their own kind, and also had a soft spot for nature, though they clashed with other groups that shared some of their sentiments such as the Jedi Order.

Continuity: The Caarites currently only exist within Star Wars Legends.

Unexplored: We actually know a fair bit about this species, at least within relation to the Star Wars Expanded Universe, however, there are still some holes left open in their story even then. So for this section, we’ll begin by addressing those holes, before turning to how the species can make the jump into Canon, and what might change or stay the same. So let’s begin with: When did the Caarites first develop sentience? When was their planet first struck by the asteroid? And when were they first discovered, as well as by whom? Were they ever members of the Republic? How long did it take them to develop their flying cities? And why did their cities begin to poison the surrounding budding environments? What sort of plants began to pop up? And were there any groups, factions, or companies who attempted to harvest their world for resources against the Caarites’ wishes?

When were the species first brought into the Trade Federation, and what sort of role did they serve? What exactly was life like under the rule of the Federation for the average Caarite? When did they first develop a strong relationship with the Filordus? And what was the final straw that led them to eventually depart from their previous alliance? How long did it take for the following events regarding the Cartel to transpire? Exactly how big was the Cartel’s droid, pirate, and police forces? What were some of the inner conflicts that took place within the Cartel like? How big did the Caarite resistance become? And what happened to the organization and the species from the start of the Clone Wars and onward? What is their status as of the modern era? And were they ever involved in any more major conflicts or events?

Specifically in regards to Canon, would any of their early history have to be changed, especially if the universe is seemingly more condensed than it was within the EU? Would the Caarites have ever interacted with the Narquois given their association with the Trade Federation? Are there any aspects of their characterization that could be changed to allow for more fascinating stories? And are there any ties that could be made to Canon elements, such as the meteor and new flora being tied to the Drengir or other Dark Side concepts, could any established pirate groups play into the Cartel’s early story, and could the Cartel as a whole be tied more closely to “Syndicates” as they have been canonically fleshed out? Delving into these many ideas, as well as our usual list of generic worldbuilding traits, would definitely benefit this species in the long run. Additional depictions, appearances, or iterations across other mediums would also be fantastic!

Additional Notes: Despite having this species plastered at the top of the Sentient Aliens Dictionary page of this site since I first published it, I had never actually looked into the Caarites, and had even completely forgotten to add them to my “comprehensive” list. Needless to say, this was a fun deep dive, and I was surprised at the depth their limited lore reached, and the connections that were made within it. As alluded to above, I think it’s possible the species already has a Canon counterpart in the Narquois, though I would still love to see the two interact sometime in the future, should the Caarites’ connection to the Trade Federation persist across continuities. Hopefully we’ll see them appear again somewhere someday soon, possibly even in the tail end of the “The High Republic” initiative before it comes to a close. Either way, they may be worth including at least a reference to in whatever your next project is, whether that be fanmade or otherwise!

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