Rendellian

Last Updated: 9/2/2025

Name: Rendellian

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Near-Human/Avian

Homeworld: Unknown

Coloration: Purple and Brown

Biology: Rendellians were a humanoid species possessing many Human-like traits, including the same general weight, height, build, number of limbs and features, etc. as the average Human, though they also had some subtle avian attributes such as long, pointed, beak-like noses, talon-like fingers, and hair that either consisted of feathers or at least resembled pointed feather-like tufts. Rendellians possessed purple skin and brown hair, with eyes featuring green irises and vertical slit-like pupils. They also had pointed white teeth that curved inwards towards their incisors, with pointed hair sometimes surrounding their mouths, as well as big bushy eyebrows. Rendellians had the capacity to speak Galactic Basic Standard, seemingly without issue.

Lore: Very little is known about the Rendellian species, aside from the fact that they had been discovered and introduced into the galaxy sometime prior to the Battle of Endor, and had become at least a commonplace-enough name that even Imperial personnel could reference them within casual conversation. Supposedly, at least one Rendellian had an encounter with an Imperial pilot named Rode in a bar on Bray, recounting his previous discovery of a legend of a ghostly fleet of starfighters known simply as “Wild Squadron.”

Continuity: So, while the Rendellians are technically Canon, since they’ve currently only ever appeared within “Tales from the Death Star,” their canonicity is still a bit dubious. Its fairly safe to assume that the species itself is real, though the accounts within the comic are treated more as ghost stories told by an “unreliable narrator,” either a ghost themselves or a figment of a young, scared individuals imagination (my money’s currently on the former I think). So the one Rendellian we’ve seen may or may not have been real, and as so, their appearance could be subject to change in the future.

Unexplored: So aside from the above note about how their appearance may not yet be concrete (and technically they may not even be a real species, though we’re going to proceed as if they are), we also don’t really have a good idea of their appearance anyway. They only appear in 4 panels throughout the entire comic, two featuring them from essentially the back, and the other are ghostly close-ups on their face, being exaggerated memories in the mind of pilot Rode’s mind. So I would love to get a good look in something else soon, as for now, we sort of have to piece their various design elements together.

Interestingly, the species has both a similar name and appearance to another unidentified species in Star Wars Canon, the avian humanoids who call the planet Rendel their home. I can’t say for sure they’re related, as the Rendel royalty we see in “Tales from Vader’s Castle #3” are much more colorful and possess wings. And the double “l” in Rendellian also could cast a bit of doubt, as I would assume, if they have the same naming convention, Rendel royals Zalla and Bellan would instead be “Rendelians.” However, I can’t deny the similarities, especially since they both originate from Canon “Tales” comics. Maybe its a case of sexual dimorphism, cousin or subspecies, or again, just an artistic liberty as they exist within in-universe tales themselves.

That conversation aside, we also need to explore the general worldbuilding traits we usually tackle in these articles as well. Where do they come from, what corner of the galaxy, what sector, system, and world? What environments caused them to develop the traits that possess? When were they first discovered, by whom, and what was their level development like both then and “now” in the most recent eras of the Canon galaxy? How widespread were the species, did they have any galactic alliances, reputations, enemies even? Other elements to explore include their art and architecture, civilizations, society, culture, governments and politics, religions, philosophies, traditions, cultural practices, products or exports, economy, influences, languages, diets, distinct anatomical traits, or any other number of unique/standout traits?

Additional Notes: Not the most unique species in the franchise, but also better than the standard Human-clone design. I’d love some sort of connection to the inhabitants of Rendel, but I’d love even more to just see them again in general. Pull them out of the Tales limbo that they currently exist in and truly establish them as a fixture within the Canon universe! It shouldn’t be too difficult, especially within mediums like comics and written media, as, like so many one-off species at the moment, they’re quite literally blank slates. At the very least, if you’re a fan author checking out this article, let this be your encouragement to include a random reference to a Rendellian (as well as all the other underutilized species I write about, you’ve definitely got a lot of variety to choose from)!

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