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Bothan

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Bothan

Biological classification

Designation

Sentient^[1]

Classification

Physical characteristics

Average height

1.4-1.5meters^[3]

Hair color

Brown
Cream^[4]

Eye color

Brown
Green
Violet^[4]

Distinctions

Mood-sensitive fur^[1]

Average lifespan

Child: 1-11years^[1]
Young adult: 12-16 years^[1]
Adult: 17-45 years^[1]
Middle age: 46-65 years^[1]
Old: 66-84 years^[1]
Venerable: 85+ years^[1]

Sociocultural characteristics

Homeworld

Bothawui^[1]

Language

"Many Bothans died to bring us this information."

―Mon Mothma, before the Battle of Endor^[6]

Bothans (pronounced /'bɑθən/) were furrymammalian anthropoids, about 1.5 meters tall. Hailing fromBothawui and several colonies, Bothans differed in facial appearance and body structure withcanine,feline, andequine features. They were known for being masterpoliticians andspies, craving intrigue and subterfuge.

The Bothans were members of theGalactic Republic from at least4000 BBY, but likely from a significantly earlier point. Through numerous conflicts, most notably theGalactic Civil War, the Bothans remained officially neutral, although their famedSpynet always played each side and commercial interests sought profits.

The Bothans were famously credited withacquiring intelligence about the location of andEmperor Palpatine's presence aboard thesecond Death Star during theBattle of Endor, enabling theRebel Alliance to destroy thebattle station. However, many of them died to bring the Alliance this information. They played a large role in the founding of theNew Republic and in the development of its government.

Bothese was the name of the native language spoken by Bothans, whereBotha was the written form.

Biology and appearance[]

Bothans were a short race of furryhumanoids who on average stood between 1.5 meters^[7] to 1.6 meters in height.^[1] Bothans were covered in fur which shifted in response to their emotional state^[1] by way of gentle ripplings. It was this trait, namedWrendui,^[5] that betrayed them when members of their kind intended to be duplicitous in their dealings with others.^[7] They possessed tapered pointed ears, and both males and females were known to sport beards.^[1]

The Bothans were able tointerbreed with the other species, as exemplified by theJedi Lord Valenthyne Farfalla.^[8]Such hybrids somewhat resembled baseline humans with haunches, hooves, fur, pointed ears and a long tail.^[9]

Society and culture[]

"You have to understand that Bothans think in terms of political and persuasive influence, not military power. The typical Bothan's goal is to go through life getting more and more people to listen to what he has to say."

―Sena Leikvold Midanyl^[10]

Bothan culture was guided by the philosophy and principles set forth in the ancient text known asThe Way, written byGolm Fervse'dra. In this "Bothan Way", the pursuit of power and influence was paramount. Thus, individual Bothans put their own political and economic success above all other concerns, and as a species, Bothans put their own advancement ahead of other intergalactic interests, though many did side with the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil war. The volume of backstabbing, subtle character assassination and political maneuvering in Bothan society was dizzying, and resulted in many species stereotyping Bothans as untrustworthy.^[2] In fact, most Bothans are habitually paranoid, believing that anyone who's not working with them, is working against them.^[2]

In times of crisis, the focus of Bothan society shifted to a survivalist state known as "ar'krai." When engaged in ar'krai, all fit Bothans volunteered to defend their species from impending annihilation. The last calling of ar'krai was during theYuuzhan Vong invasion after the death ofBorsk Fey'lya and the practical defeat of theNew Republic.^[2]

Clans[]

Vital Strike SoC — A Bothan conducting a Rebel strike team briefing.

"We don't all shmell alike! How do these rumorsh get started?"

―Kolir Hu'lya, a Bothan Jedi with a bleeding mouth during the Second Galactic Civil War^[11]

Immediate Bothan families were organized into large clans, which were the most important social unit in Bothan society; family and clan loyalty were equally important as power accumulation. Clan association was denoted as the last component in a Bothan name.^[2] For example, the nameGirov Dza'tey would mean that Girov was his given name, Dza his family name, and that he was of the Atey clan.

Government[]

"I pity them, Councilor. I really do. For all the strength and mental agility they claim their political techniques provide to their species, I see them as an essentially unhappy people. Their whole outlook on life breeds mistrust, and without trust, there can be no genuine peace."

―Elegos A'Kla^[12]

TheBothan Council, a representative body of selectiveBothan clans, was the primary governmental body of the Bothan people. Renamed the "Combined Clans" during theNew Republic era, the body was still commonly referred to as the Council. At the height of theGalactic Civil War, the council comprised representatives from 608 registered clans.^[2] A constant flow of new clans petitioned for membership with the numbers soaring during crises like theYuuzhan Vong invasion. At the head of the Council was the First Secretary, who led the council from their headquarters inMerchant's Square in the capital ofDrev'starn.

Beginning with theClone Wars and continuing after the fall of theGalactic Republic, the Council absorbed many of the Bothan political bodies, such as theBothan Independent Treasury, seeing them as wasteful, corrupt and inefficient. Highly centralized, the Bothan Council governed all social, political, economic and security issues of Bothan life.

TheBothan Diplomatic Corps was one of the few government organizations to survive the culling, and was in fact expanded. The Diplomatic Corp operated as a branch of the Bothan government, and held the responsibility of furthering Bothan ideals through diplomacy. Its agents met with the leaders of other worlds, forged treaties, and represented Bothawui in the New Republic, to ensure that Bothan ends were served in any alliance.

AlthoughBothan Space have been prominent members of the New Republic and theGalactic Alliance that replaced it, Bothawui joined theConfederation in40 ABY after theassassination of several Bothan citizens onCoruscant by the order ofJacen Solo, and the revelation of a Galactic Alliance plot to invade Bothan Space.

Pers'lya was a BothanSupreme Chancellor circa12,000 BBY.

History[]

GGW Battle of Bothawui — Bothawui, the Bothan homeworld, was witness to fierce battles between the Republic and the Sith Empire.

Their race evolved on the world of Bothawui which was located in theMid Rim and were known to have developed the technology to travel through the stars millennia ago whereupon they became long standing members of the galactic community.^[1] The Bothans were noted for being long time members of the Galactic Republic. In the millennia prior to theGreat Sith War, the rapid expansion ofhyperspace lanes led to a period of exploration. This saw the Bothans found their first colony ofKothlis along with a growing influence in theGalactic Senate. This era also saw the rapid growth of theBothan Spynet where their agents were sent to newly discovered worlds that saw Bothawui becoming a hub for information.^[13] They were noted for being ever loyal allies to the Galactic Republic. However, Republic support was withdrawn from the long-standing allies as a result of theTreaty of Coruscant.^[14] The Bothans were said to have mastered the art of intelligence gathering as far back as300 BBY, and began exploiting it for personal gain. Ahundred years later, they made contact with theDressellians; they recognized that species' potential and departed in order to allow them to evolve without interference.^[7]

Whilst a longtime member and supporter of the Republic, the Bothans remained neutral during the period known as the Clone Wars. In this time, the BothanSenator Polo Se'lab abstained from politically charged votes leading up to the conflict. Though not playing one side against the other, the Bothans served each one in a professional but not exclusive manner. Their reasoning for helping both theSeparatists and Republic was the belief that furnishing each side with intelligence would hasten the end of the war. This stance on neutrality did not stop both the Confederacy and Republic from courting Bothan aid to their respective side, though this only increased their stance of supporting neither faction in the Clone Wars.^[15]

Although Bothawui remained neutral during theGalactic Civil War, the Bothans maintained a small defense force to protect the planet, along with Bothan colonies and economic interests. Aside from a figureheadgovernor and a smallgarrison ofstormtroopers, there was littleImperial presence. Both Imperial andRebel Alliance intelligence, by a mutual, unspoken agreement, decided to let the planet serve as neutral ground, where they could engage in their clandestine activities without risking open conflict. Bothan soldiers and officers were trained at the oft-mockedBothan Martial Academy.

AmbushThem-AoD — A Bothan's armor is hit during an ambush

During the search for the newDeath Star, two dozen Bothans sacrificed their lives in order to attain the technical specifications for the space station. Furthermore, they learnt that the Emperor himself intended to inspect theDeath Star II, which paved the way for a Rebel attack at the unfinished weapon aroundEndor.^[7]

Despite official neutrality, the Bothan Spynet played a significant role in military operations throughout the war. Bothan spies acquired top secret codes for thefirst Death Star and delivered them to rogue ImperialMoff Kalast, who in turn handed them over to the Rebellion. Hundreds of Bothans would be personally slaughtered byEmperor Palpatine for their treachery, most notably during the501st Legion's retaliatory attack on the Rebel base on the surface ofYavin 4, killing 3 Bothan Rebel leaders. Later, under the leadership ofKoth Melan, spies provided information to the Rebel Alliance, and were crucial in securing theplans to the second Death Star.

BorskFeylya-AgentsOfDeception — Borsk Fey'lya was a Bothan who became chief of state.

After the Empire subjugated the Bothan worlds, Alliance GeneralBob Hudsol organized many Bothans into a resistance movement that eventually overthrew the Imperial garrison. As Bothan involvement in the New Republic increased, so did Bothan military advancement. From4.5 ABY to8 ABY, theNew Republic Defense Fleet maintained a Bothan-onlyBothan Combat Response Element as a quick response force, giving early experience to many future Bothan officers of the New Republic. By25 ABY, Bothans such asTraest Kre'fey held high ranking posts in the New Republic military, and Bothan engineers had developed several warships, such as theBothan Assault Cruiser.

When theSecond Galactic Civil War began in40 ABY, the Bothan government joined theCorellians. The Bothans began to build small, fast but durable frigates to aid the war effort and transport.Mon Calamari Admiral and Chief of StaffCha Niathal stated that the Bothans had theorized a new fleet tactic: smaller, faster ships instead of heavily armed but inherently slowStar Destroyers.

Behind the scenes[]

Though the famous mention of Bothans in the filmReturn of the Jedi byMon Mothma did not expound on the nature of Bothans, their role and sacrifice in securing intel regarding Death Star II is well-known as a consequence.

Bothan physical appearances differ noticeably in variousExpanded Universe sources.Timothy Zahn first describes the species in hisHeir to the Empire novel, and illustrations for theHeir to the Empire Sourcebook fromWest End Games show them as fairly Human-like creatures with fur. TheHeir to the Empire comic depicts the Bothans differently, as largely fur-faced with long snouts. TheShadows of the Empire comics follow the lead of the West End Games sourcebooks, as do theShadows of the Empire Planets Guide,Star Wars: Rebellion, theStar Wars Customizable Card Game, and theDatabank (this last source uses the image from the card and was the main image for some time). Meanwhile, long-snouted Bothans appear in later EU games and publications.The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons shows Bothans as an average between the two extremes.

Though the Bothans first officially appeared inHeir to the Empire, in 1991 there was a background character who incidentally looks like a Bothan in the 1985Escape Into Terror episode of theStar Wars: Droids animated television series.