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Chiss
Biological classification
Classification
Physical characteristics
Hair color
Eye color
Sociocultural characteristics
Diet
- "They're supposed to be great warriors. Clever, resourceful, proud. Intensely loyal to one another, too."
- ―Eli Vanto, on the Chiss[1]
TheChiss were anear-humansentientspecies that possessedblue skin, redeyes, and dark bluehair. They hailed from theplanetCsilla. The Chiss were notable for the nature and structure oftheir families, and how Chiss families dominated many aspects of Chiss society.
TheChiss Ascendancy was located in theUnknown Regions and had little contact with the rest ofthe galaxy, and untilGrand AdmiralThrawn's ascent in the ranks of theGalactic Empire, their existence was regarded as mostly a legend even within the Unknown Regions.
Biology and appearance[]
- "What is he, some kind of Pantoran with an eye condition?"
- ―Driller MarDapp, commenting on Thrawn's appearance[1]
The Chiss had blue skin and red eyes.
Intimidating beings,[6] Chiss werenear-humans, meaning theirshape, features, and dimensions were greatly similar to those ofhumans. However, some notable differences[1] were that their skin wasblue, theirhair a shimmering blue-black, theireyes a glowing red, and they had angular faces.[6] Because of those first two characteristics, they were mistaken forPantorans,[1] blue-skinned humanoids fromPantora,[7] although Pantorans did not have red eyes. Besides their coloration, Chiss eyes were slightly better than those of humans, their visible spectrum going into theinfrared range. Additionally, their hearing was sharper and their reflexes were faster.[1]
Force-sensitivity, referred to as theSight by the Chiss, was incredibly rare and manifested in limited abilities, namelyprecognition, which wasThird Sight, andtelepathy, which was known asSecond Sight. Force-sensitive Chiss were almost alwaysfemale. As they grew older, their abilities diminished and eventually disappeared.[8] The secrets of Second and Third Sights were among the best-kept secrets in the Chiss Ascendancy, to such an extent that many Chiss were unaware of their full extent or even their existence. While he was familiar with the intricacies of Third Sight, ChissImperialGrand AdmiralMitth'raw'nuruodo knew of the existence of Second Sight but was unaware of its abilities.[5] Girls identified with the ability to use the Sight were trained to act asnavigators for theChiss fleet through the treacherous hyperspace routes of theUnknown Regions. They were known asozyly-esehembo, theCheunh word for "sky-walker."[8]
Society and culture[]
- "One fact has always remained constant: The Chiss must be approached from a position of strength and respect. One must have strength, for the Chiss will deal only with those capable of keeping their promises. One must have respect, for the Chiss must believe that those promiseswill be kept."
- ―Passage fromMitth'raw'nuruodo's journal[1]
A Chiss spy impersonating an Imperial officer removes her face mask.
The ruling class of theChiss Ascendancy was known as theAristocra. The supreme legislative and executive body of the Ascendancy was theChiss Syndicure. TheChiss military consisted of theChiss Defense Force and theChiss Expansionary Defense Fleet.[3]
The Chiss were renowned throughout the Unknown Regions for their military might as well as their perceived justmilitary doctrine. Even among species with no direct contact with the Chiss Ascendancy, stories and legends of the Chiss as blue-skinned noble warriors flourished. This was true even among species that had apparently performed no space travel fordecades. During adevastating civil war onher homeworld, a leader namedthe Magys fled with 200refugees to theRapacc system, where theysettled. The Magys' refugees warned the nativePaccosh ofinvaders who would seek to destroy the Paccosh people, and encouraged them to dispatch refugees to preserve their culture. She told her hosts legends of the Chiss as noble warriors famously capable of disabling their enemies without destroying them, leading the Paccosh to send a refugee ship to theDioya system at the edge of Chiss space in the hopes of seeking Chiss aid.Uingali foar Marocsaa later tested the identity of Senior Captain Thrawn by challenging him to disable a Paccosh freighter without destroying it.[4]
The primary Chisslanguage wasCheunh,[5] though in their rare contacts with outsiders, the Chiss usedtrade languages such asSy Bisti,Meese Caulf,Taarja, andMinnisiat.[1][3]Written communication was done in theCheunh script.[5] Those who disliked Chiss used the derogatory nickname "blueskin" for them.[3]
Most Chiss names were multisyllabic and consisted of three parts, as in Mitth'raw'nuruodo. The first portion identified an individual'sfamily, the second was the given name, and the third indicated other social factors.[5] Aside from the long form of their names, the Chiss also used shortened variants—for example, "Mitth'raw'nuruodo" could be shortened to "Thrawn."[1] These short form names were known ascore names, and for the sake of expediency, core names were conventionally used in all except the most formal situations. In a rare case of an outsider among the Chiss, the humanEli Vanto was given the standard three-part name "Eli'van'to," which his shipmates reduced to the core name "Ivant."[5]
Chiss wereomnivorous and ate foods such ascheese,yubal, and plant products.[4]
History[]
- "Because I know these Chiss, Generalirius. They are resilient and powerful. I've seen them resist attack from without and manipulation from within. Only a combination of the two will succeed in bringing about their destruction"
- ―"Jixtus" toGeneraliriusNakirre[9]
Grand Admiral Thrawn, a notable Chiss.
The Chiss hailed fromCsilla, a planet located in the so-called Unknown Regions ofthe galaxy. The Chiss and other inhabitants of theUnknown Regions called them "The Chaos," referring to the hazardous nature ofnavigation within the region. Millennia earlier, the Chiss had contact with the greater galaxy, and were politically and militarily drawn intothe ancient wars between the Galactic Republic and theSith Empire, but eventually broke off contact with both entities and withdrew back into the Unknown Regions, sealing their borders. During theRepublic Era[3] andImperial Era,[1] they were ruled by a government known as theChiss Ascendancy. According toGeneraliriusNakirre of theKilji Illumine, theKilji way of order and enlightenment could make the Chiss and the Ascendancy work for the glory of the Grysks—indirectly serving the Kiljis.[9] TheOuter Rim TerritoriesplanetSerenno was home to some Chiss.[10]
Despite their secrecy, one Chiss known as Mitth'raw'nuruodo became anofficer of the Galactic Empire. Attaining therank of Grand Admiral,[1] he participated in theImperial Military's efforts tocombat the early rebellion in theyears prior to theBattle of Yavin.[11] Shortly after theBattle ofYavin, formerSenatorJohhar Kessen acquired the services of several female Chissmercenaries.[12] During theGalactic Civil War, a female Chissspy infiltrated the Empire posing as a human Imperial officer usingfake skin.[13]
Behind the scenes[]
An early design of Alexsandr Kallus depicted him as a Chiss.
The Chiss species first appeared, albeit unidentified, inHeir to the Empire, a1991Star Wars Legends novel written byTimothy Zahn as the first entry inThe Thrawn Trilogy.[14] The species' name would later be revealed inVision of the Future, a1998 Legends novel also written by Zahn as the second entry inStar Wars: The Hand of Thrawn Duology.[15] The Chiss becamecanon when they appeared inSecret Alliances, the sixth campaign featured inStar Wars: Commander, a mobile game published byDisney Interactive[12] that was released onAugust 21,2014.[16]
Though he was ultimately made ahuman, a preliminary design ofAgentKallus, one of the antagonists of the canon animated television seriesStar Wars Rebels, depicted him as a Chiss.[17] Eventually, the Chiss appeared in the series, in the form of Grand Admiral Thrawn.[1] During development of theStar Wars: The High Republic multimedia project, illustration managerJeffrey Thomas wantedMarchion Ro to be a Chiss out of admiration for Thrawn, but his idea didn't pan out[18] and of Ro's species was eventually canonized asEvereni in the2022comicThe High Republic: Eye of the Storm 1.[19]
Appearances[]
Non-canon appearances[]
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- Related categories:
- Chiss
- Related Categories:
- Chiss