Shifalas were a species of sentient simians coming from Carreras Major in the Outer Rim Territories. They were the dominant species of the Carreras system and had furry humanoid features. Following the aftermath of the Second Imperial Civil War, the Shifala were members of the Galactic Federation Triumvirate, the new galactic government, and were led by Governor Biala. In 138 ABY, the Shifala species was swept into the rogue Sith Darth Wredd's insurgency against the One Sith.
Biology and appearance[]
Governor Biala, a Shifala
The Shifala were a simian species with ape-like features.[1] Members of the species were entirely covered in fur, had two eyes, and had five digits on their hands. An adult Shifala was roughly the size of an adult Human being but had slightly larger hands and heads. Like many other sentient species, Shifala wore clothes and armor. Members of the species were also known to be susceptible to Force choke.[2]
Society and culture[]
By 138 ABY, the Shifala had developed a government that spanned the entire Carreras system. The Carreras government was known to possess security forces, starfighters, and a space navy. Their government had a reputation for corruption. They had spread off from their homeworld of Carreras Major to colonize other locations in their star system including Carreras Minor, an ice mining platform in the ice rings around Carreras Minor, and the Carreras G51 communications array. They were also known to have access to starships, blasters, and speeder bikes; technologies that were widely available across the galaxy. The Shifala species was linked to the wider galaxy by hyperspace.[1] One unique Shifala technology was a swarm of droids that was capable of burning a hole through the hull of a capital ship.[4]
Several Shifala were also known to display a xenophobic attitude towards other sentient species, including Mon Calamari and Humans. Many Shifala were unhappy with the influx of Mon Calamari refugees following the Sith Genocide on Dac and treated them badly, often giving them the worst jobs. A Shifala law enforcement officer was also known to have summarily executed an alien for allegedly stealing an unidentified object.[1] Shifala buildings on Carreras's capital city on Carreras Major were known to have a rounded, pyramidical shape. Carreras Major was known to have at least one urban settlement, which had various facilities including the governor's palace and at least one pawn shop[3]
History[]
By 138 ABY, the Shifala had been in contact with the wider galaxy for a long time. The Carreras system was regarded to be one of the farthest outposts of the galaxy. Contact and travel between the Carreras system and the wider galaxy was hampered by the Surd Nebula. Following the defeat of the One Sith and the end of the Second Imperial Civil War, the Galactic Federation Triumvirate embarked on an ambitious project to link the Outer Rim Territories with the wider galaxy by construction a network of G51 communications arrays. The Carreras system was designated as the farthest outpost of the G51 communications array. Under the leadership of Governor Biala, the Shifala constructed a local communications array station.[1]
The Shifala had to contend with the rogue Sith Darth Wredd
The Triumvirate sent an Imperial Knight, Master Yalta Val, to supervise the finishing stages of the Carreras communications array. On the way, he was ambushed and kidnapped by the rogue Sith Darth Wredd, who impersonated him an stole his armor and identity. He then imprisoned the real Val at his base on the floating world of Mala, which had drifted into the Surd Nebula. The Sith impostor then took control of the Carreras G51 array and Governor Biala's security forces. He then sent the Shifala security forces to recover Val's lightsaber, which had been lost during the ambush in the Surd Nebula.[1] His Shifala security guards encountered two offworld refugees—the junk dealer Ania Solo and the Mon Calamari Sauk, who had salvaged the lightsaber and Val's communications droid. Following a confrontation which resulted in the death of at least five guards, Ania and Sauk managed to escape back to Ania's junkyard on Carreras Minor's moon.[3]
Darth Wredd and his Shifala security guards tracked Ania and Sauk down to Ania's junkyard. However, Ania and Sauk managed to escape with the help of the assassin droid AG-37, who owned a freighter.[3] After losing several Shifala starfighters in the ice rings around Carreras Minor, Ania and her companions managed to land on Carreras Minor's surface. Meanwhile, another Imperial Knight Jao Assam arrived in the Carreras system to ascertain Yalta Val's whereabouts after hearing nothing from him. Upon arriving, he encountered a Shifala naval blockade and docked at a Shifala warship's hangar bay. Upon arriving, the Shifala guards, under the orders of Darth Wredd, attempted to apprehend him but he fled to Carreras Minor. There, he encountered Ania, Sauk, and Val's newly-repaired Imperial comm droid. The four companions agreed to find and rescue the real Yalta Val.[2]
Meanwhile, relations between Darth Wredd and his Shifala hosts rapidly deteriorated. Angered at delays with the progress of the Carreras G51 communications array, the Sith impostor almost Force choked a Shifala engineer, prompting Governor Biala and her colleagues to make preparations to file a formal complaint with the Triumvirate authorities.[2] However, Biala continued work on the G51 communications array since they wanted to earn the support of the Triumvirate authorities. Following the capture of Ania and her companions, Wredd ordered their execution but Biala objected, prompting the Sith impostor to attempt to Force choke her. Biala then freed Jao and his companions and sent them to deal with the Sith impostor. During the confrontation on the Carreras communications array, Jao was seriously wounded and Wredd managed to escape to Mala.[4]
After Darth Wredd remotely took control of the Carreras G51 communications array, Biala ordered her men to shut down the station. However, the Sith impostor had taken control of the station's computer and was using it to broadcast his manifesto to the wider galaxy. This broadcast was witnessed by many beings across the galaxy including Governor Biala and her subordinates. Wredd then attempted to execute Yalta Val before a live galactic audience but was stopped by Ania, who managed to rescue the Imperial Knight and escape offworld with her companions before the Carreras communications array collided with Mala. Prior to the collision, Governor Biala ordered all the Shifala crew and engineers aboard the station to evacuate. She later compiled a report on the Carreras Incident that was submitted to the Triumvirate leadership in Coruscant, the galactic capital.[5]
Behind the scenes[]
The Shifala species first appeared in Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman's Star Wars: Legacy: Prisoner of the Floating World, the first arc of the Star Wars: Legacy Volume 2 comic series, which ran from 2013 to 2015. The species were designed by Jimmy Presler, drawn by Gabriel Hardman, and colored by Rachelle Rosenberg.
Appearances[]
- † Star Wars: Legacy: Prisoner of the Floating World (First appearance)