Dorande (species)

Dorande
Biological classification
Designation	Sentient
Classification	Humanoid
Physical characteristics
Skin color	Pink
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Yellow
Distinctions	Pointy-eared Bald
Sociocultural characteristics
Homeworld	Dorande
Language	Dorande language Galactic Basic Standard

"With the element of surprise, the planet will be ours… In the name of Dorande, of course!"

―Ambassador Kawakal, to Baron Starlock

Dorande were a species of pointed-eared humanoids indigenous to the planet of Dorande. At the start of the Dark Times, they attempted to seize the world of R-Duba, conspiring with the planet's royal advisors to murder Prince Jagoda. While the Dorandes intended to raid Jagoda's palace, their plans were foiled by C-3PO and Kirk Windjammer.

Biology and appearance

A Dorande (right) with a Human (left)

The Dorande were a sentient species of humanoid configuration: like the Humans, they had a single head, a torso and walked on two legs. Two arms extended from their shoulders and ended in five-fingered hands that included an opposable thumb. Their faces sported two forward-facing eyes, a single nose, and a mouth filled with white, blunt teeth. What truly distinguished Dorandes from Humans were their egg-shaped cranium, their pink skin and their tapered ears with long, dangling lobes. While entirely bald, the Dorandes were not completely hairless, as several individuals displayed black brows above their yellow eyes.

Society and culture

"Shall we raise the flag, Commander?"
"Yes! Victory for Dorande!"

―A Dorande officer and his commander

In the early years of the Dark Times, the Dorandes commonly spoke Galactic Basic Standard, the most prominent language in the galaxy, although they still had a tongue of their own. In addition to speaking Basic, they also used the High Galactic alphabet. They were a bellicose people who maintained a fleet of convertible gunships and would not hesitate to capture a planet for the glory of their own culture.

History

"Commander, sensors show about twenty ships approaching!"
"What?"

―A Dorande officer and his commander

The Dorandes evolved on the planet of the same name, a world that was located in the Outer Rim region of the galaxy. At the start of the Dark Times, Ambassador Fez Kawakal represented Dorande at the court of Jagoda, the reigning prince of the planet R-Duba. Under the pretense of bringing a diplomatic proposal to the prince, Kawakal had come to conspire with one of his advisors, Baron Gavern Starlock. The two planned to have the assassin droid BX-00 murder the prince so Dorande could invade R-Duba. The protocol droid C-3PO, who had overheard the conversation, saved the prince's life and told him the truth. As a consequence, Jagoda banished Starlock and Kawakal from his planet, appointing C-3PO his chief advisor. But the Dorandes' invasion plans were not completely foiled. Meanwhile, the young Kirk Windjammer, captain of an anti-grav loader christened Seaskimmer, accepted a strange job from a mysterious figure he met at the Red Asteroid Bar. He would have to load his craft with cargo, and then drop it in the middle of the sea. When he reached the arranged drop-off point, Windjammer encountered a fleet of ships. When it appeared that the cargo crates contained illegal blasters, Windjammer tried to escape his clients, who removed their Human masks and revealed their Dorande origins. The Dorandes, whose vessel was in fact a gunship, pursued the young man, and ended up destroying the Seaskimmer. Unbeknownst to them, Windjammer and his droid had escaped in an underwater escape pod. The two then reached Jagoda's palace, where they could warn the prince Jagoda of the impending invasion. Prince Jagoda charged Windjammer with leading a defense force of forty heavily armed R-Duba gunships against the enemy. Since his fleet was unprepared for a coordinated attack, the Dorande commander ordered a retreat.

Behind the scenes

When clarification on the pointy-eared Valenthyne Farfalla was sought from Leland Chee, keeper of the Holocron continuity database, he shared his personal theory that "all pointy-eared species are either Sephi or closely related to Sephi," a reference to a pointy-eared species from Jedi: Yoda, published in 2004.

Appearances

• Droids (1986) 5 (First appearance)

Sources

• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. I ("Dorande") (First identified as Dorande)
• The Droids Re-Animated, Part 1 on StarWars.com (article) (content now obsolete; backup link)

Notes and references

In other languages

• Nederlands