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- "Slick as a Squalris."
- ―A common saying among traders along the Perlemian Trade Route, referring to a hard bargainer
Squalrises were a species of sentient, yellow-skinned humanoids indigenous to the planet Ifmix VI in the Colonies region. The Squalris anatomy was characterized by a corpulent frame, bristly hair garnishing the face, and a rounded crest running the length of the skull. The quest for fortune and social standing was the driving factor in the Squalris psyche. This led Squalrises to become formidable businessbeings and dealmakers. The species had a natural proclivity for charisma and sociability, which aided such deals. They tended to prefer ostentatious attire that marked the wearer's wealth and status.
Ifmix VI became part of the galactic community in the earliest days of the Galactic Republic, and the blazing of the Perlemian Trade Route in the region allowed Squalris merchants to spread beyond the Ifmix system to ply their trade. One such merchant was Sanglui, who opened an import–export business on Vorzyd V in the Outer Rim Territories. With the outbreak of the Galactic Civil War, Sanglui joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic and secretly used his prominent position to aid the Rebellion against the Galactic Empire.
Biology and appearance
A narrow crest ran the length of the Squalris skull.
Squalrises were heavy-set humanoids who averaged 1.6 meters in height. They had thick, yellow skin that gave them some resistance to injury.[1] They had five fingers per hand, and each of these had a hard fingernail on the back.[2] A fringe of thick, coarse, yellow hairs grew from the Squalris chin and jowls,[1] framing the broad face.[3] The mouth was broad, with thick lips stretching just below the small, flat nose. Two eyes—yellow with either a yellow[1] or red iris[2]—were set deep within a bony brow, nude in some members of the species[1] but trimmed with black eyebrows in others. A narrow crest ran from just behind the eyes to the back of the head along the top of the skull.[2] A floppy ear fringed in bristly hairs hung from both sides of the head.[1]
Squalrises entered adolescence at eleven standard years of age, entering maturity at nineteen standard years. Middle age began at age fifty-five. Squalris life expectancy was ninety standard years.[1]
Society and culture
Typically, Squalrises were gregarious gadabouts,[5] known for their easy-going and generally non-violent demeanor. As charismatic beings with a gift for getting their way in negotiations, Squalrises were unrepentant capitalists who loved to haggle and dicker over business transactions. The species was so renowned for their hard-nosed bargaining that traders along the Perlemian Trade Route used the phrase "slick as a Squalris" to characterize a deft dealmaker. In fact, the surest way to nettle a Squalris was to threaten his or her business interests. This acumen made the average Squalris wealthier than his or her counterparts among other species,[1] which was only in keeping with the general Squalris desire for success, money, property, and social status.[6] Members of the species advertised their riches by bedecking themselves in foppish clothing: boots and jewelry, as well as luxurious tunics, trousers, overcoats, and robes, all bedizened with elaborate embroidery and gemstones.[1][4]
The Squalrises claimed the planet Ifmix VI as their homeworld.[5] Their native language was also known as Squalris, which had both spoken and written forms. Most members of the species also learned to read and write Basic. Many Squalris names had only a single part, such as Feemus, Irallish, Klabelon, Muaago, and Sanglui. Others had two parts, such as Zlorr Uluj.[1]
History
The Squalrises evolved on Ifmix VI, a planet known for its unforgiving weather: turbulent winds and tornadoes ravaged the surface in an unending cycle.[1][7] The Squalrises joined the galactic community soon after the formation of the Galactic Republic; outsiders reached their world sometime between 27,500 and c.25,000 BBY.[8] After the invention of advanced hyperdrives in 25,000 BBY,[9] Ifmix VI became part of the newly blazed Perlemian Trade Route, situated between the worlds Yabol Opa toward the Core and Shulstine V toward the Rim.[10] Squalris merchants soon became common in spaceports and trading posts, especially those lying along the Perlemian.[5] The Ifmix system became part of the Colonies region.[11] The Squalrises' homeworld remained in an area of space controlled by the Galactic Republic through a litany of conflicts, ranging from the Great Sith War of 3996 BBY to the Clone Wars of 22–19 BBY.[12] By 137 ABY, the Squalrises' home system fell within territory controlled by Darth Krayt as part of his Galactic Empire.[13]
Squalrises in the galaxy
- "Our contact is extremely high in the government of this planet… And he's our only hope of diverting the incredible wealth of Vorzyd 5 away from the Empire, and back to the people! We must keep his identity secret at any risk!"
- ―Sanglui, to Leia Organa, Paxin, and Luke Skywalker
In 1 ABY, Sanglui met with Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and Paxin to plan their liaison with a powerful government contact.
Travelers along the Perlemian frequently encountered Squalrises,[5] particularly Squalris nobles and scoundrels making their way as merchants. These members of the species were often preoccupied with enhancing their personal prestige through success in business and trade.[1]
During the Galactic Civil War, at least one Squalris supported the Alliance to Restore the Republic. This individual, named Sanglui, operated publicly as the well-heeled proprietor of an import–export company, headquartered in opulent offices atop a skyscraper in the High Town area of Efavan on the planet Vorzyd V. Using his cover as a vivacious but innocuous socialite in the upper echelons of Vorzyd V society, Sanglui hobnobbed with the rich and powerful, all the while working to undermine the Imperial presence on the world. Sanglui headed the Rebel cell in Efavan.[4] In this capacity, he received a secret communication via message droid from a Rebel contact embedded deep in the government of Vorzyd V. Sanglui was tasked with arranging a meeting with the contact and one of the Rebels on the world as part of a plan to sever the Empire's access to Vorzyd V's coffers—earned from the casinos that earned it the nickname "Gambler's World." After Sanglui drew straws with fellow rebels Leia Organa, Paxin, and Luke Skywalker to see who would meet the contact, Skywalker won.[2]
Behind the scenes
Artist and writer Russ Manning designed the Squalrises and introduced them in the Gambler's World series of comic strips published by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate from March 12 to September 8, 1979. The story features the Squalris Sanglui, although the story never states the name of his species. The portion of the story featuring Sanglui was reprinted by Dark Horse Comics as Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures 3 in 1994. For this re-issue, Ray Murtaugh colorized the old strips, showing the Squalrises as yellow-skinned beings for the first time. Gambler's World has since been republished as part of the trade paperback Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures and as a webstrip on the Hyperspace website.
In 2004, Wizards of the Coast published the book Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds. The volume includes a detailed look at the Squalrises, revealing the species' name, homeworld, temperament, and other details. It includes rules to allow players of The Star Wars Roleplaying Game to portray Squalris characters, statistics that make Squalrises less agile than Humans but hardier and more likable. Members of the species also receive a bonus to resist damage due to their thick skin, to diplomacy, to detecting people's hidden agendas, and to starting wealth. The book was co-written by Craig Robert Carey, Jason Fry, Jeff Quick, Jeffrey Quinn, and Daniel Wallace. The book includes an image of a Squalris drawn by Mark Tedin.[1]
There has been some slight confusion as to the site of Ifmix VI, the Squalris homeworld. According to The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, it is located near the Perlemian Trade Route.[7] The Essential Atlas, however, shows it lying on the Perlemian. This article follows the latter source, as it was published more recently.[10]
Appearances
- Gambler's World (First appearance)
- Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures 3 (Colorized reprint of Gambler's World)
Sources
- Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds (First identified as Squalris)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds, p. 150
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures 3
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. III, p. 185
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds, p. 147
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds, p. 149
- ↑ Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds, pp. 149–150
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 78
- ↑ The Essential Atlas, p. 120
- ↑ The Essential Atlas, pp. 121–122
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Essential Atlas, p. 15
- ↑ The Essential Atlas, p. 233
- ↑ See The Essential Atlas, pp. 129, 130, 132, 133, and 155
- ↑ The Essential Atlas, p. 226