Xi'Dec/Legends

The Xi'Dec were a highly variable insectoid race from the planet Stic.

Characteristics
Stic was a world of constant climatic, biological, and geological change. The Xi'Dec responded to this pressure by evolving a wide variety of different sexes. Over 180 different sexes of Xi'Dec were known, each so different from the next that they could easily have been mistaken for completely different species. Each sex was adapted to particular environmental conditions or to a different role in society.



For example, during the K'rom wars, soldier Xi'Dec evolved with natural weapons. As the Xi'Dec civilization advanced and information transfer became more important, small, fast-flying Xi'Dec evolved as messengers. The most common and least specialized form of Xi'Dec, the Xi'Alpha or Stictex, had eight limbs (any of which can be used as hands), twelve eyes on short stalks, and lacy wings on their back. Xi'Alpha made up about six percent of the Xi'Dec population.

Xi'Dec could reproduce by laying eggs, bearing live young, or budding young from an adult's body, among other options, depending on the sex of the parent or parents. Xi'Dec society was based on family units, containing at least two adult Xi'Dec of different genders. Families went to great lengths to attract rare types of Xi'Dec to add diversity to their family &mdash; which often led to embarrassment when off-world visitors were mistaken for an unfamiliar type of Xi'Dec and received marriage proposals. Extended family units were the building blocks of Xi'Dec society, with political leadership going to the largest and most diverse families.



History
When the Xi'Dec were first contacted by Old Republic scouts, they had recently developed nuclear fission and primitive computers. By the time of the Galactic Empire, they continued to lag behind the rest of the galaxy (partly because the wide variety of Xi'Dec forms made mass production impossible). However, Xi'Dec experts in planetary and biological sciences were able to find work throughout the galaxy. An additional source of income came from tourists coming to Stic to observe the diversity of Xi'Dec sexes.