Nazzar

Nazzar were a sentient humanoid bipedal species native to the Mid Rim planet of Nazzri. With equine faces and powerfully built bodies, the species had a history of contemplation and philosophy. They were mildly xenophobic, and were rarely found off their temperate homeworld; the only offworld Nazzar were outcasts. One of the most famous Nazzar was the Jedi Qrrrl Toq, who fought and died in the Great Sith War, around four thousand years before the Battle of Yavin.

Noble and spiritual creatures, the Nazzar joined the Galactic Republic early in its history. They followed the Ulizra, a strict Nazzar religion, which stated that outsiders were likely to taint Nazzar culture, and that the group was always better than the individual.

Biology and appearance
Averaging roughly two meters tall, Nazzar were bipedal humanoids, with distinctly elongated equine heads, and were known to have been a physically powerful and agile species. Likewise, Nazzar had dark skin covered with a thin coat of fur, which usually ranged in color from light gray to dark navy. The species also were distinguished by having two long ears that lay limp at the sides of their heads, and strong, four-fingered hands. A common piece of a Nazzar regalia was a harness-like set of straps worn around the muzzle.

Nazzar had an average lifespan slightly longer than those of most sentient species in the galaxy. Considered younglings until they were eleven standard years old, Nazzar became adults when they reached eighteen. At around fifty-six years, Nazzar were regarded as middle-aged, while those who reached ninety were thought of as old. Anyone older than one hundred twenty-five years was considered venerable, and demanded much respect from society.

Society and culture
Nazzar were deeply spiritual and distant, and extremely intolerant of other forms of religion and belief, especially those dissimilar to their own. The offworld Nazzar who eventually overcame their xenophobia and natural prejudice formed friendships with many other species in the galaxy, and were said to make trusted and loyal companions.



Nazzar followed a state religion which was known as Ulizra, and the Nazzar government expected strict adherence to the tenets of the fourteen sects, each ruled by a praefect of the religion. These tenets included the concepts that outsiders would contaminate and taint Nazzar society and culture, that Nazzar individuals should remain in seclusion from the rest of the galaxy, that all philosophical systems were in disagreement with Ulizra, and that the group was always more important than the individual. Because of these beliefs, it was very difficult for other species to set up trade relations with the Nazzar, or even for Nazzar to befriend those of another species. Although legally allowed, outsiders who stayed on Nazzri usually received less than warm welcomes.

Spread over three star systems, the Nazzar government had originally formed as a monarchy, but over many millennia it became an oligarchical theocracy led by a king and fourteen praefects, the heads of each of the sects of the Nazzar religion. The king presided over the council of fifteen lawgivers and commanded the Nazzri military forces and planetary security agencies. However, only the praefects could introduce and vote on new laws and amendments. A majority of the Nazzar could correctly predict almost any vote, as the praefacts could not break any of the tenets of Ulizra in their decisions.

Nazzar spoke a language of the same name, as well as Galactic Basic Standard. Examples of Nazzar names included "Brryg Tallak," "Drrn Roqar," "Srrn Kanas," and "Vrrk Jikat."

History
The Nazzri system joined the Galactic Republic early in galactic history, becoming part of the Lantillian sector and located on a large hyperlane, but had little contact with the Republic apart from maintaining a senatorial presence on Coruscant. When Emperor Palpatine rose to power, most Nazzar returned to their system and ignored the going-ons in the galaxy. That attitude continued into the time of the New Jedi Order, and despite several invitations, Nazzri did not join the New Republic. The Nazzar also ignored the events of the universe around them during the Yuuzhan Vong invasion.

An entire history of the Nazzar race was housed within the Hall of Edification, an ancient building on their homeworld.

Nazzar in the galaxy


Due to their somewhat xenophobic nature, Nazzar were rarely seen away from their home planet; a temperate and lushly vegetated world known as Nazzri, which was located in the Mid Rim region of the galaxy. Offworld Nazzar were likely to be either outcasts who had denounced and rejected the teachings and ideas of Ulizra or preachers who had left their planet to attempt to bring their philosophical truths to new people; however, Nazzar preachers rarely found acceptance of Ulizra offworld, and many returned home. Nazzar outcasts managed to find new organizations to follow, and many became fanatical followers of a wide range of fringe groups.

Although extremely rare, Nazzar who had proved themselves as devout followers of Ulizra were permitted to leave the planet on a self-imposed exile known as a boqeri, on which Nazzar sought the spiritual truth. The length of a boqeri depended on how long it took the seeker to discover the truth they did not know at home. Records indicated that there were several Nazzar on those journeys were fascinated by the wonders of the galaxy and never returned to Nazzri. Many of them were drawn to adventure; Nazzri soldiers, scouts and Jedi were not uncommon prior to the reign of the Galactic Empire.

Jedi Knight Qrrrl Toq was a notable member of the Nazzar race, and one who had ventured away from his homeworld to prosper in the wider galaxy. The son of the Nazzar emperor-king, he was trained in the ways of the Ulizra by fellow Nazzar Vrrk Jikat. Toq left his homeworld to perform his boqeri, and on Ulda Frav he encountered a Jedi Knight for the first time. The Jedi, realizing Toq was strong in the Force, took him to Ossus to be trained by Jedi Master Vodo Siosk-Baas. Toq fought in the Naddist Uprising of 3,998 BBY and Great Sith War, though he was killed when the Krath sorceress named Aleema Keto triggered a supernova of almost a dozen stars.

Ikree was a Nazzar princess who, after returning from her boqeri, discovered that her father, the emperor-king, was corrupted by dark magic. When her father refused to stop using the magic, she spoke out against the government. She was imprisoned, and later killed by one of her father's subordinates.

In 3,963 BBY, a member of the Nazzar species named Qohn was owned as a slave by the Sungrazer cooperative, which used slaves in its dangerous thorlide harvesting operations. Qohn had outlived all other slaves owned by the group, so he acted as a sort of intermediary between his masters and fellow captives. When Jarael and Zayne Carrick arrived on the ship Sungrazer, where Qohn was kept, they staged an attempted rescue of Qohn and the other slaves during a thorlide dive. However, the mining ship Gladiator arrived and stymied the plan. In 1,032 BBY, a Nazzar served the Arkadianate on the planet Syned as an icecrawler driver. As he drove a crawlerful of refugees from the starship Diligence to the planet's capital, Calimondretta, the Nazzar fell victim to Jarrow Rusher, the captain of the Diligence, who led his crew in an attack on the Arkadianites to steal the vehicle for use in an assault on Calimondretta.

Behind the scenes
Nazzar were first created by authors Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson for The Freedon Nadd Uprising, which was part of the Tales of the Jedi comic series. Tales of the Jedi Companion, a West End Games Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game sourcebook, fleshed out their history, and, several years later, a Wizards of the Coast sourcebook, Ultimate Alien Anthology, further expanded the species' culture and history.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 43: The Reaping, Part 1
 * Knight Errant