Talz/Legends

The Talz were a large furry race with two distinct sets of eyes: one for day vision, and one for night vision. Their homeworld was Alzoc III, a frozen world with much mineral wealth.

Biology and culture
Talz were large, bipedal creatures, averaging 2 to 2.5 meters tall. Bulky creatures, they were covered head to toe in thick white fur, which provided exceptional insulation against their frozen world. Talz had four eyes, which were also adaptations to their native environment. The larger set of eyes were shut during the day, when sunlight reflected off the snow with dazzling brightness—able to blind sensitive optical organs, leaving the smaller set to navigate with. Alternatively, during the deep darkness of their homeworld's moonless night, the larger pair were utilized to provide the Talz with adequate vision.

Talz used a small proboscis to eat and communicate, using a language of high-pitched chirps and buzzes, with variable pitch an essential feature. Their language was known alternatively as Talzzi or Talz.

Talz had extremely large hands, sporting a set of sharp-clawed talons, which tended to make others think twice before getting into a brawl with a Talz. Despite these fierce claws, most Talz were gentle and kind-hearted creatures. They were diligent and tireless workers. As a society, Talz were still a primitive species who had barely evolved sentience by the time the Empire discovered them. Talz were limited users of tools, constructing primitive shelters to further protect them from the icy cold climate. Their psychology and societal relationships, however, were very complex&mdash;based on families and extended families&mdash;with sophisticated mechanisms for redistribution of resources to provide the greatest benefit for the species.

History
Imperial scouts discovered the Talz as the Emperor's New Order was finishing off what remained of the Old Republic. The Empire recognized a species well built for manual labor and enslaved the Talz, forcing them to work in their mining operations. As a result, very few Talz were seen outside the Alzoc system. Those that were found offworld were considered escaped slaves, with a 5000 credit Imperial bounty payable for their recapture or termination.

The Imperial conquest was not the first contact between the Talz and the rest of the galaxy, however. A Talz Jedi named Foul Moudama was active during the Clone Wars, long before his species was known to the galaxy at large. Years later, a Talz named Muftak, and his inseparable companion, a Chadra-Fan named Kabe, were seen in the Mos Eisley Cantina when Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker hired Han Solo. Talz were also seen on such diverse planets as Junction and Phaeda.



Throughout the era of Rebellion, the Talz hoped in vain that the Empire would leave so life could return to normal. The New Order never officially recognized the Talz as a sentient species, not wanting to be burdened by the Rights of Sentience. The fall of the Empire meant freedom for the Talz. Mining on the planet continued under New Republic supervision, allowing the Talz to trade and mingle with other species.

Even after the fall of the Empire, various warlords (most notably Zsinj) used Talz captives for scientific experimentation. Among the projects that Warlord Zsinj may have used Talz for were Project Chubar and Operation Minefield, headed by Dr. Edda Gast. When Wraith Squadron was invited aboard Zsinj's Super Star Destroyer Iron Fist, Flight Officer Castin Donn infiltrated a biomedical laboratory and freed a Talz captive. Donn was killed in the process, though the Talz he freed killed several of Zsinj's personnel before finally being killed by a stormtrooper.

A young Talz also trained at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum alongside Jacen and Jaina Solo.

Behind the scenes
In Iron Fist, a Talz prisoner is described as "opening its mouth and roaring." According to other sources, however, Talz do not have mouths, and thus, cannot roar.