Gand/Legends

The Gand, or sometimes Gands, were a sentient species of an insect genus that evolved on the ammonia-gas planet of Gand. Several physical varieties existed, but the race was usually classified into two main sub-species: those with lungs and those without lungs. Gands with lungs were adapted to their homeworld's atmosphere, but like Kel Dors, they required specialized breathing gear if they wanted to leave Gand to manage potentially poisonous offworld gas mixtures. Gands without lungs, however, did not respire and were immune to poisonous gases. Such Gand could venture offworld without worry of suffocation. Both races possessed an exoskeleton and regenerative properties. Gands were considered by galactic society to be a very humble species. This was a result of their culture, which dictated that an individual's identity had to be earned. Accordingly, most Gand were self-deprecating and polite, usually referring to themselves in the third person. First-person pronouns were reserved for the most legendary of Gands, as the usage presumed that one was so renowned that everyone knew one's name.

Within Gand culture was one of the species' more notable professions; the findsmen. Shamanistic bounty hunters, these Gands tracked their quarry by divining omens sent to them via rituals based around the worship of the thick ammonia mists that covered their homeworld. Although their methods were sometimes viewed as arcane, the accuracy of a findsman could be unsettling to the casual observer.

Biology and appearance
"When you come from a planet like Gand, where we've got both ammonia-breathers and oxygen-breathers, you have to be adaptable."

- Zuckuss to Bossk, in regards to species biology



Gands were stocky, insectoid humanoids whose bodies were covered in a chitinous exoskeleton. This natural, durable armor allowed the Gand to shrug off injuries that would cripple most other species. For example, Zuckuss, a Gand bounty hunter, jumped from a third-story window, was caught in an explosion, and was even shot in the shoulder, yet he was able to continue his duties without so much as a disorienting effect. The Gand exoskeleton provided extra protection in the clavicle region, which prevented most nerve or pressure-point strikes to the neck and shoulders. Most Gands usually stood just slightly shorter than the average Human, though there were some that were even shorter.

The Gand possessed large, compound eyes with a visual range that included the ultraviolet spectrum and afforded excellent night vision; however, they could not perceive colors in total darkness. The eyes were shielded with a keratinous substance that served to protect them from airborne debris, such as that present in a sandstorm. Gands had only three fingers on each hand, although those digits were capable of punching through stormtrooper armor, as evidenced by Ooryl Qrygg, a Gand pilot with Rogue Squadron, on the planet Talasea. This durability was utilized in a Gand martial arts technique known as "Piercing Touch."

The Gand species had only two sexes; male or female. Several physical varieties of Gand were documented, however most Gands were classified into two sub-species; lungless and "breathers." The breathers were of an older evolutionary stock and were expected by xenobiologists to either die out or further evolve. Such Gands possessed lungs, along with the usual assortment of internal organs that were typical in most species. The lungs functioned rather efficiently, able to utilize nearly eighty-five percent of the atmosphere with each breath. Gands with lungs nevertheless were adapted to breathing only ammonia and required breath masks or similar equipment to survive in the more common oxygen-rich environments found on many planets. Oxygen exposure scoured the inside of the lungs like acid and required organ transplants if the Gand did not suffocate. Since the proper bronchial and lung treatments necessary to repair the damage were uncommon off the species' homeworld, Gand stricken with oxygen inhalation usually did not survive for very long.

A breathing Gand was able to hold his or her breath when needed and reduce the perceptibility of bodily functions to a point where an observer might think that the Gand had died. Zuckuss demonstrated this ability while working with Boba Fett, however he made use of compressed ammonia canisters to extend respiration cessation for several days.

The lungless Gand subspecies did not respire, as they obtained all the metabolic ingredients they needed through the ingestion of their food. Ingested materials aided in gas exchange, and waste passed through openings in the exoskeleton. This made lungless Gands immune to poisonous gases and allowed them to forgo respirators when they ventured offworld. Nevertheless, some lungless Gand wore such equipment anyway, usually to maintain anonymity.

Usually, Gands spoke their native language, also known as Gand, but for communication with members of other species, lungless Gands required the aid of a muscular gas bladder that allowed them, among other things, to draw in gases and expel them at a controlled rate through pieces of their exoskeleton that vibrated to approximate speech. Such Gand also made use of translator vocoders to compensate for their lack of vocal cords. Some Gands, however, were born with the proper organs and structure to speak other languages such as Basic.

Gands needed only a fraction of the sleep normally required by Humans. This trait was common throughout the Gand varieties, so xenobiologists attributed it to culture, rather than breeding. To stay awake and aware was more beneficial to the work of findsmen&mdash;a Force-sensitive religious tradition of bounty hunters that was unique to the Gand culture&mdash;and was a skill that was honed throughout a lifetime. However, Gands were able to "store" the restorative properties of sleep for use when suspension of consciousness was inadvisable. Gands possessed regenerative abilities. Ooryl Qrygg was able to regrow a severed arm within months, although he was assisted by a bacta cast. The exoskeleton appeared more pale and chalky in hue than normal until the regeneration process was complete. At least one Gand, Zuckuss, was known to suffer from schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder.

Society and culture


The Gands evolved on the planet Gand, an isolated Outer Rim world that boasted an atmosphere composed of ammonia, which made it potentially lethal to oxygen-breathers. This atmosphere helped deter galactic interference as a whole and allowed the Gands to develop a rich, yet peculiar, culture. They were considered by most non-Gand to be a very humble society, its members soft-spoken and polite.

Gand society placed heavy importance on the achievements of an individual and held that an individual had no name, and thus no worth, until he or she proved otherwise. The speech patterns of Gands utilized third-person self-reference within each level of identity earned. Young or unproven Gands were all called "Gand," as they were considered merely aspects of the same whole. Major accomplishments earned the use of a family surname. Mastering a skill, such as becoming a findsman, allowed for the use of the given name, all with third-person self-reference. This manner of speaking was common within the Gand language, but was more predominant when a Gand spoke Basic;  it was often a source of amusement to outsiders. At least one Gand, Ooryl Qrygg, expressed confusion to what a pronoun was.

A storied Gand could earn the right to use first-person pronouns after many feats and accomplishments and the ritual aptitude test, the Janwuine-jika. To deem a Gand was worthy enough to become janwuine, the Elders of Gand sent the ruetsavii&mdash;a group of Gands who were renowned for their own accomplishments and therefore considered able to judge the deeds of others &mdash;to observe and chronicle the exploits of the Gand in question, and then make the determination whether that Gand was ready to undergo the ceremony. Use of the first-person self-reference otherwise was considered arrogant, as it implied to those to whom a Gand spoke that he or she was so great that everyone knew his or her name. Once a Gand became janwuine, however, this presumption was considered a reasonable one, as all other Gands were expect to know the individual's name and accomplishments. However, feelings of shame at one's actions made a Gand assume a reduction of accomplishments, and thus in his or her name. This name reduction was a show of penance, and depending on the level of identity previously earned, the Gand might take to referring to him- or herself by just the surname or even as "this Gand." Some Gands who commit unspeakable acts were exiled from their society and planet. They were assumed to have discarded their culture and could thus refer to themselves in any way they wished. Failure to become a findsman was sometimes grounds for exile.

The Gand conducted trade and commerce on orbiting space stations that allowed visitors to avoid the poisonous atmosphere of the planet itself. Despite this contact with offworlders, Gands were seen as insular and somewhat xenophobic. Outsiders were rarely, if ever, allowed on the surface of Gand, as the insectoid species did not want their society to be tainted with ideas of independence and self-worth offworlders might bring. The few non-Gand allowed onto the planet were usually under the sponsorship of a janwuine Gand, or were considered hinwuine&mdash;beings of standing. Nevertheless, Gand protocol mandated that visitors tell no one of their time on Gand; to talk of such visits was considered an insult to their Gand hosts.

Findsman
Within Gand society, a select few felt the call to the path of the findsman. Findsmen belonged to a religious sect that worshiped and interpreted the movements of the gaseous mists on Gand to predict the location of criminals. Part shaman, part law enforcer, a findsman augured the location of a fugitive, tracked the target, and brought the wanted being to justice. The findsmen rituals were known to take at least three hours to complete, but were considered to be very reliable. Many attributed their success to the Force, believing that findsmen were actually Force-sensitive. The title of findsman could sometimes be granted to a Gand during the janwuine-jika.

Individual findsman sects existed within the profession; each held a different set of beliefs regarding its duties and responsibilities, and performed its rituals in its own distinctive way. Findsmen sects also fought with one another, conflicts that usually stemmed from competition over the apprehension of the same target. These skirmishes sometimes escalated into war until another, neutral sect intervened. Some findsmen groups subjected their pupils to chemical baths and even genetic manipulation to induce the appearance of knob-like growths on specific portions of the exoskeleton. These serrated ridges, which were often located on the arms and legs and could measure four to five centimeters in length, then were used as weapons in hand-to-hand combat. Gand findsmen would also make use of the shockprod staff, an electrical stun weapon that ended in a V-shaped twin prod.

Findsman training required devotion and study, and to leave the tradition was seen at times as a death sentence for the wayward hunter. If other members of the findsman's sect learned of their initiate's straying from the path, they often deemed the Gand a rogue and even tried to kill him or her on sight. Non-Gand often viewed the findsman tradition to be a strange sect that was devoted to a hunting religion, although the Gand themselves considered the findsmen to be "on the path to truth."

History
"They have strange perspectives on life, on hunting, but they are very effective."

- Vossk

The Gand evolved on the planet Gand, which was discovered sometime prior to 3,951 BBY, during the Kanz Disorders. An inhospitable and isolated world located just beyond the Centrality, the planet was not located on any major hyperlanes. This isolation allowed the Gand society to flourish without the interference of the Galactic Republic. During the Clone Wars, aside from the participation of individual members, the Gand society itself remained independent of the Republic.

The Gand society developed in pocket colonies that dotted the surface. These colonies, separated by seemingly endless kilometers of thick ammonia mists, were each ruled by Gand's totalitarian monarchy. The mists were influential in Gand culture, and the religious findsmen sects worshiped them, divining omens and signs from the currents to pinpoint the location of hidden prey. The findsman tradition was established by the planet's monarchy and thrived for centuries. However, when the Galactic Empire took over Gand's slave trade, sophisticated scanning equipment was used to locate fugitives hiding in the enshrouding mists, much to the detriment of the findsman.

The Gand made use of galactic technology, and were proficient with the usage of advanced weaponry. However, they did would either outsource their starship manufacturing to other companies, such as Byblos Drive Yards, or heavily modify captured ships, such as was done with the vehicles that were utilized by the ruetsavii.

The Gand had an active slave trade and penal system, and they employed the findsmen to locate runaway slaves and prisoners hiding in the enshrouding fog banks. The poisonous environment deterred galactic interference, and the tradition flourished for centuries until the intervention of the Empire. The Imperials took control of the slave trade and brought with them their advanced technology, which kept the number of runaways down and rendered the findsmen useless. Many Gand findsmen retired or tried to find new professions. Two such Gands were the renegade Vytor Shrike and the Rebel operative Venlyss Pnorr. However, rather than allow the tradition to face extinction, many other Gands, notably Zuckuss, took the profession offworld, finding work as bounty hunters, security advisors, and even assassins.

During the Galactic Civil War, Gand once again had no involvement in the war, aside from the activities of various individuals. And aside from the Empire's involvement in the planet's slave trade, the Gand were largely overlooked by the Imperials. In recent years, Gand managed to avoid invasion during the Yuuzhan Vong War. Though many Gand refugees had sought asylum on Ruan, the planet itself was overlooked by the galactic invaders. They also remained removed from the affairs during the Second Galactic Civil War.

Since the coming of the Empire, the insular Gands maintained tight control over how much influence outsiders had on their people. Most outsiders only got as close as the orbiting space stations. There were five of these structures, which were the centers of Gand commerce. Any visitors permitted on the surface of Gand were sequestered in the alien quarters located in the spaceports. A few non-Gands were afforded the honor of being allowed into Gand society but only under the sponsorship of the janwuine or the ruetsavii. General Airen Cracken and several other members of Rogue Squadron were invited onto Gand to witness the janwuine-jika ceremony for the pilot Ooryl Qrygg. Cracken admitted to finding the ceremony to be unsettling.

Gands in the galaxy
"Ooryl is token Gand."

- Ooryl Qrygg

During the time of the Galactic Republic, many Gand&mdash;primarily a group of bounty hunters who left to live on Nar Shaddaa&mdash;regularly visited Jekk'Jekk Tarr, an exotic cantina where they could find gas fumes similar to those present on their homeworld. Later, a group of Gands was from the same nest as the Jekk'Jekk Tarr group was present on G0-T0's yacht, the Visionary. Many of them were killed by the Jedi Exile, a Human woman who chose to disobey the Jedi High Council and aid the Republic in the war against the invading Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders, first during her search for the Quarren Exchange crime lord, Visquis, and later when the Exile stormed the Visionary to defeat the head of the Exchange, G0-T0. Another Gand, Ossluk Noslee, was a prominent warrior who had earned two names as testimony of his accomplishments; a pair of his gloves were survived into the period of the Dark Wars. Gands were also seen on Taris as early as 3,964 BBY; one was present when suspected murderer and former padawan Zayne Carrick returned to the planet. Gands were also seen in 33 BBY in a cantina on Dorvalla, a planet in the Outer Rim Territories; they were also present on the slave trade planet Orvax IV. In 28 ABY, another Gand was seen in a cantina on the Minos Cluster planet of Onadax.

Gands were present in the Jedi Order in various capacities. Vaabesh, an orphaned Padawan during the waning years of the Galactic Republic, served as a commander for the Grand Army of the Republic. However, he lost his life during the Second Battle of Jabiim in 21 BBY. Another Gand, Jedi Master Tyffix, served as a general for the Galactic Republic. During the Battle of Thustra, he sacrificed his life to save those of his and Master Tyr's Padawans when their command center was struck by a bomb.

Offworld Gand usually found work as bounty hunters. A Gand bounty hunter was present on Ord Mantell during the hunt for the Jedi Quinlan Vos in 30 BBY and another Gand hunter was present on The Rig shortly after the Battle of Geonosis, when Jedi Master Mace Windu arrived seeking information on who in the Bounty Hunters' Guild was responsible for the bounties posted on Jedi. This particular hunter was killed by Windu in the resulting scuffle. A Gand bounty hunter attempted to collect a bounty on Connor Freeman, who was wanted by an individual named Tayand for beating the crime lord at a game of sabacc, but failed when after being felled by a blaster shot from Freeman.

After the Clone Wars, many former findsmen took their trade off-world, including Zuckuss, his second-cousin Lu'daal-ud, who worked for the Granse Confederacy, a coalition of bounty hunters and trackers that was formed shortly after the Battle of Yavin, and Vaskau Farg, who had once tracked a Sakiyan witch to the planet Arkania. Vytor Shrike was an active bounty hunter on Tatooine, and at some point, he joined a group of freedom fighters who were led by Adar Tallon, a renowned military starfighter tactician and naval commander. Venlyss Pnorr worked under the guise of being a hunter and transported Rebel Alliance operatives to safehouses. After a mission ended with the death of one of his charges, Pnorr went into hiding.

Some Gand would ally themselves with smugglers, such as the Gand who served as a crewmember on the Scarlet Vertha, a custom-made ship owned by the Morseerian Nabrun Leids. Other Gands worked as smugglers themselves or, like R'Kayza, found employment as assassins. Some Gands pursued what most would consider to be nobler professions, such as serving as a pilot for Rogue Squadron, as Ooryl Qrygg did. In 7 ABY, a trio of ruetsavii Gands, Syron Aalun, Ussar Vlee, and Vviir Wiamdi, were sent to observe Qrygg and aided in several raids during the Bacta War, a conflict that stemmed from the conquest of Thyferra and subsequent retaliation by Rogue Squadron, and the battle of Thyferra. During the pan-galactic Yuuzhan Vong War, to elude capture or destruction by the invading Yuuzhan Vong, many Gands had taken refuge in the squalid Refugee Facility 17, that had been established on the planet Ruan.

Behind the scenes
"At least I know you don't snore. Heck, I don't even know if you breathe."

- Corran Horn in regards to rooming with Ooryl Qrygg

Zuckuss's appearance in 1979 for the filming of the bounty hunter scene in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back marked the first appearance of his as-yet-unnamed insectoid species. Portrayed by actress Catherine Monroe, the character's features were designed by Ralph McQuarrie and John Mollo, and the mask was crafted by Stuart Freeborn. The compound eyes of the mask were constructed with Bubble Wrap packing material. The costume itself consisted of the full-head mask and attached cylinders that were filled with colored water, and the actress was instructed to blow air into the cylinders in order to create bubbles.

Zuckuss's species was given a name in 1989 with the publication of West End Games' first edition of Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, written by Michael Stern. Since then, however, the species name has encountered various misspellings, including "Gann" in Star Wars Missions 11: Bounty Hunters vs. Battle Droids in 1998, and in 2008 with "Gund" on the packaging for the Kotobukiya ArtFX Zuckuss statue. The Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 15 suggested that the findsmen religious sect was instead a sub-species; as this conflicts with all other sources that describe the findsmen, this article assumes The Official Starship & Vehicle Collection is in error.

Aside from source material such as Galaxy Guide 3, the species' first foray into the Expanded Universe was in January 1, 1996, in the novel X-wing: Rogue Squadron by Michael A. Stackpole, with the introduction of the character of Ooryl Qrygg. This novel also introduced the previously-undocumented lungless sub-species. In December of that same year, Tales of the Bounty Hunters was released, which featured the short story Of Possible Futures: The Tale of Zuckuss and 4-LOM, written by M. Shayne Bell. The short story utilized sources from West End Games, which at the time made no mention of the lungless Gand sub-species.