Tynnan/Legends

"I've been to Tynna. It's one of the most beautiful worlds in the Expansion Region. And the Tynnans are probably one of the most well-informed and well-intentioned species anywhere."

- Belindi Kalenda

Tynnans were a sentient species native to the Expansion Region planet Tynna. Having evolved from water mammals, they were covered in brown fur and a thick layer of insulating blubber that allowed them to swim comfortably in the cold oceans of their homeworld. This gave the Tynnans a rounded appearance, which, combined with their short stature, made them appear cute and pudgy to many species. They had dark noses, poor eyesight, and pointed ears. Their muzzles sported two buckteeth, although these evolutionary holdovers shortened with each succeeding generation. Tynnans were an intelligent and pragmatic race, renowned for their patient planning. Their system of government was unusual in that their officials were chosen by lottery; consequently, most Tynnans kept themselves well informed on civics and other pertinent issues in case of election to office. This was particularly important as their economy was government-run.

The Tynnans were discovered by Republic scouts and integrated into galactic society. While allowing Republic economic and corporate development, the Tynnans were careful to ensure it proceeded with full environmental safeguards, leaving the natural beauty of their world largely unscathed. The Tynnan government shrewdly reinvested all profits into society, and Tynna grew to be one of the more affluent worlds per capita in the Republic. During the Clone Wars, a suspected terrorist attack on their homeworld involving stone mites prompted the Tynnans to secede from the Republic. Tynna later rejoined the Republic, but their careful management of resources upset their subsequent Imperial governor. The Empire eventually attempted to invade, but a substantial planetary shield, presciently installed beforehand, protected Tynna from attack. They were later invaded and conquered by the Yuuzhan Vong during the Yuuzhan Vong War in 26 ABY, and their planet was terraformed.

Tynna's affluence allowed many Tynnans to travel offworld. Two such individuals were Cham and Nog Teleus, who settled in the Cularin system and sponsored various celebrations there. Also of note was Senator Streamdrinker, arrested for treason against the Empire. A famous Tynnan in the private sector was Odumin, who rose to the influential post of territorial manager for the Corporate Sector Authority. Less well known was the Tynnan Dawson, who worked as a professional thief in the galactic underworld.

Biology and appearance
"My appearance, admittedly, is not one to inspire confidence or awe."

- Odumin

The Tynnans were small mammals, averaging 1.4 meters in height. They swam deftly in water and moved about on two legs on land. They were covered in brown fur and a thick layer of blubber that served as insulation against the cold waters of their homeworld, Tynna; they were comfortable with temperatures as low as -50 degrees Celsius. This insulation gave them a pudgy form that many species viewed as cute. However, their substantial strength, stamina, and intelligence belied this unassuming appearance.

Each Tynnan had a short snout that ended in whiskers, a dark nose, and two large buckteeth. These incisors were an evolutionary holdover from ancestors who gnawed wood to build river dams; the species had long ceased this behavior by the time of the Galactic Civil War, so each succeeding generation grew shorter teeth. Tynnans had poor eyesight, which they compensated for with ocular enhancers and excellent natural hearing and smell.

Tynnans were able to hold their breath for long periods, enabling them to spend nearly as much time in water as on land. As such, many settlements were near water, including Water Park and Lutris Lake, and Tynnans played games such as water-wall. Their paws&mdash;five-digit hands and three-digit feet&mdash;had both claws and webbing, and they had long, rudder-like tails.

Society and culture
"There's really only one way for Tynnans to deal with the misperceptions others perpetuate. Rather than take offense at their short-sightedness, we should use it to our advantages."

- Odumin

Tynnans were a pragmatic race. They shied away from religion and mythology, which they believed often led to conflict. They were meticulous planners who gave attention to the smallest detail; these plans were then carried out with great enthusiasm and dynamism.

For thousands of years, the Tynnans selected their government representatives based on a planet-wide lottery. Their leaders then served for one year, after which they were ineligible for reselection for the next six years. The government was run from the Tynna Central Government Building prior to 22 BBY, and later from the Tanallay Surge complex legislative and recreational complex. Due to the random nature of selection, most Tynnans pragmatically kept abreast of political and governmental issues in case they were called upon to serve in the legislature. Occasionally, however, as in the case of Dawson, Tynnans rejected this system. An impulsive and carefree youth, Dawson fled the planet after being drawn from the lottery.

Tynnan society operated on a state-run economy, and the government fed all industrial profits back into society. This funding provided all Tynnans with complementary housing, education, food, and entertainment. However, many chose to boost their living standards by devoting themselves to the arts and sciences or by hunting the native suuri that formed a staple of their diet. The Tynnans developed their economic structures and state infrastructure with the Republic conglomerates and carefully protected their environment such that is was largely unsoiled by development. All Tynnans were equal before the law, and their society put significant effort into facilitating the ability of individuals to pursue their own interests. This was tempered with an emphasis on taking responsibility for one's own actions.

Because of the thick fur that covered them, Tynnans typically did not wear clothing. They did, however, wear belts with numerous pouches in which to carry items.

History
"This is obviously an act of terrorism. What did the Republic do to stop this? Where are our Jedi? That's it for Tynna. I'll be contacting Count Dooku once we can establish new government headquarters somewhere."

- Razelfiin

The Tynnan homeworld, an arboreal world, lying in a sheltered corner of the Expansion Region, was discovered by Republic scouts millennia before the rise of the Empire. After negotiations with the shrewd Tynnans, the Republic went ahead with full-scale corporate development of the world, careful to protect its natural beauty. The Tynnan share of the resulting profits was reinvested into society, and, per capita, Tynna became one of the more affluent worlds in the Republic. The Tynnan government also became a key business partner in the Corporate Sector. Sometime during Tynna's membership in the Republic, a collection of Sith materials was hidden on the planet, to be later uncovered by the Jedi Order in the process of preventing the rising of a Sith cult.

Despite their affluence in the Republic, in 22 BBY the Tynnans prepared to secede from the Republic after a suspected terrorist attack on their world. Within the space of two hours, the Tynna Central Government Building had been completely destroyed by an infestation of stone mites. Reacting against the lack of Republic and Jedi prevention of the incident, the recently selected planetary leader Razelfiin declared her intention to contact Count Dooku and quit the Republic. While Tynna seceded from the Republic shortly thereafter, they returned to the Republic prior to the end of the war, with their governmental representative, Senator Streamdrinker, serving in the Galactic Senate until 19 BBY.

Following the Republic victory over the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the subsequent transition to the Galactic Empire, Tynna reentered the galactic fold and was appointed an Imperial governor. With little respect for their systems, he was determined to increase the profit-producing capacity of the Tynnans and pressured the legislature into capitulating to his goals. Despite their accommodation, the governor was not satisfied. The Empire eventually launched a full-scale invasion of the planet. Tynnan foresight, however, had predicted such a move: an impenetrable planetary shield allowed them to resist the invasion and protect their planet from conquest. At one point, the Alliance to Restore the Republic considered establishing a base on the planet, but ultimately rejected the location in favor of Yavin 4. The Hutt Borga Besadii Diori ran spice through Tynna, overseen by her agent Crev Bombaasa.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Tynna fell to a Yuuzhan Vong force composed of several warships. While the Battle of Tynna was observed by some New Republic Intelligence officers, there was nothing they could do to prevent the planet's fall; the Tynnan defense force numbered no more than 200 starfighters and quickly fell to the invaders. With the space battle lost, members of the Peace Brigade managed to trick the Tynnans into giving up the world without a shot fired. A group of 200 Tynnans met the Yuuzhan Vong landing forces outside the Tanallay Surge complex to surrender the planet. The conquerors swiftly set about bioforming the planet's ocean. The blue waters turned a sickly pale yellow and were prepared to grow dovin basals and communications villips for use in later stages of the Yuuzhan Vong conquest. The Vong also interred Tynnans in slave camps to reeducate and train them as caretakers for the growths. Dovin basals from Tynna were later used in the conquest of Caluula Station. Those Tynnans that managed to escape their planet joined the already large numbers of galactic refugees in the Republic, and their particular experience further heightened refugee fears. This gave the Senate Select Committee for Refugees new impetus to establish safe corridors and transit points.

Tynnans in the galaxy
"Move your tail, Dawson! Noone wants us back at the ship."

- Kels Turkhorn

Due to the wealth of their planet and the state-run economy, many Tynnans were free to travel the galaxy as tourists. Two Tynnans who eventually settled offworld were Cham and Nog Teleus. Around 29 BBY, they moved to the Cularin system after making fortunes working in industry. The pair hosted a large celebration to mark the 125th anniversary of the Cularin Compact, during which some of their artworks were stolen. The recovery of the items eventually led to the rescue of Jedi Knight Ji-Ad Sarain, who had been frozen in carbonite. During this same period, another notable Tynnan was Senator Streamdrinker. He served in the Senate as a result of his election by lottery and was a signatory on the Petition of 2000&mdash;a group of senators urging the Supreme Chancellor to give up some of the emergency powers granted him for the duration of the Clone Wars. This political association later led to his arrest by Imperial Intelligence as one of sixty-three senators charged with conspiracy and treason in relation to the Jedi Insurgency. Along with peers such as Senators Grebleips and Fang Zar, Streamdrinker was held in custody and encouraged to name his accomplices.

During the reign of the Galactic Empire, the Tynnan Odumin attained the powerful post of territorial manager in the Corporate Sector Authority. He received his promotion after an undercover mission in which he saved the life of High Inquisitor Laddinare Torbin from an attack by the religious cult known as the Church of the First Frequency. Following his promotion, he kept his identity as a Tynnan a secret, and so was able to continue on undercover missions. In this role, he cracked numerous slaving and criminal operations in the Corporate Sector, such as the Xiochi slaver gang. On one notable undercover mission, he posed as a debt collector named Spray. Working alongside Han Solo, he managed to stop a highly placed slaver ring. Odumin later released his memoirs and was regarded as a hero on his homeworld. Many Tynnans were encouraged by his success to take more active roles in the galaxy.

A less auspicious Tynnan was the professional thief and demolitions expert Dawson. Having spent eighteen years free of responsibility on Tynna, he was selected in the lottery to fill a role in the Tynnan government. Horrified at the prospect, he fled and eventually joined up with Cecil Noone and his crew of professional thieves. Dawson brought his demolitions skills to their tasks, most notably in the heist of a Hapan Gun of Command from the Ithorian Herdship Song of the Clouds. The team struggled to find a buyer for their unique item and was forced to approach the dangerous Krish hunter Tyro Viveca. This contact turned the tables on Noone, hunting the thief in his compound on Kabal. It was only Dawson's demolitions skills that enabled the team of thieves to defeat Viveca and escape the planet.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, a number of Tynnans escaped the slave camps on their world and joined the numerous refugees circulating the galaxy.

Behind the scenes


The Tynnans were created by Brian Daley for his novel Han Solo's Revenge (1979). One of the novel's main supporting characters is Odumin, who works with Han Solo while undercover as "Spray." Following this debut, they appeared in a number of West End Games sourcebooks and two Essential Guides, which fleshed out their culture and homeworld. The species was a favorite of author Daniel Wallace, who included a Tynnan thief in his two short stories, The Great Herdship Heist (1997) and its sequel Fair Prey (2000), and in his Star Wars Insider article Who's Who in the Delegation of 2000 (2005).

The New Jedi Order series novel Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse describes the fall of Tynna to the Yuuzhan Vong, with a small Tynnan space force quickly defeated in battle. The conquest of Tynna was later detailed in The New Jedi Order Sourcebook, which explains that the Tynnans were "tricked by Peace Brigade operatives into surrendering their world to the Yuuzhan Vong without firing a single shot." This later description must apply to the ground conquest only. The Star Wars: Ewoks episode "The Season Scepter" contains two otter-like individuals as companions to the Sun King on Endor. These could be Tynnans, as the article Castaways of Endor establishes that navigational anomalies in the region had shipwrecked a significant number of offworlders on the moon.

Appearances

 * Han Solo's Revenge
 * Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
 * Balance Point
 * Han Solo's Revenge
 * Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
 * Balance Point
 * Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
 * Balance Point
 * Balance Point