Twi'lek/Legends

"My people, the Twi'leks, have an ancient and rich history of non-violence. We prefer intellect and cleverness to outright brutality."

- Tott Doneeta

Twi'leks were an omnivorous humanoid species originating from the planet Ryloth. They tended to eat cultivated molds, fungi, and rycrit meat. Their distinctive features included colorful skin, which varied in pigment from individual to individual, and a pair of shapely prehensile tentacles that grew from the base of their skulls. The tentacles, called "brain-tails", "lekku", "tchun-tchin", or "head-tails" were advanced organs used for communication and cognitive functions. Twi'leks possessed a fairly standard humanoid vocal structure and were capable of learning most alien languages; however, they usually preferred their native language of Ryl, which incorporated subtle movement of the lekku. When they wished, they could even communicate in complete secrecy using their versatile brain-tails. Twi'lek females were often used as slaves or dancers because of their beauty; they were rarely taken as wives for alien grooms, however.

Biology and appearance
"Oh, yes. Wormheads. Twin tendrils off head. Females much yum-yum."

- Vilmarh Grahrk

The two most striking features of a Twi'lek were their broad range of skin coloration within the species, and pair of brain-tails. The brain tails, also called "tchun-tchin" or "lekku", protruded down the back of the skull and contained part of a Twi'lek's brain. The very word "Twi'lek" was believed to be derived from semi-Basic "twin lekku". A Twi'lek's brain-tails served many purposes in their daily lives and culture, storing fat and being used as erogenous zones. The Twi'lek's native language of Ryl was spoken using a combination of words and subtle movements of the lekku. Newborn Twi'leks had no lekku, as they presumably grew out during childhood.

A Twi'lek's brain-tails were highly sensitive, and grabbing them forcefully was so painful that it could easily incapacitate almost any Twi'lek. Sometimes, damage to the brain-tails caused lasting damage to the Twi'lek's brain. They could be replaced by cybernetics, however, as in the case of Rianna Saren.

Long or shapely lekku were considered great status symbols, and often went hand-in-hand with respect, influence, and wealth. A Twi'lek's brain-tails could be likened to phallic symbols, and for both sexes, larger lekku brought with them some indistinct positive connotations.

Their brain-tails were a source of great pride to Twi'leks, especially when confronted by other species. The name "tchun-tchin" actually referred to each lekku&mdash;'"tchun" being the left lekku and "tchin" the right. In casual conversation the Twi'leks would usually refer to their lekku as "tchun" or "tchin."

The range of possible Twi'lek skin colors was extremely diverse, including green, orange, brown, yellow, blue, gray, pink, black, white, red, and purple, all in varying shades and hues. Other types of Twi'leks included the particularly rare turquoise-skinned Twi'leks, known as Rutian Twi'leks, and the rarest red pigment of the Lethan Twi'leks, whose skin color was caused by a mutation of the genetic code. Some Twi'leks took to dyeing their skin to produce a pattern, as did the dancer Ayy Vida.

Males had humanoid ears, and among females there was equal biological evidence for humanoid ears and ear "cones". While some headdresses were cultural decoration to denote status, quite a few were originally introduced as "muzzles" to prevent the slaves from having access to a language that non-Twi'lek handlers could not understand.

Both males and females lacked body hair, with the only notable exception being eyelashes to aid in keeping out the sand and heat of Ryloth. Females typically had painted eyebrows or had their eyebrows tattooed on, in order to appear more palatable and less alien to more base-line humanoid offworlders. Boc Aseca had body hair under the armpits and on his chest, though it is unknown whether this was the result of some genetic mutation, a rare subspecies, or something else.

Female Twi'leks have been considered especially attractive and slender, which made them favorite subjects for slavery and entertainment. The beauty of female Twi'leks was well known throughout the galaxy, and as a result many young Twi'leks were sold into slavery, becoming dancers or status symbols, most notably by Jabba Desilijic Tiure.

Society and culture
"We are not one homogenous people any more than humans are."

- For'ali



The natural grace and exotic beauty of the female Twi'leks made them a popular target among slave traders. Slavery was the main currency of Ryloth, which was tolerated by the Galactic Republic. Some saw it as a chance to make money by kidnapping or selling orphaned children, while others saw slavery as a way of saving children from growing up in Ryloth's harsh environment. A number of Twi'leks believed that slavery was an efficient way to proliferate their species and preserve their culture, as the Twi'leks lacked their own means of inter-planetary travel. Regardless of how it came about, many Twi'leks lived as slaves or entertainers and were considered status symbols, especially the females of rarer skin hues: the Rutian and Lethan Twi'leks. Twi'leks that managed to escape from captivity usually turned to a life of thievery or prostitution, with both genders making use of their powers of seduction.

Twi'leks preferred to "ride the storm" rather than "defeat it," as a proverb goes, and avoided to take a stand on any issue. This was exemplified when during the Clone Wars their politicians were loyal to the Republic but other individuals kept negotiations open with the Separatists.

While many Twi'leks lived their lives as merchants or even criminals, the race also had a proud and honorable warrior tradition. It was Twi'lek warriors who invented the Chir'daki, or Deathseed, starfighters that married the TIE Fighter cockpit to the S-foils of the X-wing starfighter as well as using a rotation system similar to what allowed the B-wing starfighter. During the Bacta War, Twi'lek warriors assisted Wedge Antilles in the fight against Ysanne Isard.



The clothing of Twi'leks depended on their gender. While most male Twi'leks wore long, loose robes, female Twi'leks typically wore tighter, more revealing clothing to maintain their elegant figures and enhance their value to males. Twi'lek dance costumes were typically made up of silky veils that clung to their bodies, although other kinds were used, such as a revealing net costume Oola once wore.

When meeting a stranger or guest for the first time Twi'leks would usually exchange gifts or something else as a welcome. When welcoming a large number of beings they would usually throw a party and use their traditional dances as entertainment. As Cham Syndulla once said, "it is customary to share what we do have."

Twi'leks, when on Ryloth, lived in simple mud brick dwellings that protected them against the scorching heat of their homeworld. They often decorated them with native textiles and simple things. When in a city, Twi'leks used more standard dwellings with technology though they were still modified to survive Ryloth's environment.

Some Twi'leks were known to worship an unnamed goddess.

Government
Twi'lek society was divided into clans, with each clan having its own city. Each city had its own government, which was led by a five-member head-clan. These five Twi'leks would lead the society in all matters until one member of the head-clan died. At that point, the remaining members of the head-clan would be cast out into the barren landscape on the day-side of the planet, presumably to die, thus allowing the next generation to take over. If the next generation was not yet ready to claim their inherited positions, then a set of regents would be selected to rule until the proper time.

Twi'lek names
"The joining of personal and clan names is, among us, a sign of belonging. Breaking the names apart is a statement of the distance between that person and his people."

- Cazne'olan



Rather than having separate personal and clan names, a Twi'lek would have a single name that combined these two elements. The personal portion of the name would be selected with the clan name in mind, often involving an intentional alteration of the words or a shift in the letters to change the meaning of the name as a whole. This change was meant to symbolize a way of unity. A Twi'lek's name would also be split into multiple parts if they were exiled as a criminal, as this was considered very dishonoring.

In some cases, Twi'leks would combine the multiple-part name of a non-Twi'lek into a single name, often changing the pronunciation in the same way that they would alter their own given names and clan names. For example, Twi'leks often pronounced Wedge Antilles's name as Wedgan'tilles so that his name meant Slayer of Stars &mdash; if a Twi'lek were to use the Galactic Basic Standard pronunciation, it would mean, in a generous translation, "one so foul he could induce vomiting in a Rancor."

An example of a true Twi'lek name would be Nawar'aven. This name would be split into two parts when used outside of the local culture, becoming Nawara Ven (the clan name in this case being Ven, but the name Nawara was selected with the intention of moving the last a into the second half of the name, thus changing the meaning).

Another example of this naming system could be the name of the species itself; if separated, Twi'lek could mean: "Twin lekku."

It is worth noting that this naming convention did not appear to be in use during the waning days of the Galactic Republic, when even prominent Twi'lek leaders such as Ro Fenn and Pol Secura preferred using their core names even in private conversation with each other on Ryloth.

Behind the scenes
The name Twi'lek was not coined until the 1987 West End Games publication The Star Wars Sourcebook. The name was not spoken in any of the Star Wars films.

The game Star Wars: X-wing has a training mission to be played around the planet "Twi'lek." It is probably a mistaken reference to Ryloth.

In the game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Chop'aa Notimo's generic blaster-wielding thugs are Twi'leks.

Lucas himself has adopted the Expanded Universe name Twi'lek, as evidenced by a remark of his during the production of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith that is documented in an Episode III Set Diary entry.

The Twi'leks featured in The Clone Wars all speak with French accents. According to Dave Filoni, this was specifically requested by Lucas.

Twi'leks are set to be featured as a playable species for players who choose Smuggler class in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

In the book Republic Commando: True Colors, it is stated that Twi'leks and Humans are not breed-compatible, whereas The Clone Wars television series has since rendered this moot by portraying Twi'lek/Human hybrid children, as clarified by the Star Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia reference book.

Non-canonical appearances

 * Jedi Chef
 * Hate Leads to Lollipops
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * Tag & Bink: Revenge of the Clone Menace
 * Fett Club
 * Force Fiction
 * The Lesson
 * Kowakian Monkey-Lizard
 * The Princess Leia Diaries
 * Falling Star
 * A Death Star Is Born
 * Best Birthday Ever
 * Skippy the Jedi Droid
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * Smuggler's Blues
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * The Emperor's Court
 * The Return of Tag & Bink: Special Edition
 * Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Infinities: Return of the Jedi
 * Tall Tales