Chiss/Legends

The Chiss, from the planet Csilla in the Unknown Regions, were a humanoid people that had pale blue skin, black hair, and red reflective or fluorescent eyes. Notable Chiss include Grand Admiral Thrawn and Sev'rance Tann.

Culture
Chiss culture, at its core, was about discipline. Beyond their cold calculation, there were parts of Chiss culture that exhibited an intriguing mix of elegant beauty, which may have been attributed to the differences caused in Chiss society after the glacial movement that plunged Csilla into its long ice age. Elements of the pre-glacial Chiss culture were visible in the smooth, striking lines of Chiss technology, as well as in Cheunh, the native tongue of the Chiss. Cheunh was a complex and creative language with an intricate syntax involving compound words made from a relatively small core of primary words, and the Chiss used detailed ideograms to represent concepts and combinations of images to represent complex ideas. A simple example of Cheunh can be seen in the three-part names used by the Chiss. For example, Grand Admiral Thrawn’s full name was Mitth'raw'nuruodo. The first component, "Mitth", has an unknown meaning, but the second component "Raw" is the primary name, while the third component "Nuruodo" denotes the family a Chiss is from.

The Chiss were also said to have incredible works of art, but none have ever been seen or described. Aspects of Chiss cultural practicality were visible in the Chiss societal divisions and approaches to decision making. At birth, each Chiss claimed affiliation to one of the four ruling families, whose divisions predated modern Chiss civilization. While the actual bloodlines were mixed and convoluted, the Houses were more than just as a cultural holdover, but rather a practical method of dividing Chiss society into focused, specialized segments. Chiss were taught to approach their areas of specialization with intense focus and harsh logic, driving Chiss culture to suppress emotion and avoid hasty emotions such as anger, fear and revenge. From this emotional coolness, and despite a socialist economic model, Chiss culture stressed individual responsibility and self-discipline. Further exemplifying Chiss cynicism was the frequency among the elite families of what were known as shadow children. Never knowing when a rival family might attempt to wipe out one's legacy, and thus, their place in the Ascendancy, prominent Chiss families would often hide one or two children from the public entirely, never acknowledging their existence.

A strange diversion from this shrewd analysis was the Chiss consideration of a pre-emptive strike as equivalent to the most horrible murder. This unspoken law dated back nearly a millennium before the Battle of Endor, and was one of the strongest points of Chiss honour and morality. Within Chiss society, children matured very quickly, never truly having an adolescent period before becoming adults. The concept of open aggression was utterly alien to the Chiss. They did control a large expanse of the Unknown Regions, but this territory, divided into 28 colonies, was taken only as a matter of logic or self-defense, to better maintain Chiss society or to end the threat of a particular enemy.

Another cultural norm was a distrust and dislike of other species, viewing them as inferior. Yet again, the Chiss made exceptions and were known to accept non-Chiss members into their society, even to go as far as to welcome them into the Chiss military, as they did with Baron Soontir Fel, Jagged Fel, and Peita Aabe. Later, during the Yuuzhan Vong crisis, Chiss scientists worked closed with a New Republic staff in Alpha Red.

In 35 ABY, the Chiss faced an expansion by an unknown species of aliens later revealed to be the hive-minded Killiks into Chiss space. Under the influence of the Dark Nest, the Killiks attempted to absorb all species into a single hive mind. In 36 ABY, the Killiks hijacked the Victory-class Star Destroyer Admiral Ackbar and used it to launch an invasion of Chiss space thus starting the Swarm War.

Government
The Chiss were governed by an oligarchy of four extended ruling families from House Palace, located in the capital city of Csaplar on Csilla. Each clan with the families was headed by leaders known as Aristocra who wore particular colors to indicate their clan and family loyalties. Standard and day-to-day decisions were made by a democratically elected parliamentary body from each of the 28 colonies. Issues were siphoned up through the parliament to a cabinet of appointed governors, and then to the ruling families, where a decision made by the parliament and/or cabinet could be approved for action. Each of the extended ruling families was responsible for a set of government affairs to manage: House Sabosen was responsible for social issues such as justice, health, and education; House Inrokini was responsible for industry and science; House Csapla was responsible for colonial affairs, agriculture and redistribution of resources; and House Nuruodo was responsible for military and foreign affairs. The Csapla's redistribution of resources amongst the Chiss colonies and Csilla was particularly important, given the collectivist-socialist economic system of the Chiss, and led to their relative position at the head of the families, with the others acting in an advisory role. House Nuruodo would be ranked as second, considering the importance of warfare on Chiss society. Among themselves and other species within the Unknown Regions, the Chiss civilizations and oligarchy were known as the Chiss Ascendancy.

Each family was equally represented in the Chiss government, although they went to great lengths to ensure that family identity was eliminated wherever possible. The leaders of the Chiss did not use names, but instead wore colorful robes to distinguish themselves. This helped ensure that decisions were reached in a fair and equitable method. Although the four extended ruling families were not known to face power struggles, lesser five clans often vied for greater authority and power, such as the Chaf clan, which was considered the fifth ruling family.

Technology
Chiss technology was generally practical and efficient, as well as adaptive and elegant. A good example of these characteristics was the Nssis-class Clawcraft, a hybrid of Imperial and Chiss technology. The clawcraft used the cockpit and engine of Sienar Fleet Systems’ standard TIE Fighter, but replaces the solar panel wings with a set of four laser cannon tipped wings that projected forward from the cockpit. In a demonstration of their practical application of technology, the Chiss equipped the clawcraft with limited hyperspace capabilities, striking a balance between the cost-effective TIE Fighters and the New Republic’s highly mobile fully hyperspace capable starfighters. Instead, the clawcraft used a set of realspace anchor points based around each Chiss colony, allowing the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force to quickly respond to threats while not overbearing the clawcraft or increasing their cost. Other stylish Chiss technology included the paired pyramid shape of their military space stations, the flattened sphere shape of the Paskla-class cruisers and the angular shape of their courier ships.

Military
While their history was marked by nearly continual warfare and conquest of other worlds, the Chiss were generally not violent. They preferred to extend themselves only from a defensive posture, although their exposure to threats in the Unknown Regions and Outer Rim, such as the Ssi-Ruuvi and the Vagaari threats, the Yuuzhan Vong invasion and the more recent Killik incursion. There were two military organizations: the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet and the Colonial Phalanxes, which were both led by the Nuruodo family. The Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet patrolled the Chiss borders and space, although segments were known to combat forces beyond the realm of the Chiss in times of dire need. This fleet was considered to be a tool of foreign affairs rather than a military asset. Each of the 28 colonies was protected by a phalanx, which was commanded by a Syndic, or House leader, and responsible for handling any threats that slip past the fleet. In times of crisis, Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet segments drew upon the nearby Phalanxes to strengthen themselves and tighten boarder patrols. The formation of the Chiss Army and Navy was tributary, with each Chiss colony world sending a complete Phalanx to Csilla for command by the Nuruodo family.

Known Planets

 * Csilla
 * Nirauan
 * Sarvchi
 * Klasse Ephemora system

Famous Chiss

 * Chaf'orm'bintrano, Aristocra of the Chaf clan, also know as Formbi
 * Drask, general
 * Jer'Jo Cam'Co, Chiss hero, responsible for founding the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet
 * Kres'ten'tarthi, phalanx commander
 * Prard'ras'kleoni, general
 * Sev'rance Tann, Dark Jedi and general of the Confederacy of Independent Systems
 * Shawnkyr Nuruodo, commander of Vanguard Squadron
 * "Spiker", member of Big Gizz's swoop gang on Tatooine.
 * Thrawn, military officer of the Empire, responsible for nearly destroying the young New Republic

Behind the Scenes
While the Chiss' first appearance was in the Timothy Zahn novel Heir to the Empire, in the form of Grand Admiral Thrawn, the Chiss themselves would not be identified for another eight years, in Zahn's The Hand of Thrawn Duology.

For some reason, Chiss bartenders are quite common in the world of the Jedi Knight games. In Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Kyle Katarn has a brief conversation with a Chiss bartender who has not yet mastered all aspects of the grammar of Basic. In Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, Jaden Korr also encounters a Chiss bartender.