Exodeenian

"You should have taken the precautions up front. I don't know how I'll tell the people of Exodeen that one of their most beloved figures is dead."

- Senator R'yet Coome after the death of Senator M'yet Luure

The Exodeenians were a species of sentient beings native to the planet Exodeen. They had six arms and six legs, as well as six sets of teeth. They joined the Galactic Republic during the Expansion Era, c.22,000 BBY. Their world fell to the Mandalorians during the Mandalorian Wars and was under the control of the Sith Empire during the Jedi Civil War. Rejoining the Republic following these conflicts, the Exodeenians later joined its successor, the Galactic Empire. Although some Exodeenians served in the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Exodeen itself was an Imperial fortress world by 6 ABY.

Shortly after, in 7 ABY, Exodeen joined the New Republic, represented in the Senate by Exodeenian M'yet Luure and two others. Luure successfully advocated to allow former Imperial functionaries to serve in the Senate. The Exodeenian R'yet Coome benefited from this and became the junior senator from Exodeen. As part of a political faction composed of former Imperials, Coome almost arranged a vote of no confidence in President Leia Organa Solo following the detonation of bombs in the Senate chamber. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Exodeenian homeworld fell to the extra-galactic invaders.

Biology and appearance
The Exodeenians were a non-humanoid sentient species from the planet Exodeen. They had six arms and six legs; consequently, they had difficulties fitting in regulation chairs designed for bipedal species, such as those in the Imperial Senate Building. Furthermore, they had six rows of uneven teeth. Some Humans, such as Leia Organa Solo, could not tell individual Exodeenians apart by sight. Exodeenians could speak Galactic Basic Standard, although they did so with the distinctive sound of a voice filtered through their six sets of teeth.

Society and culture
Exodeenians developed intricate etiquette based on their six-armed physique. A touch on an Exodeenian's first arm was a signal to cease speaking, while a touch on the second arm was a challenge to fight. Some non-Exodeenians were familiar with this etiquette, such as Senator Meido of Adin. Other Exodeenian mannerisms included resting their lower hands on their secondary hips, as well as preening their six arms.

Exodeenians ate a meal known as Exodeenian pasta, which could also be found served at the asteroid belt Smuggler's Run.

Galactic Republic
The Exodeenians evolved on the planet Exodeen, located within the Slice portion of the Colonies. It was located on the Brentaal-Denon Route, which later became incorporated into the Hydian Way&mdash;the only super-hyperroute to span the entire length of the galaxy. Exodeen also connected the Hydian with the Quellor Run via a hyperlane branching off to Quellor. The Exodeenians joined the Galactic Republic c.22,000 BBY, during a period known as the Expansionist Era.

When the Republic was invaded by the Mandalorians c.3,962 BBY, Exodeen fell to the invaders as part of their successful push into the Core Worlds, which came to a halt at Duro. The Republic, newly led by the Jedi Knights Revan and Malak, rolled back all the Mandalorian gains, eventually defeating them at the Battle of Malachor V in 3,960 BBY. However, this conflict led Revan and Malak to turn the dark side of the Force and within a year, they invaded the Republic at the head of a Sith Empire. Following numerous successes, this Empire controlled vast swaths of the Outer Rim and Mid Rim, as well as discrete areas further coreward, including the Exodeenian homeworld. The Republic defeated the Sith Empire in 3,951 BBY, following which the Republic slowly began reintegrating its lost territory.

Exodeen remained within Republic space during two other galactic wars, the New Sith Wars of 1,000 BBY and the Clone Wars of 20 BBY.

Galactic Empire
Following the Clone Wars, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine declared a new Galactic Empire, which the Exodeenians joined; however, due to the Empire's humanocentrism, Exodeen was considered unimportant by the Empire as it was occupied by non-humanoids. While some Exodeenians served as minor functionaries for the Empire, others, such as M'yet Luure, served in the Alliance to Restore the Republic, a resistance movement trying to overthrow what it perceived to be an illegitimate Empire. The Empire heavily fortified Exodeen, and it was considered an Imperial fortress world in 6 ABY. It remained under Imperial control through to 8 ABY, despite the Alliance's successor, the New Republic, having gained control of much of the surrounding core regions of the galaxy.

New Republic
"It seems to me that this government is already being torn apart. We need leadership. Good leadership would have prevented this attack."

- Senator R'yet Coome after the death of Senator M'yet Luure

By 9 ABY, Exodeen had switched sides and joined the New Republic. By 17 ABY, they were represented in the New Republic Senate by three senators. Luure, a former member of the Alliance was their senior senator, wielding considerable influence among his peers. He strongly argued for allowing former Imperial bureaucrats to serve in the New Republic Senate, swaying the Senate with his arguments against such opponents as Leia Organa Solo. This law change allowed fellow Exodeenian R'yet Coome to serve as the junior senator from Exodeen; having once worked for the Empire, though only in a minor position, Coome had previously been barred from serving in the Senate.

At the first such Senate meeting with newly-appointed former Imperials, the Senate Building was rocked by explosions from bombs placed inside many of the senators' protocol droids. The explosions killed many planetary representatives, including Luure and the secondary senator from Exodeen. Of the Exodeenian delegation, only junior senator Coome survived. Two days after the explosion, President Organa Solo called an informal meeting of the surviving senators, informing them of the progress of an investigation into the explosion. At this meeting, Coome formed a faction along with a number of other junior senators, such as Meido of Adin and Wwebyls of Yn, passing a motion to run a second, independent, investigation into the cause of the explosion. Coome was later elected to the Inner Council of the Senate. At a meeting of the Council, hastily called by Senator Meido in order to throw Organa Solo off-balance, Meido accused her husband, Han Solo, of being behind the bombs, based on the preliminary findings from their report. The Exodeenian junior senator Coome followed this accusation up with a call for a warrant to be issued for Solo's arrest.

Coome, along with Medio and Wwebyls, was responsible for leaking their findings to the wider Senate in a bid to pass a vote of no confidence in Organa Solo's leadership. However, the day before the vote was due to occur, Organa Solo was personally threatened by Kueller, a former Jedi trainee and the ruler of Almania. He claimed responsibility for the Senate bombing and demanded she turn control of the Republic over to him. Kueller held Organa Solo's brother, Luke Skywalker, hostage in order to force her to comply. Organa Solo resigned her position to break his leverage and rendered the forthcoming vote irrelevant. After Organa Solo personally helped defeat Kueller, Coome and the faction he was part of backed down entirely, allowing Organa Solo to be restored to her position as President of the Republic.

Later in 25 ABY, the New Republic was invaded by an extra-galactic species known as the Yuuzhan Vong. They conquered significant portions of the galaxy, capturing Exodeen during a push into the Core. They controlled the Exodeenian homeworld until at least 62:4 GrS, but their galactic invasion was finally defeated in 29 ABY. More than a century later, the planet Exodeen was part of Darth Krayt's Sith Empire.

Exodeenians in the galaxy
"I'll be lucky if the human dies within the first ten kilometers, I've got two thousand riding on it. Cross your fingers for me."

- Haari Ikreme Beeerd discusses Luke Skywalker

In 0 ABY, shortly after the Battle of Yavin, an Exodeenian was present on Muunilinst in the support tent for podracers; also in the tent were Han Solo, Chewbacca, and a Phlog named Haari Ikreme Beeerd. When Beeerd mocked the podracing ability of Solo's friend Luke Skywalker, a full-scale brawl erupted. During the brawl, the Exodeenian threw a six-armed punch at Solo, but the Corellian avoided it by jumping away.

Behind the scenes
The Exodeenians were created by Kristine Kathryn Rusch for her novel The New Rebellion, published by Bantam Spectra in 1996. They received mentions in a number of reference books before another Exodeenian appeared in Alex Wheeler's young adult reader Rebel Force: Target, published by Scholastic in 2008. The Essential Atlas, written by Dan Wallace and Jason Fry, and published in 2009, provided a placement for their homeworld Exodeen, and included it in a number of historical maps, providing further background on the Exodeenians.

Appearances

 * Rebel Force: Target
 * The New Rebellion