Slith

The Slith were a sentient serpentine species native to the moon Yavin 13. They were a nomadic species, living in patriarchal tribes of up to 15 individuals. They had little civilisation and no permanent structures. The Slith were venomous, preferring to paralyze their prey before eating them live. They communicated with each other via a rudimentary language consisting of noises produced by rubbing their scales on the ground. Slith had little contact with the wider galaxy, remaining largely undiscovered until the reign of the Galactic Empire. Only one Slith was known to have left their homeworld, becoming a member of the Galactic Circus.

Biology and appearance
The Slith were a limbless serpentine species, growing up to a maximum of 5 meters. They were covered in jagged scales, and were often patterned in stripes or spots. They had milky-white translucent eyelids, through which they were able to see; this adaption protected their eyes from sand frequently whipped up by strong winds on their desert planet. Slith were also equipped with venomous fangs with which to hunt prey. Their venom paralyzed their victims, enabling the Slith hunters to return live spoils to their tribe; Slith preferred to consume their prey live. Slith locomotion involved skimming over sand using a twisting action. Alternatively, the Slith could move sideways (known as sidewinding), and in this manner could attain greater speeds. This was particularly useful while hunting, allowing for intense bursts of speed to catch prey. It worked equally well to avoid hazards. While lacking limbs, Slith were able to manipulate items using their coils and mouths, picking up rocks and spears. Slith also had a forked tongue.

The Slith were nocturnal creatures, hunting for small lizards and reptiles during the cool nights. During the hot day, they sought refuge in the shade of giant cacti or other convenient locations. The moon was known to reach temperatures as high as 15 Galactic Standard degrees, so in the hotter summer months, Slith also burrowed deep into sand; this protected them from the worst of the heat, while retaining heat for the nights which could drop to near freezing.

Society and culture


The Slith were a nomadic species, creating no permanent dwellings on their homeworld of Yavin 13. An alpha male led a small tribe of Slith, of no more than 8 to 15 individuals. In addition to the alpha male, tribes consisted of several adult females with their young, and a couple of juvenile males. When these males come of age, they are exiled from the tribe to form a new family or wander alone. These tribes followed a patriarchal model, with the male responsible for guarding the community's traditions while the females did most of the actual work hunting. Juvenile males were also assigned to protect the young during these hunts. Among the females a Slith known as the First Mate had authority.

The Slith developed a grammatically simple language known as Slithian, the sounds of which were produced by rubbing their rough scales over the ground. A number of simple signals could be produced, which conveyed different meanings. The language could be learnt by non-Slith also; a number of Gerb learnt this skill as a self-defence mechanism. Slith lacked vocal chords, and so were unable to speak Basic, and while they were able to produce some vocal noises, the unavoidable consequence of moisture evaporation discouraged this developing into an actual language.

The Slith have a number of complex communal ceremonies, which provided confirmation to offworlders of their intelligence. These included praying for the spirits of dead ancestors and to desert gods worshipped by the Slith. This task was carried out by female shamans.

History


The Slith were still many centuries from developing industrialization at the time of the Galactic Civil War. They had little contact with the wider galaxy, and negligible contact with the Gerb, the other indigenous species to Yavin 13; however, on occasion the two did cooperate. On such occasions, twilight lizards proved to be valuable commodities to trade with the Slith. The small reptiles were an excellent source of water and nourishment. Yavin 13 had long been thought to be devoid of intelligent life, until an Imperial scouting expedition discovered both the Slith and the Gerb. At this time, there were approximately 19 million SLith on the planet. The Rebel Alliance also had some contact with the Slith, sending some negotiators to the planet to open relations with both species; however, the expedition was sidetracked when Fernandin's Scouting Expedition (also on the moon at the time) accidentally introduced a plague that threatened to wipe out the Gerb. Preventing this became the Rebels' priority over and against contact with the Slith.

A tribe of Slith also came into contact with the renowned treasure hunter Suz Tanwa. The Rodian was searching an old family heirloom left by her ancestor Suvam Tan. Traveling to Yavin 13 in her ship, the Reeko, she located the burial site of an ancient pod left by her ancestor as a clue. However, in the site she began to dig, four Slith were resting. They quickly surrounded her, one finally wrapping her in his coils and delivering her to the mouth of a nearby Gerb burrow. The Gerb were able to retrieve the pod from within their burrow without Tanwa digging through their roof.

Slith in the galaxy
While the Slith were largely unknown to the galaxy until discovered by Imperial scouts, one Slith is known to have left the moon far earlier: during the Great Sith War, a red Slith known as Sssiii was part of The Galactic Circus. While possessing only limited intelligence, the Slith entertained by playing various games against spectators. It was unknown how Sssiii came to be with the Galactic Circus, but he was present with them when they toured the planet Tatooine.

Apart from this exception, no Slith were known to have left their homeworld. One notable Slith during the Galacic Civil War was Dresk Kist. Both shaman and First Mate of her tribe, Kist also excelled as a hunter. SHe frequently went on solo hunts while the rest of her tribe slept. It was on one such excursion that Kist encountered a Rebel scout team that was exploring the moon for a suitable location for a base of operations.

Behind the scenes
The Slith first appeared in Galaxy Guide 2: Yavin and Bespin produced by West End Games. This information was later repeated in Alien Encounters, although with a new illustration. A Slith by the name of Sssiii also appeared in an article in the French gaming magazine Casus Belli. It is unknown whether this article went through the LucasFilm licensing process, and so its canonicity is uncertain.

Appearances

 * Junior Jedi Knights: Lyric's World