Ciasi

"Chuba pitdroid!"

- Slide Paramita, a Ciasi, speaking Huttese

The Ciasi were a rodent-like sentient species. Ciasi could be found with gray-colored skin. They had tall pointed ears, thin trunk-like noses, and could grow prominent tusks. Some Ciasi were notably thin. One famous Ciasi was the Podracer Slide Paramita, who performed in Podraces across the galaxy around the year 32 BBY.

Biology and appearance
The Ciasi were a sentient species of bipeds who had a fairly rodent-like appearance. Ciasi had thin torsos, along with rather thin limbs that held them upright. Their backs had a slight bend in them, thus appearing as if they were always leaning forward. The Ciasi also had double-jointed legs that ended in three slender toes, which are actually what they stood upon, as opposed to the flats of their feet. The Ciasi's long slender arms led to hands with four thick digits&mdash;three fingers and short thumb. Ciasi also had thin tapered tails that came from their rear, where they were held only a few inches off of the ground.

On their face, Ciasi had long thin, trunk-like noses, with two nostrils on the end. Their mouths were under the trunk, and it was from there that the Ciasi could grow sharp, pointed tusks. Ciasi had round beady eyes, that in the case of Slide Paramita, were black. Paramita also exhibited grayish-brown colorerd skin. Ciasi also had tall, pointed ears that stuck out of the tops of their heads.

History
The Ciasi evolved on a world located somewhere in the galaxy, and individuals could be spotted off-world by as early as 32 BBY, during the final decades of the Galactic Republic.

Ciasi in the galaxy
Some Ciasi displayed athletic prowess both physically and mentally, and one such Ciasi, named Slide Paramita, made it as far as the intergalactic Podracing circuits by 32 BBY. Paramita became well adapted to ice racing, and gained fame on the icy planet Ando Prime. Paramita achieved success on an invitational course known as the Ando Prime Centrum, as well as a drag racing course on the planet. However, Paramita also a reputation for being an easily angered Podracer elitist. Paramita could also speak Huttese.

Behind the scenes
Slide Paramita, and as such the Ciasi race, first appeared in concept art and early scripts for the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as a Podracer pilot who hailed, along with his entire species, from the planet Tund. Ultimately, he was cut from the script, although Tund remained as the homeworld of another Podracer pilot, Ben Quadinaros. Paramita, like several other scrapped Podracers, received his first actual appearance in the 1999 Nintendo 64 video game Star Wars: Episode I Racer.

The name Ciasi first appeared in a 2006 Star Wars: Blogs article titled Alien species concepts that became part of the SW universe written by Tim Veekhoven as a part of his Source Blog series. The blog detailed out several Podracer pilots who did not make into the final script for the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, using material that may have come from early draft material for The Phantom Menace. However, the blog entry was not considered canon at the time, due to the fact that the information may have come from older material that was never finalized. With the release of The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia in 2008, the Ciasi were mentioned again under Slide Paramita's entry, canonizing Paramita's species that may have come from the old draft information.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode I Racer