Swokes Swokes/Legends

"We'd hit the alien digs most. Swokes Swokes and Duros can never fig how old humans really are, so we'd get in without ever getting scanned."

- Pori Nate, on obtaining death sticks

The Swokes Swokes were a sentient species native to the Outer Rim planet of Makem Te. They had sharp, protruding teeth, a series of horns crowning their pallid heads, one to three nostrils, and no hair. Some members of the species had long, heavy, spiked tails. Swokes Swokes had the ability to regenerate lost limbs, which afforded them considerable bravado on the battlefield. Death was a prominent aspect of their culture. They viewed jewelry as a status symbol and often had gems implanted close to vital organs. Makem Te society had little advanced technology. Builders relied on sturdy yet delicate-looking cast iron for their primary construction material, and transport often relied on domesticated serpentine creatures called schingas.

A coalition of royal families known as the Congress of Caliphs ruled the species' homeworld. The introduction of galactic technology set off a wave of social unrest on Makem Te, disturbing the tradition-minded people and spurring several religious schisms. The Temple of the Beatific Razor, a violence-worshiping sect, attracted enough adherents to challenge the authority of the aristocracy. Over the next few decades, these rulers called in the aid of the Galactic Republic (a body in which the species was represented at the time of the Invasion of Naboo), the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and the Galactic Empire. The Swokes Swokes never joined the New Republic.

Biology and appearance
The Swokes Swokes were stocky bipeds who stood between 1.4 and 2 meters tall. They had four or five clawed fingers on each hand and four forward-pointing toes on each foot balanced by a single backward-pointing digit. The beings had long, thick tails that ended in knobby spikes, although not all members of the species exhibited this trait. Their glistening, hairless loose-hanging skin ranged in color from sallow gray to ashen off-white, and their soft tissue was thick and rubbery. The Swokes Swokes visage featured two large, lidless eyes that ranged from black to red  hidden behind goggle-like natural shades. A gaping grin of fang-like teeth and one to three nostrils lie beneath. The bulbous head was ringed by a series of sharp horns, and another set of horns at the top. The overall effect was that of a creature common to the nightmares of many cultures.

Internally, Swokes Swokes biology resembled that of more primitive lifeforms, such as flatworms. The species' nervous system was underdeveloped in comparison to other sentients, lacking all but the most essential pain receptors. This gave the beings a remarkably high pain threshold but deadened their sense of touch. Swokes Swokes blood had the consistency of watery sap and oozed through their bodies. Like flatworms, they had the ability to regenerate lost body parts. Regrowing a missing limb took about 10 standard days, provided the individual avoided physical exertion. Coupled with their naturally damage-resistant hides and resistance to pain, this made Swokes Swokes fierce, relentless opponents in battle.

Swokes Swokes entered adolescence at 9 standard years and were considered adults at 14 standard years. An average member of the species lived to 75 standard years. Swokes Swokes grew tougher and more resilient with age. The oldest were often the most difficult to take down in a fight.

Society and culture
"Hey! Hey! Are you going to pay for that? It costs seven wupiupi."

- Gragra

The Swokes Swokes had a reputation as merciless, unscrupulous, overbearing ruffians who cared only for personal prestige. This desire manifested differently from being to being, with some Swokes Swokes guided by mercurial longing for money and others more concerned for fame, notoriety, or influence over others. This view of the Swokes Swokes as brutes was reinforced by official Swokes Swokes institutions and religious doctrines. Wealth was one measure of status, and expensive gifts were a sure way to gain an audience with a Swokes Swokes. A popular status symbol was to have jewelry surgically embedded in the flesh near vital organs. The practice became so common that bioscanners operated in most Swokes Swokes buildings so that the relative status of the individuals inside could be detected and monitored; this prevented all but the most determined Swokes Swokes from trying to pass themselves off as coming from a higher station than their own.

Swokes Swokes were known for their fierceness in battle and their violent culture. The beings seemed made to fight, what with their resistance to pain, ability to regenerate lost limbs, natural weapons, and belligerent mindset. Swokes Swokes relished conservatism and the past. Ancient traditions guided the people for millennia, and the species disliked change. The most visible manifestation of this penchant was in Swokes Swokes religious beliefs. Cannibalism was an acceptable punishment for disgraced members of the species and came in varying degrees of severity: to be eaten by one's own family members was preferable to being eaten by strangers.

The Swokes Swokes' language was known as Swoken. Other species found the language harsh and guttural. Written Swoken used a primitive alphabet. Most Swokes Swokes could speak and read Basic as well. Some Swokes Swokes names were simple, such as Machug and Sorpaat. Others names commonly consisted of a given name followed by one other element. For some, this was a region of origin or a notable feature. Examples include Burba of Strekk and Fabswa the Mutilated. Other Swokes Swokes had two different names, such as Oakie Dokes. Notable Swokes Swokes adopted a double name as a symbol of their fame. Examples include Woorta Woorta, Yeb Yeb Adem'thorn, Chako Chako, Gragra, Kruke Kruke, and Wruuta Wruuta.

Institutions
The Congress of Caliphs, a body made up of hereditary family leaders, ruled the two billion Swokes Swokes of Makem Te, the species' homeworld. Individual caliphs had sovereignty over individual settlements or portions of a larger population center. For example, 12 caliphs shared sovereignty over Thousand Thousand, the largest city on the planet with its some two million inhabitants. The caliphs often hired Swokes Swokes or offworlders to do various services, especially if such job seekers brought appropriate offerings.

Rival religious sects vied for the devotion of the people. The most prominent of these was the Temple of the Beatific Razor. Its doctrines stressed fanatical devotion and the use of force against those who violated the order's precepts. Some Razor penitents flayed large strips of flesh from their bodies as a sign of their devoutness; such individuals appeared thinner than most Swokes Swokes. The Temple was ruled by 11 High Mystics. Its radical policies, violent protests, and ever-growing popularity led to its banning by the Council of Caliphs.

Regardless of their sect, most Swokes Swokes believed in the veneration of their ancestors. They carried relics of their deceased relatives&mdash;their ashes or small body parts such as fingers, gallstones, or teeth&mdash;in small pouches. These were considered good luck charms. This zealous devoutness was most readily apparent in the Tract, an enormous patch of one of the planet's continents made up of two-meter-wide squares of polished stone, each housing a monument called a stela. Each tile was thought to contain the soul of a deceased Swokes Swokes. When Republic scouts discovered Makem Te some 25,000 to 24,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, the Tract had already reached 2,300 kilometers on a side. By the time of the New Order, the Tract was home to more than 1.2 trillion stela and took up 7% of Makem Te's landmass. The Tract appeared as a large, white mass from space and was listed among the Twenty Wonders of the Galaxy.

The Tract was of such importance to the Swokes Swokes that it supported its own industry. The maintenance of the area and its continued expansion required vast outflows of capital and a large workforce. This was overseen by the Tract Conviction. Record-keeping and accounting alone required millions of Conviction employees. Other Swokes Swokes, known as flatstenders, traveled the Tract in landspeeders, looking for areas in need of repair or for supplicants in need of help. Tract stones came from rock quarries. Flying over the Tract or traveling its expanse in vehicles was verboten and met with force from Makem Te defenses. Instead, supplicants were expected to enter only at specified points, register with the Conviction, and pay a fee of up to 500 credits. This covered the necessary sacraments, including a spotted robe of a color that signified which portions of the Tract the supplicant had the right to access. Even with flatstenders on guard, visitors still fell prey to desert hazards or attacks by wild schingas. Offworlders faced the additional threat from penitents of the Beatific Razor, who considered visits by non-Swokes Swokes sacrilege and attacked such interlopers.

Trade and technology
Although the Swokes Swokes had access to only primitive technology before contact with the Republic, they perfected the industries of metal working and animal husbandry. For centuries, Swokes Swokes cities were made of cast iron. Although this was originally a survival mechanism to withstand the constant wars on the planet, Swokes Swokes smiths embraced the material and developed it to new heights of aesthetics. While such a material might have proved clumsy or unworkable to some species, Swokes Swokes smiths learned to create buildings and structures with intricate, even delicate, designs.

The Swokes Swokes domesticated species of the serpent-like schinga, the dominant lifeform on Makem Te. For example, the schinga equa was used for its strength and obedience, while the schinga shikou was the most conducive to riding. To ride a schinga, the Swokes Swokes developed equipment known as a coiling tack set: a bit, bridle, reins, and saddle. A long electropole was used to guide the schinga (and as an impromptu weapon in the event of an attack). Schinga shikou breeding was an important industry on Makem Te; the creatures were pricey signs of status.

Makem Te lay along the Perlemian Trade Route and enjoyed a steady flow of space traffic. Hundreds of mining machines operated on the planet. Although the machines were owned by offworld interests, a cut of the profits from the ores and spices extracted went to the Council of Caliphs. The mining machines were common targets for the Temple of the Beatific Razor, which opposed foreign influences on Makem Te. Major exports from Makem Te included raw ores and spices, while major imports were food and high technology.

History
"Yellow star: Makem. Third planet: Makem Te. Arid, pebbly, no oceans, one large ice cap."

- Republic scout

The Swokes Swokes evolved on Makem Te, a desert world in the Outer Rim Territories. The species' ancestors evolved thick hides to resist either fierce predators or severe radiation. With no surface water to drink, they learned to dig into the planet's subterranean aquifers, which were replenished by heavy rains twice each local year. A number of families rose to prominence and came to dominate the rest of the species. The heads of these families, known as caliphs, waged war on one another for generations. Under this constant onslaught of rival armies, Swokes Swokes turned to cast iron for a building material. At some point before or shortly after the Republic discovered their world, the Swokes Swokes royalty joined forces to form the Congress of Caliphs, a governing body with planetwide jurisdiction.

The Swokes Swokes developed a native religion based on ancestor worship. Religion joined warfare at the pinnacle of Swokes Swokes endeavor, and a planetwide graveyard known as the Tract began to take shape from an early date.

Between 25,127 and 25,096 BBY, strangers from the stars arrived on Makem Te. They belonged to the forces of Xim the Despot, and before long, the Swokes Swokes had become part of Xim's empire. Despite Xim's death in 25,095 BBY, Makem Te became part of a region of the galaxy known to both the Tionese and the Hutts.

Sometime between 15,000 and 10,000 BBY, a Republic scout visited the Makem system while mapping the Perlemian Trade Route. The explorer made little note of Makem Te and even mistook the Tract for an ice cap. The scout's report made no mention at all of the Swokes Swokes. Long after the discovery, a Republic beacon crew came to install a navigation buoy in the system. Intrigued by Makem Te's large "ice cap", the mission sent a team of scientists to visit the surface. There, they learned of the Tract's true nature and made contact with the Swokes Swokes. At this point the Tract had already sprawled to 2,300 kilometers on a side. The scientists entered the Swokes Swokes' iron cities and learned more about the planet and its lifeforms. As news of the species and their world spread, the historian Vicendi included the Tract on his list of the Twenty Wonders of the Galaxy in 10,000 BBY. Makem Te eventually became part of the Nilgaard sector.

Although Makem Te joined the Republic at some point before the Invasion of Naboo, the Swokes Swokes and their planet were little more than a passing interest in the early days of their contacts with the galaxy at large. The Republic installed a fueling station in orbit around Makem Te and left the world largely to its own devices. Nevertheless, over the centuries, the Swokes Swokes and their homeworld were caught up in galaxy-spanning conflicts. During the Mandalorian Wars, Mandalorian and Republic forces clashed at the Battle of Makem Te, which resulted in a Mandalorian victory. Later, they became part of Darth Revan's Sith Empire during the Jedi Civil War of 3,959 to 3,956 BBY. The Swokes Swokes remained unaligned during the New Sith Wars of 1,004 to 1,000 BBY.

Eventually, a pair of bored geologists, stuck at the Makem Te orbiting station for a long period, visited the surface and investigated one of the quarries where Tract stones were obtained. What they saw astounded them: Makem Te housed rich deposits of metal ores and medicinal spices. News of the discovery spread, and soon Republic investors struck a deal with the Congress of Caliphs to allow them to establish mining operations on the world. Offworlders and advanced technology quickly became common sights on the planet and profoundly affected Swokes Swokes society. The miners paid little heed to environmental safeties, and the already harsh biosphere of Makem Te became even more inhospitable. As a people comfortable with ancient traditions, the infusion of foreign influences made some Swokes Swokes question their ages-old faith and institutions. Religious sects sprung up across the planet. One of these was the Temple of the Beatific Razor, which preached a faith of blind religious fervor and violent protest. As the Razor's popularity grew, the Temple's 11 High Mystics and swelling ranks of penitents gained enough influence to challenge the primacy of the Congress of Caliphs.

The planetary government responded by calling in the aid of the Galactic Republic Judicial Department. Security officers were dispatched to quell the Razor-led rebellions, pleasing the caliphs but outraging the populace and driving more adherents to the Razor's cause.

After the outbreak of the Clone Wars, the Beatific Razor eliminated all Republic peacekeepers on the planet. The galactic government, already taxed from waging the Clone Wars, abandoned its mission. Seeing little choice, the caliphs approached Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems for help in quelling the Razor's aggressions. Troops from the Separatist-allied Techno Union undertook the task of repelling the Razor penitents and propping up the caliphs. These forces became common sights near Thousand Thousand. The Galactic Empire maintained deals brokered with the Separatists but provided the caliphs with advanced weaponry and only kept occasional troops on their world.

Despite the defeat of the Empire at the Battle of Endor, the Council of Caliphs remained affiliated with various Imperial remnants for nearly another 20 years. Imperial troops remained on Makem Te, making it a fortress world. However, after Mon Calamari forces allied with the New Republic won a battle at nearby Emmer, Makem Te found itself isolated from other Imperial systems. In 7 ABY, the forces of the Warlord Zsinj expanded Zsinj's Empire to include the Makem system, once again reuniting the Swokes Swokes with the greater Empire. The affiliation was short-lived, however, as Zsinj died in 8 ABY, and his empire dissolved. The Swokes Swokes maintained their Imperial allegiances during the Thrawn Campaign, despite the fact that their world lay within the disputed Borderlands Region. When its final Imperial patron was vanquished, the caliphs remained neutral in galactic affairs and refused to join the New Republic.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, the invaders targeted Makem Te in an attempt to disrupt the Perlemian Trade Route. They bombarded the orbital fueling station, still in use since its creation millennia ago, and sent it crashing to the surface of the planet. It narrowly missed the Tract. Years later, Makem Te fell within the Galactic Empire of Darth Krayt.

Swokes Swokes in the galaxy
"Brilliant! Such showmanship! Such panache! Such verve!"

- A Swokes Swokes dilettante, on Raal Yorta

While many members of the species gained renown on their homeworld &mdash;such as influential importer and schinga breeder, Woorta Woorta; and the First Glorious Assassin of the Temple of the Beatific Razor, Fabswa the Mutilated&mdash; others emigrated. These often capitalized on their natural fighting abilities to find employment as bodyguards, bounty hunters, and mercenaries. For example, a Swokes Swokes was among the crew of the pirate Reess Kairn sometime before 27 BBY. Higher ranking Swokes Swokes sometimes took up residence on out-of-the-way planets and became involved in organized crime. Even Yeb Yeb Adem'thorn, Makem Te's senator during the last days of the Republic, was accused of corruption after he took up residence in an opulent abode on Coruscant.

Others tried to fit in with high society as gamblers or dilettantes. Oakie Dokes left her family's schinga ranch on Makem Te to show livestock on Coruscant. There, she mismanaged her funds and fell into poverty. She eventually discovered a talent for art&mdash;with works that necessitated the killing of her subjects. At least one Swokes Swokes was present at the Galaxies Opera House in 19 BBY. By 0 ABY, another Swokes Swokes had clawed her way into high society on Ord Mantell.

On Tatooine, Swokes Swokes lived in Mochot Steep and Mos Espa; Gragra sold gorgs, which she raised in the sewers beneath the town. and another member of the species tended bar at the Poodoo Lounge. Several Swokes Swokes worked in the nightlife establishments of Coruscant's lower levels in the latter days of the Republic; such beings had difficulty telling a human's age, so human teenagers sometimes slipped into clubs illegally. A Swokes Swokes was among the victims of the ruthless dictator Uda-Khalid.

Behind the scenes
Artist Terryl Whitlatch designed the Swokes Swokes as one of the species for the Galactic Senate scenes of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Whitlatch's concept art depicts the species as much fatter creatures with six breasts; short, pudgy legs, a plump body, and no clothing. Live Action Creature Effects Supervisor Nick Dudman named the species for his wife, Sue Oakes, during the film's production. The film, released in 1999, features the first appearance of the species, and its most prominent Swokes Swokes, Gragra, appears in several adaptations. The aliens have since appeared as background aliens in the other prequel films and in various Star Wars comics. Podracing Tales (2000) and Rookies: Rendezvous (2006) feature two of the few Swokes Swokes characters with speaking roles.

The Official Star Wars Fact File presents the earliest history of the species. According to the Fact File, the Clone Wars and the anti-alien policies of Emperor Palpatine caused the Swokes Swokes to all but disappear. The article suggests that they were little known throughout the galaxy during the New Order, their homeworld possibly destroyed or located far from major spacelanes. The Fact File then contradicts itself, claiming that as early as 32 BBY, the Swokes Swokes had gone largely unseen for at least a generation and that representatives such as Gragra may have been scouts or trailblazers.

A starkly different background is detailed in the Wizards of the Coast roleplaying supplement Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds (2004). This source adapted material originally written by Dan Wallace in 1999 and 2000 for the canceled The Essential Guide to Episode I. In game terms, the book's Swokes Swokes are listed as being stronger and hardier than most species but less agile, clever, and likable. Later sources, such as The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (2008) support the Wizards of the Coast version of the species' background, so this is assumed to be the canonical one.

Even in canon depictions, there are discrepancies in the Swokes Swokes' physiology. Both Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds and The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide depict the aliens with large tails, but The Official Star Wars Fact File and the Hasbro action figure line show that the Gragra costume used in The Phantom Menace had no tail at all. Similarly, the comic book The Bounty Hunters: Aurra Sing (1999) shows Swokes Swokes characters with different nostril and finger configurations than the aliens seen in the films and described by Wizards of the Coast. These may be a continuity errors, although it is possible that these are genetic variations, representations of subspecies, or illustrative of quirks in the Swokes Swokes' regenerative abilities.

Appearances

 * Survivors
 * Podracing Tales
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (novel)
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace comic
 * Star Wars Manga: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Republic: Outlander
 * The Bounty Hunters: Aurra Sing
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Best Birthday Ever
 * Rookies: Rendezvous
 * Star Wars Galaxies
 * Star Wars Galaxies