Bosph (species)

"A true man of his word,"

- Angela Krin sarcastically describes Bosph trader Mora Bunna.

The Bosphs were a mammalian species from the planet Bosph in the Bosph system of the Outer Rim Territories' Bosph sector. They had six limbs, no neck and a pair of multiple lensed eyes which also functioned as auditory sense organs, enabling them to hear. The Bosphs were a fiercely independent and isolationist species who preferred seclusion from both the rest of the galaxy and each other. The homeworld, where most Bosphs remained, was controlled by a hierarchy based goverment made up of various factions each consisting of Force-sensitive Bosphs. These Bosphs were the only individuals who had the right to claim ownership of any object with all Bosphs equally owning any unclaimed object. The Bosphs also kept a tradition of recording the history of their travels, both on Bosph and in the galaxy by tattooing star maps on to their skin.

Despite their isolation from the galaxy, the Bosph's homeworld was bombarded by the Galactic Empire after Galactic Emperor Palpatine learned of their Force-sensitive government. The attack devastated the planet's surface and killed huge numbers of Bosphs. Those left alive mostly remained on their homeworld partially due to a quarantine by the Imperial Navy. All Bosphs however took up a policy of dis-remembrance toward the Empire which was considered the greatest insult a Bosph could give. This meant they no longer acknowledged the existence of the Empire and ignored its laws, believing that the bombardment had actually been punishment from a deity-like entity they called the Yentarr, meaning the "unknown spirits."

One of the most famous Bosphs in the galaxy was the smuggler Bora Boru who worked during the reign of the Galactic Empire. Another Bosph alive during this period, who worked as a bounty hunter, answered Darth Vader's call to hunt Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon. During the reign of the New Republic, another Bosph named Morga Bunna, opened a supply depot on Bosph's outermost moon after retiring from work as a bounty hunter. Bunna was questioned by the Jedi archivist Mander Zuma during the Jedi's quest to shut down the Tempest spice trade.

Biology and appearance
Bosphs were a sentient species of short mammals who generally stood between 1 and 1.7 meters tall. The species evolved on the grassy planet of Bosph from a species of six-limbed omnivores. Retaining their six limbs, the Bosphs stood upright on two legs with the remaining four limbs used as arms, with all six limbs ending in three digits. The species effectively lacked a neck and their heads, which were semi-circular in shape, were attached directly to their torso. The species' face consisted of a mouth, and a central, flat, porcine nose between two relatively large eyes on each side of the skull. Each eye consisted of hundreds of lens to allow sight but could also act as a tympanic membrane which allowed them to act as an audio sensory organ. From behind each eye a single curved horn grew, which were sharp and upward facing. Bosph's hide ranged in color from light brown to dark grey and was tough and resilient. Bosph's vocal system allowed them to speak in Galactic Basic Standard.

Society and culture
"There is no need to use your warlock ways, Jedi."

- Mora Bunna complains of Mander Zuma's attempt to Force persuade him.

As a species, Bosphs were fiercely independent and preferred isolation both from other species and other members of their own species, although there were exceptions who welcomed company. Bosphs normally attempted to avoid others as much as possible, although in situations where they did interact with others they were usually amicable but often indifferent and especially uncaring of what others thought of them. Members of the species were generally deeply philosophical and spiritual in nature and this lead their society to seeming relatively superstitious, a trait that caused many other species to view them as dull witted, although this was far from true.

The Bosph species believed in a powerful force known as the unknown spirits, which they called the Yentarr. This belief was not dissimilar to other beings beliefs in deitys and all phenomenon that could not be explained was attributed to the Yentarr, with disasters being seen as punishment by them. The Force was one such phenomenon that Bosphs came to believe was caused by the Yentarr and they named the powers associated with it as abo b'Yentarr, meaning "the power of the unknown spirits."

Bosph society was ruled by a hierarchy of different factions, the members of which were considered ranking officials and were all Force-sensitive. Any force sensitive individual, known as ela b'Yentarr&mdash;"the chosen of the unknown spirits"&mdash;was apprenticed to one of the factions at a young age, and taught in the ways of the Force by its members. The exact Force techniques used differed from faction to faction depending upon their role in society. The faction known as the gamefinders taught their members techniques to help them in hunting, such as Force sense and precognition, and the sickhealers learned how to use the Force to heal with techniques like Force healing, Control Pain and Control Disease. A faction known as the farseers also existed who were given access to the teachings of Bosph philosophers. The conduct of each faction also differed, with some having moral codes similar to the Jedi Order's code and others utilizing the Dark side of the Force, although all Ela b'Yentarr were aware of the moral implications of using such power. To use the force, Bosphs also believed certain rituals and ceremonies must be preformed to summon the unknown spirits which lead to them not using some longer lasting force powers.

Ela b'Yentarr, as members of the government factions, were also the only individuals in Bosph society granted the right of ownership. All Bosphs believed that any object equally belonged to all individuals unless ownership was claimed of it. Only those with the right of ownership could claim an item and did so using a glyph, a rune encrusted pendant worn to show the right to ownership. Those with a glyph could claim ownership of any item, however if there was a conflict of ownership between two or more individuals it would often result in a duel being fought for it, sometimes to the death, although to kill was not in Bosph nature. Glyphs were also sometimes drawn onto owned objects as well. Due to their unusual view of ownership, many Bosph who left their homeworld faced repercussions for stealing the possessions of others which they believed to have claimed as their own.

Bosphs generally wore clothes similar to the standard variety found throughout the galaxy but suited to their particular short, neck-less and four armed body. At least three individuals wore loin cloths. On their feet some Bosphs wore no shoes at all whilst some others wore open fronted shoes. Some Bosph also wore no shirt making their tattoos more visible. Some particularly wealthy Bosphs wore golden tips on their pair of horns. At least one member of the farseer faction of Bosph carried a staff tipped with a crystal known as a Bosph starcrystal.

Within early Bosph society, most individuals were solitary nomads and a tradition of tattooing maps and star maps onto their hide evolved to aid them in navigation of the vast grasslands that made up much of their home. This tradition was maintained in Bosph culture and became known as "the way of the traveller". The tradition however changed slightly and Bosph who were considered Ela b'Yentarr, particularly philosophers, always had to bare such tattoos whilst it was a choice for other Bosphs. The greatest punishment within Bosph society was 'dis-remembrance' in which the punishers would cease to acknowledge the punished's existence.

Those Bosphs that left their homeworld took their traditions with them and tattooed star maps onto their hide. Due to the importance of travelling within their society, Bosphs greatly respected members of other species who travelled the stars. In terms of galactic society, Bosphs remained true isolationists and refused a place in any galactic government as well as off-planet trade, although they did make use several elements of superior technology from off-world including Hyperdrive technology. This advanced technology was blended with the Bosphs' own industrial-level technology, which like all things they crafted was suited to use with their four arms. Bosph musical instruments also suited their multiple pairs of arms and their instruments, including the Bosphon Geddy, were unplayable by any species with less that four arms due to the innate complexities of its design.

History
"Welcome to my humble shop."

- Mora Bunna welcomes Mander Zuma and his companions to his supply depot

The Bosph species evolved from six limbed omnivores on the planet of Bosph in the Bosph system of the Bosph sector in the Outer Rim Territories. The species was forced to evolve due to predation by animals called Luprisi, which they had to constantly outsmart leading to them developing sentience. Early Bosphs lived as solitary nomads, tracking animals such as umuls and favria which they hunted for meat. To help navigate the huge grasslands they lived in, the Bospsh began to tattoo maps onto their hides, something that became a tradition and was maintained in Bosph society as was the eating of unmuls and favria.

The region of space that Bosph was located in was first explored between 1,000 BBY and 25 BBY. When the Bosphs were first discovered by off-world scouts, the species was offered a place in the galactic government, but declined due to the Bosph's preference of isolation. Whilst most Bosphs remained on the planet, some chose to leave and explore the galaxy, tattooing space charts on their hide to maintain tradition, with some Bosphs exploring so widely that their tattoos showed star systems not even discovered by professional scouts.

The planet was in neither Galactic Republic or Separatist controlled space during the Clone Wars, and had not been brought into the region of space controlled by the Galactic Empire, the state which the Republic was reformed into in 19 BBY, by its reconquest of the Outer Rim ending in 17 BBY.

In 1 BBY, the Galactic Emperor Palpatine appointed the Human Imperial officer Harsh as Moff of the Bosph sector due to the man's success in the Battle of Chabosh a year earlier, where he had defeated a rebellion on the planet. During Harsh's time as Moff, the Emperor &mdash;a Force-sensitive himself &mdash; became aware of the Force sensitive factions of Bosphs. The Empire immediately quarantined the planet and shortly afterwards bombarded the surface of the planet from orbit, killing huge numbers of Bosphs and decimating the planets grasslands. Of the few Bosphs that remained, most remained on their homeworld, although a few escaped and slipped through the quarantine on any ship available. Despite the planet's relative obscurity due to its inhabitants' self-exile from galactic society, some off-worlders were aware of its destruction although none knew of the cause. Rumours spread that it had been due to the Alliance to Restore the Republic setting up on the planet, or part of a personal vendetta against Bosph "royalty." However due to the small number of Bosphs left, few other species much cared. The Bopsh themselves came to believe the attack had been a religious purge and adopted a policy of dis-remembrance toward the Empire, refusing to acknowledge its existence and ignoring its laws and blockade of their planet. They attributed the destruction of the bombardment instead to the Yentarr and saw it as a punishment for some misdeed of their species.

By 4 ABY, the Bosph's homeworld was considered part of Oversector Outer, an Imperial Oversector controlled by Moff Ardus Kaine. The region was still under Imperial control by 8 ABY, and became part of the region of space considered the core of Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn's confederation during his return from the Unknown Regions in 9 ABY. By 11 ABY, after Thrawn's death however, the region of space including the Bosph sector was no longer considered part of Imperial space. By 19 ABY, a conflict had destroyed much of Bosph's outermost moon although what remained had been made into a supply depot by a retired Bosph bounty hunter named Morga Bunna. The region remained free of Imperial control until at least 41 ABY; however, by 137 ABY, it was considered part of the Sith Lord Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire.

Bosph in the galaxy
"I welcomed them, of course, much like I welcome you. It gets lonely out here in space, and any company is welcome."

- Mora Bunna speaking about a group of mercenaries he hired. A rare exception to Bosph's preference to isolation.

Few Bosphs left their homeworld due to their isolationist tendencies and the Imperial blockade on Bosph during the reign of the Galactic Empire. The majority of Bosphs found off-world were refugees who fled the Imperial bombardment although a small number Bosphs embraced off-world technologies and took up galactic travel by choice. Those who did join galactic society for what ever reason generally took up jobs which allowed the isolation from others that they enjoyed.

At least two Bosphs became bounty hunters throughout galactic history including one individual who answered the call of the Sith Lord Darth Vader, the apprentice of Emperor Palpatine, when he sought out hunters to capture the smuggler Han Solo, who was helping the Rebel Alliance. Another Bosph named Morga Bunna worked as a bounty hunter as well, but by 19 ABY had retired to run a storage depot on the outermost moon of Bosph. His depot was used by many clients to store goods which were dangerous to hold on to or to perform interactions with individuals they would prefer not to meet face to face and large amounts of Tempest spice was stored there. However when the Human Jedi archivist Mander Zuma, along with the Bothan Eddey Be'ray and Pantoran Reen Irana, a pair of spacers, begun shutting down the spice trade across Hutt Space and the Corporate Sector, most of his Tempest was withdrawn and the trader refused any further deposits of it. Zuma and his companions eventually visited Bunna, but by that time all of the spice he had stored was gone and the Bosph had hired a group of mercenaries to defend himself. The Jedi attempted to persuade Bunna into giving up his clients but the Bosph refused, stating that he did not have any details since most of his business was done through blind drops, although he did give them a data cube recording each anonymous transaction. The Jedi had anticipated such a refusal, however, and when Bunna asked him to leave while backed up by the mercenaries, a Corporate Sector Authority vessel, the Invincible-class Dreadnaught Heavy Cruiser Resolute appeared over the moon in support of Zuma. Bunna maintained that he had no information for the Jedi but agreed to help them find the head of the Bomu Clan of Hutts. The CSA confiscated several items in his inventory stolen from Corporate Sector citizens before leaving his depot. Unlike most Bosph Mora, enjoyed the company of other sentient beings.

Another Bosph, named Bora Boru, became a smuggler during the reign of the Empire. Originally part of the farseer faction of Bosphs, the Bosph survived his homeworld's bombardment by the Empire and came to hate them for it as they had denied him the opportunity to die with his people. He, like most Bosphs left, took to following a policy of dis-remembrance of the Empire, believing that seeking revenge would be suicidal. As a member of a government faction Boru was both force sensitive and had the right of ownership along with the appropriate glyph pendant. Using the glyph he claimed ownership of the vessel Bosphon Forever, a Surronian L19 freighter, and killed its owner when the man tried to reclaim it. The smuggler went on to take up a successful career in smuggling, often aiding those who opposed or hated the Empire. Due to his Force abilities he lived longer than the average for his species and as such had far more heavily tattooed skin then most Bosphs as well as a high ability to astrogate and an expansive knowledge of the star systems of the galaxy. He also trained his force technique whilst off-world and commonly played the Bosphon Geddy.

Behind the scenes
The Bosphs first appeared in as part of Topps Star Wars trading cards series in the Star Wars Galaxy Series 1 set released in 1993. On the card a Bosph bounty hunter was depicted meeting with Darth Vader alongside other hunters including Boba Fett in an illustration by Mark Nelson. The species however was not named and no information was given on it. In the same year the artwork was collected in the book The Art of Star Wars Galaxy along with various other art from the card collection. The species itself was then named and expanded upon for West End Games' Star Wars roleplaying game, for the character Bora Boru in the fifth issue of the Star Wars Adventure Journal in article titled "Smugglers of the Outer Rim" written by Doug Shuler and published in 1995. The article gave a description of the Bosph species and some of their customs as well as mentioning the bombardment of their planet by the Empire as part of Boru's back story and description. The species then appeared again in the thirteenth issue of the Star Wars Adventure Journal with a detailed description of the race given. The article giving the description was part of the "Alien Encounters" series. It was written by Brian Smithson and published in 1997. The article included an illustration of a Bosph by Pablo Hidalgo and role-playing attributes for the species which favored knowledge, whilst granting the Bosph's average scores in the remaining attributes, although it gave the stats of an average Bosph as being weak in technology and mechanics. Some of the information from the article was then republished in Alien Encounters, a West End Games supplement book released in 1998 compiled by Jen Seiden.

Moff Harsh was revealed to have been in control of the Bosph sector during the bombardment of Bosph in an entry he received expanding his back story in the article called "Unusual Suspects." The article was published in the sixth issue of the Wizards of the Coast roleplaying supplement magazine, Star Wars Gamer which was released in 2001. The Bosphs were also mentioned in an entry for their homeworld, Bosph, in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia published in 2008 and written by Stephen J. Sansweet and Pablo Hidalgo. A Bosph character, Morga Bunna, also appeared in the novel Scourge published in 2012 and written by Jeff Grubb. The book is a novelised version of the Wizards of the Coast's roleplaying sourcebook Tempest Feud which was published in 2002 and also written by Jeff Grubs as well as Owen K.C. Stephens, however Bunna is not mentioned in the sourcebook, only the novel.

Appearances

 * Scourge