Chiss

"They're supposed to be great warriors. Clever, resourceful, proud. Intensely loyal to one another, too."

- Eli Vanto, on the Chiss

The Chiss were a blue-skinned, humanoid sentient species that possessed red eyes and dark blue hair.

Their government was known as the Chiss Ascendancy and ruled over a portion of the Unknown Regions. They had little contact with the rest of the galaxy and until Grand Admiral Thrawn's ascent in the ranks of the Galactic Empire, their existence was regarded as mostly a legend even within the Unknown Regions.

Biology and appearance
"What is he, some kind of Pantoran with an eye condition?"

- Driller MarDapp, commenting on Thrawn's appearance

The Chiss' shape, features, and dimensions were greatly similar to those of humans. Their skin, however, was blue, their hair a shimmering blue-black, and their eyes a glowing red. Because of those first two characteristics, they were frequently mistaken for Pantorans, blue-skinned humanoids from Pantora, although Pantorans did not have red eyes. Besides their coloration, Chiss eyes were a bit better than those of humans, their visible spectrum edging a bit into the infrared range. Additionally, their hearing was also keener.

History
During the Age of the Empire, the Chiss were being ruled by a government known as the Chiss Ascendancy.

Despite their secrecy, one Chiss known as Thrawn became an officer of the Galactic Empire. Attaining the rank of Grand Admiral, he participated in the Imperial Military's efforts to combat the early rebellion in the years prior to the Battle of Yavin.

Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Senator Johhar Kessen acquired the services of several female Chiss mercenaries.

Behind the scenes
The Chiss species first appeared, albeit unidentified, in Heir to the Empire, a 1991 Star Wars Legends novel written by Timothy Zahn as the first entry in The Thrawn Trilogy. The species' name would later be revealed in Vision of the Future, a 1998 Legends novel also written by Zahn as the second and final entry in the The Hand of Thrawn Duology. The Chiss became canon when they appeared in Secret Alliances, the sixth campaign featured in Star Wars: Commander, a mobile game published by Disney Interactive that was released on August 21, 2014.

Though it was ultimately decided that he would be a human, a preliminary design of Agent Kallus, one of the antagonists of the canon animated television series Star Wars Rebels, depicted him as a member of the Chiss species. Eventually, the Chiss would appear in the series, in the form of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Appearances

 * Thrawn
 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Aftermath: Empire's End
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Aftermath: Empire's End
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Aftermath: Empire's End
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Aftermath: Empire's End
 * Aftermath: Empire's End