Wookieepedia:Featured article queue/Week 39, 2013/1

The Sakiyans were a humanoid sentient species whose anatomy featured slit-pupils, pointed ears, and hairless skin that varied in shade from pale to jet black. Until the rise of the Galactic Empire, xenobiologists had differing opinions as to whether Sakiyans should be classified as near-Human. However, internally, the species was vastly different from Humans and related species. The Sakiyan brain was nearly twice the size of its Human equivalent, and the portions devoted to sensory input and processing were superior even to those in the brain of the Bith species. Sakiyans had incredible vision that extended into the infrared spectrum, as well as highly acute and motion-sensitive peripheral vision. Sakiyan aural and olfactory senses were considered nearly supernatural by other species, as they allowed a Sakiyan to track and detect days-old odors and faint noises. The species' musculature granted them 150 percent of the strength of a Human of equivalent size. Sakiyan Force-users were rare.

The species evolved from predatory animals on the planet Saki in Hutt Space. Such ancestry endowed them with a love for the thrill and glory of hunting. Because of this, Sakiyans were often employed as assassins and bounty hunters. Sakiyans had a poor sense of humor and disliked being proven wrong. Honor was exceedingly important to members of the species, and they divided it into distinct types such as monthræl&mdash;personal honor&mdash;and yithræl&mdash;pride honor. After suffering personal dishonor, a Sakiyan's family and descendants were dishonored as well. However, a family member could lift the dishonor from the clan name through glory-bringing acts. Sakiyans tended to place the interests of themselves and their communities above those of others, and they were cautious in their dealings with other species, in part due to a succession of alien invasions of their homeworld. Members of the pale-skinned subspecies were treated as outcasts in Sakiyan society. Along with the Riileb, the Sakiyans were one of the few Hutt Space species to resist conquest and invasion by the Hutts. However, the Sakiyans did fall into an economic dependence on their galactic gastropod neighbors when the Hutts took controlling interests in Sakiyan technology companies that specialized in repulsorlift engineering. The Sakiyans established colonies on worlds such as Sakidopa, Sakiduba, and Sakifwanna.