Night-Soarer

"Your targets are going up against the meanest franchise players we've got&mdash;and we've provided an extra edge! We've removed the safeties from the Togorian sisters' weapons and the Tyluun Night-soarer's claws have been soaked with venom."

- Bardron to Jervo Thalien

Tyluun Night-soarers were a sentient species from the planet Tyluun. They were a bipedal species, of both blue and brown skin coloration, and had large wings extending from their ribcages and arms with with they were capable of flight. Night-soarers earned a reputation in the galaxy as assassins through their stealth and cunning. Some Night-soarers participated in gladiatorial games, such as the Tandem Open on Jervo's World or death matches aboard The Wheel.

Biology and appearance
The Tyluun Night-soarers were a sentient species of bipedal humanoids, with skin pigmentation ranging from blue to purple, to brown. They had bald heads with a central fin-like crest, and pointed ears. Their most distinguishing characteristic were bat-like wings formed by webbing that extended from their rib cages. For some Night-soarers, these wings extended out to about the elbow, whereas for others, the wings extended well beyond their wrists. With these, the Night-soarers were capable of independent flight. Night-soarers five fingered hands, tipped with sharp claws. Some Night-soarer wore garments only on their lower half, while others wore armless tunics.

Galactic Republic
"You're through Goethar! [&hellip;]Wait! Don't speed up&mdash;you'll kill us both."

- The Night-soarer attacks Goethar Kleej

The Night-soarers originated from the planet Tyluun, and were part of the wider galaxy by as early as 3,963 BBY. In this year, two Night-soarers competed in the Tandem Open on Jervo's World, a spacestation orbiting Pantolomin. The Tandem Open was one of the feature events at the station, in which all competitors were airborne and, working in pairs, attempted to defeat their opponents until only two competitors were standing. One of the Night-soarers was knocked out in the semi-final round while trying to eliminate a pair of competitors&mdash;Rohlan, a Mandalorian, and Goethar Kleej, a Gotal veteran of the competition&mdash;while they were distracted fighting each other. However, the pair turned on the Night-soarer and his partner, knocking them both out of the competition.

The second Night-soarer survived through to the finals, and was considered to be among the meanest Franchise players in the competition. In a departure from the usual non-lethal nature of the competition, in this round, the claws of the Night-soarer were soaked in vemon in an attempt by the organizers to eliminate four of the other competitors in the final: Goethar and his son Aubin, Rohlan and Zayne Carrick. Goethar was trying to expose the inhumane training and recruitment practices behind the franchise running the competition. The second Night-soarer attacked Goethar directly while the Gotal was riding his swoop. However, when Goethar accelerated into his attacker, the Night-soarer was pinned to the front of the vehicle as Goethar crashed through one of the windows onto the course. The Night-soarer was eliminated from the competition, with Rohlan declared the winner.

Galactic Empire
"Okay, okay. Stop gloating champ. I'm the one who signalled you to turn and fire!"

- Han Solo to Chewbacca

By the time of the Galactic Civil War, Night-soarers had earned a reputation throughout the galaxy as assassins, known for their stealth and cunning. In 0 ABY, a Night-soarer participated in a death duel aboard The Wheel. Held in a zero gravity arena filled with explosive planetoids, the Night-soarer was one of the last four surviving gladiators. Knowing that two of the other competitors, Han Solo and his Wookiee companion Chewbacca, would work together, the Night-soarer hid behind a planetoid, waiting to strike when they were committed to other attacking other opponents. When it appeared that Chewbacca had struck down Solo, the Night-soarer moved in on the Wookiee from behind, wanting to get close enough to ensure a clean kill. His plan failed, however, when Solo, only faking his own death signaled to the Wookiee that the Night-soarer approached. Chewbacca spun around, shooting the Night-soarer with his blaster and killing him.

Behind the scenes
The Tyluun Night-soarer species first appeared in two successive issues of the Star Wars comic series published by Marvel Comics in 1979. The two issues, Star Wars 22: To the Last Gladiator and Star Wars 23: Flight Into Fury, were written Archie Goodwin and penciled by Carmine Infantino. Following this, they did not reappear in Star Wars continuity for 30 years, until reappearing in two successive issues of the Knights of the Old Republic comics published by Dark Horse Comics in 2009. These two issues, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 40: Dueling Ambitions, Part 2 and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 41: Dueling Ambitions, Part 3, were written by John Jackson Miller and penciled by Brian Ching.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 40: Dueling Ambitions, Part 2
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 41: Dueling Ambitions, Part 3
 * Star Wars 22: To the Last Gladiator
 * Star Wars 23: Flight Into Fury