Kima

Kima
Biological classification
Classification	Canine
Races	Ferine razorfang Hilltop kima Wolf kima Woodland kima
Physical characteristics
Hair color	Gray in the wild; varied when domesticated
Eye color	Yellow
Sociocultural characteristics
Homeworld	Talus
Diet	Herbivore

"Some darn predator ate my good luck kima! I think those beasts have a lair near here. If you can find them and blast them to atoms, I'd certainly reward you."

―Owner of a kima, to a spacer

The kima (plural: kimas) was a small species of herbivorous canines found in the wilds of Talus, one of the Twin Worlds which orbited Centerpoint Station in the Corellian system. Unique to the world, kimas were a fast and agile quadruped which hunted alone in remote rural areas. However, despite their solitary nature, they could still be found in packs. One of their most distinguishing features was their powerful and intimidating growl. Several different breeds of kima could be found on Talus, which although virtually indistinguishable in appearance, harbored at least some different behavioral characteristics. Beast masters were able to train kimas as personal companions.

Biology and appearance

	▶️ (Cr-kima-vocalize.ogg, file info)
	The intimidating growl of a kima (Star Wars Galaxies)

The herbivorous species of canines known as kimas could be found in the wilds of Talus, one of the Twin Worlds which orbited Centerpoint Station in the Corellian system. The fast and agile quadrupeds were unique to the world. Kimas hunted alone in remote rural areas, and were known for their powerful and intimidating growl, which was said to set hearts pounding and turn knees to jelly. The mammalian vertebrates had cat-like yellow eyes and bristly gray hides while in the wild, but when domesticated, their hair could come in a variety of different hues, including shades of red, yellow and blue. Kimas were very solitary, and would fight and scratch if bothered or touched. Kimas would not even associate with others of their own kind, mating only once per year, and spending no time with their mates. Despite their solitary nature, kimas were known to form packs, including the hilltop kima in particular, a breed of kima which tended to live in rugged areas. Slightly larger and more powerful than their cousins at lower altitudes, these creatures were known to travel alone or in packs. Other breeds were present on Talus, such as the ferine razorfang, wolf kima, and woodland kima. All these breeds of kima were practically indistinguishable in appearance, but they harbored at least some differences in behavior. Kimas shared something of a physical resemblance to the bearded jax of Endor and Rori. However, jax were felines rather than canines.

History

"I'll sure miss that kima. I bet this breaks my incredible sabacc winning streak."

―A kima owner

Kimas could be trained by beast masters as personal companions or house pets. During the time of the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic, a predator killed a kima belonging to a sabacc gambler who relied on the kima for good luck. Disappointed by a potential end to their winning streak, the former pet owner sought to hire a spacer to eliminate a lair of beasts believed to be responsible for the kima's demise. In 1 ABY, an officer of the Corellia-based gang of criminals known as the Meatlumps kept a kima named Weezy in a cage.

Behind the scenes

Kimas first appeared as creatures in the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts, prior to its closure on December 15, 2011. In addition to the standard kima, there also existed other named types of kimas, including the ferine razorfang, hilltop kima, wolf kima, and woodland kima. Each of these were described or implied to be separate breeds of the same creature. Additionally, there also existed so-called feeble kimas, however unlike the aforementioned creatures, this seemed to merely be a descriptive name for certain kimas, rather than an entirely separate breed. According to the game's directory tree files and source data, there were to be at least two other separate breeds of kima known as the mountain kima and grassland kima, however neither of these were known to appear on the live servers.

There is perhaps some ambiguity regarding whether kimas should be considered canines, felines, or some combination thereof. The game depicted kimas with a cat-like growl, eyes, and some other appearance characteristics. The game's directory tree files and source data also list kimas as a type of "cat," in a similar vein to the bearded jax or kittle. However, kimas were not explicitly described as cat-like in the game itself. Instead, they were described as forming packs, and the existence of a breed of kima known as the wolf kima seems to suggest they were intended to be canines.

Early in the game's lifespan, dynamically spawned non-player characters offered a variety of simple missions. In one case, NPCs could offer a destroy mission titled "Recover Good Luck Charm," the storyline of which featured a kima. The mission required the player to destroy creatures at an assigned waypoint in exchange for a credit reward. A mission terminal quest titled "Lost Good Luck Charm" offered a similar quest with the exact same storyline. With the release of Star Wars Galaxies, kimas could be tamed as pets by players who pursued the creature handler profession. Following the release of Publish 25's New Game Enhancements on November 15, 2005, creature handlers were removed. However, with the release of Chapter 6: Masters of the Wild on May 22, 2007, beast masters were added as an expertise path, allowing players to incubate creatures as pets.

Appearances

• Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided (First appearance)

Sources

• Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
• Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided Quick Reference Guide
• Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed: Prima Official Game Guide
• Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience: Prima Official Game Guide
• Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Guide: Prima Official Game Guide

External links

• Kima on the SWG Wiki
• Kima on SWGANH Wiki (backup link not verified!)
• Kima on SWG Pets (backup link not verified!)