Zhell

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"We believe the Zhell were Humans — perhaps the original Human population that took to the stars when Imperial Center was known as Notron."

―Mesh Burzon^[1]

The Zhell were a species believed to be indigenous to Coruscant that were hypothesized by historians to have been humans, although to some debate. The Zhell consisted of thirteen Nations of Zhell, and their combined military force was known as the Battalions of Zhell.

History[]

"We know of no species able to travel through hyperspace 200,000 years ago, This leaves us with a few different possible explanations, none of which can be proven or disproven. Perhaps the Taungs were capable of faster-than-light travel, and invaded Imperial Center. Or perhaps the Taungs were native to Coruscant, and the Zhell were the invaders. Perhaps the dates are wrong, and the conflict in fact took place far later, when the Core was being explored by the eldest species of the galaxy. Or perhaps it never happened at all."

―Arhul Manaxa^[1]

The Battalions of Zhell came into dominance on Coruscant, then named Notron, by waging war on the Taungs for centuries. During one of these battles, the Battalions of Zhell suffered a near extinction level defeat when a volcano destroyed their main city. The volcanic ash would fill the skies of Coruscant for two years, so that the Taungs adopted the name Dha Werda Verda or the "Warriors of Shadow" for themselves. The battle was immortalized by an epic poem with the same name. The Zhell eventually recovered and drove the Taungs offworld—the Taungs fled to Roon.

Since Notron, becoming known as Coruscant, was considered by some to be the homeworld of humans, several historians hypothesized that the Zhell may have been human. Ultimately, next to nothing was known about the Zhell in modern times. Researchers on several worlds relied on knitting scraps of legend and archaeological discoveries together to form a theoretical history of the Zhell. There was no consensus on the site of Zhell settlement, when their battle with the Taung took place, or if it even did. This is due to the lack of sources and the inaccessibility of potential archaeological sites buried under kilometers of city. It was also debated whether the Zhell were the original group of Humans to take to the stars. No known species was able to travel through hyperspace 200,000 years ago, leaving academics with a few possible explanations for the conflict between the Taung and the Zhell. One theory postulated that the Taung had access to faster-than-light travel and invaded Notron, the home of the Zhell. Another stated that the Taung could have been native to Coruscant and the Zhell were the invaders. Other academics believed that the dates of the conflict may have been wrong, and that the conflict in fact took place far later when the Core was first explored by the eldest species in the galaxy. Some academics maintain that the conflict never happened at all.^[1]

The name Zhell may have inspired Zhellday in the Galactic Standard Calendar. Many of Coruscant's most ancient neighborhoods were named after the Zhell and claimed some connection to long-ago battle sites. Reenactments of the battle between the Zhell and Taung were staged by history enthusiasts with replica weapons based on archaeological finds.^[2]