Twi’lek
Twi’leks are one of the many species found in the movies and Expanded Universe of Star Wars.
They are easy to identify by their brain-tails, better known as lekku or tchun-tchin.
The species originally came from the planet Ryloth but can be found all over the universe.
I have always played one in the game Star Wars Galaxies and I’ve also made Twi’leks in 3D.
I like Twi’leks because of their variety in skin colors while they are still clearly humanoid and beautiful.
To the left you can see my main character Ch’iara with whom I roleplay.
Appearance
A colorful species.
The first thing you’ll notice about Twi’leks is that they have a skin coloration that covers almost every color of the rainbow. With red and turquoise being the rarest.
The next thing is their lekku’s, also known as braintails or in their language : “chun-tchin”. Chun is their left lekku and tchin their right. Most have 2 but their amount varies from 1 to 4.
These lekku’s are a extension of their brain and if damaged can actually cause brain damage. Their long-term memories are stored in them.
Lekku’s are also used for communication together with regular speech since they can move them.
They are extremely sensitive and will make a Twi’lek faint if you’d handle them to roughly.
Having beautiful lekku is being seen as a status symbol among the Twi’leks and goes hand in hand with status, wealth and influence. Some Twi’leks paint their lekku’s to enhance their beauty.
They even named their species after their lekku’s : Twi’lek – twin lekku.
Twi’leks are hairless except for their eyelashes. Most female Twi’leks tattoo or paint eyebrows to appear more beautiful and/or less alien.
Their height varies between 1.5 and 2 meters (=between 5 and 6.5 feet)
Male Twi’leks have human-like ears but females can also have cone-like ears.
Twi’leks have sharp pointed teeth but those of female’s are often sanded flat to prevent them from biting their owners.
Female Twi’leks are known for their grace and beauty and have always been heavily exploited as slaves.
Ryloth
Ryloth, located in the Outer Rim Territories and the second world in the Ryloth System, is the homeworld of the Twi’lek race.
One side of Ryloth, called the Nightlands, is covered in ice and the other, called the Brightlands, in extreme heat with heat storms with temperatures of up to 300C/572F because of the way it orbits it’s sun. In the middle of it is livable climate and that is where the Twi’leks life in underground caves.
Ryloth is orbited by five, red-colored moons and has 305 standard days.
Ryloth is the planet were the spice Ryll comes from. This is a highly addictive drug but is also used in many medicines. Ryll and slavery are the primary sources of income from this harsh rocky planet.
Culture and society.
The Twi’lek society is a clan-based one.
Each clan has it’s own city, with it’s own 5 member government.
These 5 members rule their clan until 1 of them dies and then the other 4 will be banned to the Brightlands to die.
A new 5 member government will then take their place. If they are not ready to take their inherited positions, selected regents temporarily rule in their place.
Many Twi’leks spent their lives as merchants or criminals or, especially beautiful females, as slaves and entertainers. But Twi’leks also have a proud and honorable warrior tradition.
Because of the beauty and grace of female Twi’leks they’re a popular target for slavers. They’re even sold by they’re own people. Most of these sell them for profit but others see the selling of their children as a way to let them escape their harsh planet.
Owning a beautiful Twi’lek is seen as a status symbol, especially in the criminal underworld.
Twi’leks wear a variety of clothing with males preferring long loose robes and females tight and often revealing clothing to enhance their beauty and value.
“The joining of personal and clan names is, among us, a sign of belonging. Breaking the names apart is a statement of the distance between that person and his people.”
On their home world Twi’leks often combined their name and clan name into 1 long name like Nawar’aven. To outsiders his name would be Nawara Ven.
How they combined their name could give different meanings to it.
Criminals aren’t allowed to keep their combined name and they’re name will be broken apart in such a way that it becomes dishonorable.
Twi’leks are omnivorous beings who eat cultivated molds and fungi and meat from native animals called Rycrits.
Because of the harsh climate, Twi’leks have become a patient and adaptable species. They are also a sly species and aren’t afraid to use their beauty to get what they want.
The Twi’leks have put the extreme winds to good use using windmills and turbines to provide power to their cities and homes.
They are relatively primitive compared to other species and do not have the technology to make their own spaceships. This is why they rely heavily on other travellers like traders but also smugglers, slavers and pirates.
Why I like Twi’leks.
After reading all the information about them you must wonder why I picked a Twi’lek as my main species when there are so many nicer ones to choose from. 
- I like their colorful skin coloration.
- They are a tough species.
- They are force sensitive and who wouldn’t want to be that.
- They never have bad hairdays.
- They never need to shave.
- They’re humanoid enough that they’re easy to role-play with.
- They’re naturally gracefull. Something I never will be.
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