The Meerians are a race of short, silver-haired humanoids native to the planet Bandomeer. As a people, the Meerians are a slow, deliberate race with a primitive society that was unprepared to deal with the Old Republic survey teams that first encountered them. While the Republic recognized the Meerians as a people and as the true owners of Bandomeer's resources, the Meerians were never given full control of the mining operations which were established on the planet. Instead, the Meerians merely shared in the profits. The Meerians evolved over time with adapt to the smoggy conditions brought on by excessive mining operations. Their noses and lungs work together to filter out particulate matter and certain toxic chemicals. The hair of a Meerian individual is actually formed from metallic elements.