Selonian

A sapient species from the Corellian system, Selonians were large musteline carnivorous mammals with long, flexible spines.

Biology and appearance

This fur-covered, sleek and powerful species were carnivores who were believed to have descended from aquatic mammals. They were furry bipeds who stood at an average height of two meters tall making them taller than most Humans with slightly shorter legs and arms. In fact, adult Selonians were capable of standing between 1.8 meters to 2.2. meters tall with the female members of the species being larger. Their bodies were covered by a sleek brown or black fur and they normally did not wear clothing on their homeworld. However, when working or visiting elsewhere, they wore the appropriate clothing or outfits. Their long bodies were equally comfortable walking on either two legs or on all four. On two legs, they were able to reach a base speed of 10 meters though were capable of reaching 12 meters on all four which was the same level of speed they were capable of accomplishing when swimming in water.

The half meter long tails served as a counterbalance for their bodies when standing upright. These tails were equally capable of being used as potent bludgeoning weapons in combat. Short glossy hair covered their bodies which was usually brown or black in color. At the end of their paw-like hands were retractable claws which not only gave them the capacity to dig but also made them excellent climbers. They had long pointed faces with bristly whiskers as well as long teeth. Selonians were able to see 20 meters in the dark with their dark-vision traits being black and white only. They also were able to see twice as far in dim lighting with them capable of distinguishing color and detail under such conditions.

Selonians were capable of living over 75 years of age with specific range during their growth to adulthood. Those between 1-8 years were considered children whilst 9-14 were young adults and 15-35 age were adults. A Selonian between the ages 36-55 were considered middle aged whilst those being 56-74 were held to be old and any older than 75 were considered venerable.

Most Selonians were infertile females. One in every hundred was male, and five in every hundred were fertile females.

Society and culture

Despite the massive starship traffic to the Corellian shipyards, many visitors and even some native Corellians knew very little of the Selonians and their distinctive unique alien culture. In mindset, they were a thoroughly grounded and serious race who were primarily concerned with the safety of their people. This meant that the protection of their family dens and their species as a whole was a chief concern. The basis for this line of thinking was because they viewed that the needs of the society outweighed the needs of the individual. To those unaware of the deeper intricacies of the race, the Selonians appeared as an outgoing, friendly and charitable species. However, their interests rarely went beyond securing the good of their respective den. They also had a deep psychological need to reach a consensus when taking action. As individual Selonians felt that the actions of an individual impacted an entire den, they refused to lie as they believed such an act was a crime similar to murder. The underground nature of their existence meant that the Selonians suffered from agoraphobia and were more comfortable in confined spaces compared to open environments.

Despite their mammalian appearance, the social structure of a Selonian family was more similar to insectoid races as they possessed a hive minded society. Their family dens were typically constructed underground and consisted of a single fertile female who was the Queen, a few fertile males and a large number of infertile females. These underground dens were actually created by the Selonians using their sharp claws to make the intricate tunnels and massive dwellings. The Queen and few fertile males were responsible for siring all members of the den. Within the den were sub-groupings known as septs that were offspring fathered by the same fertile male. Females born of the same father and thus were members of the same sept were genetically identical. The Queen herself was capable of being pregnant five times a year where they gave birth to five or more children. Despite their importance, the fertile males were treated scornfully as holding little use beyond breeding and at best as prized breeding stock. In recent years, a rare group had formed amongst the fertile males that attempted to promote breeder rights.

The much more common element within their society were the sterile females who performed all the other functions of Selonian life. The breeding arrangements made by the Queens kept each den as a close knit operation with each sterile female being trained specific duties. Some were, in fact, responsible for both the males and the Queen safety. Den members were responsible for keeping the fertile Queen away from harm and protecting their home. It was known that the Selonians did not recognize relations in the same manner as most Human cultures. Competing dens controlled regions of territory on their homeworld with the ruling group being known as the Overden. Their cities were actually a collection of several dens with each specializing in a skill or craft. These dens supported and aided each other by way of a complicated system of bartering and favor exchanges. A select number of Selonians were specifically trained to deal with aliens and Humans. These individuals were known to integrate themselves into Human societies where they put their carefully learned mannerisms and attitudes at work with aliens in order to interact with them better.

Though they maintained a seemingly primitive existence, the Selonians were in fact an information age level civilization. They were, in fact, considered technologically on par to galactic standards with their dens linked through computer networks and rapid transit systems. Their industrial capacity was also able to help feed the ravenous production needs of the Corellian Engineering Corporation who the Selonians provided with high-tech components. They had mastered shipbuilding technology and even created starships capable of traversing their home system. Selonians had possessed the ability for space travel for many years, though their reluctance to do so had more to do with their mindset. As they had little desire to go beyond the Corellian system, the Selonians did not construct hyperdrives for their vessels.

Selonian warriors, who were almost always female, created their own personal glaives, in a manner similar to a Jedi's creation of their lightsaber. The Human-centric Empire, in an effort to spread xenophobia among the Human population of the Corellian system, spread propaganda saying that Selonians were warlike and prone to violence. Few Humans from the system believed it, however, as the species hadn't been warlike in centuries and the two races co-existed in relative peace. They could speak a modified language among their dens which was not diminished by auditory echoes in their burrows.

The species had their own language, Mandaba, which they were able to write in and speak though those members of their kind that were accustomed to speaking to outsiders were able to speak in Basic. Etiquette included Ladies of some fashion. Several Selonian groups were known for xenophobia, including the Overden, Absolutists, and Sacorrian Triad.

Some common Selonian names were Cavisek, Maronea and Vissica