Omwati / Legends The Omwati were lithe near - Human s with blue skin and a bird - like appearance . They were native to the planet Omwat and were known for their intellect and natural talent for science , engineering , and music . Omwati children had incredibly pliant minds that , with the proper training , could retain data and be educated beyond the threshold of most other sentient species . A number of Omwati joined the Galactic Republic , but contact between their planet and the galactic community was lost at a later point . It was eventually restored when the planet was rediscovered by Republic officer Wilhuff Tarkin , who , while later serving the Galactic Empire , killed thousands of Omwati in a scheme to transform the survivors into great developers of weapons technology . After Tarkin ' s death and the fall of the Empire , the Omwati developed their own hyperdrive and , with some initial misunderstanding due to their natural naivete , joined the New Republic . Some Omwati were particularly motivated by Tarkin ' s destructive actions on their homeworld . Throughout their history , several Omwati exhibited Force - sensitivity , and different Omwati took up various traditions of using the Force , including becoming Jedi and shamans . After joining the New Republic , they even developed their own Force tradition , which was taught on Omwat . Biology and appearance . The Omwati were a near - Human species of lithe , fragile anthropoids . In both sexes , the Omwati ' s lack of sturdiness was readily apparent , and females were even more willowy than males . Adult Omwati grew to a height between 1 . 6 and 2 . 1 meters , with females feasibly falling below this range to be as short as 1 . 49 meters . Omwati skin was blue , commonly a lighter shade that darkened during occasional outbursts of emotion , such as blushing or feeling anger . The heads of the Omwati were covered by feathery threads similar to down , a matter that also composed the species ' eyebrows . This sparkling , gossamer - like substance could be any color from red - blond to pearl white , and was commonly iridescent . Some individuals dyed these threads to reach shades beyond that spectrum , partly because it could be pale enough to appear almost transparent . Omwati tended to have delicate facial features that were accented gracefully by their blue skin . The face of an Omwati was usually small , elfin , and bird - like , which gave them an exotic attractiveness without sacrificing their Human - like aspect . Mature individuals could maintain a youthful appearance , their age betrayed only by their eyes . Omwati had proportionally large eyes that gave them excellent vision . Their most common eye colors were blue — which could be of many distinct shades — and indigo . Omwati were also characterized by their high , flute - like voices that sometimes sounded musical , like birdsong . The Omwati brain was highly developed . Omwati were able to achieve great intellectual feats in the sciences and arts . However , young Omwati had to be coached and encouraged to become creatively brilliant , or they would never reach their potential . In addition , too much pressure could easily collapse a promising young Omwati ' s mind . The species began their adolescence at thirteen years of age , were biologically mature at eighteen , and started feeling the ill effects of old age at forty - one , which only increased at sixty - six . They had a lifespan of eighty - five years . Society and culture . Naturally intelligent and perceptive , the Omwati had great skill at solving abstract problems , and they felt proud of their customary review of past lessons while planning for the future . Children were particularly adept at memorizing and processing information ; young Omwati commonly had a great potential as engineers if provided with the correct training . Those Omwati who did not feel like following this path still had advanced skills in computer operation and advanced machine maintenance and repair . The graceful Omwati placed great stock in the concept of friendship , second only to their concept of the family . Their home planet , Omwat , was covered by honeycomb settlement s , the city - like constructions that the species utilized . Omwati had an elegant language , Omwatese , which had unusual tonal inflections . It was written using a fluid script of jigsaw - like letters . Most Omwati learned to speak and read Basic as a second language . Keyboards with letters were not to their liking , as members of the species preferred music to words as a computer data input method . Certain Omwati had two - part names , such as Helix Lur , Xel Tanni , and Qwi Xux . Others went by only one name , such as Girral , Orthan , and Zallir . History . The Omwati evolved on the planet Omwat and developed their own civilization , erroneously believing themselves to be the only intelligent species in the galaxy . During the early stages of the species ' cultural development , Omwat unified under a single , planet - wide government . This political arrangement allowed the species to avoid the civil wars that plagued species native to other worlds . At some point in the remote past , starships from the Galactic Republic visited Omwat and abducted a number of Omwati . These individuals were eventually transplanted to Coruscant , where they lived in a ghetto . Later , the Republic lost all information about Omwat , and the planet ' s denizens likewise forgot about the Republic . On their homeworld , the Omwati began building honeycomb - like cities through the planet ' s surface and devoted their time to advancing the sciences , arts , and technologies . Eventually , the Omwati became a technological society ; although they still lagged far behind the standards of the galaxy at large , they avoided overwhelming the natural resources of Omwat . Tarkin and the Omwati . During the last years of the Old Republic , Omwat was rediscovered and visited by a promising Republic military officer by the name of Wilhuff Tarkin . The Omwati , after some initial surprise , welcomed the alien visitor . Tarkin soon understood that the blue - skinned natives were related to the Omwati living on other planets , but he kept that information from them ; as Tarkin was familiar with the mental brilliance and successes of Omwati children , he thought he could profit from the discovery by controlling some promising , creative young minds and using them for his own benefit . Tarkin kept the planet a secret except from all but a few close collaborators . To gain the Omwati ' s trust , Tarkin gave them information about history , culture , and technology in the Republic for them to study , and he promised to return with more ships . Any reference to Omwati on other planets was carefully censored by Tarkin ' s agents . Later , the Republic was replaced by the Galactic Empire . Emperor Palpatine rewarded Tarkin with the dominion of the Outer Rim Territories , an area that included Omwat . Tarkin decided it was time to make use of the Omwati , and , ten years after his first contact , he returned to Omwat . Tarkin ordered a training center built in Omwat ' s orbit . Then , he threatened the Omwati with a bombardment of the planetary surface , thus destroying all the planet ' s cities , unless the Omwati performed intelligence tests on their children and surrendered their several hundred brightest youth to Tarkin . The Omwati agreed , but at the same time they secretly began a space program to reach Tarkin ' s satellite through their own means . Omwat ' s gravitational pull , however , proved a significant problem to these Omwati engineers . Ten of these Omwati children , coming from different cities , were trained for two years in the orbiting sphere by some of the best scientists and engineers Tarkin could assemble , including Nasdra Magrody and Ohran Keldor . The youths knew that their knowledge would be thoroughly tested and , should any of them fail a test , his or her native city would be destroyed and the failed student executed . Such was the fate of nine of the children , including Pillik . Only the young Qwi Xux passed all the tests presented to her . As a reward , Tarkin sent Xux to his secret research center , the Maw Installation , where she would work with famed engineer Bevel Lemelisk developing weaponry for the Empire . The galactic government covered up Xux ' s involvement by listing all of the abducted Omwati children , including Xux , as deceased . Omwat after Tarkin . Tarkin and many of his closer collaborators were killed during the Battle of Yavin . As the orbital training center at Omwat was mostly a secret , it was abandoned . The Omwati managed to reach it at some point between 0 ABY and 4 ABY . The Empire had recorded the death of all but ten of Tarkin ' s abducted children . However , the Omwati refused to believe the reports and decided to search for the missing younglings . They also adopted whatever technology they could from Tarkin ' s space station , which allowed them to research ships that could reach distant stars . In 14 ABY , the Omwati built their first hyperdrive and entered the galaxy at large . They first spread terror in nearby settlements and ports , as their reasons and motivations for expansion were not understood . Finally , Omwati scouts were contacted by New Republic diplomats , who were eager to listen to their story . The New Republic used this chance to document the atrocities performed by the Empire on yet another planet . The Omwati were then welcomed by their " cousins " on Coruscant and other planets . Soon afterward , using the information provided by Tarkin about the Force , the Omwati began to develop their own tradition of using the mystical energy field . This collective was formed and had several members as of 25 ABY . Omwati in the galaxy . As a number of Omwati left their planet in some remote time of the Old Republic , Omwati were a common sight on several planets of the galaxy during the time before the Empire . There were Omwati on Coruscant in 18 BBY , as exemplified in traffic coordinator Kodo Finn and his wife , Aleema Finn . The Omwati Jedi Tannis operated on the planet of Teya IV around 4000 BBY . After 14 ABY , many Omwati traveled through the galaxy , looking for the missing children who had been kidnapped by Tarkin . Most of these Omwati were peaceful . Omwati had the potential to be Force - sensitive , and some Omwati followed Force traditions that sometimes led them off their homeworld . During the days of the Old Republic , several members of the species joined the Jedi Order , including Tannis and Bleth Fahr . During the reign of the Empire , an Omwati shaman was on the planet Naboo . Under the New Republic ' s rule , the Omwati developed their own Force tradition , taught on the planet Omwat . This did not stop some Omwati , such as Tiu Zax , from joining Jedi Master Luke Skywalker ' s subsequent Jedi Order to become Jedi Knights . Behind the scenes . The Omwati first appeared in the 1994 novel " Jedi Search " , written by Kevin J . Anderson , primarily represented by the scientist character Qwi Xux . Anderson ' s original visual model for the appearance of Qwi Xux was Mermeia , as portrayed by Diahann Carroll in " The Star Wars Holiday Special " . When referring to this in an interview , Anderson likened Mermeia with celebrity singer . The first graphical depiction of an Omwati was drawn by Michael Butkus for " The Essential Guide to Characters " . The " Star Wars " roleplaying guides " Alien Anthology " and " Ultimate Alien Anthology " allow players to take on the role of Omwati characters . The sourcebooks both describe the Omwati in similar terms , including game statistics : Omwati characters receive a bonus to their intellectual knowledge and perception but suffer a slight penalty to their physical strength . Although " Alien Anthology " does not give them any further benefits , " Ultimate Alien Anthology " provides the Omwati with an additional benefit to their skills to fix machines and use computers .