Twi ' lek Twi ' leks , occasionally referred to as Rylothians , were a tall humanoid species whose most striking feature was a pair of long tentacles protruding from their skull , called lekku . They hailed from the planet of Ryloth , in the Outer Rim Territories , and female Twi ' lek were often exported offworld as slaves . Biology and appearance . Twi ' leks were a species of tall humanoid s whose skin spanned a vast array of color s , including white , orange , yellow , green , pink , blue , purple , and red . Their most distinctive feature was the pair of prehensile tentacles that sprouted from the crown or base of their skulls , known as lekku , or headtails . Although Twi ' leks normally had two lekku , some individuals had four . The species had two sexes , male and female . While males had ear s with lobes resembling those of human s , females had cone - shaped hearing organs , found in the same place on the head . Although Twi ' leks naturally had blunt teeth , males typically sharpened them to points . Twi ' leks were usually thin , although corpulent individuals were known to exist . Under normal circumstances , they generally had a higher body temperature than other humanoid species . Twi ' leks and humans could breed to create a hybrid of the two species , such as when shortly before the death of Kanan Jarrus , he and Hera Syndulla conceived a son who was born after the liberation of Lothal , which Syndulla lived to participate in . Society and culture . The Twi ' leks had a language of their own , called Twi ' leki , which combined verbal sounds and an elaborate and subtle sign language using their lekku . Twi ' lek ' s lekku could be moved to create gestures that meant things such as hello or goodbye . For example , both lekku tips crossed twice meant " I Love You " . Twi ' leks were capable of speaking Galactic Basic , many with a noticeable accent ; though it was possible for some to lose this accent if away from Ryloth for an extended period of time , it could still resurface . For example , Hera Syndulla lapsed back into the common Twi ' leki accent during an argument with her father and also used it consciously when passing herself off as a slave . History . Clone Wars . The homeworld of the Twi ' leks was Ryloth , a planet of harsh extremes situated in the Outer Rim Territories . That world was part of the Galactic Republic , a democratic union that governed most of the galaxy . During the Clone Wars , Ryloth was occupied by the Confederacy of Independent Systems . Unsatisfied with the tyrannical rule that the Confederacy put them under , a Twi ' lek Resistance movement arose to combat the Separatists , led by Cham Syndulla . This movement was publicly backed and actively assisted by the Galactic Republic . Working with the Grand Army of the Republic and the Jedi Order , the Twi ' lek Resistance managed to expel Separatist forces under Wat Tambor . The Republic then annexed Ryloth . Imperial protectorate . Following the end of the Clone Wars , the Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire and Ryloth was annexed by the Empire . The planet became an Imperial protectorate and the Twi ' leks living on Ryloth were subjected to Imperial rule . While Ryloth was nominally independent and was still represented by Senator Orn Free Taa in the Galactic Senate , real power lay in the hands of the Imperial Moff Delian Mors . About five years after the establishment of the Empire , Cham reorganised the Twi ' lek Resistance as the Free Ryloth movement in order to expel the Empire from Ryloth . While most of the Free Ryloth resistance fighters were Twi ' leks , it included a number of non - Twi ' leks like Colonel Belkor Dray . The Free Ryloth resistance consisted of hundreds of fighters , a network of informants and spies , and staged raids which led to the deaths of dozens of Imperial personnel . After Darth Vader killed one of Cham ' s lieutenants Pok and his comrades after the theft of an Imperial freighter from the Yaga Minor shipyards , Cham decided to shift from half - hearted measures towards taking full action against the Empire . Emperor Palpatine conspired to lure the Free Ryloth rebels into a trap by organizing a visit to Ryloth with Darth Vader and arranging for information on the trip to be leaked to the Ryloth rebels . Cham seized the opportunity to kill the two Sith Lord s and fragment the Empire . The two Sith Lords traveled to Ryloth in the Imperial Star Destroyer " Perilous " . Cham ' s rebels attacked the " Perilous " with space mines , Vulture droids , and rebels disguised as rescue crew . However , Vader and the Emperor managed to escape to Ryloth . Following a prolonged pursuit , the Free Ryloth rebels tried to close in on the two Sith Lords in a remote village . Imperial forces under Moff Delian however arrived at the village and routed the rebels . Cham and his surviving comrades fled to resume their struggle . Cham ' s daughter Hera Syndulla became a key leader in the rebellion against the Empire and led her own rebel cell . She believed that Ryloth ' s freedom was linked to the rebellion . Hera disagreed with Cham ' s focus on Ryloth and the two parted company . Three years before the Battle of Yavin , the Empire used a Quasar Fire - class cruiser - carrier to bomb Ryloth . Despite their differences , Cham and Hera ' s rebel cells joined forces to steal the cruiser - carrier for the Phoenix Cell . As a result , ties were established between the Free Ryloth movement and the wider rebellion . Two years before the Battle of Yavin , the Empire dispatched the Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn to deal with the Ryloth insurgency . By studying Twi ' lek art , culture , philosophy , and history , Thrawn was able to devise successful tactics that led to the fall of Tann Province . The Free Ryloth movement lost many fighters and Cham was forced to flee his own home . Hera , Cham , and the other rebels then took part in an unsuccessful attempt to recover a family heirloom , the Kalikori , from Thrawn . Despite failing to recover the object , the rebels escaped an attempt by Captain Slavin to capture the rebels and Cham . Twi ' leks in the galaxy . Since female Twi ' leks were regarded as graceful and beautiful beings , many of them were forced into a life of slavery at the hands of the galaxy ' s wealthy and powerful . Other Twi ' leks , however , found themselves in positions of power ; Bib Fortuna served as the majordomo to the crime lord Jabba the Hutt for decades , Aayla Secura was a Jedi Knight of the Jedi Order , and Senator Orn Free Taa represented his homeworld Ryloth in the Galactic Republic ' s Senate and later the Imperial Senate . Due to their frequent use as slaves , Twi ' lek could move surreptiously through places an army could not penetrate . Because of that , some found employment as undercover agents . Cham Syndulla was a leader of the Twi ' lek Resistance during the Clone Wars and later became the leader of the Free Ryloth movement . His daughter Hera Syndulla also became the leader of the Spectres and later became Phoenix Leader in the Phoenix Squadron , a member of the rebellion and eventually reaching the rank of General .