Rishii The Rishii were a sentient , carnivorous , avian species native to the planet Rishi . With a generally Humanoid body structure , the species possessed hand - tipped wings which allowed them to both fly and manipulate tools , although the Rishii were incredibly primitive in terms of technological advancement . Friendly and accepting of others , the avians lived in small groups known as nests which existed in harmony with each other and non - Rishii neighbours they encountered , including members of the H ' kig religion who settled on their homeworld . Rishii were extremely capable when it came to learning new languages , as they could perfectly mimic anything said to them . This mimicry did sometimes cause misunderstandings when off - worlders first encountered Rishii , as it appeared as though the avians were mocking the new arrivals . The predatory Maungur species also native to Rishii held a position of extreme importance in Rishii folklore , and killing them was banned despite the fact the predators preyed upon the Rishii whenever they encountered them . During the Clone Wars , the Confederacy of Independent Systems invaded Rishii in an attempt to capture exonium mines used by the Rishii , who needed the mineral to heat food during winter . After Galactic Republic reinforcements arrived the Rishii fought alongside clone troopers and Jedi Master Kit Fisto to defeat the Separatists and reclaim the mines . Biology and appearance . The Rishii were a sentient , avian species of carnivores which possessed a brown and white - feathered humanoid form , with two legs ending in four - toed feet , two arms , a tail , and a head . The species ' two arms consisted of feathered wings ending in nimble three - fingered humanoid hands , capable of manipulating tools . The wings allowed the Rishii to fly at great speeds , which was their method of travel equivalent to running in land - based species . A Rishii ' s head contained a beak between two yellow eyes framed by a large brow . Rishii were capable of mimicking anything said to them perfectly , and also possessed extremely strong senses , particularly hearing and sight . Rishii on average stood 1 . 6 meters tall and had yellow skin . Society and culture . Native to the planet Rishi , the Rishii lived in loose primitive tribes , known as nests , clustered high upon the planet ' s mountains , away from the hot and humid lowland swamps . Each nest consisted of a small number of family units lead by a chieftain , with neighbouring nests respecting each others territories and living in harmony . This peaceful and accepting attitude went beyond just other Rishii and was extended to all neighbours of a nest , including the many other species who eventually arrived from off - world to colonise the lowlands of Rishi . Due to the unfavorable conditions found in the lowlands , the native avians did not understand the off - worlders ' choice to live there , but were not opposed to their presence . Despite their Human - like hands allowing tools use , the Rishii only reached the point of using bone , stone and wood , being less technologically advanced even than the Ewok species of the moon of Endor . Some nests however , did begin to trade with their non - Rishii neighbours in the lowlands , paying particular attention to the starships the off - worlders used to fly , which the avians believed were shiny rocks . These trading Rishii had no interest in using the technology they gained however , and used the various pieces they acquired to line the open - air nests and perches they dwelt in , which could be either natural or artificial . All Rishii naturally excelled at learning new languages , as they were able to perfectly mimic sounds they heard , and did so when hearing new words as a way of learning them . This repetition was often misinterpreted by non - Rishii as mockery , which could lead to trouble when individuals encountered Rishii for the first time . The predatory Maungur creatures which inhabited the polar regions of Rishi held a position of extreme importance in Rishii belief and folklore . The creatures ' name was the Rishii word for a " spirit of violent , senseless conflict that cannot be reasoned with " , and the beasts were often used as characters in Rishii legend , being personified as conflict incarnate , a force of evil that had to be respected , acknowledged and feared . Not seen as evil , the Maungur appeared to be practically worshipped by the Rishii from an outsider ' s perspective , and killing them was strictly forbidden , despite the fact that the animals preyed upon Rishii , along with anything else they encountered . The Rishii maintained that Maungur mainly ate khi ' r s , a herbivorous species also native to Rishi , and as Maungur were rare and only dwelt in some of the low valleys , this was true for most of the year , but in the warmest season the Maungur would sometimes venture higher up the mountains and cause the Rishii to flee their homes to avoid conflict with the " spirit of Rishii " . The Rishii avoided the valleys where Maungur could be found at all costs , and even avoided speaking about the predators if possible as though the beasts could hear them . The Rishii ' s weapon of choice was the sling , and each Rishii would build their own personal weapon to use . This was because the avians were able to use the projectile weapons for hunting while in flight or on the ground . Rishii would also hunt by diving from great heights and grabbing their prey in their talons . Some Rishii also carried staffs . In battle some Rishii also used spears or axe s instead of slings . Rishii also made use of the mineral exonium , which they mined from the mountains they lived in . The stones were used by the avians to prepare food during winter , which the Rishii knew as the " frost time " . History . At some point in the Rishiis ' history , Humans and other off - world species belonging to the H ' kig religion arrived on Rishi and began building settlements and spaceports in the lowlands , the only areas suitable for them to live . The Rishii made contact with these aliens , and after initial misunderstandings about the Rishii method of learning new languages , the two groups quickly came to peacefully co - exist , with some Rishii nests even starting to trade with the newcomers . Some attempts were made by the H ' kig practioners to convert the natives , but all met with failure and the return of the Rishii to their mountain - top homes . When questioned by off - worlders on the Maungur , the natives were cryptic and unhelpful , with all non - Rishii understanding of the predators being pieced together from a large number of minor references and idle speculation , as no non - Rishii had ever definitely encountered a Maungur , although some possible run - ins were reported . When questioned as to the reason the Maungar had not reached the H ' kig settlements also located in the lowlands the Rishii had few answered , only stating that the beasts had not found those areas yet . This lead some non - Rishii to question the existence of Maungurs all together , while those scientists who believed the natives theorized some form of pathogen may have prevented the maungur entering the inhabited valleys . As the Rishii showed no opposition to the settlement of the lowlands , off - worlders assumed Maungur territory was not sacred , or that the Rishii believed the settlers should learn of the dangers the predators posed the hard way . In the year 22 BBY a study conducted by the Rhinnal State Medical Academy on the planet Coruscant was published which listed Rishii as one of ten species most at risk due to air pollution . The test was carried out in middle class areas , and concluded that pollution from government industrial centers and traffic was causing the problem , causing Rishii to develop diseases such as silicalung and lungrot . The Confederacy of Independent Systems sent forces to invade Rishi during the Clone Wars against the Galactic Republic , as exonium could be used to power their sonic weapon s and so they hoped to seize the Rishiis ' mines . In order to aid the primitive Rishii , the Republic and the Jedi Order sent Green Company , a group of clone troopers , to help the natives in retaking the mines ; however , when the troopers first arrived no Jedi General was available to command them and so they were ordered to wait until one arrived . Gwarrk , a Rishii chieftain , took command of the troops in the Jedis ' absence , and ignoring the command to wait , sent the clones in to attack the Geonosian warriors holding the mines . Due to the tactical advantage the Geonosians ' position gave the Separatists , the troopers were unable to defeat them and the attack was eventually called off when Jedi Master Kit Fisto arrived . Fisto then lead an attack on the Separatist position alone , being covered by a clone sniper designated 2242 . Once the Geonosians in the valley leading up to the mine were despatched , the remaining Republic and Rishii forces moved in to back up the Jedi , and the mine was quickly reclaimed , leading Gwarrk to greatly respect Fisto . Rishii in the galaxy . In his travels of the galaxy the Shi ' ido sentientologist Mammon Hoole encountered members of the Rishii species and memorized their form , later shapeshifting into a Rishii to escape from a number of Hutt - employed Ganks . A Rishii known as Nazish became a member of the group known as the Zulirian Swordmasters , and mastered the combat style of Trispzest , which was developed by the S ' kytri Force - sensitive Kharys . The form focused on the use of flight against an opponent , and following Kharys death in 0 BBY Nazish was left as one of only two beings who knew the style , the other being the Dark Jedi Maw . Behind the scenes . Rishii were first mentioned in " Dark Force Rising " , a book written by Timothy Zahn and published in 1992 . The species were then depicted for the first time and given a more detailed description in the " Dark Force Rising Sourcebook " written by Bill Slavicsek for West End Games ' " " in 1993 . The first Rishii character to be named in a source was Nazish in 2005 in the fourth entry in the " The Dark Forces Saga " , a supplement written for Wizards of the Coast ' s " Star Wars Roleplaying Game " by Abel G . Peña and Jason Fry . The first appearance of the species was not until Free Comic Book Day in 2009 when the comic book " " was released , with illustration by Ramón Pérez and writing by Henry Gilroy . In their first appearance the species name was spelt as " Rishi " , the same as the name of their homeworld , but in all subsequent sources it was spelt " Rishii " apart from the 1998 video game " " which also used the Rishi spelling .