Ghest / Legends Ghests , also known as swamp demons , were a large reptilian species native to the swamps of the planet Rodia . Instead of bone , the species had cartilaginous skeletons . The sentient Rodians , who feared the predators because they sometimes attacked entire primitive Rodian villages , originally believed ghests to be responsible for carrying away the soul s of the dead . Ghests hunted by swimming slowly along the surface of the water and lashing out at their prey , usually large herbivores , often swallowing them in one bite . When mating , ghests performed a courtship ritual that proved their strength to the partner . A ghest mother guarded her young after reproduction , as the sire would simply eat them on sight . As Rodian culture developed , the ghest population diminished both as a result of hunting , particularly by those Rodians known as ghestslayer s , and the industrialization of Rodia ' s environment . By the time the Galactic Republic made contact with Rodia , the predators were nearly extinct . In an attempt to save the species , some wealthy Rodians attempted to introduce ghest populations onto other worlds . A ghest attacked the crew of the New Republic CR90 corvette " FarStar " on the planet Danoor in 8 ABY . Biology and appearance . Ghests were a non - sentient species of predatory reptile with cartilaginous skeletons . They possessed a pair of bulbous , featureless eyes and a maw full of razor - sharp teeth surrounded by a patch of bumpy , differently shaded skin . Their head was located at the end of a long , slender body , which was , on average , six meters in length . They possessed slick skin , a tail , and four relatively thin limbs : two forelimbs and two larger hindlimbs , all ending in four thick , clawed digits . Where the forelimbs attached to the body beneath the head , the skin was particularly wrinkled . The species had two sexes and reproduced sexually ; indeed , the females could even extract and use sperm from dead male members of the species . Once fertilized , a female laid hundreds of eggs . These eggs developed into juvenile ghests , which appeared as much smaller versions of their parents . Juveniles grew into a pre - adult stage before reaching full maturity . Behavior . Ghests lived in the swamps and bayous of their homeworld of Rodia , where they usually hunted large species of herbivore . They could walk on their hind limbs while on land but hunted and mated while submerged in water . Ghests swam slowly when hunting , keeping all but their eyes and forehead submerged below the surface until they spotted prey . Upon seeing a target , a ghest sprang forward , attacked with teeth and claws , and generally consumed the prey in a single bite . However , it was not unknown for ghests to attack small settlements belonging to the sentient Rodian species , also native to Rodia ; during some such attacks , the ghest devoured all residents within a few hours . The ghests had no natural predators on Rodia , although Rodians did sometimes hunt them . When mating , ghests performed a courtship ritual that was a mixture of dance and combat . Both ghests involved tried to prove they were of equal strength to the other , as only individuals of matching prowess made suitable mates . Behavioral zoologist s hypothesized that the fighting was at least partially due to each ghest ' s urge to stop other ghests from reproducing , which conflicted with their own desire to mate . Female ghests generally fought harder than males , and if a female killed her partner , she could still extract his sperm and reproduce . If a female died in a fight , though , no reproduction could take place . After mating , the pair split apart and moved away from each other at top speed due to a natural instinct to prevent the male from meeting and devouring his offspring . Alone , the female laid her eggs in a small pool and then protected them while they developed . Upon hatching , juvenile ghests fed on each other , ensuring only the strongest survived to the pre - adult stage . Those that lived then buried themselves in mud to hide from their mother , who would consume any juvenile ghests she saw outside the pool in the event that it was not one of her own offspring . Once all of the ghests in a pool were dead or hidden , the mother lost interest and departed . At that point , the pre - adults were free to emerge safely and leave . History . During the early development of the Rodian species , ghests stood above the sentient Rodians in the food chain , as Rodians could not match the predators in size or ferocity . Due to the danger ghests posed over the centuries of the Rodians ' early history , the predators came to hold an important place in Rodian myths and legends . Rodians sometimes knew ghests as swamp demons , and ancient Rodians believed that ghests captured the spirits of the dead ; thus , sightings of the species were considered bad omens . Killing a ghest was believed to remove a curse , such as a drought or famine , so groups of male Rodians sometimes banded together to ritually hunt down a ghest and kill it . As Rodians could not physically compete with the beasts , they instead outsmarted them , eventually developing weapons and tools that could be used to stake out areas of jungle and defend them from ghests and other predators . As Rodian culture developed , much of the folklore surrounding the ghest was diminished , but they were still often used as demons in Rodian Theater , with an entire genre named " Ghest " focusing on the ancient attacks on Rodian villages . Hunting ghests became more common as Rodian civilization developed , and some Rodians came to work as ghestslayer s ; the ghestslayer Kalon Lenitor was considered legendary . Due to such hunting and the industrialization of Rodia , ghests slowly became less common in their natural habitat as the Rodians became more advanced . By the time that scouts from the Galactic Republic first discovered Rodia and introduced the Rodians to space travel , the ghests were on the verge of extinction . To combat the decline of the ghest population on their homeworld , some wealthy Rodians attempted to introduce populations of juvenile ghests to other planets , where they might survive . During the Galactic Civil War between the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Empire , the Rodian Entukan Yesosko was the leading actress in ghest plays . Ghests in the galaxy . The Trandoshan hunter Qyzen Fess , who lived during the Cold War between the Republic and the Sith Empire , hunted several ghests during his career . Over three thousand years later , by 8 ABY , at least one ghest had been transplanted to the planet Danoor in the Kathol Outback region of the galaxy . The ghest lived in the murky rainwater that filled a series of durasteel tunnels once used as an irrigation system for farmland but abandoned after the city of Eror Zeen was built on the fields . At one point , the creature attacked several crew members of the New Republic CR90 corvette " FarStar " while they were making their way through the tunnels with the navigator Makezh . Also during the New Republic ' s reign , the big - game hunter War ' qi claimed to have fought a ghest on Rodia using a BlasTech Firearc49 Speargun , an experience he supposedly enjoyed . The claim was included as a note posted on an entry for the weapon in an arms datalog created by the Corellian arms dealer known as Gundark . Behind the scenes . Ghests were first mentioned in " Creatures of the Galaxy " , a sourcebook released in 1994 for West End Games ' " " . Ghests were first designed by Peter Venters , who created the illustration shown in the book , which was then given to writer Chuck Truett so he could create the creature ' s backstory and rules based on the image . Ghests also made an appearance in " The Kathol Outback " adventure " Galaxy ' s Edge " , released in 1996 , in which one was illustrated by Dan Day and David Day . In the adventure , a ghest attacks the players , although they are left with the decision of whether to kill it or simply escape from it , with no preferred method indicated .