Shaliz ' Na The Shaliz ' Na were a sentient species native to the planet Shar ' Ack . The species had large wings , some with wingspans of 12 foot , and their bodies were covered in a fine down . Shaliz ' na placed a premium on art of all forms , from music to sculptures to paintings . As a species , they were addicted to alcohol , and when conquered by the Galactic Empire , liquor was strictly controlled on the world . Some members of the species left their homeworld in an attempt to break their addiction ; the musician Tyric was one such Shaliz ' Na , eventually joining the Alliance to Restore the Republic in its struggle to overthrow the Empire . Biology and appearance . The Shaliz ' Na were a sentient species with large , feathered wings . Their bodies were muscular and covered in light down . Their facial features were Human - like , with head hair that was black in at least some cases . Some Shaliz ' Na grew this down to their shoulders , held back by a patterned headband . They had talon - like fingernails , which were dexterous enough to play a synthesizer . The Shaliz ' Na Tyric was 2 . 14 meters tall with a wing span of 12 foot . Society and culture . The Shaliz ' Na were a species of artisans , holding artworks of all forms in the deepest regard . Some , like Tyric , were prepared to take significant personal risks to protect that which they considered art . When offworld , Tyric would even accept sculptures , paintings , and other ornamental objects in lieu of credits . As opposed to the laser technology common across the galaxy , the Shaliz ' Na developed chemically - propelled weapons , including slugthrowers and mini - submachinegun s . Shaliz ' Na wore clothes such as open shirts , with short sleeves decorated with hanging tassels , pants , belts and patterned headbands . The Shaliz ' Na were addicted to alcohol , and the Galactic Empire enslaved the world and their exclusive control over all liquor manufactured and imported to the planet helped maintain their control over the natives . History . The Shaliz ' Na evolved on the planet Shar ' Ack , located in the Shar ' Ack system of the Atrivis sector . The species became addicted to alcohol . When their forested homeworld was conquered by the Galactic Empire and the Shaliz ' Na enslaved , alcohol became strictly controlled . That led to some members of the species leaving their world to recover from alcoholism . One such traveler was the musician Tyric , who devoted himself to traveling and music to try and break his addiction . He found support from Kelly Vermillion , a half - Human / half - Orlak , and together with two others , they formed the crew of the starship " Menagerie " . The group joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic , making its mark on the resistance movement . In that supportive environment , Tyric eventually recovered from his alcoholism . Behind the scenes . The Shaliz ' Na were created by Joe Littrell for the article " " , published in " Polyhedron 59 " . An illustration was commissioned from Andrew Ellis to accompany the article , but due to space constraints , was instead published as part of the article " " in " Polyhedron 63 " . At that time , the " Polyhedron " magazine was unaffiliated with LucasBooks , rendering its canon status ambiguous . In 2009 , the species ' home star system was referenced in the appendix of " The Essential Atlas " ; however , according to Jason Fry , " its inclusion shouldn ' t be taken as a statement of canonicity for anything except the geography . "