Swokes Swokes

The Swokes Swokes were a sentient species native to the Outer Rim planet of Makem Te. Large, stocky creatures, they had sharp, protruding teeth, perpetually grinning mouths, a series of horns crowning their pallid heads, one to three nostrils, and no hair. Some members of the species had long, heavy, spiked tails. Swokes Swokes had the ability to regenerate lost body parts, an ability that afforded them considerable bravado on the battlefield. Death was a prominent aspect of their culture; indeed, the Tract was an enormous expanse of tombs and crypts on their homeworld that supported a major part of the planetary economy and was visible from space. The Swokes Swokes viewed jewelry as a status symbol and often had gems implanted close to vital organs. Most Swokes Swokes were religious zealots. Makem Te society had little advanced technology. Builders relied on sturdy yet delicate-looking cast iron for their primary construction material, and transport often relied on domesticated serpentine creatures called schingas.

A coalition of royal families known as the Congress of Caliphs ruled the species' homeworld. The planet and its natives escaped widespread attention from the greater galaxy until scientists from the Galactic Republic discovered rich veins of ore and spice on the world and brokered a mining deal with the planetary government. The introduction of galactic technology set off a wave of social unrest on Makem Te, disturbing the tradition-minded people and spurring several religious schisms. The Temple of the Beatific Razor, a violence-worshiping sect, attracted enough adherents to challenge the authority of the aristocracy. Over the next few decades, the caliphs called in the aid of a succession of multi-system governments as their allegiances swung from one political pole to another: first the Galactic Republic—a body in which the species was represented at the time of the Invasion of Naboo—then the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and finally the Galactic Empire. The Swokes Swokes never joined the New Republic, although they did establish relations with the New Jedi Order.

Text and facts from the “Swokes Swokes/Legends” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.