Lasat

This article is about the species. You may be looking for the language.

"The Boosahn Keeraw, the Lasat warrior way. When one is defeated by a superior foe, he gifts his weapon."

―Garazeb Orrelios to Alexsandr Kallus on a Lasat tradition^[9]

Lasats were a humanoid sentient species native to the Wild Space planet Lira San, though the species had settled the Outer Rim world of Lasan. The Lasat were thought to have been driven to the brink of extinction when many of their species were attacked and killed by the Galactic Empire in the siege of Lasan; however, in Wild Space, there were actually millions living on their original, isolated homeworld. Notable members of the species included Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, a major player in the early rebellion against the Empire, and Jaro Tapal of the Jedi Order.

Biology and appearance

"You some kind of hairless Wookiee?"

―Ezra Bridger, to Garazeb Orrelios^[10]

Zeb Stormtrooper Fathead — Lasats were known for their great strength.

A humanoid sentient species, Lasats were notable for their impressive height, strength, and agility,^[2] with their muscular^[11] digitigrade^[12] legs enabling them to run faster, jump higher and farther, and move more quietly than humans.^[11]

Their large finger pads^[12] and prehensile toes^[11] assisted them in climbing. In addition, their large eyes and ears afforded them superior sight and hearing over humans and other humanoids.^[12] They had the strength to open a powered-down blast door.^[13] A height of two meters tall was considered below-average for a Lasat.^[8]

The fur patterns of a Lasat varied from individual to individual, and could change as they aged.^[14] No two Lasat had the same striping.^[15] Some humans considered a Lasat's strong odor unbearably offensive.^[16]

Society and culture

"The Fool, simple and selfish, he would lead the Warrior, bold and bloodthirsty, to hunt the hope of tomorrow, the Child, to destroy him! We will find our new home only if the Child saves the Warrior and the Fool."

―Chava the Wise^[6]

Zeb using bo-rifle — Bo-rifles were a tradition in Lasat culture

Within the species, those with fighting skills were highly respected, and they were^[1] often members of the Lasan High Honor Guard,^[11] a group of highly trained, highly intelligent warriors^[2] sworn to protect their homeworld of Lasan.^[7] Bo-rifles were a long-standing tradition in Lasat culture. They were used exclusively by the Honor Guard of Lasan.^[11] The warrior way of the Lasat was called Boosahn Keeraw. When a Lasat was bested by a superior opponent in combat, they would give them their weapon.^[9]

Facial hair was an important status symbol in Lasat culture.^[11] Those with green eyes and prominent purple stripes were considered to be attractive by others of their species.^[12] Juvenile Lasat were noted to climb tree branches often. The species spoke Lasat, a language whose r's were difficult to replicate by most other species.^[8]

On Lasan, time was measured by counting how many of their homeworld's dust seasons they had survived through.^[8] The Lasat believed in the Ashla, a "spirit of the galaxy" and a personification of the Force. Using a Bo-rifle, a Lasat was able to channel the Force to see the past and future events.^[9] The spiritual leaders of the Lasat people on Lasan were called the Revered Masters, who often carried around Ashla Staffs—staffs with a special connection to the Ashla.^[17]

History

"Do you know what a T-7 disruptor is, what it does to an organic being?"
"Uh, no..."
"Well, Zeb knows. Because it's what the Imperials used on his people when they cleared his homeworld. Very few Lasats survived. And none remain on Lasan."

―Hera Syndulla tells Ezra Bridger about the Fall of Lasan^[7]

Chava and Gron as prisoners — The Lasats Chava and Gron were held prisoner by the Empire.

Lasats were native to the planet Lira San, beyond a collapsed star cluster in Wild Space. At an unknown point in time, a group of Lasats colonized the Outer Rim world of Lasan. Over the years, their homeworld was reduced to myth.^[8] During the Clone Wars, a galaxy-spanning conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems,^[18] at least one Lasat, Jaro Tapal, was a member of the Jedi Order and participated in the conflict.^[4] However, the Lasat species as a whole did not participate in the war.^[18]

At the war's conclusion, the Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire.^[19] During its reign, the Empire devastated Lasan by destroying the High Honor Guard, the royal family, and killing nearly all members of the species.^[7] The Wookiees had attempted to prevent the massacre. This came at the cost of many of their own lives.^[10] Since then, Lasats were rarely seen in the galaxy, and no Lasat survivor remained on their homeworld. In their conquest of Lasan, T-7 ion disruptor rifles were used extensively by the Empire. This led to a strong hatred and distrust of such weapons by Lasat survivors.^[7] Many of those who survived the fall were later enslaved or killed by the Empire.^[8]

JaroTapalClear-JediSurvivor — Jaro Tapal, a Jedi General during the Clone Wars.

Following this, Lasat culture fell into decline, and only a few remained who could properly speak their native tongue.^[8] The bo-rifle, like the lightsaber of the Jedi Order, became another symbol of a dying age.^[11]

Fifteen years after the birth of the Empire, three of the last remaining Lasats in the wider galaxy embarked on a quest to find the legendary Lira San with the help of the rebellion. They succeeded by using ancient Lasat technology in a Bo-rifle to shield the Ghost from being torn apart by the collapsed star cluster blocking their way, and, with the help of Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus, guided them through the Force to the true homeworld. The Lasats in the wider galaxy regained contact with their original homeworld and Lira San became a safe haven for other survivors of the Lasan genocide.^[6]

Lasats in the galaxy and history

"Honestly, Agent Kallus, I didn't think there were any Lasats left."
"A few, Minister. Only a few."

―Minister Maketh Tua and Agent Alexsandr Kallus^[7]

During the High Republic Era, Barkov was a Lasat member of the Path of the Open Hand cult, within which he served as one of the Children.^[20] The Lasat Isamer was a leader of the criminal organization Directorate. He kidnapped two royals from planets Eiram and E'ronoh.^[21]

During the Clone Wars in the waning years of the Galactic Republic, the Lasat Jedi Master Jaro Tapal served as Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Republic and commanded the 13th Battalion of clone troopers.^[4]

Zeb stormtrooper nightmare — Zeb Orrelios enjoyed beating up stormtroopers.

Following the fall of Lasan, very few Lasats were left in the known galaxy, and of those who survived, most were enslaved by the Empire.^[8] They were forced to become a colonial species that migrated and adapted to dominate many worlds.^[22] A notable Lasat was Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, Captain of the Lasan High Honor Guard. The destruction of his homeworld by the Empire motivated him to become a member of a rebel cell based on the planet Lothal and fight to end the Empire's tyranny.^[11] His grandmother was another of the few Lasat that survived the genocide.^[8] Some other known survivors of the genocide were Orrelios's fellow Lasan High Honor member Gron and the Lasat mystic Chava.^[6] Other survivors included the pirates Grox^[23] and Zandarreo who was enslaved by Grakkus Jahibakti Tingi as gladiators.^[5]

Because of their scarcity^[10] and similarities in their size and strength,^[8] Lasats were often taken for Wookiees by some. While some Lasats felt indebted to the Wookiees for them helping fight the Empire during the fall, they despised such comparisons^[10] as they felt that it didn't do their own species justice.^[8]

A Lasat named Grox was the leader of a pirate crew aboard a cruiser during the Galactic Civil War, the crew regularly selling scavenged goods to the Tech Masters, who paid well for their work.^[23]

Behind the scenes

"It's going to be exciting to develop him and his bizarre new species, and to explain to the audience where he came from, and the details, the personal nature of what happened with him."

―Executive Producer Dave Filoni, on Garazeb Orrelios and the Lasats^[24]

ChewieConceptArt — Ralph McQuarrie's concept artwork for Chewbacca, as a smuggler or a bounty hunter.

The appearance of the Lasat species is based on early concept drawings by Ralph McQuarrie for the character that became Chewbacca.^[25]

While the first canon appearance of the species was in Star Wars Rebels, it had previously appeared (also based on McQuarrie's concept art) in Tatooine Manhunt, a Star Wars Roleplaying Game adventure that is now designated as part of Star Wars Legends.

For a period of time during the development of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Dryden Vos was intended to be a Lasat.^[26]