Umbaran

"I can't even see the enemy!"
"That's why they're called the Shadow People, Tup!"

―Clone troopers Tup and Jesse during the Battle of Umbara^[6]

The Umbarans, also known as the Shadow People, were a near-human species native to the planet of Umbara. They were characterized by their pale, bluish skin and colorless eyes. In the waning decades of the Galactic Republic, the Umbarans were represented in the pan-galactic Senate by Mee Deechi. However, after Deechi's murder by senatorial aide Lolo Purs during the Clone Wars, they joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems, bringing their extremely advanced technology to the enemies of the Republic.

Biology and appearance

Deechi speaks — Mee Deechi, a male Umbaran

The Umbarans were a slender near-human^[2] species with pale, bluish skin. They had four limbs: two legs, and two arms with five-fingered hands. They had opposable thumbs, essential for throwing, gripping, and the use of tools.^[6] Umbarans had gaunt, emaciated faces with gray markings around the sockets of their colorless eyes.^[4] They had a single heart, the stabbing of which was a fatal injury.^[7] Although Umbarans did have hair,^[4] some of them either were bald or shaved their heads.^[8] Because of the species' skill at manipulating others, there were rumors that Umbarans had the ability to control minds.^[2] With their colorless eyes, they were capable of seeing in the ultraviolet spectrum.^[9]

Society and culture

UmbaranSoldier-MF61 — Umbaran Militia members wore helmets containing gas to enhance their reflexes.

On their gloomy homeworld of Umbara, the so-called Shadow People formed an organized society divided into castes, and they constantly schemed to improve their social rank.^[2] Their technology was more advanced than that found in most of the galaxy.^[10] Though Umbarans were capable of speaking Galactic Basic Standard,^[4] on their homeworld they primarily communicated in their native language, which had an alphabet that consisted of twenty-six letters.^[5] A traditional Umbaran garment was the voluminous shadow cloak.^[11]

History

"Umbara was one of the major Separatist planets. The locals fought pretty hard, and got stomped pretty solidly. Hard to believe they'd want to go through that again."

―Eli Vanto — 20?cb=20250116042720

▶️ (file info)^[12]

Pokkit-SWCT — Pokkit, a female Umbaran bounty hunter during the New Republic era.

Umbarans evolved on Umbara, a foggy and dangerous planet^[1] located in the eponymous solar system of the Ghost Nebula sector.^[6] Since the founding of the Galactic Republic, they were members of that democratic government.^[13] As such, they were represented in the Galactic Senate by senators, such as Mee Deechi.^[14] However, they were more than willing to break away from the greater Republic in the name of serving Umbara's interests.^[13] Ten years after the Invasion of Naboo, an Umbaran female named Sly Moore served as an aide to Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, leader of the Galactic Senate of the Republic.^[15]

Around that time, the Sith Lord Dooku created the Confederacy of Independent Systems, an alliance of solar systems that no longer felt in tune with the Republic. During the ensuing Clone Wars, the Umbarans stayed loyal to the Republic. However, after Deechi's assassination, they seceded from the Republic and joined the Separatist Alliance. The advanced weaponry of their militia gave the Confederacy an edge on the battlefield as clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic were tasked with conquering Umbara.^[1] Despite the betrayal of Jedi General Pong Krell, the Republic got the upper hand when his Jedi colleague Obi-Wan Kenobi took the capital city of Umbara.^[16] At the end of the war, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine proclaimed himself Galactic Emperor.^[8] In the height of the First Galactic Empire, Umbaran technology had been appropriated for use in the Imperial Military.^[17]

Five years after the creation of Empire, the crime syndicate Haxion Brood was led by the Umbaran Sorc Tormo. Due to debts that Greez Dritus had with the syndicate, a bounty hunter in the service of the criminal organization captured Dritus' fellow Jedi, Cal Kestis. Tormo made Kestis fight several wild creatures and the bounty hunter who captured him in an arena as a show. After Kestis' colleagues invaded the arena to rescue him, Tormo said he would chase them through the galaxy if necessary.^[18]