The Anzati: Star Wars Vampires
The Anzati are an alien race in the Star Wars universe probably inspired by vampires. These mysterious aliens have many characteristics in common with vampires: they hunger for the life force of other beings, subdue their victims with mind control, live for millennia, are incredibly fast and strong, and have no pulse.
Does this mean we'll be seeing a Star Wars vampire romance novel anytime soon? Hopefully not.
The Anzati may sometimes be cultured and civilized, but they are gruesome, frightening creatures. They don't even consume their victims' live force through pseudo-sexual biting, like traditional vampires; instead, they insert tentacles through the victims' noses and suck out their brains.
The Anzati evolved on the planet Anzat. The Silent Voices, an aura in Anzat's sky, was believed to be made up of ancestral spirits and helped shape Anzati culture. The Anzati may have been one of the earliest races to master space travel. They allied with the Sith Empire during the Jedi Civil War (3,959-3,956 BBY), but remained unaligned during later conflicts between the Jedi and the Sith.
Anzati biology is mysterious, primarily because scientists have rarely had an opportunity to study them. It seems that they have no heartbeat and no body heat; no one is quite sure how their bodies function. They have specially adapted sensory organs to help them hunt their prey, and have developed telepathic abilities to control their minds.
Although basically human in appearance, the Anzati have one non-human trait: two long, prehensile tentacles emerging from the sides of their face. They use these tentacles to consume their victims' life force -- called "soup," "Sea of Memory," or "luck" -- through the nose. For this reason, the Anzati have been disparagingly referred to by some fans as "snot vampires." Unlike traditional vampires, however, they cannot transform their victims into Anzati.
Though the Anzati do not believe in the Force, they recognize that Jedi and other Force-sensitive beings made more satisfying meals than the weak-willed. Some Jedi believe that by consuming the minds of Force-sensitive beings, an Anzat can grow more connected to the Force.
Some Anzati have even become Jedi themselves. Volfe Karkko was a rare Anzat who had never consumed "soup," believing he had trained himself to rise above such base urges. When he eventually fed on another being, he fell to the dark side. Another Anzat Jedi was Nikkos Tyris, a Dark Jedi trainee under Count Dooku.
The first Anzati in Star Wars canon was Dannik Jerriko, a bounty hunter who appeared in the Cantina Scene in Episode IV: A New Hope. His backstory is explored in the short story "Soup's On: The Pipe Smoker's Tale," by Jennifer Roberson, which appears in the short story collection Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina (Bantam Spectra, 1995).
Does this mean we'll be seeing a Star Wars vampire romance novel anytime soon? Hopefully not.
The Anzati may sometimes be cultured and civilized, but they are gruesome, frightening creatures. They don't even consume their victims' live force through pseudo-sexual biting, like traditional vampires; instead, they insert tentacles through the victims' noses and suck out their brains.
History
The Anzati evolved on the planet Anzat. The Silent Voices, an aura in Anzat's sky, was believed to be made up of ancestral spirits and helped shape Anzati culture. The Anzati may have been one of the earliest races to master space travel. They allied with the Sith Empire during the Jedi Civil War (3,959-3,956 BBY), but remained unaligned during later conflicts between the Jedi and the Sith.
Biology
Anzati biology is mysterious, primarily because scientists have rarely had an opportunity to study them. It seems that they have no heartbeat and no body heat; no one is quite sure how their bodies function. They have specially adapted sensory organs to help them hunt their prey, and have developed telepathic abilities to control their minds.
Although basically human in appearance, the Anzati have one non-human trait: two long, prehensile tentacles emerging from the sides of their face. They use these tentacles to consume their victims' life force -- called "soup," "Sea of Memory," or "luck" -- through the nose. For this reason, the Anzati have been disparagingly referred to by some fans as "snot vampires." Unlike traditional vampires, however, they cannot transform their victims into Anzati.
The Anzati and the Jedi
Though the Anzati do not believe in the Force, they recognize that Jedi and other Force-sensitive beings made more satisfying meals than the weak-willed. Some Jedi believe that by consuming the minds of Force-sensitive beings, an Anzat can grow more connected to the Force.
Some Anzati have even become Jedi themselves. Volfe Karkko was a rare Anzat who had never consumed "soup," believing he had trained himself to rise above such base urges. When he eventually fed on another being, he fell to the dark side. Another Anzat Jedi was Nikkos Tyris, a Dark Jedi trainee under Count Dooku.
First Appearance
The first Anzati in Star Wars canon was Dannik Jerriko, a bounty hunter who appeared in the Cantina Scene in Episode IV: A New Hope. His backstory is explored in the short story "Soup's On: The Pipe Smoker's Tale," by Jennifer Roberson, which appears in the short story collection Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina (Bantam Spectra, 1995).
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