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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Fanclub EU Alien Diversity Appreciation Thread

Discussion in 'EU Community' started by gizkaspice, Dec 8, 2013.

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  1. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    I would like to find out more about the cha’a. We see one in Tales of the Jedi and know that at least three of them studied on Luke's academy
    [​IMG]
     
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  2. gizkaspice

    gizkaspice Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2013
    A few reasons for this:
    1) Apparently humans are incapable of relating to non-anthropomorphic aliens
    2) SW, like other sci-fi franchises, is written from a human perspective for a human audience
    3) the scary aliens are usually non-anthropomorphic because we tend to fear what is not like us..I would say, it is our human mentality getting in the way of designing more non-anthropomorphic aliens

    To me, the Rakata of KOTOR (the game) are believable aliens with minimal anthropomorphism. They may be bipedal, but they barely look "human-like" to me and the eyestalks gross people out (non-human-like face). In TOR, they become more humanoid and DOTJ just beefs them up to the extreme. How do you go from this....[​IMG]........

    .................to Rakata on steroids in DOTJ? Because obviously they're supposed to be alien to us.

    The Ergesh are very alien and non-anthropomorphic..in fact, I would say they would fit right in with hard-sci-fi. However, they do still speak Basic, so again there is that element where they need to relate to us somehow so we can interact with them.

    I would say the most "alien" alien in SW would probably be the Gree, but cephalopod-like aliens or otherwise "tentacles for arms" aliens are as overused in sci-fi as anthropomorphic aliens.

    Gamiel Oh, that's obviously just an ornamental wig. ;):p
     
  3. spicer

    spicer Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2012
    Speaking of bizarre aliens in SW, I can't remember the name of the jellyfish/brain looking Jedi Master in TOTJ. Anyone can help me?
    Well, the Rakata that we see in DOTJ are pretty much "pure" evil, serving the dark side, and all they care is power, while the ones in KOTOR (at least those that help Revan enter the temple on Lehon) have abandoned much of the old ways. So, the Rakata in DOTJ should (and do) look scarier than those in KOTOR.
     
  4. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    I think it is Ooroo, he was a celegian
    [​IMG]


    On nice non-humanoid non-humans there is Tchuukthai
    [​IMG]
     
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  5. gizkaspice

    gizkaspice Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2013
    I dislike the way they are portrayed in DOTJ because we are only getting one perspective of what the Infinite Empire is like, and we are getting that from the ones who govern it (the Predors, etc). Obviously, I get that they're supposed to be the villains of the series, but we never get what other Rakata are like (the other classes, the average citizen, etc..) except that they're all evil and they eat each other and all they do is kill and enslave everything. That's like taking a snapshot from human history and saying, "Oh, look at those humans! they're so evil! killing and destroying everything!" without considering anything else about our historical culture.

    Also, Rakata cannot just be "pure evil"--obviously, if they were able to form a civilization, they had to cooperate. They have to find mates, have offspring, teach their offspring vital skills, probably have an education system, understand how the sciences work to build their machinery, have forms of art--in essence, have culture as is expectant with any sapient species. They can't just be going around killing and eating each other every 5 minutes, that doesn't make any sense. How were they able to leave descendents 30,000 years later?

    The Elders of KOTOR even mention "the wonders of the Infinite Empire"..which indicates there were, at least, good things about it that DOTJ never explores because it's so heavily trying to drill into our minds how evil these aliens are. I'm sure not every Rakatan even agreed with the policies of the Infinite Empire--isn't that why there was a Rakatan civil war?

    I admit I like how Rakata in DOTJ have sharp teeth because obviously they are carnivores and that single skull in Force Storm really gives insights about their adaptations as predators. The fact they have cannibalistic habits isn't even a surprise because carnivores tend to slide towards that extreme spectrum of the food chain. As a society, they can either consider this taboo(as the Elders of KOTOR) or embrace it to fuel their corrupted Social-Darwinism views (as the Infinite Empire in DOTJ does).
    I'm also sure the Rakata in KOTOR had sharp teeth as in DOTJ, but they just weren't going around showing them off all the time (not that showing off sharp teeth is a bad thing...it may just scare everyone else away which obviously the Elders didn't want to do):p

    ..I just wish they weren't so humanoid in DOTJ. They looked fine in Force Storm and then they just got all buff it's silly....and we obviously also need light-side Force using Rakata at this point. I'd like to see that in DOTJ if the series continues.

    Whoa, sorry for the long rant! :oops: I got a bit carried away there.
     
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  6. spicer

    spicer Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2012
    Yep, Ooroo was the one I had on mind, and also Master Thon! How could I forget about him, he's one of my favorite Jedi from TOTJ.
    Maybe we will see more of the Rakata in future DOTJ issues. When you compare it to other series, like Republic/Dark Times, TOTJ, Legacy, KOTOR, Empire, etc. DOTJ is in it's beginning, I think there will be way more issues of DOTJ to explore a lot of things, including the Rakata.
     
  7. gizkaspice

    gizkaspice Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2013
    Hopefully...I would like to actually see a Rakata join the Je'daii... In Dark Times and Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison we get different perspectives..there are good humans/aliens, and bad humans/aliens....on both sides.

    All I want is at least one Rakata who disagrees with the policies, even if it ends up getting killed in the next panel. This would establish that the Infinite Empire has a tight control over their people. It's really not that hard.
    The first issue of Force War spent 3 pages showing, "oh look, they're so evil the females are even worse and Skal'nas is still hardcore evil" Unless I misinterpreted that, that's what I was getting. :rolleyes: That scene could have been more interesting with just a few changes.

    So basically, missed opportunities. Rakata may be a naturally aggressive species but they are still a people and people are individuals. We have a Flesh raider wanting to be a Jedi (TOR), a Muun who's a Sith Lord, Wookiees becoming mechanics, etc....So I don't get why DOTJ keeps insisting to show Rakata are all evil.
     
  8. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    Do we know how trandoshan architecture, ships, fashion and/or culture look like? How do they look like when they want to look pretty?


    Maybe they are a bit to human but Jedi vs Sith introduced some hellenistic inspired species that I would love to find out more about.
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
    and just because I like the pic
    [​IMG]


    I would also want to know more about the Chironian; a species that don't even have a full body shot:(
    So lets use my favorite Lusa fan art by RogueDragon:)
    [​IMG]
     
  9. spicer

    spicer Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 14, 2012
    One of the reasons I don't like Jedi vs Sith much is that they pretty much copy pasted creatures from hellenistic mythology. They didn't eve try to make them feel like they are from the SW universe (at least to me).
     
  10. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    To me that is what I really like with Jedi vs Sith; it is something that make it feel more mythical and fantasy like. Too many authors seems, to me, to forget that SW is not true Science Fiction
     
  11. gizkaspice

    gizkaspice Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2013
    I'd say SW is more Sci-fi with a fantasy core. There are elements of sci-fi (both hard and soft sci-fi) and fantasy that provide everyone with something for their interests. We also have mammal/reptile/avian/etc people, so mythological-inspired aren't really that far-fetched. Not everyone's cup of tea, but it's there for anyone interested. Not a fan of it myself as I like the sci-fi elements more and bizarre aliens, but there are other fans who like it.

    Also, chironian with full body? fanart though....

    And...Pretty Trandoshans? Looks like out of their usual hunting outfits.
    [​IMG]
     
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  12. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

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    Dec 16, 2012
    Were is the pic from?
     
  13. gizkaspice

    gizkaspice Force Ghost star 4

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    Nov 27, 2013
    Gamiel concept art from the game SW Galaxies? not sure.

    And for the record, here's some "pretty" Rakata:
    Wait...what are they doing? They're having discussions and acting like a civilization? They don't just conquer and kill everything in sight? :p Maybe we'll get a scene like this in DOTJ because that would be awesome.

    [​IMG]

    They should have talons at the back of their calves, but otherwise very interesting fashion.
    ........they're discussing which slaves to serve at next week's buffet party. ;)

    This is from the TOR encyclopedia, if you're wondering.
     
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  14. spicer

    spicer Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 14, 2012
    WOW, that is a really cool picture
     
  15. gizkaspice

    gizkaspice Force Ghost star 4

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    Nov 27, 2013
    Yeah, I quite like it---it shows the golden age of the Infinite Empire and the book says this is the upper-class. It would be pretty cool if DOTJ showed them like this and how they were first shown in Force Storm (the first arc).

    Also, they ruled the galaxy for almost 5,000 years and I think this pic really shows that well.
     
  16. spicer

    spicer Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2012
    A really cool species, the Gen'Dai

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    They are near immortal (very hard to kill and live very very long), don't have a skeleton, only muscle which can change shape and size.
     
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  17. gizkaspice

    gizkaspice Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2013
    spicer Durge is hilarious with his remarks towards Jedi :p But since they don't have any skeleton, I wonder how they are able to maintain their shape standing up without any armor? Wouldn't they just fall?

    Also, happy holidays ya'll!

    Here's an Iyra:

    [​IMG]

    This one's a professor. They grow tentacles/eyestalks throughout their life and the number of tentacles determines their rank in society...the ones with only 4 limbs raise the kids.
    Also, they don't like bipedal aliens and are pretty arrogant in that way.

    Radial symmetry FTW!
     
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  18. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    What works have featured trandoshan/s in any bigger roles?
     
  19. spicer

    spicer Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 14, 2012
    I really can't remember a trandoshan with a big central role. Few that come to mind are Qyzen Fess from TOR and Slyssk from the KOTOR comics (love that guy :D). Also Bossk is very popular too.

    Here's a picture of Slyssk looking cool :D

    [​IMG]
     
  20. Mitth_Fisto

    Mitth_Fisto Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Okay, what are up with those knee mouths? Those are seriously cool!

    Also without armor standing up for a Gendai is more like two people standing up from laydown without using their arms and their backs stuck together, an exercise of muscles pulling against each other and in so doing, pulling each other up and swelling to push others up; that would be my guess.
     
  21. gizkaspice

    gizkaspice Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2013
    So....a form of muscular hydrostat? Basically different muscles working against each other for movement without a skeleton.

    I wish we could get a "The Science of SW Aliens" book....

    Maybe I should just write one....

    ...but then it'll end up being only about Rakata..............in SW-David Attenborough style.

    :p
     
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  22. spicer

    spicer Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 14, 2012
    DO IT!
     
  23. Mitth_Fisto

    Mitth_Fisto Chosen One star 6

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    Sep 29, 2005
    You could always use us as advisors to remind you of the other races ;)
     
  24. gizkaspice

    gizkaspice Force Ghost star 4

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    Nov 27, 2013
    :D
    I try, but they're a mysterious bunch.

    This might be an excerpt in Attenborough-style though.....

    Here on Ska Gora, a different Rakatan courtship takes place. We see a female yelling at a potential mate who is doing absolutely nothing to provoke her, seemingly confused what she is even yelling about. Even this far out in the galaxy, females are typically more aggressive during mating season and if the male accepts her proposal.....he better hope she doesn't decide to eat him later.....
    ........now DOTJ will never be the same. :p

    Mitth_Fisto What if the other races are mentioned in recipes?
     
  25. spicer

    spicer Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2012
    [quote="gizkaspice, post: 51217996, member: 1380901]

    Here on Ska Gora, a different Rakatan courtship takes place. We see a female yelling at a potential mate who is doing absolutely nothing to provoke her, seemingly confused what she is even yelling about. Even this far out in the galaxy, females are typically more aggressive during mating season and if the male accepts her proposal.....he better hope she doesn't decide to eat him later.....

    [/quote]

    I read that in David Attenborough's voice :p
     
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