INFO: Arcona, sometimes singular Arconan, were scaleless reptiles with humanoid bodies. Hailing from the desert planet of Cona in the Teke Ro system, they had poor eyesight, despite their large eyes, and had a small organ between their eyes which, often mistaken for their nose, helped them to see.
An Arcona's lifespan was roughly the same as a Human's. The Arcona lived in a family based community, where the males took care of the young, as the females were generally reckless and thrill-seeking. Despite not being a particularly technological species, by the time the Galactic Empire rose to power Arcona could be seen in every corner of the galaxy. They were also notorious for their easy addiction to common salt.
RACE: Arcona
HEIGHT: 1.8 to 2.0 Meters Tall
SKIN: Ebony to mahogany (Eye Color: Green or Gold)
DISTINCTION: Scaleless reptilians. Flat anvil-shaped heads
LANGUAGE: Arconese, Galactic Basic
HOMEWORLD:Cona had a lush, tropical environment. Thanks to the lack of planetary axial tilt and temperature-distributing air currents, the climate remained effectively constant across the entire planet—hot and dense. The atmosphere had a high concentration of ammonia, which permeated the planet's jungles. Oxygen was found in Cona's bedrock.
Water was hard to find on Cona, and what little there was on the world was collected and stored by native plant life. The Arcona, living in small, low-tech communities on Cona, harvested the water from plant pods. Cona was home to many of the galaxy's largest mining companies, and some smaller ones like Nemlor Minerals. The Arcona sold mining rights to these firms in exchange for vast shipments of water. The planet also had impressive starports. It is said that the ammonia-filled jungles of Cona were home to Star Dragons.
In 50 BBY, prospectors introduced salt on Cona. Salt addiction remained a problem for Arcona in the following decades. A salt smuggling operation was stopped by Stass Allie on 22 BBY.
During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Cona was attacked by the Yuuzhan Vong and the Ailon Nova Guard.
BIOLOGY AND APPEARANCE:The Arcona had flat, anvil-shaped heads, sharp claws, clear, marble-like eyes, and skin tone that ranged from mahogany to ebony. Cona, the native planet of the Arcona, was always hot, and had very little water. The atmosphere was filled with ammonia vapor. The Arcona adapted to this environment by eating the ammonia-converting roots of the complex flora of Cona as a source of water (the only water planet-wide). The Arcona depended on the ammonia to live and, as a result, Arcona living offworld had to take ammonia supplements.
Despite their bulbous eyes, the Arcona had very poor eyesight. Their eyes could not detect fine shapes; and so they only saw blurry objects. To aid their poor eyesight, the Arcona had a small diamond shaped sensory organ between their eyes. Often mistaken for their nose, this organ detected heat patterns from living beings. Thus, the Arcona could recognize someone or something by its heat pattern. Like many reptiles, the Arcona had olfactory organs located in their ever moving tongues. This helped them distinguish objects in their environment that they otherwise could not make out and also gave them a keen sense of smell.
Arcona females were considered far more reckless and free-spirited than their male counterparts, and so the males usually raised the children. Arconas took much time courting a partner, and the commitment to marry was also a commitment to parent. Arconas were highly susceptible to salt addiction, which served as a hallucinogen. Their eyes shifted from green to gold after prolonged addiction. The Arcona lived in loose, family-based communities called nests, which were ruled by a Grand Nest.
CULTURE AND HISTORY:Before they made contact with other beings, the Arcona were not technologically advanced. Although they eventually used sentient technology, they never developed any of their own. When scouts from the Old Republic first arrived on Cona, many Arcona were extremely enthusiastic about exploring the galaxy. Oftentimes, whole communities sought to travel off-world. As a consequence, Arconan colonies were quite common throughout the galaxy. After becoming used to other species' technology not present on Cona, the Arconan were commonly seen in every spaceport in the galaxy.
Before the Great Jedi Purge, many force-sensitive Arcona joined the Jedi Order.
SALT ADDICTION:Offworlders initially traded water for mineral rights, but soon discovered that salt was a highly addictive hallucinogen for the Arcona. Traders then imported large amounts of salt before communities outlawed the dealings. In the long run, it was only the Republic that saved the Arcona from pandemic addiction, passing laws which punished salt sales on Cona. Salt-addicted Arcona could be easily recognized because their eyes turned from green to gold. Because of the large number of addicts, many people believed that the natural Arconan eye color was gold. Arcona females made up the main bulk of the addicts, due to their free-spirited nature.
THE NEW ORDER:Many Arcona were vocal supporters of the New Order, when they learned of its desire to form a united galaxy. This concept fit their notions of a perfect society.
LIFESTYLE:Arcona normally thought of themselves as a whole. They often referred to themselves as "we" even when only one was present. Because Arcona were born in nests underground they obtained a close sense of family living in close quarters with brothers and sisters.
LANGUAGE:Arcona spoke Arconese on their home planet of Cona. However, on off-world colonies, Arconan young were rarely taught Arconese, as they could learn Basic easily.
APPEARANCES:Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 31: Turnabout
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Mentioned only)
Jedi Apprentice: The Rising Force
Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival
"Marked" - Star Wars Tales 24 (Picture only)
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
Star Wars Republic: The Stark Hyperspace War (Appears in flashback(s))
Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader
Star Wars: Jango Fett
Arconan Smuggling Cartel Dismantled—HoloNet News Vol. 531 55
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Star Wars Republic 49: Sacrifice
"No Way Out" - Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 9
"Rogue's Gallery" - Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 3 (Skull only)
"Shadows in Green"
Star Wars Dark Times: Blue Harvest, Part 1
Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed comic (Appears in flashback(s))
X-wing Rogue Squadron ½
A Hunter's Fate: Greedo's Tale
We Don't Do Weddings: The Band's Tale
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (First appearance)
"Spare Parts" - Star Wars Adventure Journal 11
Star Wars: Rebellion (Mentioned only)
The Emperor's Court (Non-canonical appearance)
Star Wars Galaxies – An Empire Divided
The Star Wars Holiday Special
"Tales from Mos Eisley: Mostly Automatic" - Star Wars Galaxy 3
The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader (Appears in flashback(s))
And the Band Played On: The Band's Tale
Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand
X-wing Rogue Squadron: The Phantom Affair
Shadows of the Empire: Evolution
Fists of Ion
The Last Command (Mentioned only)
Planet of Twilight
Recovery
Star by Star
Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream
Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
Tempest
Invincible
Star Wars Legacy: Ghosts (Appears in flashback(s))
SOURCES:Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races
Galaxy Guide 11: Criminal Organizations
The Essential Guide to Alien Species
The New Essential Guide to Alien Species
Alien Anthology
Star Wars Customizable Card Game – A New Hope Limited (Card: Hem Dazon)
Ultimate Alien Anthology
"Race for the Tessent" - Star Wars Gamer 9
Planet Hoppers: Cona on Wizards.com (article)
The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
Abyssin in the Databank
Arcona in the Databank
I would like to thank Wookieepedia for this info.
