INFO: Noghri (pronounced /'no.g?i/) were a primitive humanoid species. They had steely gray or blue skin, and were extremely skilled assassins due to their abilities in stealth and hand-to-hand combat. Despite their small size, they were efficient killing machines, with claws, fangs, and a sense of smell so acute, they could smell one's bloodline (as exemplified by Khabarakh's identification of Leia Organa Solo as Darth Vader's daughter and heir). They were much like the Wookiee species culturally, in that they respected honor above all else. Noghri society was clan-based, revolving around the dukha, or community building, at the center of each village.
RACE: Noghri
HEIGHT: 1.4 to 1.7 Meters Tall
SKIN: Bluish-gray to grey
DISTINCTION: Advanced olfactory abilities, claws, incredible killing prowess
LANGUAGE: Honoghran
HOMEWORLD:Honoghr (pronounced /'h?no?g?/) was the homeworld of the Noghri, near Kessel. Seven planets orbited the Honoghr sun, from tiny Logru with its oceans of boiling lava, to distant Kuthul, the frozen giant. Of these seven worlds, it was the fourth planet that was blessed with life.
In 20 BBY, during the Clone Wars, the nonaligned planet became an ecological disaster when, after a battle in orbit, a Lucrehulk-class Core Ship crashed to the surface. The Galactic Republic took great interest in the accident due to the Separatist ship's cargo: the toxin Trihexalophine1138. As the contaminant spread, it ravaged the planet and desiccated most of its flora. Over the next few months, plains and jungles died, forcing the Noghri to trek across the planet in a mass exodus searching for a place where they could somehow survive.
Within weeks of the end of the war, Darth Vader arrived at Honoghr – and promptly found his stormtrooper guards slaughtered around him by the natives with nothing more then primitive bladed weapons, impressing the Dark Lord greatly. In exchange for the Galactic Empire working to restore the planet's ecosystem, the Noghri gave homage to Vader and pledged to serve him as assassins—the Death Commandos. In reality, the Imperial restoration teams deliberately kept Honoghr poisoned using a hybrid grass that killed off the remaining plant life, thus keeping the Noghri bound in the service of the Empire.
The planet was once part of the Infinite Empire 30,000 BBY. The Rakata constructed a temple which remained sacred to the Noghri long after the Empire's collapse.
During the New Sith Wars, there was a Sith Academy there, that specialized in training Sith Warriors and Marauders.
Later, during the Thrawn Crisis in 9 ABY, Leia Organa Solo arrived at Honoghr and, using her position as the daughter and heir of Darth Vader and having discovered the Empire's trickery, persuaded the Noghri to relinquish their allegiance to the Empire. The Noghri were freed from their enslavement and became members of the New Republic and its successor government the Galactic Alliance. The Noghri were represented in the New Republic Senate by Kahr'corvh of Clan Khim'bar.
Leia and her entire family also became very highly respected figures in Noghri society. The New Republic helped resettle the Noghri to other planets, including Wayland, to give Honoghr time to heal.
BIOLOGY AND APPEARANCE:The Noghri of Honoghr are hairless, blueish-gray to gray-skinned bipeds - heavily muscled and possessing unbelievable reflexes and agility. Their small size hides their deadly abilities - they are compact killing machines, built to hunt and destroy. They are predators in the strictest sense of the word, with large eyes, protruding, teeth-filled jaws, and a highly developed sense of smell. Noghri can identify individuals through scent alone.
CULTURE AND HISTORY:The Noghri were natives of the planet Honoghr. Long before the Clone Wars brought devastation to their world, the Noghri were enslaved by the Rakata of the Infinite Empire. While the empire itself eventually faded into history, the ex-slaves soon began worshiping the memory of the Rakatans, viewing their ancient structures as evidence of the gods' time on Honoghr.
The Noghri entered the galactic spotlight during the Clone Wars when their planet was ravaged by the Separatist toxin Trihexalophine1138. The contaminant had come from a downed Lucrehulk-class Core Ship destroyed in the spaceborne Battle of Honoghr, and decimated a vast majority of the planet's flora.
Soon after the conclusion of the Clone Wars, Darth Vader discovered the planet, and was dramatically impressed with the warrior skill of the Noghri when they slew his stormtrooper escort. Under the guise of "helping" the planet recover from the ecological disaster, he received the homage of the Noghri, as a result of which most of the young males of the planet became Death Commandos—the personal assassins of Emperor Palpatine.
The Noghri stayed in the lesser-known sides of the Empire that required Assassins, bodyguards, and generally shady occupations. Darth Vader appointed several to guard the planet Yalara's cloaking device, after subsequently taking out the previous guards. These Noghri would stay there until called upon. They were attacked long after their call, by two parties at once: the Disciples of Ragnos, and the Jedi Knight, Jaden Korr. These Noghri were faithful to the last, showing their loyalty.
As a reward for Thrawn's assistance in planning the Battle of Derra IV and in his campaign against Prince Xizor and Black Sun, Vader gave him control of the Noghri.
The Noghri remained in service to the Galactic Empire after the death of Palpatine. Lord Cronal captured some and created mutated branches of Noghri assassins, to guard Dromund Kaas.
About five years after the death of the Emperor, Grand Admiral Thrawn ordered the Noghri to kidnap the pregnant Leia Organa Solo. Realizing that neither she nor her children would be truly safe as long as the Noghri served the Empire, she went to Honoghr in order to convince the Noghri to leave the Empire's service. She was able to use the fact that she was the daughter of Darth Vader to convince the Noghri that the Empire had been lying to them and kept them in virtual slavery for many years. As a result, the Noghri turned against the Empire. Grand Admiral Thrawn died when his Noghri bodyguard Rukh turned on him and stabbed him.
Following the death of Thrawn, the Noghri came into the service of the New Republic. The New Republic helped resettle the Noghri to other planets, including Wayland, to give Honoghr time to heal. Leia and her entire family became very highly respected figures in Noghri society. Leia was later assigned two Noghri bodyguards, Cakhmaim and Meewahl, who helped protect her during the Caamas Document Crisis.
NOTABLE CLANS:They had a clan and honor based society and when referencing an individual, it was by family and lineage. Leia Organa Solo was known by them to belong to the same family as Darth Vader. She was then referred to as, "Lady Vader", or, in the Noghri tongue, Mal'ary'ush. Each clan had a Maitrakh, or matriarch, the storyteller, leader, and lore keeper of the clan. A clan also had a dukha, or meeting place at the center of a village, where the Maitrakh usually resided. Dukha were considered somewhat sacred, belonging also to the ancestors of the clan. Individual Noghri were able to determine one of their kind's clan by their clan-scent.
Clan Bakh'tor - Known clan members were Ekhrikhor and Ovkhevam
Clan Baikh'vair - Known clan members were Rukh and Mushkil
Clan Eikh'mir - Known clan member is Cakhmaim
Clan Khim'bar - Known clan members were Khabarakh (who helped free his people from the Empire's slavery) and Kahr'corvh (Senator of Honoghr in the New Republic Senate)
Clan Hakh'khar - Known clan members were Mobvekhar and Khakraim.
Clan Tlakh'sar - No known members as yet
COMBAT AND KILLING PROWESS:As mentioned above, Noghri were notorious assassins. They also made outstanding bodyguards. In battle, they were exceptional in hand-to-hand combat. Their speech was very guttural and scratchy in nature, comparable to Trandoshans. The smuggler Talon Karrde came up with the idea of hiring out individual Noghri as bodyguards.
Noghri were also very loyal, as shown in examples where the Death Commandos and similar groups often willingly went to their deaths to fight against those they considered enemies. A conflict of loyalty was a major event in a Noghri's life. The Noghri bodyguards were a new tradition and group that developed after the race learnt of Leia Organa Solo's parentage. After that time, the Noghri became the dedicated protectors of Leia and her family with two such warriors always being nearby her, something she found somewhat frustrating and attempted to dissuade but this did not stop her vigilant defenders.
The Noghri bodyguards underwent extensive training as well as testing in order to determine which warriors gain the honor of becoming the guardians of the Mal'ary'ush, the daughter of Darth Vader. They would serve her and this would result on some of them being assigned to protect important people within the New Republic, something these warriors did in order to prove themselves worthy protectors of Lady Vader. Such warriors considered their task a sacred duty which meant that they could not be bribed or blackmailed.
Trained in a wide variety of weapons, they generally carried little more than a few daggers; believing that their surroundings would provide them as needed. Their greatest pride were their fighting sickles. A mark of honor, as well as excellent weapons, well balanced for hand-to-hand combat. They were renowned for the skill with which they threw them in battle.
The first trained Noghri bodyguards were honored with their initial assignment to protect a key individual and though they were skilled, they understood that they had much to learn. As they gained experience, they would often be added into elite units and deployed for military strikes an example of which was seen when they scouted Ithor. Once these warriors had distinguished themselves in their duties, they would finally be given the honor of serving the Skywalker and Solo families.
APPEARANCES:Star Wars Republic: Prelude to Rebellion
Boba Fett: Hunted
The Cestus Deception (Mentioned only)
Star Wars Republic 68: Armor
Boba Fett: A New Threat (Appears in flashback(s))
Evasive Action: End Game
Mist Encounter (Mentioned only)
Echoes of the Jedi
Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight (Mentioned only)
Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
The Emperor's Trophy
Heir to the Empire (First appearance)
Dark Force Rising
The Last Command
X-wing: Isard's Revenge
Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Planet of Twilight
Jade Solitaire
Specter of the Past
Vision of the Future
Young Jedi Knights: Diversity Alliance (Mentioned only)
Survivor's Quest (Mentioned only)
Vector Prime
Dark Tide I: Onslaught
Dark Tide II: Ruin
Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial
Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
Balance Point
Recovery
Edge of Victory II: Rebirth
Star by Star
Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream
Destiny's Way
Force Heretic I: Remnant
Force Heretic II: Refugee
Force Heretic III: Reunion
The Final Prophecy
The Unifying Force
Dark Nest I: The Joiner King
Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
Dark Nest III: The Swarm War
Betrayal
Tempest
Exile (Mentioned only)
SOURCES:Star Wars: Rebellion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
Star Wars: Behind the Magic
The Essential Guide to Alien Species
The New Essential Guide to Alien Species
The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons
Ultimate Alien Anthology
Alien Encounters
The Emperor's Pawns
The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook
The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide
The Official Star Wars Fact File 121 (KHA1-4, Khabarakh and the Noghri)
The Official Star Wars Fact File 139 (KHA5-6, Khabarakh and the Noghri)
Noghri in the Databank
Gilad Pellaeon in the Databank
Rukh in the Databank
Salporin in the Databank
Aayla Secura in the Databank
Thrawn in the Databank
Darth Vader in the Databank
Wayland in the Databank
Winter in the Databank
I would like to thank Wookieepedia for this info.
