Anzat (species)

The physical appearance of the Anzati closely resembled that of Humans, characterized by prominent noses, flared nostrils, and skin tones with grayish undertones. Their height varied between 1.5 and 1.7 meters. Opportunities for scientists and xenobiologists to thoroughly study the Anzati were limited. However, fragmented medical reports pertaining to the species suggested the absence of a natural biorhythm, indicated by the lack of a pulse and, consequently, body heat. The functioning of their circulatory system, therefore, remained a complete enigma.

The youngest among the Anzati were already ancient, while the ages of the oldest stretched across eons. They traversed the galaxy during a time when the Galactic Republic existed merely as a concept within the Core Worlds. Sustained by the life essence extracted from others, the Anzati could endure for centuries. An Anzat who neglected to feed at least every few days would simply experience hunger; the absence of sufficient nourishment did not accelerate aging in Anzati any more than it would in a Human.

The Anzati's preference for preying on those with a strong life force necessitated their own superior strength. They exhibited remarkable speed, agility, and exceptionally swift reflexes, all surpassing human capabilities. Their physical strength ranged from being comparable to a Human athlete at their peak to being merely on par with an average Human. However, physical strength constituted only a fraction of their overall capabilities. To detect the presence of a potent life essence in others, they possessed highly refined sensory organs not found in other sentient species. Furthermore, to effectively drain this life essence from living beings, they required specific physical adaptations. For the Anzati, these attributes were intrinsically linked.

As natural predators, the Anzati favored hunting sentient races of all forms, sizes, and species. To facilitate this, they possessed two elongated, prehensile proboscises, reminiscent of tentacles. These appendages remained coiled within cheek pockets, ready to be deployed for feeding on unsuspecting victims. When retracted, these proboscises rendered the Anzati virtually indistinguishable from Humans. Their feeding method was uniquely described as grotesque.

Employing a natural ability akin to hypnosis, which Jedi who had encountered them likened to Force manipulation, they entranced their victims in a manner akin to a Jedi mind trick. Through this telepathic influence, the Anzat lured unsuspecting targets by mesmerizing them with their mental control. This control intensified at close range and was further enhanced with age and experience.

Once a victim fell under their control, the Anzati would extend their slender proboscises from their cheek pouches, typically inserting them into the subject's nostrils and into the cranium, where they extracted the brain. However, the Anzati actually fed by drawing soup out of wherever it resided in a victim, as it varied by species. In most humanoid races, it lay within the brain cavity. The proboscises would instinctively seek out the victim's soup and begin draining it into the Anzat. Although the victim might struggle, the Anzat's attack was often so swift and precise that resistance proved futile. This process required time and could not be rushed, leading to the nickname "snot vampires." They were also known to grasp the victim's head to hold it in place close to them as they fed.

This meal was referred to as "soup," "luck," or the "Sea of Memory." The actual substance extracted from living beings—the gelid, mucoid medium containing the luck or life essence—was termed soup. In Anzati traditions, this term denoted the life essence or spiritual power of the victim. Furthermore, the Anzati believed that this life essence governed a living being's personal presence. Consequently, the stronger a victim's presence, the more potent their luck was likely to be, making particularly fortunate individuals delectable meals for the Anzati. It was rumored that Anzati could sustain their victims for multiple feedings, deriving pleasure from the fear and terror experienced throughout the ordeal.

While life essence and luck were manifestations of the Force, the luck consumed by the Anzati was only tangentially related. Beings particularly gifted in the Force were certainly appealing to an Anzat, but primarily because their close connection to the universe's life energy manifested as a strong personal presence. Experienced Jedi typically possessed both a powerful personal life essence and a close connection to the universe through the Force, making an Anzat who consumed such a Jedi a rare and formidable entity.

The Anzati, however, regarded such discussions as academic. "The Force" represented a concept developed by younger species, one that the Anzati did not consider any more valid than numerous preceding theories. They recognized only that weak-willed beings were as unsatisfying as table scraps. To subsist on the average sentient being, an Anzat would need to feed on approximately a dozen individuals daily. Given that the meal rarely survived the feast, the Anzat would leave behind a trail of corpses. In environments lacking sentient beings or where soup was scarce, an Anzat could easily starve to death. Fortunately for the Anzati, most of the galaxy offered an abundance of sentient beings to sustain a multitude of them, preventing their easy demise. Despite prevailing myths, victims of the Anzati did not transform into Anzati themselves.

The relentless pursuit of "soup" appeared to be the central driving force in Anzati life, almost akin to an addiction. Once initiated, the hunt consumed their thoughts, driven by a hunger that intensified with each passing year. Anzati were known to perceive other beings as livestock, to be harvested to satisfy their needs, although some attempted to delay feeding for as long as possible. They were creatures of singular focus, dedicating their long lives to surviving from one meal to the next, thereby depriving other beings of their own lives.

As their hunger grew with age and their lifespans extended for centuries, they became increasingly isolated in their need. Older Anzati exhibited greater instability and obsessiveness, often to the point of insanity. Their focus on the world around them diminished, and in many instances, they committed critical errors that led to their ultimate demise.

Some Anzati believed that consuming live vessels granted them eternal youth and energy. This belief originated from the Silent Voices, luminous bands of gases that illuminated the Anzat atmosphere at night, which ancient Anzati believed to be the life essences of their ancestors. While scientifically implausible, this belief underscored the significance of "soup" in Anzati culture, morals, and belief systems.

Anzati reproduction occurred infrequently, with individuals typically living for many centuries. Parents generally refrained from naming their children, allowing them instead to choose names that facilitated blending in with their chosen prey. Young Anzati reached puberty around one hundred standard years of age, at which point they departed Anzat to hunt for "soup" and continue their so-called eternal existence.

While it was easy to portray the Anzati as heartless predators, this was no more accurate than characterizing any species that consumed another for survival. Their extended lifespans afforded them ample time to cultivate and pursue diverse interests, with many becoming devoted patrons of the arts. Some even produced their own artistic creations, including books, music, paintings, sculptures, films, and holos. However, few created more than a single example in any given medium. For a being with the longevity of an Anzat, achieving perfection in a craft was deemed pointless; reaching the pinnacle of an art form held little significance if its only other practitioners had perished centuries ago.

A prevalent misconception among those who studied Anzati tales was that they were highly advanced scholars, possessing expertise in fields of knowledge and crafts long forgotten by younger species. While Anzati could recall events from centuries past, they displayed minimal interest in mastering any particular area of expertise or knowledge beyond feeding. The skills deemed essential for passing on to their offspring were those of stealth and assassination; everything else was considered mere amusement, hardly worth the effort of memorization.

The Anzati were highly skilled hunters, tracking their prey silently, invisibly, and efficiently. Their abilities also served them in avoiding detection. Despite the occasional notable individual, all Anzati diligently maintained a low profile, disappearing into the galaxy's crowds as soon as they attracted attention to their activities, abilities, or longevity. An Anzat utilized their sense of personal presence to hunt, detecting the soup of their prey. The stronger the target's soup, the more prominent they became to the Anzat's senses.

Furthermore, the Anzati were difficult to capture. Their secrecy, hunting skills, and training made them desirable assets for organized crime factions as assassins. The Anzati simply resided among the galaxy's sentient species, blending into the dizzying array of cultures, remaining invisible because, until revealing their true nature to a victim, an Anzat was simply another alien. By the time the victim recognized the Anzat, it was too late to warn others.

Their anonymity was frequently exploited, so they rarely, if ever, operated in groups. Only in the capacity of a bounty hunter would they abandon their solitary tendencies and form corporations or guilds. On these exceptionally rare occasions, they might share prey and the financial rewards of their hunts. These corporations were typically temporary, often existing for only a single hunt, as they frequently devolved into infighting, with members eliminating each other to secure a particularly "soupy" victim.

Legends of the Anzati permeated thousands of worlds throughout the galaxy, yet no culture's myths recounted their origin. This suggested to some that the Anzati predated all other species or that they had survived for thousands of centuries, sharing their homeworld with only one other species. Others theorized that the Anzati evolved concurrently with Humankind, somewhere beyond the knowledge of sentient races, only to enter galactic society when hyperspace exploration brought their homeworld within reach of the Republic. Upon discovery, the planet was generally avoided due to the race's tendencies.

Due to their nomadic nature, Anzati were often relegated to the realm of myth, dismissed as mere figures in dark legends and folktales. For an extended period, the true location of their homeworld, Anzat, remained a mystery. Scientists and explorers who ventured to the purported location of Anzat simply vanished without a trace. Some reports placed it in the Mid Rim, near the Perlemian Trade Route.

The Anzati were believed to be among the first spacefaring races. According to anecdotal accounts from sentient beings who survived encounters with Anzati, the race roamed the galaxy, returning to Anzat only to find a mate, reproduce, and, in some instances, train with Anzati master assassins.

It was theorized that the Anzati encountered the ancient Sith species during the pre-Republic era, and it was from the Anzati that the Sith adopted practices such as consuming bloodsoup on their homeworld of Korriban.

Although the Anzati as a species were isolationists, there were several instances in which they were thrust into the galactic spotlight. The earliest known instance was the anomaly of the Jedi Anzat Volfe Karkko. It was unusual for an Anzat to become a Jedi, as they were believed to be too inherently violent to be entrusted with such power, unable to resist the urge to drink the "soup" of those around them.

Karkko proved this belief to be true. Despite extensive training, he believed himself to be above the instincts of his species, having never tasted "soup." This arrogance led him to believe he could control his innate nature, and he eventually succumbed to temptation and fed. This mistake resulted in Karkko succumbing to the dark side of the Force.

Karkko was captured and held in a stasis field for a millennium on the prison world of Kiffex. During his imprisonment, his mind remained active, initially for contemplation, but he ultimately used it to attract numerous followers.

Over time, his legend grew among the Anzati on Kiffex, who worshiped him as "the Dreamer," transforming his resting place into a sacred temple. Karkko exploited his followers' baser instincts, turning them feral and causing them to prey on the residents and inmates of Kiffex with remarkable ferocity, even for Anzati. Karkko was eventually killed by Quinlan Vos, ending his reign there.

Nikkos Tyris was another fallen Anzat Jedi, trained as one of Count Dooku's Dark Acolytes. He founded a rival order of Force-users during the Clone Wars as the first Saarai-kaar of the Jensaarai. Fortunately, the Jensaarai did not pose a significant threat, never gaining influence beyond their homeworld, and sought only to serve as protectors. Because the first Jensaarai disciples had not yet been corrupted by the dark side and Sith training, those who followed ultimately served the light side of the Force, despite their reverence for Sith traditions.

Sajé Tasha, Akku Seii, and Rath Kelkko were three Anzati assassins involved with the Jedi in various ways during the Clone Wars. Tasha, a female Anzat, was responsible for the death of Finis Valorum, and she and Kelkko were hired by Sora Bulq to train Morgukai warriors on Saleucami. Oppo Rancisis was later assassinated with the assistance of Rath Kelkko.

When Bulq hired the Anzati to train the Morgukai clones, it created a shortage of assassin masters on Anzat, forcing Akku Seii to break tradition and train multiple Anzati simultaneously. Because Akku was an acquaintance of Jedi Master Tholme, he aided the Jedi in locating the other Anzati masters. These masters were collaborating with Bok, a Morgukai, to train the growing secret faction. Upon discovering their activities, Tholme sabotaged their efforts, causing them great displeasure before killing them in the catacombs of Saleucami.

Around 0 BBY, Dannik Jerriko, a male Anzat bounty hunter known as the Eater of Luck, rose to prominence. He received substantial payments for eliminating failed assassins, as well as murderers, thieves, and thugs, whom he targeted for his own sustenance, calculating that their absence would not be mourned. He was easily irritated and intolerant of clients who failed to appreciate the value of his thorough work, making it not uncommon for him to feed on dissatisfied clients.

While searching for the "soup" of thieves on Tatooine, he encountered Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose life force he coveted. However, he was unable to obtain it and instead targeted the more valuable Han Solo, in pursuit of Jabba Desilijic Tiure's bounty on him. Again, he was unable to feed on his prey and was later assigned to protect Tash Arranda, Zak Arranda, and Mammon Hoole.

Following that assignment, Jerriko returned to Tatooine to spy on Jabba. Still desiring Solo's soup, the Anzati became excited upon the arrival of a carbonite slab containing Solo. However, Jerriko was denied the opportunity to drink Solo's soup when his Alliance to Restore the Republic comrades rescued him. Frustrated by this loss, Jerriko considered feeding on Jabba, only to be thwarted by the Hutt's death at the Great Pit of Carkoon. Consumed by vampiric hunger and rage, Jerriko killed a number of unfortunate survivors at Jabba's Palace and then fled Tatooine to continue his endless search for beings on which to feed, now with a substantial bounty on his own head due to his actions.

A feral variant of Anzati appeared to exist, capable of projecting a ropy webbing from their torso to ensnare prey, although this was observed only among Anzati drawn to Volfe Karkko. These were believed to be Anzati who journeyed to Kiffex to revere Karkko during his imprisonment. He somehow drained their vitality, causing them to degenerate and become feral. These Anzati exhibited a less human and more monstrous appearance than their non-feral counterparts, characterized by reddish eyes, pale skin, emaciated bodies, fanged lipless mouths, and clawed hands and feet. However, they retained the ability to speak, though typically limited to single words and short phrases.

The Essential Guide to Characters stated that Anzati consumed only a victim's luck and that a victim could survive. However, this contradicted nearly every other source in which an Anzati appeared. Nonetheless, The New Essential Guide to Alien Species did state that the Anzati had a variety of terms for their meals, including "Soup," "Luck," and "Sea of Memory."