Shaaradin

Overview
The Shaaradin were a predominately underground-dwelling species native to the moon of Shaarada in the Betseeda System. Little is formally known about the species as they are both rare and reclusive. What is documented comes from those that have left their world. No formal survey or study of Shaaradin culture has ever been undertaken.

The difficult terrain and challenging climate of their home forced many Shaaradin to seek work off world. Given their tough, unrelenting, unapologetic nature, many Shaaradin found work as bounty hunters, soldiers, or mercenaries. Perhaps the most famous Shaaradin was Gekko, a bounty hunter that operated before, during, and after the Galactic Civil War.

In the original Disney+ series The Mandalorian, Gekko is played by American actor Dominic Pace.

Physical Attributes
Known for being physically imposing and strong, both males and females of the species routinely stood over two meters tall. In addition to their bulk, Shaaradins possessed a unique skin pattern that often involved bands of red, black, white, and in some rarer cases, yellow. Mostly hairless, they instead had four small protruding horns that stemmed from their top and sides of their skull. Although unproven, the size of these horns was thought by some galactic biologists to be a reflection of mating prowess. Both the horns and their skin patterns were thought to stem from a reptilian or amphibious origin and that Shaaradins may indeed be highly evolved forms of reptiles.

Shaaradins also had a uniquely developed respiratory system. The conditions on their world were dusty, acrid, and dry which forced many Shaaradins to live underground in carved out cave cities in order to avoid the surface of their moon. As a result, their lungs shrunk over a series of millennia living below the surface. The climate, in general, of their world also made it difficult to breath the air. This caused many Shaaradins to wear a respirator mask when off world for both comfort and practical reasons.

Shaaradin Society
Little is known about the Shaaradins and their customs. However, through various accounts, some information can be pieced together. Shaaradin society is clan based with various groups vying for the limited resources of their homeworld. Fierce, bloody inter-clan combat is commonplace. This combat, however, is somewhat ritualized and serves as a form of public entertainment. Often, leaders of rival clans will oversee this combat. Few outsiders have witnessed these battles.

There is no central leader within their society and both males and females can lead their respective clans. The first outsiders to interact with Shaaradins were early Corellian explorers sometime before 4000 BBY. These first encounters were bloody and traumatic. Over time, however, these explorers introduced space travel and blaster technology to the Shaaradins. They also took the Shaaradins off world for the first time and introduced them to the galaxy abroad.