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The Cathar were a species of feline, bipedal humanoids native to Cathar, a planet of savannas and rough uplands. They were known for their loyalty, passion, and temper. Quick and powerful, they were considered great warriors and dedicated, efficient predators.

Cathar had high moral values, learned from both family and society. Their females were prized as slaves, whereas the males were generally regarded as too uncontrollable for slavery.

Biology and appearance[]

The baseline Cathar had fur-covered bodies with thick manes. They had prominent, retractable claws that could deliver powerful killing attacks on foes and prey. On average, Cathar were 1.5 to 1.9 meters tall. These traits made them the perfect hand-to-hand specialists.

The Cathar species had two subspecies, known as the Juhani and the Myr Rho. Both of these were notably less catlike than mainline Cathar.^[4]

Cathar were born into a litter.^[5] The Cathar species was biologically similar to the Bothan species.

History[]

The planet of Cathar was devastated by the Mandalorians during the Battle of Cathar, leading to the enslavement and near-extinction of the Cathar species. Over 90 percent of the species was killed by the Mandalorians in the battle.^[6] The few survivors were forced to flee off-world to survive. After the Mandalorian Wars, Cathar began to resettle their world. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, it had fully recovered from the damage the Mandalorians had done.

With the return of the Sith Empire during the Great Galactic War, most Cathar sided with the Galactic Republic. By the time of the Cold War, many Cathar had settled on Ord Mantell. Others attempted to settle on Taris to aid in its rebuilding, but were attacked by the Sith Empire just prior to the outbreak of hostilities. As conflict was renewed with the Galactic War, Cathar support for the Republic began to mildly diminish due to galactic events.

The Sith Empire had liberated a Cathar political prisoner and his followers who were covertly imprisoned on Belsavis for twenty years at the behest of the Republic Strategic Information Service. This incident was leaked by Imperial Non-human Relations, which damaged the public trust between the Republic and their alien citizens. After Malgus' betrayal, the Sith Empire began an alien initiative which saw multiple Cathar clans being freely inducted into the ranks.^[7]

Society and culture[]

On their homeworld, Cathar lived in cities built into giant trees, and were organized into clans governed by "Elders." Stories of their great heroes were often carved into the trunks of these tree-homes for following generations to see. The Cathar mated for life, to the extent that when one mate died, the survivor never had a relationship with another. Cathar clan society included great pageants and celebrations, especially for their heroes. Their religion included a ritual known as the "Blood Hunt," in which Cathar warriors individually engaged in combat against entire nests of Kiltik in order to gain honor and purge themselves of inner darkness. The native language of the Cathar was Catharese, which included the emphasis of some words spoken with a growl.

Cathar in the galaxy[]

Force-sensitive Cathar often became Jedi, even though the Jedi way tended to be in opposition to their natural tendencies. Sylvar and her mate Crado were famous Jedi who fought in the Great Sith War. The story of Crado's fall to the dark side of the Force under the influence of Exar Kun was well-known to all Cathar, as was the story of Sylvar, who was able to turn away from the dark path and regain the Jedi way. Another Cathar Jedi of that era was Juhani, who traveled with Revan and assisted him in the destruction of the Star Forge.^[8] Famous Cathar Jedi during the Second Imperial Civil War were brothers Rasi, Ahn and Zho Tuum.

Behind the scenes[]

The Cathar were created by Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson for the characters Crado and Sylvar in Tales of the Jedi - Dark Lords of the Sith. In 2006, a winning What's The Story? entry written by Captain Yossarian identified Myhr Rho as a catlike patron of the Mos Eisley Cantina in The Star Wars Holiday Special. The entry also identified Rho's species as Cathar, thus establishing the Holiday Special as the first appearance of the Cathar species.

In Knights of the Old Republic, the Cathar Jedi Juhani speaks Basic, albeit with a heavy Slavic-like accent, with rolled "r"s and "w"s that sound like "v"s.^[8] Murghir, a bounty hunter and foe in the Great Hunt encountered by the Bounty Hunter class in Star Wars: The Old Republic, also speaks with the same accent; however, a Cathar companion of the Trooper class in Star Wars: The Old Republic, Aric Jorgan, and a Cathar Jedi Master, Ryen, do not.^[7]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

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