Wol Cabasshite

"I had never encountered a Wol Cabasshite before. Master Omo's cognitive brain, as opposed to the one that controlled his digestive tasks, was so highly evolved and alien from mine that his musings were often indecipherable."

―Saesee Tiin's reflections on Master Omo Bouri^[2]

Wol Cabasshites were sentients originating on Wol Cabassh. Evolving from a non-sentient parasitic species, the Wol Cabasshites could survive in vacuum due to their genetic makeup, making them widespread across the galaxy by the Imperial Period. Their culture was built entirely on philosophy, rather than technology, and for communication they were able to exude a magnetic field wherein they "sang" to one another. This led to confusion amongst the other sentients of the galaxy, and the Wol Cabasshites soon came to be regarded as "bizarre".

Their texts would be studied by the intellectual elite of the galaxy, and apparatuses were invented to allow Wol Cabasshites to properly interact with other sentients, but the dual-brained sentients instead preferred to simply eat and muse about the nature of the universe. Several Wol Cabasshites rose to prominence in galactic history, the most famous being Jedi Master Omo Bouri.

Biology and appearance[]

Mangaghoel — Wol Cabasshites had long, prehensile tongues.

Measuring approximately 0.8 meters long in standard configuration, Wol Cabasshites were small, hardy creatures that could survive in both vacuum and atmosphere due to the fact that they lacked a respiratory system. Their internal organs were contained within a naturally-pressurized chamber, which was also resistant to extreme temperatures. Most of their body was made up of a large stomach; Wol Cabasshites also possessed two brains, one for digestive purposes and the other to govern cognitive functions.^[1]

Wol Cabasshites had high-plasma diets, and as a result, had a highly metallic content level in their blood. They extracted metals and nutrients from everything and anything they came into contact with. There were no known substances considered toxic to Wol Cabasshites, but they were especially susceptible to Brainworm Rot Type A, an airborne virus that afflicted their cognitive abilities.^[3] Wol Cabasshites reproduced by expelling their stomach linings, which became pupal Cabasshite. Adults were also able to exchange genetic material by grooming each others' tongues; in these instances, the offspring would feature isolated genetic properties of their "parents."^[1]

Using internal muscles, Wol Cabasshites could radiate a magnetic field with a twenty-five meter range. This field was used for communication between Wol Cabasshites, as they would use phonemic pulses of energy with syntactic contours within radius. The communication often came in the form of singing, but when it came to communicating with other species, the Wol Cabasshite would have to be in direct contact with said sentient. This was often unsettling to foreign sentients.^[1]

Society and culture[]

The Wol Cabasshites, unlike contemporary cultures of the galaxy, did not build their civilization on technology but rather philosophy. They recorded several texts, which were a cause of curiosity in other sentients. Magnetic singing was one of the most important aspects of Wol Cabasshite culture, as it was their primary form of communication. Sentients developed apparatuses that enabled or enhanced the Wol Cabasshite's locomotion, communication, and defense, but most were content with either simply eating or contemplating the nature of the universe.^[1]

History[]

The Wol Cabasshites first evolved from parasites,^[4] and after millennia of spacefaring along with their non-sentient plasma leech cousins, they found themselves widespread across the galaxy. The musings of their culture soon became an object of interest for the self-styled intellectual elite of the galaxy, but the Wol Cabasshites at large were a largely misunderstood race, with their texts being regarded as "bizarre." The ability held by select Wol Cabasshite to communicate with other sentients upon contact caused great speculation, as the ordeal was said to be uncomfortable by the non-Wol Cabasshite. Rumors abounded that the Wol Cabasshite could control the brains of other sentients.^[1]

Due to the fact that Wol Cabasshites were largely indecipherable by other cultures, several different communication devices were developed by non-Wol Cabasshites. These went largely ignored by the Wol Cabasshites, however.^[1]

When Wol Cabasshites were afflicted by Brainworm Rot Type A, it was considered difficult to diagnose simply due to the nature of Wol Cabasshite anatomy, and the lack of familiarity amongst other sentients.^[1] In 22 BBY, Wol Cabasshites and Anomids on Coruscant were severely affected by an outbreak of Brainworm Rot Type A in the Manarai Heights region, though the Coruscanti officials were able to contain it.^[3] In 1 ABY, a thriving batch of Brainworm Rot Type B was discovered in a ronto lair on Tatooine. Fearing that it would evolve to Type A and wipe out Tatooine's Wol Cabasshite populace, Ambassador Lurll hired a spacer to clean out the lair and quarantine the virus.^[5]

Wol Cabasshites in the galaxy[]

GhoelJabbasPalace — Ghoel, the Wol Cabasshite in Jabba's Palace

One of the most famed Wol Cabasshites was Omo Bouri, the Jedi Master who taught future Jedi Council member Saesee Tiin and^[6] orchestrated the Treaty of Trammis in 124 BBY.^[7] Tiin, a natural telepath, found it difficult to communicate with Bouri, as he found the Wol Cabasshite method of communication to be highly alien. Tiin would reflect upon this as being a refreshing experience for someone who could instantly read the mind of most sentients.^[2]

In 1 ABY, Wol Cabasshite ambassador Lurll hired hunters to kill several batches of creatures known to be carrying Brainworm Rot Type B on Tatooine.^[5]

During the Imperial Period, the Wol Cabasshite Ghoel took up residence in Jabba's Palace on Tatooine. No one suspected his intelligence, as he was immobile. He would often try to lick passers by, presumably to communicate with them.^[1]^[4]

Behind the scenes[]

The Wol Cabasshites first appeared in Richard Marquand's Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, where they were shown, fleetingly, in the Jabba's Palace sequence. Their name appeared in 1983 as part of the Airfix "Jabba The Hutt Throne Room Action Scene" kit,^[8] and was later retreated in the "Jabba's Palace Limited" set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game. The backstory and elaboration of the species was provided by "ejmacki" through StarWars.com's Hyperspace feature, "What's The Story?," which worked with information provided in the card game. The "What's the Story?" information was later used by Ryder Windham in his 2007 reference book, Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, and in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.