Twi'lek ('twilɛk)

Twi'leks are an exotic, brightly coloured humanoid species with no hair and two head tails.  They are an omnivorous, humanoid species originating from the planet Ryloth.  Twi'leks tend to eat cultivated mould, fungi, and rycrit meat.  Their distinctive features include colourful skin, which varies in pigment from individual to individual, and a pair of shapely prehensile tentacles that grow from the base of their skulls.  The tentacles, called "Lekku," are advanced organs used for communication and cognitive functions.  Twi'leks possess a fairly standard humanoid vocal structure, and are capable of learning most alien languages; however, they usually prefer their native language of Ryl which incorporates subtle movements of their Lekku to communicate.  When they wish, Twi'leks can communicate in complete secrecy using their versatile brain-tails.  Twi'leks are sometimes referred to as "tail heads", but the term is used in a derogatory manner.
The natural grace and exotic beauty of female Twi'leks make them a popular target among slave traders.  Slavery is the main currency of Ryloth, and is tolerated by the Galactic Republic.  Some see slavery as a chance to make money by kidnapping or selling orphaned children, while others see it as a way of saving Twi'lek children from growing up in Ryloth's harsh environment.  A number of Twi'leks believe that slavery is an efficient way to proliferate their species and preserve their culture, as they lack their own means of inter-planetary travel.  Regardless of how it came about, many Twi'leks live as slaves or entertainers and are considered status symbols among the wider galaxy, especially females of rarer skin hues: the Rutian and Lethan Twi'leks.  Twi'leks that manage to escape from captivity usually turn to a life of thievery or prostitution, with both genders making use of their powers of seduction.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Rather than having separate personal and clan names, a traditional Twi'lek will have a single name that combines these two elements.  The personal portion of their name will be selected with the clan name in mind, often involving an intentional alteration of the words or a shift in the letters to change the meaning of the name as a whole.  This change is meant to symbolize a way of unity.  A Twi'lek's name will also be split into multiple parts if they become exiled as a criminal, as this was considered very dishonouring.
An example of a true Twi'lek name is Nawar'aven.  This name would be split into two parts when used outside of local culture, becoming Nawara Ven (the clan name in this case being Ven, but the name Nawara was selected with the intention of moving the last a into the second half of the name, thus changing the meaning).

Major Organizations

Twi'lek society was divided into clans, with each clan having its own city. Each city had its own government, which was led by a five-member head-clan. These five Twi'leks would lead the society in all matters until one member of the head-clan died. At that point, the remaining members of the head-clan would be cast out into the barren landscape on the day-side of the planet, presumably to die, thus allowing the next generation to take over. If the next generation was not yet ready to claim their inherited positions, then a set of regents would be selected to rule until the proper time.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

The Twi'leks' primary language is Ryl.  Although Ryl utilizes subtle body language to communicate, and is thus difficult to understand for non-Twi'lek species, they also utilize enunciable words in their language, and it is as widespread as Galactic Basic.  The Lekku language, on the other hand, is exclusively used by Twi'leks, since it entails body language.
Some of those who spoke Galactic Basic Standard possessed an accent that placed particular emphasis on certain vowels, such as dropping the "s" if it was at the end of a word, or saying a high-accent vowel in a way that indicated a low-accent vowel, and vice versa.

Common Dress Code

Most male Twi'leks wear long, loose robes, while female Twi'leks typically wear tighter, more revealing clothing to maintain their elegant figures and enhance their value to males. Twi'lek dance costumes are typically made up of silky veils that cling to their bodies.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

When meeting a stranger or guest for the first time, Twi'leks will usually exchange gifts or something else as a welcome. When welcoming a large number of beings, they will usually throw a party and use their traditional dances as entertainment.

History

According to Ashaa, the Mother Machine, the Twi'leks originated as a synthetic life form she created under orders from the Rakata, as part of experimentation they hoped would give them insight into the loss of their connection to the Force.  This would place the origins of the species circa 25,200 BBY.  However, despite the fact that the Mother Machine's creation of her "children" on the planet Belsavis postdates the fall of the Infinite Empire, an advanced Twi'lek civilization was already present on Ryloth in the year 36,453 BBY, when a visiting Tho Yor starship took a group of Force-studying mystics to Tython.
Around 10,000 BBY, the Twi'lek homeworld of Ryloth was discovered by the Galactic Republic.  Although their society was still in a primitive state, the Twi'leks had spent the past several centuries in relative harmony with one another, and they joined the Republic soon after being discovered.
Twi'lek society consisted of a series of clans of various sizes. When the galaxy took a sudden interest in Ryloth's wealth of ryll spice, the Twi'lek clan leaders increased production of the drug and prepared to ship it offworld.  Unfortunately, the clans were inexperienced in the galactic economy, and Hutt criminal cartels soon took control of the planet's mining operations.  The Twi'leks were enslaved and laboured in their own mines for the profit of the Hutts, or were sold outright on the open market.  After generations of slavery, the Twi'lek species became far more numerous across the galaxy than on Ryloth, and most felt little connection to their own homeworld.
Sometime after 3643 BBY, the Twi'lek clans regained control of their planet from the Hutts, but the prosperity of their ryll mines still made them targets of pirates and mercenaries.  To ensure their continued wealth, most of the Twi'lek clan leaders chose to deter such threats by selling their own people — in particular, their women — into slavery.  The sale of Twi'lek dancing girls was continually tolerated by the Republic, and slavery remained Ryloth's primary currency as it had for past millennia, while the ryll trade fuelled the planet's black market economy.

Lifespan

100 years

Average Height

1.6–2.4 meters