INFO: Kaleesh were reptilian humanoids from the planet Kalee. They had scaly skin, tusks, and long nostrils, though few outsiders ever saw a Kaleesh face that wasn't obscured behind a traditional mask. Kaleesh culture was deeply spiritual and warlike. War was seen as an essential part of life, and wars between tribes were common.
RACE: Kaleesh
HEIGHT: 1.6 to 1.8 Meters Tall
SKIN: Red, orange and yellow
DISTINCTION: Four digits, tusks
LANGUAGE: Kaleesh
HOMEWORLD:Kalee was the home planet to the Kaleesh, including General Grievous. It was located in the Outer Rim Territories, on the border of the Kadok Regions.
Kalee was covered in tropical looking foliage and beaches. Moss-covered canyons and cliffs filled the landscapes. It was apparently a harsh world, and wanting for resources. The Kaleesh housing and buildings were very temple-like. The Kaleesh were highly intelligent bipedal hunter-warriors, hunting predators such as mumuu and karabbacs to make ceremonial cloaks and war masks.
Prior to the Clone Wars, the Republic lied to the Kaleesh, telling them the neighboring Bitthævrians were threatening their border. The Kaleesh fought alongside the Jedi against the Bitthævrians in the Kaleesh-Bitthævrian War.
The Republic later sided with the Huks against the Kaleesh in the Huk Wars, defeating the Kaleesh. During the wars, the Kaleesh were winning under the leadership of General Grievous until he was incapacitated in a shuttle crash arranged by the InterGalactic Banking Clan. San Hill paid for a cybernetic suit to be built by the Geonosians for Grievous, who became leader of the Separatist military forces. In return for Grievous's services, the InterGalactic Banking Clan financed the economic recovery of Kalee.
BIOLOGY AND APPEARANCE:Kaleesh had reddish-brown scaly skin, four-clawed hands, and five-clawed toes. Each Kaleesh hand featured two opposable thumbs. Because of the thermal pits under their eyes, Kaleesh could see in the dark. Tusks protruded from their upper jaw, and shorter ones jutted from their chins. Kaleesh had large pointed ears and long nostrils that stretched close to their eyes. Most of these facial features were obscured behind the traditional masks they wore, and outsiders rarely saw Kaleesh unmasked. They were known to practice polygamy, where a male courts multiple wives. This could possibly be a sociocultural adaptation created out of a need to consolidate power among individual tribes, but the exact social meaning behind the practice is unknown. Grievous, a cyborg Kaleesh, had a digitigrade stance, but this does not appear to have been representative of the Kaleesh as a whole and may derive from his reconstruction based on a Krath war droid.
CULTURE AND HISTORY:The Kaleesh were a spiritual people, believing that those who performed great deeds in life became gods in death. Therefore, burial places were sacred to them. A large number of temples were devoted to their ancestor gods, the holiest of which was called Shrupak. Abesmi, a great monolith of stone in the Jenuwaa Sea, was the place the Kaleesh believed the gods ascended to the heavens. Pilgrims took the perilous voyage to Abesmi to beseech the gods. As of the New Republic era, the late General Grievous, former Kaleesh warrior Qymaen jai Sheelal, had joined his species' pantheon of religious deities.
Their society was divided into numerous tribes, including the Lig, and the Kaleesh were known to take multiple wives and have many children. War was viewed as an essential and sacred practice, and the culture's large emphasis on honor was known to spur many acts of vengeance among the various tribes. However, when necessary, the tribes would put aside their differences and bond to fend off a common enemy. Typical Kaleesh weaponry included a Czerka Outland rifle, a Lig sword, and a Shoni spear.
The Bitthævrian ThreatAround 65 BBY, the Republic had been having strained relations with Guiteica, homeworld of the Bitthævrians, due to their non-membership. After a few years of failed negotiations, a Republic-backed soldier attempted to stage a coup against Guiteica's leader in order to force the planet to join the Republic. The attempt failed, however, and caused a massive surge of violence and hostility toward all Republic stations within the surrounding Kadok Regions.
Kalee, near the edge of Bitthævrian space, though a mostly unnoticed planet considered backwater by the Republic, would have had nothing to fear from the m'Yalfor'ac Order, as the Bitthævrian military was known. However, Republic administration wished to keep the rebellion a secret, and rather than making noise by having their own forces terminate it, convinced the Kaleesh that they were indeed in danger. Quietly sending a group of military instructors to the planet, the Republic trained and armed the Kaleesh military force—Kolkpravis.
Armed with projectile-firing Czerka Outland rifle and backed by a small group of Knights sent by the Jedi Council, the Kolkpravis were able to end the perceived threat of the Bitthævrian to the Republic. Notably, the grandmother of Qymaen jai Sheelal participated in the Kaleesh assault.
The Huk WarThe Huk War was a long conflict prior to the Clone Wars, beginning when the Yam'rii of the neighboring planet Huk, having overpopulated their own planet, began taking over and colonizing nearby worlds, eventually arriving at Kalee. They have captured millions of Kaleesh and sold them into slavery. The Kaleesh, led by Sheelal and Ronderu lij Kummar, rebelled against their invaders in a bloody series of battles that would leave multitudes dead on both sides.
After obliterating the Yam'rii presence on Kalee, Sheelal led his warriors back to the Yam'rii colony worlds, massacring civilians as well as soldiers. The Yam'rii petitioned in the Senate for Republic intervention, and received as much when a dispatch of Jedi arrived to end the war. The Senate imposed harsh sanctions on Kalee, plunging the world into an economic crisis. However, this crisis eventually came to an end when the InterGalactic Banking Clan helped the planet in economic repairs in exchange for the services of Grievous.
Following the Huk War, the Yam'rii desecrated the burial grounds of the Kaleesh on the planet Oben, prompting Kaleesh warlord Qymaen jai Sheelal to return from working for the Banking Clan to again lead the kolkpravis. The IBC sabotaged Sheelal's shuttle, nearly killing him and killing seven of the eight Izvoshra, elite warriors who protected him and carried out his will. Qymaen was later resurrected as the Separatist cyborg General Grievous; who played a pivotal role in the Clone Wars.
Presumably, in exchange for IBC financial assistance, the Kaleesh supported the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars until its defeat in 19 BBY and the death of General Grievous at the Battle of Utapau. Years afterwards, Grievous would be worshiped as a deity on Kalee. The sole surviving Izvoshra, a tyrant of Kalee's western hemisphere named Bentilais san Sk'ar, rallied the kolkpravis and led the slaughter of the Yam'rii on Oben, where he subsequently moved his people.
Galactic EmpireDue to their ties to the Separatist movement and their role in the Clone Wars, the species was presumably targeted for retribution by the newly risen Galactic Empire. For nearly a decade, the Kaleesh under General Bentilais san Sk'ar held out against the Imperials until they were finally routed on Oben by Captain Thrawn, who was usually able to study his adversaries' art and devise a strategy to defeat them from there. In the case of the Kaleesh, Thrawn was unable to comprehend the works of art, and so leveled Oben with his Star Destroyers; presumably inflicting heavy casualties and bringing an end to the insurrection.
Given the species' cultural focus on valor and honor in combat, Sk'ar recognized the Empire's superior technology and tactics and held no ill will against the victors since his people had died with honor. Thus when approached by Captain Rel Bentin, Sk'ar offered his life or his services. Bentin, intimidated by the towering figure of Sk'ar, brought the Kaleesh before Emperor Palpatine. Despite the Empire's xenophobia towards non-humans, the Emperor was impressed enough by the Kaleesh's courage and potential to accept Sk'ar into the ranks of his Imperial armies.
Thus, Sk'ar went down in galactic history as one of the few non-humans to reach an important position within the humanocentric Galactic Empire besides Grand Admiral Thrawn and the Procurator of Justice Hethrir. With an Imperial strike force under his command, Sk'ar embarked on a campaign across the Jahilid Drift, conquering several worlds and making a name for himself in the Imperial military.
Preferring to use divide and conquer tactics rather than flat out bombardment, Sk'ar's plans put his troops at lessened risk while putting the worlds he overran under stronger Imperial control. His campaigns eventually brought him to Shiva IV; however, there he was thwarted by agents of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Attempting to evade defeat, he was killed when the Wookiee Chewbacca threw a solid steel gun mount at his ship, causing Sk'ar's aircraft to explode.
Meanwhile, the kolkpravis was taken over by a female Kaleesh believed to be the second coming of Grievous's dead soulmate, Ronderu lij Kummar.
Darth Krayt's Sith EmpireBy the time of the Second Imperial Civil War, 137 ABY, Imperial discriminatory policies had been eliminated, several non-humans served within the Imperial military. Such was the case of a Kaleesh stormtrooper, stationed aboard the Relentless, a ship that served as transport for the Galactic Emperor Darth Krayt.
APPEARANCES:Lost Tribe of the Sith: Precipice (Mentioned only)
Star Wars: The Old Republic
The Eyes of Revolution
Dark Jedi
"Hide in Plain Sight" - Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 2
"Rogue's Gallery" - Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 3
Star Wars: Clone Wars – "Chapter 20" (First appearance)
Star Wars: Clone Wars – "Chapter 21"
Star Wars: Battle for the Republic
Star Wars: The Clone Wars film (Appears in flashback(s))
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Battle Begins
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels
Star Wars The Clone Wars 6: Slaves of the Republic - Chapter 6: Escape from Kadavo
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Volume 1: Shipyards of Doom
The Clone Wars: Shakedown
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Rising Malevolence"
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Shadow of Malevolence"
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Destroy Malevolence
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Destroy Malevolence"
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Rookies"
The Clone Wars: The Fall of Falleen
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Downfall of a Droid
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Downfall of a Droid"
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Jedi in Training
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Duel of the Droids"
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Forces of Darkness
The Clone Wars: The Dreams of General Grievous
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Lair of Grievous"
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Grievous Attacks!
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (Nintendo DS version only)
The Clone Wars: Decide Your Destiny: The Lost Legion (Ambiguously canonical source)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Senate Spy" (Appears in flashback(s))
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Landing at Point Rain" (Appears in flashback(s))
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Grievous Intrigue"
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Deserter"
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Hunt for Grievous
Deep Forest (Appears in hologram)
"Heroes on Both Sides" - Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 5
Republic HoloNet News Core Edition 15:3:02
CIS Shadowfeed Dispatch 15:3:21 Edition
Star Wars: General Grievous
Star Wars Republic: The Dreadnaughts of Rendili
Star Wars Republic: Trackdown (Appears in hologram)
Boba Fett: A New Threat
Star Wars: Obsession
Labyrinth of Evil
Reversal of Fortune
Star Wars: Grievous Getaway
Star Wars: Republic Commando
Star Wars: Battlefront II
Star Wars: Clone Wars – "Chapter 22"
Star Wars: Clone Wars – "Chapter 23"
Star Wars: Clone Wars – "Chapter 24"
Star Wars: Clone Wars – "Chapter 25"
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith / comic / novel / junior novel / video game
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron
Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight (Mentioned only)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed comic (Appears in flashback(s))
Star Wars Empire: "General" Skywalker (Vision)
Star Wars 53: The Last Gift From Alderaan (Retcon)
Star Wars 54: Starfire Rising (Retcon)
Heir to the Empire (First mentioned) (Retcon)
Crosscurrent
Star Wars Legacy 31: Vector, Part 12
Celestia Galactica Photografica
SOURCES:"Unknown Soldier: The Story of General Grievous" - Star Wars Insider 86
The Story of General Grievous: Lord of War
The New Essential Guide to Alien Species
Aliens in the Empire
The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Official Episode Guide: Season 1
The Art of Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Galaxy at War
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia
I would like to thank Wookieepedia for this info.
