Shani

This article is about the canon species.
You may be looking for the similarly spelled creature known as the shoni in the Star Wars Legends continuity.

The Shani were a sentient species of tall, multicolor-feathered reptilian humanoids from a homeworld within Wild Space. They possessed extremely long lifespans, and could unhinge their jaws to devour creatures and beings whole. Shani were considered by the Hutts to be the galaxy's original bounty hunters.

Biology and appearance

Shani were a sentient bipedal reptillian species with green skin and colorful feathers growing out of their heads. They had the ability to open their mouths extremely wide, and had sharp teeth and pointy tongues.^[1] It was a well known rumor that they were able to swallow sentients whole,^[2] a rumor that proved to be true when the bounty hunter Deva Lompop ate Jarm Brock alive, armor and all, only leaving the head.^[3] Shani hatched from eggs, and devoured their nest-mates shortly after hatching.^[5] The species were capable of healing quickly, such as charred wounds. Additionally, Shani also possessed long lifespans, being able to live for centuries.^[3]

Society and culture

Considered physically attractive, Shani were capable of copulating with humanoid species despite being reptilian, though some Shani, such as Lompop, had a habit of killing and eating their exes.^[3]

History

The Shani were said to have originated from a planet "beyond the known routes," presumed by Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh to be an allusion to Wild Space. Before the Shani integrated with the wider galaxy, many sought out a mythical hyperspace route located beyond Wild Space known as Jozanna Tock Na Du in their language or "Inverted Path" in Basic; it was said the path led to immense treasure. At some point after the Great Hyperspace Rush, Deva Lompop went searching for the Jozanna Tock Na Du but never found it.^[4]

Shani in the galaxy

One prominent Shani was the bounty hunter Deva Lompop, who lived from the High Republic Era through to the Imperial Era.^[1] Another was the scientist Glenna Kip, whose career spanned from the High Republic Era^[2] to the First Order-Resistance War,^[6] and the Corellian singer Crukibolt Nart Adeen, known as Crufeela. She was notorious for her penchant for eating creatures from endangered species.^[7]

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Behind the scenes

The Shani first appeared in the 2019 junior novel Spark of the Resistance, written by Justina Ireland and illustrated by Phil Noto for the Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker publishing program, with the character of Professor Glenna Kip.^[6] The species was not identified, however, until a StarWars.com article published on June 24, 2021, introducing bounty hunter Deva Lompop and previewing her appearances in the Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters comic event.^[1] Ireland's 2022 Star Wars: The High Republic junior novel Mission to Disaster subsequently confirmed that Kip was Shani.^[2]