Tuk'ata

< Tuk'ata
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"Gigantic creatures. Triple rows of teeth, six inch claws, and three horns. They can move on four legs or two, and have two winglike extensions—not functional wings, but poisonous stingers. Very fast."
―Obi-Wan Kenobi, just before seeing a pack of tuk'ata on Korriban.[8]

The Force-sensitive tuk'ata, or Sith hounds, were used for thousands of years to guard the tombs of the Dark Lords of the Sith on Korriban.[6]

Biology and appearance

A Tuk'ata

A Tuk'ata

Tuk'ata were oversized beasts that were bred to be both fearless and relentless where they were tasked with guarding the Sith tombs on Korriban. Their distinctive characteristics included sharp horns, long claws and savage teeth. Tuk'ata were unusually intelligent and were even able to communicate with one another through means unknown. It was claimed that originally the species were non-violent grazing animals before being corrupted by Sith alchemy experiments that awakened latent parts of their brain which transformed them into unnatural abominations. On occasion, random mutations produce some tuk'ata that were able to live for centuries and grew to immense proportions.[9]

Tuk'ata could speak the Sith language.[7]

Tuk'ata were said to draw nourishment from the Dark side of the Force itself.[10]

Tuk'ata nobilis: A pair of tuk'ata tamed by the Jedi Beast Master Kanzhei Opli three centuries before the rise of the Galactic Empire and given to the Jedi Temple of Vaklin, they distinguished from the original pack for their blue eyes in comparison with the dark-sided red eyes of a normal tuk'ata. The only two specimens were killed by Darth Vader in 19 BBY.[1]

History

"A creature from another age, a Tuk'ata. The Sith placed them here long ago to guard their tombs. They still perform this task."
―Luke Skywalker describing a tuk'ata[11]
A Tuk'ata in the .

A Tuk'ata in the Valley of the Dark Lords.

While on Korriban, Freedon Nadd and an unidentified Dark Lord of the Sith forced Exar Kun to fight several hounds as a test.[2] Tuk'ata were present in the Great Temple on Yavin 4 when Exar Kun ordered Aleema Keto and Crado to destroy the Cron Cluster.[12] Revan managed to kill one and take a Sith holocron from its belly. There were also some tuk'ata in Tulak Hord's tomb, where the tuk'ata mother lived.[3] By the time of the Cold War, the valley was flooding with new and more vicious races of tuk'ata and many Sith both students and Lords, including Lord Renning, were interested in their biology which made them Force-sensitive.[13] Darth Bane had to deal with them in the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban.[14] Approximately a thousand years later, a Jedi strike team made up of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Siri Tachi, Soara Antana, Ry-Gaul, and their respective apprentices faced a pack of Tuk'ata when entering the same mausoleum-lined Valley.[8] Tol Skorr, the Dark Jedi servant of Count Dooku, would be injured by one that had grown to a monstrous size and would face it years later when he and Quinlan Vos attempted to raid Darth Andeddu's tomb.[15]

Another large tuk'ata guarded a cave on Yavin 4. It was confronted by the Solo children, Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin, along with Lowbacca, and Finn Galfridian. It was initially hostile, but retreated back into its cave after Jacen Solo helped heal it.[11] When Luke Skywalker, Ben Skywalker, Jaina Solo, and Vestara Khai went to Korriban to search for the Lost Tribe of Sith they were attacked by a large group of tuk'ata, but before they could attack Vestara communicated with them through the Sith language and told them not to attack.[7] In 138 ABY, Darth Nihl used the Force to bend an attacking tuk'ata's will to his own,[16] but Darth Talon killed it shortly afterwards.[17]

Behind the scenes

The tuk'ata first appeared in Tales of the Jedi – Dark Lords of the Sith 3,[2] but were unnamed until the publication of Daniel Wallace's The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons.[18]

Appearances

A giant tuk'ata attacks .

A giant tuk'ata attacks Dark Acolyte Tol Skorr.

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Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Purge – The Tyrant's Fist 2
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Tales of the Jedi – Dark Lords of the Sith 3
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
  4. ↑ Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 2
  5. ↑ Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Jedi Academy Training Manual
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Fate of the Jedi: Ascension
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Jedi Quest: The Final Showdown
  9. ↑ SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "Tuk'ata"
  10. ↑ The Essential Atlas
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Invasion 2
  12. ↑ Tales of the Jedi – The Sith War 4
  13. ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic
  14. ↑ Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
  15. ↑ Republic 63
  16. ↑ Legacy (2006) 48
  17. ↑ Legacy (2006) 50
  18. ↑ Blogger-Logo Daniel Wallace's Geekosity — Endnotes for Star Wars: Book of Sith (part 1) on Blogspot (backup link)

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