Star Wars' Starweirds: The Scariest Force-Powered Creatures You've Never Seen
As the years have gone on, the "Star Wars" galaxy has grown increasingly vast and fleshed out. Each passing film, television, and print project has added new elements to it, from new starfighters to never-before-seen planets. While most of these creations aren't anything out of the ordinary, every now and again, something comes along that turns heads over how bizarre it is. The Starweirds are a "Star Wars" oddity of this variety, having been recognized by fans as one of the most formidable and terrifying kinds of creatures in the entire franchise.
The tall, gaunt Starweirds reside in the vacuum of space, turning unlucky pilots into their victims with their connection to the Force. Once they have someone in their sights, they release an incredibly loud and pain-inducing sound, but a quick blaster bolt can send one running for the hills, right? Wrong. Starweirds take an inhuman amount of damage to defeat, with those unfortunate enough to encounter one rarely able to defeat them. Somehow, Jedi Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti manage to capture one in the prison on Sason during the Clone Wars era. Years later, archaeologist Doctor Aphra, along with Luke Skywalker, unwittingly free the creature and only narrowly stop it.
Of course, this is just about all we know about Starweirds in the "Star Wars" canon. They've only appeared and been discussed on the pages of the "Doctor Aphra" comic series so far. However, there's a bit more information floating around about their "Star Wars" Legends counterparts.
Starweirds are even more terrifying in Star Wars Legends
In terms of "Star Wars" Legends material, Starweirds first appear in the 2004 "Star Wars Roleplaying Game" sourcebook, "Ultimate Adversaries," with art by Andrew Jones. They take on a similar appearance as their canon equivalent, with long white hair, glowing eyes, and spindly limbs, though that's just about where the similarities end. For instance, the Legends Starweirds specifically emit a telepathic scream that harms victims inside their minds, and they can use such Force abilities as Force absorption, lightning, and grip.
Speaking to their Legends history, the Starweirds of this continuity have a special hatred for those in tune with the Force. Thus, many Jedi came to wonder if they were manifestations of the dark side rather than creepy space-faring ghouls. Their involvement in the Great Galactic War, which took place from 3681 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin) to 3653 BBY, only supports this claim. During the conflict, the fabled Starweird Queen attacked numerous Jedi, who were luckily saved from a gruesome fate by Jedi Master Wyellett.
With "Star Wars" projects like "Ahsoka" on Disney+ exploring the far corners of the galaxy and what lies beyond, it's fair to say that the stage has been set for a Starweird appearance in live-action sooner rather than later.