The Fenelar were a species native to the Outer Rim Territories world Fenel. Notable for their starshipwrights and technologists, the Fenelar designed warships such as the Kandosii-type dreadnaught, as well as the legendary Fenelar armor suits. At one point, the Mandalorian Crusaders began raiding Fenel and its natives, ultimately rendering the Fenelar extinct by the 6700s BBY. The Mandalorians subsequently adopted Fenelar technology for use in other military campaigns.
The Fenelar crafted the type of armor suit known as Fenelar armor (depicted worn by a Human).
The Fenelar were a sentient species native to the world Fenel in the Outer Rim Territories' Demetras sector. The species' members included notable starshipwrights and technologists, and its homeworld was powerful yet isolationist. The Fenelar designed warships, including what would eventually be known as the Kandosii-type dreadnaught.
Fenelar craftsmen also developed the type of armor suit known as Fenelar armor. Humanoid-shaped and featuring a helmet, it was designed for maximum protection, mobility, and artistic effect. The armor suits were fashioned out of choice materials, including various exotic minerals and the resilient alloy phrik. The latter material was first developed by the Fenelar and was prized by them in its role in the design of Fenelar armor. The armor suits featured markings that suggested Fenelar craftsmanship, and their luridly engraved surfaces had a fear-inducing effect. A long time after its manufacture, Fenelar armor had acquired a legendary status and had become highly sought-after by collectors.
The Fenelar-designed Kandosii-type dreadnaught (center) became a central element of Mandalorian naval forces.
At some point between approximately 7000 BBY and the 6700s BBY, the Mandalorian Crusader warrior culture, based out of the world Mandalore, commenced raids against Fenel and its natives. According to the text Ba'jurne Kyr'tsad Mando'ad that was attributed to the later Mandalorian Tor Vizsla, the Crusaders viewed the Fenelar as "unworthy and unclean." The raids ultimately led to the extinction of the Fenelar by the 6700s BBY.
Fenel ultimately became an important Mandalorian world, and the Crusaders adopted Fenelar technology for use in a campaign against another species, the Tlönians. The Mandalorians improved on Fenelar warship design, and the Kandosii-type dreadnaught—named after the word for "ruthless" in the Mandalorians' Mando'a language—became a central element of their naval forces by the time of the Mandalorian Wars of 3976 BBY–3960 BBY. Vilnau Teupt briefly noted the fate of the Fenelar in the keynote address "Industry, Honor, Savagery: Shaping the Mandalorian Soul" at Brentaal Academy's 412th Proceedings of Galactic Anthropology and History in 24 ABY.
The Fenelar were introduced in the roleplaying adventure "Topside Infiltration."
The Fenelar were first mentioned in the roleplaying adventure "Topside Infiltration," which was authored by Peter Schweighofer for use with the Wizards of the Coast Star Wars Roleplaying Game and published in the eighth issue of the Star Wars Gamer magazine on December 21, 2001.
The species' name was misspelled as "Felenar" in the 2004 Obsidian Entertainment video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, an error that additionally later made its way into the accompanying Prima Games' strategy guide and one entry in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. Other sources continued using the correct spelling, and Jason Fry, co-author of the 2009 reference book The Essential Atlas, noted that for the purposes of the inclusion of the corresponding Fenel system in that work, the other variant of the species' name was also considered a typo.
- "Topside Infiltration" — Star Wars Gamer 8
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Prima Official Game Guide
- "The History of the Mandalorians" — Star Wars Insider 80
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- The Essential Guide to Warfare
- The Bounty Hunter Code: From the Files of Boba Fett