Fosh

The Fosh were bird-like creatures with slim torsos and delicate arms tipped with four-fingered, talon-like hands that evolved over tens of thousands of years from wings. Due to the frail nature of their bodies, Fosh tended to shy away from conflict and confrontation. Their necks in particular were most vulnerable, and were reflexively guarded during combat. They were, however, agile creatures with a typically avian digitigrade stance and flay-toed feet, useful for jumping.

The Fosh had a convex face, ending in a beak-like mouth, around which were tufts of soft whiskers, much like avian birds. The head of a Fosh was capped with two twisting antennae, the use of which remains unknown, and a feather-lined ridge protruding from the skull. These feathers changed colors, depending on the Fosh's mood; Green indicated inquisitiveness, thoughtfulness or amusement, orange was a sign of happiness, blue meant apathy, and gray was anger, disgust, irritation or seriousness.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the species was the chemical makeup of their tears. Female Fosh, especially, had lacrimal glands that enabled them to alter their tears to produce a variety of pheromonal substances that affected males during mating. The Sith apprentice Vergere had such control over her tears that they could, with the aid of the Force, be engineered to produce any number of chemical substances, ranging from poisons to healing fluids more powerful than bacta.

The Fosh, as a society, were very private, preferring to remain unnoticed by the larger galaxy. They commonly spoke only on matters of great importance, most times, or were content to simply listen at other times. It was believed that the Fosh's total population was small, although this may simply have been an effect of their reclusive nature when compared with other species.

The Fosh were, however, adept at political intrigue; culturally, they were a manipulative species, similar to the Bothans, but much more devious—many Fosh were indeed bigots, looking upon other races as inferior, sometimes even as toys for their own amusement. The Fosh would create plots-within-plots to achieve either highly complex or (at times) very simple goals. They spoke indirectly to others, rarely revealing their true desires, and were fond of riddles and analogies designed to confuse and confound. Because of this, the Fosh were a highly self-serving, self-interested species that was only generous when their actions hid an ulterior motive. The Fosh were also aware and wise, enough, to spot the dangers inherent in other species, and were vigilant in self-preservation during their dealings with other races.

Due to their secretive, private nature, Fosh were hardly seen throughout the galaxy at any point in time. It is possible that the species was one of those targeted for extinction by Emperor Palpatine,even as late as a decade prior to the Clone Wars, the species was considered to be largely extinct.

The only notable Fosh to have an impact outside of the species' homeworld was the Jedi Knight Vergere, active during the final decades of the Galactic Republic. After the Yuuzhan Vong attacked Zonama Sekot, Vergere traveled with the alien invaders for many years, ultimately returning to the civilized galaxy with Jacen Solo. Up until this time, even New Republic Intelligence was not aware of the species' existence. However, Droma once saw a Fosh in the Corporate Sector.

The Fosh pictured in The New Essential Guide to Alien Species has knees that bend like a humanoid's, however it is stated that they bend backwards like a crane's. As with most vertebrates, this joint is actually the ankle, rather than the knee.

• The Essential Guide to Alien Species
• The New Jedi Order Sourcebook
• The New Essential Guide to Characters
• Power of the Jedi Sourcebook
• The Official Star Wars Fact File138
• The Official Star Wars Fact File140
• The New Essential Guide to Alien Species
• Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Galaxy of Intrigue
• The Essential Guide to Warfare