The Kalikori was a revered Twi'lek heirloom passed from parent to child through generations. According to tradition, each parent of a Twi'lek lineage made additions to the artwork to include themselves in the family legacy. Though materially worthless to outsiders, it was regarded as priceless to the family to whom it belonged. During the Imperial occupation of Ryloth in 2 BBY, Grand Admiral Thrawn acquired the Kalikori of the Syndulla clan, and members of the Ghost crew allied with Twi'lek rebels in an effort to reclaim it. Two years later, Hera Syndulla added the late Kanan Jarrus to her Kalikori to honor his sacrifice in returning it to her.
Kalikoris were traditional totems belonging to Twi'lek families which would be passed down from generation to generation. They were shaped to be reminiscent of the species' two lekku, and each generation would add their own designs which denoted the family's history. Regarded as a sacred heirloom among the Twi'lek culture, the Kalikori was a way to artistically represent family lineage and honor each clan's ancestors.
The heirloom was a relatively small, hand-held object constructed of various materials. It was segmented into multiple smaller sections linked together with smaller beads, which acted as connection pieces. Each segment was inscribed with different collections of colorful symbols, each representing important individuals in a Twi'lek family clan. New additions to the Kalikori could be applied by either artistically adding a new design to a section, or by linking a new segment to the connection pieces.
In 2 BBY, Hera Syndulla met with her father, Cham, on her homeworld of Ryloth during the planet's Imperial occupation. Upon discovering that Imperial troops occupied the Syndulla residence and had taken possession of their family's Kalikori, Hera vowed to recover it. When the Spectres asked about the Kalikori, freedom fighters Gobi Glie and Numa explained its importance in the Twi'lek culture as a way to symbolically honor a clan's ancestors.
Despite the rebels' attempts to recover it, Thrawn retained possession of the Kalikori.
In an effort to retrieve the Kalikori, Hera and Ezra Bridger entered the Syndulla residence under a disguise, while the remaining Ghost crew and Twi'lek rebels created a diversion in a nearby canyon. Although Hera and Bridger found the Kalikori, their escape was thwarted by the arrival of Grand Admiral Thrawn and Captain Slavin. She attempted to maintain her cover as a Twi'lek slave, but Thrawn quickly discovered Hera's true identity, imprisoning her and Bridger. When an undercover Chopper found where they were being held, Hera told him to place charges throughout the residence.
At his order, the Kalikori was delivered to Thrawn's command ship. Hera and Bridger were brought to the courtyard of the Syndulla residence to perform a prisoner exchange with Cham, who had intended to sacrifice his freedom for his daughter's safety. However, Chopper ignited the explosives, and the rebels escaped aboard the Ghost as the residence was destroyed. Hera regretted their failure to acquire her Kalikori from the Empire, but she acknowledged the family she had found in both her father and the Spectres.
Hera Syndulla's family Kalikori was returned to her
Some time later, Imperial forces subjected Lothal to military occupation, using the planet as a base of operations. Alongside an Imperial factory, Grand Admiral Thrawn established an office, which he utilized to plan strategic moves against the Rebellion. The office housed a number of rebel artifacts he had gathered from various worlds, including the Syndulla clan's Kalikori he had acquired from his time on Ryloth. Thrawn often spent time studying the stolen artwork in an effort to gather clues about the rebels.
The Kalikori, along with other artifacts, was transferred to Thrawn's office aboard his command ship, the Chimaera. In 2 BBY, members of Phoenix Cell launched a mission to extract Imperial Agent Alexsandr Kallus, whose identity as the rebel spy, Fulcrum, grew dangerously close to being revealed by Thrawn. While sneaking undercover into Thrawn's office, Bridger spotted the Kalikori on display, but Kallus discouraged his instinct to recover it for Hera.
Thrawn left it in his office at the Imperial Complex following his interrogation of General Hera Syndulla. Jarrus retrieved it and returned to Hera. In 1 BBY, following Kanan Jarrus' death, on the recommendation of Chopper, Hera added Jarrus to her Kalikori. With this act of adding a new piece to the Kalikori, Hera made Kanan a member of the Syndulla family.
"Kalikori" is a word that first appeared in the 2011 Star Wars Legends video game Star Wars: The Old Republic as the Kalikori village, a Twi'lek settlement on the planet Tython. According to the in-game codex, the village was named after an old Twi'leki word for "beginning."
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