The Temple of the Beatific Razor was an outlaw religious sect of the Swokes Swokes species. The group's leader was known as the First Glorious Assassin of the Temple of the Beatific Razor, and its followers were known as Razor Penitents. The organization had a temple in Thousand Thousand, the largest city on Makem Te.
The Temple believed in the use of force to oppose the forces of change on Makem Te. Over the course of its existence, the group targeted local businessbeings, offworlders, even the government of Makem Te itself. The group opposed the presence of non-Swokes Swokes in the immense cemetery known as the Tract. Some Razor Penitents, such as its one-time ruler, Fabswa the Mutilated, showed their devotion by stripping large pieces of flesh from their bodies (something that they could do relatively safely due to the Swokes Swokes' ability to regenerate lost body parts). They also obtained implants to aid them in their worship, such as comlinks to remind them to hear sermons from the sect's leaders.
The sect arose in response to the changes wrought by the opening of Makem Te to mining companies from the Galactic Republic. The mining operations caused both environmental and cultural change on the planet, and the sect reacted by espousing a doctrine of violence and zealous adherence to traditions. At this point, the Temple was led by eleven High Mystics. The group's popularity grew and several anti-government protests were staged. This threatened the hegemony of the Congress of Caliphs, the ruling body on Makem Te. The galactic government called upon the Republic Judicial Department for support in crushing the group. Republic troops quelled the unrest, but this only served to drive more adherents to the ranks of the Razor Penitents. With the outbreak of the Clone Wars, the Beatific Razor managed to repel the Republic forces and drive them from the planet. Over the next few years, the Congress of Caliphs turned to first the Confederacy of Independent Systems and then the Galactic Empire to aid them against the religious group.