Abyssins were a sentient species from Byss, characterized by their single eye and thus classified as cycloptic. A unique trait of theirs was the capacity to regenerate lost limbs, and they could live for almost 300 years. Among the more well-known Abyssins were Myo, a regular at Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina located in Mos Eisley on Tatooine, and Gor Koresh, a gambler and gangster known for preying on Mandalorian coverts to acquire their beskar armor.
As a sentient race, Abyssins were bipeds with one eye, originating from Byss. Their appearance was defined by swarthy-greenish or dark blue-black skin, green and white hair, and a single eye with one pupil situated in the middle of their foreheads. They also possessed the remarkable ability to regrow lost or amputated limbs and could reach an age of 300 years. Some Abyssins had three clawed fingers on each hand, while others displayed four fingers more akin to human hands. According to Yoda, the Jedi Grand Master, the Abyssin people would kill their older population in order to preserve resources.
During the latter part of the Republic Era, Ramil, the Count of Serenno, employed a band of mercenaries to invade Serenno. This group included Oster and another Abyssin, both of whom were subsequently killed by Dooku, a Jedi Master.
During the Clone Wars, Jackar Bowmani, a male Abyssin, was employed at the Jedi Temple as an expert in munitions. Unbeknownst to him, his wife, Letta Turmond, was secretly feeding him modified explosive NM-K reconstitutor nano-droids to turn him into a living bomb against the Jedi. Bowmani later self-detonated within the Jedi Temple hangar, resulting in the death of six Jedi, numerous Republic clone troopers, and other hangar personnel, while also destroying all but one of his arms. Another Abyssin, named Myo, was present in Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina on Mos Eisley when Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi initially encountered Han Solo and Chewbacca, not long before the Battle of Yavin. Jabba the Hutt, the crime lord of the Hutt species, utilized a large hoversled as his throne, which was adorned with several statues depicting Abyssin heads.
In the New Republic Era, Gor Koresh, an Abyssin gambler and gangster, made money from underground gladiator fights at his own arena while also hunting Mandalorian remnants for their beskar armor. He encountered Din Djarin, a Mandalorian bounty hunter searching for others of his kind, at his arena during a death match between two Gamorreans. Koresh claimed to possess information about the whereabouts of other Mandalorians, but he attempted to deceive Djarin into a bet that could have cost him his beskar armor. Djarin declined, leading Koresh to draw a weapon and hold Djarin at gunpoint, supported by three armed guards. In the ensuing chaos, Koresh accidentally shot and killed one of the Gamorrean fighters in the ring, stating he didn't want to lose the bet. Djarin agreed and proceeded to defeat Koresh's guards, who fled during the conflict. Djarin caught Koresh outside the arena in the dimly lit streets, capturing him with a rope around his foot and suspending him upside down from a streetlight. Djarin continued to press Koresh for the information he sought. After Koresh relented, Djarin departed, stating that letting him go wasn't "part of the deal." Instead, Djarin shot out the streetlight above Koresh, plunging the surrounding street into darkness, which attracted a group of hungry, nocturnal wild dogs.
The initial appearance of an Abyssin occurred in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. The name "Abyssin" was first established in the Legends roleplaying game sourcebook titled Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races in 1984. The first canon source to formally recognize the species's name was the reference book Star Wars: Complete Locations, which was released in 2016. Despite a misspelling of the name as "Abbysin" in that publication, Jason Fry, the author, has confirmed that this was simply a typographical error.
The Abyssin were also considered as potential alien guards for the Confederacy of Independent Systems in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, serving as an early design concept for the Neimoidian Royal Guards ultimately featured in the film. The concept art of the Abyssin soldier, referred to as the "Separatist Alien Guard," was later included in the Star Wars: The Complete Saga collection.