The Akwin were a sentient aquatic species of mammals with amphibious capabilities, inhabiting the oceans of the planet Lazerian IV. Despite their sophisticated society, the Human inhabitants of Lazerian IV—the Lazerians—mistook the Akwin for sea monsters. This misperception led the Akwin to avoid contact with their land-based counterparts. This isolationist stance persisted throughout the New Republic era. Because the Lazerians continued to react negatively to sightings of the Akwin, the latter concluded that their terrestrial neighbors remained unprepared for formal interaction. Regardless of their consistent isolation, the Akwin engaged in several encounters with travelers visiting Lazerian IV.
The Akwin possessed industrial capabilities, including ore mines and manufacturing plants. However, their deep respect for Lazerian IV motivated them to prevent planetary pollution. This same principle fueled their frustration with the pollution generated by the Lazerians on the surface. Akwin technology included speeders and net guns, and they practiced an artistic discipline known as coral-sculpting. Akwin society was structured around multiple independent city-states, each governed by a king or queen, all situated on the seabed.
As an amphibious sentient species of mammalian nature, the Akwin were able to live both on land and in water. Their bodies featured six limbs. The uppermost pair, located at their shoulders, functioned as arms, each terminating in a three-fingered hand. The middle limbs were flipper-like appendages, used for steering in the water. The lowermost pair served as legs, ending in webbed feet with two toes, which allowed them to stand and move on land. These mammals also possessed a tail, fins on their backs, gills beneath their jaws, and highly sensitive hearing.
The Akwin's physique was robust and muscular, enabling them to withstand the intense pressure of the oceans' depths. Their skulls were elongated, featuring a wide mouth, a pair of eyes adapted for night vision, and two blowholes. Cilia, often mistaken for hair, grew on their heads and faces. This cilia typically appeared in shades of white, silver, green, blue, or black. An extended crest with two holes at its end protruded from the back of their heads. Akwin were carnivorous, consuming primarily small sea creatures, as well as marine plant life. Their height ranged from 1.5 to 1.8 meters, and their skin exhibited a blue-green hue.
The Lazerians'—the Human neighbors of the Akwin—discovery of space travel shifted their focus to exploring the galaxy and the Lazerian system. Consequently, the Akwin remained largely undisturbed, as the Lazerians considered them to be sea monsters. The presence of minerals that interfered with sensor scans of the oceans further concealed their existence. Although the Akwin's technological level matched that of their Human counterparts, they lacked interest in space travel. They excelled in developing water-resistant technologies and created their own rapid variant of speeder, featuring two specialized sub-variants: one designed for movement in both water and air, and another for travel in water and on land.
The Akwin also operated ore mines and manufacturing plants, but they prioritized preventing pollution of their home planet Lazerian IV's environment, reflecting their pride in their world. They were equally angered by the excessive pollution caused by their surface-dwelling neighbors, which threatened to expose them to the Lazerians. Despite their civilized and advanced nature, the Akwin possessed a mischievous streak. They often employed underwater versions of technologies common among surface dwellers, including blaster pistols, comlinks, and Akwin Net Guns.
Although capable of living both on land and in the sea, the Akwin primarily resided in Lazerian IV's oceans—Caz Ocean and Dox Ocean—collectively referred to as "Father Ocean." They raised their dietary creatures on underwater "ranches" and cultivated their plant-based foods on specialized underwater farms. The Akwin were a peaceful people who inhabited large cities built on the ocean floor. These cities functioned as independent city-states, each under the rule of a king or queen. They enjoyed music and the art of coral-sculpting. The Akwin communicated using both spoken words and gestures. Furthermore, they maintained historical records tracing back to their primitive ancestors, who lived thousands of years prior.
The Akwin strongly discouraged contact with the Lazerians, believing that both species were content in their respective environments and should remain separate. To some extent, the Akwin considered themselves superior, as they were not restricted solely to land. This belief was reinforced by their greater awareness of Lazerian civilization compared to the Lazerians' knowledge of them. The limited information the Lazerians possessed about the Akwin was often confined to stories or legends, typically dismissed as illusions or the result of inebriation. The Akwin promoted the idea that they were mythical beings, believing the Lazerians were not yet ready to share their planet with another advanced civilization. The Akwin were also aware of a ruined outpost located on the planet's surface.
During the era of the Galactic Republic, the Akwin once observed a battle at the ruined outpost involving Jedi Knights—whom they perceived as strangers—using their lightsabers to effortlessly cut through objects. Shortly after the death of Emperor Palpatine at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, an Akwin scouting party—including the scout B'dasssa—secretly observed the Lazerian capital, Lazeria City, ensuring they remained undetected. They overheard a group of Lazerian army troopers discussing Palpatine's demise and their discontent with the resulting changes.
As the scouting party continued to eavesdrop, they failed to notice the arrival of a second army group. The newly arrived troopers spotted the Akwin scouts and began yelling and firing, but missed as the Akwin retreated. A few minutes later, B'dasssa instructed the party to remain hidden while they returned to investigate further. They were surprised to learn that the troopers believed the Akwin to be a hallucination of giant creatures. Although this incident convinced B'dasssa that the Lazerians were not yet prepared for contact with the Akwin, they also admitted to being curious about the Emperor's fate.
Following the New Republic's formation in 4 ABY, the Akwin became aware of the Galactic Civil War. They viewed it as a natural consequence of other species' immaturity, although their perspective might have shifted favorably toward the New Republic had they encountered a member of the Quarren or Mon Calamari species. Such an encounter would have had severe repercussions, given the Lazerians' pro-Imperial stance.
During the New Republic era, following the rise of the New Republic, a trader captured a holoimage of an Akwin on an island near the continent of Laz. He subsequently went to a bar and attempted to inform the other patrons about what he believed to be a sea creature. However, most patrons dismissed his claims. Unbeknownst to the traveler, the Akwin whose image he had taken informed his companions about the incident.
A group of travelers, believing the trader's story, learned of the creature's likely location on the island after buying him drinks. A marine biologist employed by the Galactic Empire also overheard the conversation and departed for the island, intrigued. After the trader left, he was accosted by a group of cloaked Akwin—including the individual whose image he had taken—who stole the holoimage without harming him. When the travelers tried to intervene, the Akwin attempted to restrain them, again taking care to avoid injury. The travelers later left to investigate the island themselves but found themselves to be the Akwin's unwilling guests.
Another Akwin scouting party observed the King's Own Guard marching into the mountains. Unbeknownst to the Akwin, the King's Own Guard was headed for the Crystal Valley to harvest Empeth Crystals that were about to "bloom."
When another group of travelers managed to befriend the Akwin, they were informed about the King's Own Guard squad in the mountains.
John Terra conceived the Akwin for Twin Stars of Kira, a 1993 supplement for West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. Twin Stars of Kira uses "Akwins" as the plural form of their name. However, the 1998 releases Alien Encounters and Star Wars Encyclopedia, as well as the 2008 reference work The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, utilize the plural form "Akwin." Given that the three aforementioned publications employ the plural "Akwin" more frequently, and that these sources are more recent, this article assumes that it is the correct form.
- Twin Stars of Kira (First mentioned)
- Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Alien Encounters
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia