The Chiss were a sentient species of near-human origin, characterized by their distinctive physical traits: blue skin, crimson eyes, and dark blue hair. Their home world was the planet of Csilla. The Chiss were particularly known for the structure and importance of their families, which played a central role in their society.
The Chiss Ascendancy was situated within the Unknown Regions, maintaining minimal contact with the broader galaxy. Their existence was largely considered legendary, even within the Unknown Regions, until the rise of Grand Admiral Thrawn in the Galactic Empire.
The Chiss, with their imposing presence, were considered near-humans. This designation meant that they shared significant similarities in shape, features, and overall dimensions with humans. However, they possessed unique characteristics that set them apart, including blue skin, shimmering blue-black hair, glowing red [eyes](/article/eye], and sharply angled facial features. Due to their blue skin, they were sometimes mistaken for Pantorans, a humanoid species from Pantora with blue skin, though Pantorans lacked the Chiss's distinctive red eyes. Beyond coloration, the Chiss possessed slightly enhanced vision compared to humans, with the ability to perceive into the infrared spectrum. Furthermore, their auditory perception was sharper, and their reflexes were quicker.
Force-sensitivity, which the Chiss referred to as the Sight, was exceptionally rare among them and manifested as limited abilities. These included precognition, known as Third Sight, and telepathy, referred to as Second Sight. Force-sensitive Chiss were almost exclusively female. Their abilities waned with age, eventually disappearing altogether. The secrets surrounding Second and Third Sights were among the most closely guarded within the Chiss Ascendancy, so much so that many Chiss were completely unaware of their full potential or even their existence. While intimately familiar with Third Sight, Imperial Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo was aware of Second Sight but lacked knowledge of its specific capabilities. Girls identified with the Sight were trained as navigators for the Chiss fleet, guiding them through the dangerous hyperspace routes of the Unknown Regions. They were known as ozyly-esehembo, which translates to "sky-walker" in the Cheunh language.
The governing elite of the Chiss Ascendancy were the Aristocra. The Chiss Syndicure served as the highest legislative and executive authority within the Ascendancy. The Chiss military comprised the Chiss Defense Force and the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet.
Throughout the Unknown Regions, the Chiss were celebrated for their formidable military prowess and their adherence to what was considered a just military doctrine. Even among species that lacked direct contact with the Chiss Ascendancy, tales and legends circulated, portraying the Chiss as noble warriors with blue skin. This was true even among species that had seemingly ceased space travel for decades. During a destructive civil war on her homeworld, a leader known as the Magys escaped with 200 refugees to the Rapacc system, where they established a settlement. The Magys' refugees cautioned the indigenous Paccosh about invaders who would seek to annihilate them, urging them to dispatch refugees to safeguard their culture. She shared legends of the Chiss, depicting them as noble warriors renowned for their ability to neutralize enemies without resorting to destruction, prompting the Paccosh to dispatch a refugee ship to the Dioya system, situated at the edge of Chiss territory, in hopes of securing Chiss assistance. Uingali foar Marocsaa later challenged Senior Captain Thrawn to demonstrate his ability to disable a Paccosh freighter without destroying it, as a test of his identity.
Cheunh was the primary Chiss language. However, in their infrequent interactions with outsiders, the Chiss employed trade languages such as Sy Bisti, Meese Caulf, Taarja, and Minnisiat. Written communication was conducted using the Cheunh script. Those with a dislike for the Chiss often used the derogatory term "blueskin" to refer to them.
Most Chiss names were polysyllabic and followed a three-part structure, exemplified by Mitth'raw'nuruodo. The initial part identified the individual's family, the second served as the given name, and the third denoted other social factors. In addition to their full names, the Chiss also used shortened versions—for example, "Mitth'raw'nuruodo" could be shortened to "Thrawn." These short-form names were known as core names, and they were conventionally used in most situations, except for the most formal occasions, for the sake of convenience. In a rare instance of an outsider being integrated into Chiss society, the human Eli Vanto was given the standard three-part name "Eli'van'to," which his shipmates abbreviated to the core name "Ivant."
Chiss were omnivorous, consuming foods such as cheese, yubal, and various plant-based products.
The Chiss originated from Csilla, a world situated in the so-called Unknown Regions of the galaxy. The Chiss and other inhabitants of the Unknown Regions referred to this region as "The Chaos," due to the perilous nature of navigation within it. Millennia ago, the Chiss had interactions with the broader galaxy, becoming politically and militarily involved in the ancient wars between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. However, they eventually severed ties with both entities and retreated back into the Unknown Regions, closing their borders. During the Republic Era and Imperial Era, they were governed by an entity known as the Chiss Ascendancy. According to Generalirius Nakirre of the Kilji Illumine, the Kilji way of order and enlightenment could enable the Chiss and the Ascendancy to serve the interests of the Grysks—indirectly benefiting the Kiljis. Some Chiss resided on the Outer Rim Territories planet of Serenno.
Despite their reclusive nature, one Chiss, Mitth'raw'nuruodo, rose to become an officer in the Galactic Empire. Achieving the rank of Grand Admiral, he participated in the Imperial Military's efforts to combat the early rebellion in the years leading up to the Battle of Yavin. Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, former Senator Johhar Kessen hired several female Chiss mercenaries. During the Galactic Civil War, a female Chiss spy infiltrated the Empire, disguising herself as a human Imperial officer through the use of fake skin.
The Chiss species made their initial appearance, although unnamed, in Heir to the Empire, a 1991 Star Wars Legends novel penned by Timothy Zahn. This novel served as the first installment in The Thrawn Trilogy. The species' name was later revealed in Vision of the Future, a 1998 Legends novel, also by Zahn, which was the second book in Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn Duology. The Chiss became part of the official canon when they were featured in Secret Alliances, the sixth campaign within Star Wars: Commander, a mobile game published by Disney Interactive that launched on August 21, 2014.
Although he was ultimately portrayed as a human, an early concept for Agent Kallus, a main antagonist in the canon animated television series Star Wars Rebels, depicted him as a Chiss. Eventually, the Chiss did appear in the series, in the form of Grand Admiral Thrawn. During the development of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project, illustration manager Jeffrey Thomas expressed a desire for Marchion Ro to be a Chiss, due to his admiration for Thrawn. However, this idea was not realized, and Ro's species was eventually established as Evereni in the 2022 comic The High Republic: Eye of the Storm 1.