Clawdite

The Clawdites were a sentient reptilian species with the inherent talent to alter their physical form. In their natural state, Clawdites displayed a skin texture that was coarse, with hues ranging from light yellow to deep green. Their pair of prominent eyes featured slitted pupils and irises that varied in color from yellow to intense blue. The shape-shifting prowess of this species hinged on two fundamental physiological attributes: highly specialized chromatophores within their skin cells and precise, deliberate control over aspects of their lymphatic system.

The chromatophores enabled Clawdites to modify the color of their skin, and with sufficient training, an individual could replicate almost any color visible to their eyes. The species' mastery over their lymphatic system allowed skilled individuals to enlarge or diminish specific body parts at will, stretching their skin to assume different shapes. Achieving a precise likeness through these abilities necessitated practice, and due to their humanoid structure, they could only superficially imitate organs. Because of their reliance on internal capabilities, a Clawdite could make subtle adjustments to their body's density but not its mass, and they were unable to significantly increase or decrease in overall stature. To compensate for this constraint, some Clawdites utilized automated saline pumps to regulate the fluid levels in their body, granting them a limited range of body size alteration. Upon death, Clawdites would revert back to their original form. Their shape-shifting abilities were hampered by wearing heavy armor, which could disrupt the transformation.

Clawdites originated from the warm, arid planet Zolan, situated in the Mid Rim Territories. They exhibited strong predatory instincts coupled with a tendency toward individualism, which often made it difficult for them to form close relationships, even with fellow Clawdites. This was, in part, a consequence of their shape-shifting ability; the species' mutable appearance meant that a trusted Clawdite companion could easily abscond with shared resources, or their appearance could be adopted by a deceitful individual.

This inherent distrust led Clawdite society to develop various methods for verifying identity. Even when greeting familiar individuals, Clawdites typically remained guarded, relying on conversational cues and personality traits rather than physical appearance to confirm identity. Records were maintained publicly to allow for easy validation of an individual's work, and social or political organizations relied on a high degree of redundancy. Despite these measures, enforcing personal responsibility and accountability remained a persistent challenge throughout the species' history. The species' culture and their perception of their shape-shifting ability were greatly influenced by their integration into the galactic community.

Certain Clawdites established a single, favored guise that they would assume for all public interactions, never revealing their authentic form. This approach offered advantages, such as surprising an adversary when the Clawdite ultimately revealed their true self, and mitigating suspicion of being an infiltrator.

Conversely, some Clawdites openly displayed their natural form in public to capitalize on this caution and emphasize their unique ability, particularly if shape-shifting was beneficial to their current role or task. To reassure others of their good intentions, those Clawdites who did not rely on their shape-shifting abilities generally remained in their default state around others, although this expectation varied from individual to individual and depended on the expectations of the company they kept.

Their native tongue was Zolanese, but it was primarily spoken only in Zolan's rural regions and was rarely heard beyond the planet. Nearly all Clawdites were proficient in Galactic Basic Standard and generally refused to teach Zolanese to offworlders, although during the rare encounters between Clawdites off-planet, they would sometimes use Zolanese as a secret language to identify each other without compromising their cover.

The evolution of the Clawdites on Zolan was significantly impacted by a spike in solar activity that triggered a drastic shift in Zolan's climate. This event led to a prolonged period of continuous radiation bombardment, during which the Clawdites developed various adaptations to enhance their survival, including the traits that enabled them to shape-shift. Many other organisms on Zolan evolved similar traits, but different means of survival; however, most organisms on the planet were unable to cope with the heightened radiation and died off precipitously. The planet itself was also altered, with vast portions becoming desolate wasteland where all plants and animals perished.

Zolan's star eventually concluded its period of intense radiation emission, allowing the planet to revert to more survivable radiation levels. The native species that had endured the event, including the Clawdites and the predatory monzu, were profoundly altered by it. Traits that had evolved to shield the various species from radiation were repurposed for other functions, with various organisms that could change their physiology or had thick boney plates. The new life forms only slowly encroached back into the most devastated areas of the planet, and the changes to the environment had serious repercussions for Zolan's ability to provide for the Clawdites. The scarcity of resources after the spike likely contributed to the cautious and self-reliant nature of Clawdite society as it continued to develop.

Clawdites were predominantly recognized throughout the galaxy for their shapeshifting skills, which made the species more valuable to the broader galaxy than any other export from their homeworld. Following their introduction to galactic society, numerous Clawdites were employed by offworld governments, criminal organizations, or military forces, who regarded them as ideal spies. Consequently, the species rapidly dispersed across the Outer Rim Territories, where their abilities kept them in high demand for professions centered on deception, such as espionage, or other less reputable activities like smuggling. They were legendary as spies and informants due to their shape-shifting and scarcity, and any crime lord who hired one gained prestige.

Some Clawdites preferred to live discreetly, concealing their true species from acquaintances to avoid mistrust or exploitation. Many galactic citizens who interacted with a Clawdite never witnessed the individual's authentic form or even realized they were a changeling. The known presence of a Clawdite tended to increase caution, and even rumors of one prompted guilty parties to heighten their vigilance.

While many Clawdites exploited the more sinister aspects of their shape-shifting ability, others worked as technicians, explorers, or in colonial roles. Many Clawdites were troubled by their primary reputation as changelings, feeling that their species' cultural and technological contributions to the galaxy were overlooked due to the emphasis on their unique genetic capability. Besides deception based roles, Clawdite's predatory instincts made them inherently capable of success as bounty hunters and they excelled in careers that required individual competency. Clawdites originating from Zolan especially preferred self-reliant professions in which they had a high degree of control and did not have to rely on trusting others to act in their best interests.

Shortly before the outbreak of the Clone Wars, the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker pursued the Clawdite bounty hunter Zam Wesell through the city of Coruscant.

During the Clone Wars, the bounty hunter Cad Bane enlisted a Clawdite named Cato Parasitti to aid him in a mission to steal a Jedi Holocron from the Jedi Temple by disguising as dead Jedi Ord Enisence, the mission was ultimately a success however Cato was captured and imprisoned for her crimes.

During the early rebellion against the Galactic Empire a Clawdite bounty hunter posed as Garazeb Orrelios to infiltrate the Spectres, but was stopped.