Filvians were intelligent, four-legged ungulates from the desert world of Filve, recognized for their technological prowess, resilience, and sociable disposition; they were sentient.
With natural adaptations suited to desert environments, Filvians possessed large humps on their backs for storing water and fat. Smaller glands throughout their bodies served a similar function, resulting in characteristically bumpy physiques and enabling them to survive without sustenance for up to thirty standard days. Despite these adaptations for Filve's harsh deserts, they generally favored habitation in cooler regions.
While typically moving on all fours, they were capable of bipedal locomotion, albeit slower than on four legs. Their dexterous, three-fingered front limbs functioned as hands.
New technology and unfamiliar machinery captivated the Filvians, who readily acquired technical expertise. Evolving from primitive desert inhabitants, the Filvian civilization progressively advanced its scientific and technical knowledge, ultimately becoming among the galaxy's leading computer programmers and technicians. Filve's cities showcased advanced Filvian technology: each city was a fully enclosed, climate-controlled environment, interconnected by transportation networks that allowed travel between mega-cities without venturing outside.
The Filvian people's sociable nature prompted the construction of a high-quality spaceport on Filve, facilitating interaction with other species. Their planet became a significant hub for trade and starship maintenance, hosting branch offices of major corporations like BlasTech Industries and Sienar. This, however, drew the unwelcome attention of the Imperial forces. Fearing the Empire's xenophobic policies, the Filvians diligently attempted to appease them. During their period under Imperial control, most Filvians yearned for the era of the Galactic Republic. In 6 ABY, they pledged their support to the New Republic.
The short story The Farrimmer Cafe contained a misspelling of the species name as "Flivian". Leland Chee verified on the official site forums that this referred to the same species.