Flesh Raiders represented a sub-species descended from the Rakata, who once reigned over the Infinite Empire. Subjected to mass mutation and selective breeding to serve as a lower-caste of soldiers for the Empire, certain members of this group were left behind on the planet of Tython well before the era of the Cold War between the re-emergent Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. This abandonment allowed the Flesh Raiders to survive beyond the Rakatan Empire's downfall.
These Rakata, who were initially the mutated and semi-sentient lower-caste of the Rakata species, evolved into an exceedingly primitive and savage form. As large, bipedal humanoids, Flesh Raiders possessed incredibly sharp teeth, which they employed to completely strip the bones of their prey, regardless of sentience. Their upper lip featured eight small olfactory slits, and two short eye stalks extended from the sides of their boxy heads.
Based on the limited studies conducted by the Jedi Order, the Flesh Raiders on Tython seemed to have regressed to their primitive and cannibalistic state following the disappearance of the planet's other colonists. An alternative hypothesis suggested that the aforementioned society was attacked by the Sith and then forced into strange experiments that caused them to become maddened and hostile.
It is also worth noting that some members of the Raiders were observed to possess sentient minds and the ability to use the Force.
Lacking any formal cities or structured government on Tythan, the Flesh Raiders lived in tribes and built rudimentary shelters on Tythos Ridge. Within these small settlements, they engaged in a form of spiritual worship, with shamans present throughout, and rock idols placed around their lairs. They also used signal fires for long-distance communication. Preferring bare earth, the Flesh Raiders would clear any land they occupied, burning away grass and trees and scattering the bones of their prey across the ground. The Tythans were also scavengers, who would utilize almost any material found for clothing or armoring themselves.
The origins of the Flesh Raiders, abandoned by the Infinite Empire after the Force Wars on Tython, have largely been obscured from historical accounts. The species itself seemed to lack any form of record-keeping. During the time of the Cold War between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire, members of the Jedi Order theorized that the modern Tythan Raider evolved from a once-civilized society that collapsed as other colonists disappeared, or that they were the result of individuals who were victimized by the Sith's attacks and subjected to their strange alchemy, which reduced them to their current state.
After the Great Galactic War, Tythos Ridge was eventually overtaken by Flesh Raiders as the Jedi Order re-established their presence on Tython. Under the Raiders' barbaric control, the ground became an inhospitable wasteland, littered with bones along the few paths that crossed the landscape. This ruined the plans for a Jedi meditative retreat to be constructed there, as proposed by Jedi Master Shol Bestros. By 3643 BBY, the Raiders, now displaying greater cunning and proficient in weapons such as the vibroblade, had established settlements on the Ridge and posed a significant threat to anyone entering the area. They controlled the path between the ruins of Kaleth to the west, a place frequented by Jedi from their new Temple to the northwest, and the Twi'lek Kalikori village to the north.
Despite their small numbers, the Raiders presented a recognized danger to the Jedi presence on Tython during the Cold War. It was during this period that Fashk, a member of the Flesh Raider species, came to the Jedi's attention. They discovered that this male individual possessed Force sensitivity, an unprecedented occurrence, as well as sentience, which was also extremely rare among Flesh Raiders.
The Flesh Raider was conceived for the 2011 massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Star Wars: The Old Republic.