Ghests were a serpentine species of predator that were naturally found in the jungle and swamp ecosystems of the planet Rodia. Sporting elongated, green bodies, along with claws and razor-sharp teeth, they typically preferred to lie in wait along swamp edges, launching themselves from the water to ambush their unsuspecting prey. Seldom, if ever, did they pursue prey on land. The sentient Rodian inhabitants of their homeworld occasionally engaged in hunts targeting ghests, but these expeditions often resulted in casualties for the hunting parties. By the time the Galactic Civil War was underway, this practice had waned in popularity. The Jedi Luke Skywalker and the Rodian Taneetch Soonta encountered a ghest on Rodia and killed it while attempting to reach the mausoleum of the Jedi Knight Huulik.
Ghests were a sizable species of predator endemic to the planet Rodia. They were capable of locomotion both on land and in water, although their swiftness was significantly greater in the latter environment. Ghests were characterized by a lengthy, serpentine body adorned with [green](/article/color] scales. They also possessed powerful [arms](/article/limb] that terminated in clawed hands featuring four digits. Their heads contained a [mouth](/article/mouth] filled with pointed teeth and a pair of pale, circular eyes. Ghests were physically strong enough to hurl speeder bikes a short distance using their arms. They could produce both roars and hissing sounds.
The typical diet of ghests consisted of birds and herbivorous creatures. These beings dwelled within the jungle and [swamp](/article/swamp] regions of their homeworld, Rodia. When hunting, ghests generally opted for ambushing their targets. They would move silently through the murky swamp waters before launching an attack on creatures positioned along the shoreline. They rarely engaged in hunting on land, as their terrestrial speed was considerably reduced, and they viewed this slowness as a disadvantage, preferring to strike with rapid force. Ghests possessed sufficient intelligence to learn from past experiences, exhibiting an understanding of which targets were inedible. When angered, ghests would emit a roar. They also had the ability to hibernate for prolonged durations of time.
The sentient Rodian inhabitants of Rodia would organize into teams to hunt ghests, although ghest hunts had become less common by the time of the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Hunters faced a notable challenge in securing a successful kill shot on a ghest before the creature could bisect them with its bite, resulting in many ghest-hunting expeditions incurring at least one loss.
A wild ghest originating from Rodia was eventually included as a specimen within the Shadow Stacks collection housed at the Graf Archive on the moon Orchis 2. A student aspiring to become an archivist examined the ghest, believing it to be mummified, but quickly realized the danger when it became apparent that the creature was merely hibernating. The student barely managed to survive the encounter and escape.
Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, in 0 ABY, the Jedi Luke Skywalker and the Rodian Taneetch Soonta came across a ghest in the Rodian jungles while attempting to visit the mausoleum of Soonta's uncle, Huulik, who had served as a Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars. The pair landed near the mausoleum on the swamp's edge, utilizing a pair of speeder bikes. After they dismounted, the ghest immediately attacked one of the vehicles. The creature lifted the vehicle and attempted to bite through its steering vanes before realizing it was inedible, which caused it to roar in frustration and throw the speeder against a nearby rock formation. With the bike now destroyed, the ghest glared and hissed at Skywalker and Soonta before retreating back into the water.
The two then proceeded to the mausoleum, where Soonta retrieved Huulik's lightsaber from her uncle's sarcophagus and presented it to Skywalker, who had expressed his desire to become a Jedi Knight. Encouraged by Soonta, Skywalker returned to the water's edge as bait, wielding both his own and Huulik's lightsaber. After a period of waiting, Skywalker began to wonder if the creature had simply left, but the ghest suddenly lunged from the Jedi's left. Skywalker swung one of his lightsabers at the predator, severing its head, but not before its teeth had pierced his shoulder. After the severed head was removed from Skywalker's shoulder, Soonta took pictures of its body and the destroyed bike before they departed the jungle so that Skywalker could receive medical attention at an infirmary.
Within the current Star Wars canon, ghests made their initial appearance in Heir to the Jedi, a 2015 novel authored by Kevin Hearne. Subsequently, they were depicted visually for the first time in the 2016 reference book titled Star Wars: Galactic Atlas. Ghests were originally conceived by Peter Venters and Chuck Truett for Creatures of the Galaxy, a Star Wars Legends sourcebook published in 1994 by West End Games for their Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game.