Gender

The galaxy's sentient species displayed a variety of genders. Many species used the terms "male" or "female," or culturally similar terms, depending on differences in sex. Throughout the galaxy, there were at least eleven genders, as well as genderless beings. As an example, some Sabetue individuals were genderless and identifiable by their completely white skin.

An individual's gender could differ from the assumptions made at birth based on their sex. Among the clones of the human male Jango Fett, a particular clone trooper was given the name Sister by her fellow clones to acknowledge her belonging among them; the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker noted that she had "transcended gender." Other humans, such as the Naboo aide Tepoh, experienced and expressed gender with fluidity. Tepoh sometimes desired to be seen as more or less female, and at other times, did not.

In the Galactic Basic Standard language, individuals who did not identify with either of the binary genders used singular pronouns like "zhe," which was used by both the pirate Eleodie Maracavanya and the aide Tepoh, and "they," which was used by individuals such as the human Jedi Master Kantam Sy during the High Republic Era, the Kotabi bond-twins and Jedi Knights Terec and Ceret of the High Republic—who were trans—the Alderaanian pilot Taka Jamoreesa, and the Mirialan pilot Keo Venzee of the New Republic. Other languages also contained gender-neutral personal pronouns, including the Wookiee language Shyriiwook. The term "neutrois" was used within the Galactic Empire to describe people whose gender was neither male nor female.

Feminine pronouns were frequently used to refer to starships, although many considered this to be an outdated practice by the time of the First Order-Resistance War. Despite being artificially intelligent mechanical constructs rather than organic beings, many droids were referred to with "he" or "she" pronouns, while others were referred to as "it." The bounty droid MA-55H was referred to using both singular "they/them" and "he/him" pronouns.

"He" was frequently used as the default pronoun when the gender of an individual was unknown: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker both referred to the unseen assailant who attempted to assassinate Padmé Amidala as "he" until they discovered that the attacker was actually a female changeling. Similarly, Darth Vader automatically used the pronoun "he" to refer to the rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star, despite having no knowledge of their identity at the time. Fern referred to the previous captain of a buried starship as "he" by default after finding it, even though she didn't know their gender.

Genders were sometimes associated with personality characteristics. Leia Organa, annoyed by Han Solo's claim that she was developing feelings for him, retorted, "I guess you don't know everything about women yet." Decades later, Solo warned Finn that women "always figure out the truth. Always," when he suspected that Finn was lying to Rey about his real identity.

Clothing could have cultural connotations, such as gender, that the wearer might not have meant to express.

Certain species would collectively alter their genders or choose new ones at various times in their lives. Xidelphiad individuals, for example, went through protogynic phases and entered a chrysalis when transitioning from female to male, a process that took years before they emerged. Dianogas were physically capable of assuming multiple reproductive roles and chose the gender they wanted to be. The most prevalent gender among them was diangous; a female named Omi encountered several other females and more diangous, but did not meet a male-identifying dianoga for many years. The Chalhuddan species progressed through five genders at different stages of their lives. Their native language employed pronoun cases that reflected their current gender, two or three of their past genders, and occasionally the gender they anticipated becoming next. Due to the absence of equivalent pronouns in Galactic Basic, "you" and "they" were used instead.

Species' native cultures may have established separate roles and expectations for their genders. The Tusken Raiders of the desert planet Tatooine formed clans or tribes; in many of these, the males acted as warriors who defended the tribe and attacked intruders, while the females raised children and protected the home. Tuskens covered their entire bodies in clothing, however, jeweled masks distinguished Tusken females. However, not all tribes adhered to such strict gender roles: in the tribe that former bounty hunter Boba Fett joined, females and males dressed similarly and fought together.

Warrior initiation rites included giving each individual a bantha of their gender to care for, which created a lifelong connection between the bantha and the Tusken. Members of the Gamorrean species lived in clans ruled by a Clan Matron who selected a male Warlord to rule alongside her, based on his combat prowess and strength. The sows' primary duty was farming, while the boars engaged in warfare against other clans. While boars may have been in charge of hunting, sows may have hunted in addition to farming.

Among the avian and matriarchal Lanai on the planet Ahch-To, the female Caretakers passed down their titles and roles from mother to daughter and maintained the sacred structures of the First Jedi Temple. The male Visitors spent much of their time fishing in the sea, but when they returned with the month's catch, they joined the Caretakers for several days of celebration. While accounts regarding the species of the planet Crul are unclear, they do agree that Crolutes were native to the planet. According to some, Crolutes were divided into "cows" and "bulls," while others claimed that Crolutes were an entirely male species with a corresponding female species, Gilliands.

In addition to having different roles, some species had distinct appearances for each gender. The Dathomirian species is one such example. On the planet Dathomir, female Nightsisters and male Nightbrothers lived apart. The Nightsisters evolved into witches who used magick enhanced by the power of their planet. They would visit the Nightbrother village to select a suitable mate when they wanted to reproduce; the Nightbrothers were subservient to the Nightsisters. The Nightsisters had pale or white skin, which they frequently adorned with subtle or monochrome tattoos, while the Nightbrothers used striking tattoos to accentuate their colorful skin and inherent striping. The government on Devaron was matriarchal. Devaronian males were not permitted to hold office because they were thought to be less serious and more prone to wandering the stars than females, who would stay on the planet. Males had horns and were bald, but females had small bumps and hair on their heads.

During the Imperial Era, it was unusual for a Chiss to be Force-sensitive. Almost all of those with the ability of Third Sight were girls, and it would diminish as they grew into adulthood. They were employed as navigators called ozyly-esehembo in Cheunh, which translated as "sky-walker" in Basic, while it was still strong.

Some species, such as the Paccosh of the Unknown Regions, held one gender in particularly high regard. Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo insisted on bringing a Chiss woman with him to an asteroid mining station in the Rapacc system, having surmised from the clothing and body positions of Paccosh corpses he encountered that that species held women in high regard.

Carrie Fisher, the actress who played Leia Organa, discussed femininity in relation to her character in interviews both before and after the release of the 1983 original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Fisher stated at the 42nd World Science Fiction Convention, "The third one was very challenging because I had to integrate being feminine and powerful without being angry all the time."

The performer playing Meena Tills in the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith was a man, which led to action figure packaging and Legends stories claiming that Tills was male. It was decided that Tills would be female to match her namesake when it was decided that she would appear in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series.

Claudia Gray, the author, has stated on her Tumblr blog that the Star Wars galaxy contains entirely new genders. Although she has not specifically named any new genders in her novels, she first hinted at their existence in 2016 when Leia Organa observed four or more genders in her novel Bloodline. Gray introduced the multi-gendered Chalhuddans in the 2017 novel Leia, Princess of Alderaan.

Additionally, Chuck Wendig's novel Aftermath: Life Debt, released in 2016, was the first Star Wars work to feature an explicitly genderqueer character, the non-binary pirate Eleodie Maracavanya, who identified as neither male nor female. Zhe was followed by other non-binary characters after Maracavanya's introduction, including a Black Sun agent in E. K. Johnston's 2016 novel Ahsoka, Taka Jamoreesa in Daniel José Older's 2018 novel Last Shot, and Keo Venzee in the 2020 video game Star Wars: Squadrons. The Star Wars Instagram account announced in March 2021, in observance of the International Transgender Day of Visibility, that Terec and Ceret, two Kotabi Jedi Knights from the Star Wars: The High Republic comic book series, are trans non-binary.

Several characters in the multimedia project Star Wars: The High Republic have been depicted with inconsistent genders, which is not meant to be an intentional portrayal of gender transitions. Shai Tennem was referred to with masculine pronouns in the short story "Starlight: Go Together" by Charles Soule, which was published in Star Wars Insider 199. However, Soule's 2021 novel The High Republic: Light of the Jedi used feminine pronouns to refer to Tennem. Estala Maru is mistakenly referred to as "her" in Light of the Jedi; the Insider short story "Starlight: First Duty," written by Cavan Scott, uses masculine pronouns, and Maru is portrayed as male in The High Republic comic book series. Upon the initial publication of Light of the Jedi, Teri Rosason, whose first name was not revealed in the book, was first mentioned with masculine pronouns and Adampo first appeared with feminine pronouns. In The High Republic: Into the Dark by Claudia Gray, Rosason's first appearance stated the character was "a human woman of advanced years," and Adampo received masculine pronouns. E-book editions of Light of the Jedi were later corrected to reflect Rosason as female and Adampo as male.

In the non-canon 2022 video game LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, a gonk droid is referred to using both "he/him" and "they/them" pronouns.