Mnggal-Mnggal, a sentient presence, was known throughout the expanses of the Unknown Regions.
The genesis of Mnggal-Mnggal was steeped in enigma. It possessed a completely singular existence, lacking any counterpart even within the extensive species databases of institutions like the University of Sanbra. Some, notably the Chiss, speculated about its possible extra-dimensional origins, drawing parallels to entities such as Waru. By its own accounts, it was so incredibly ancient that it coexisted with the Celestials and bore witness to their abrupt departure from the galaxy. Some theorized that the hyperspace anomaly that divided the galaxy, separating the densely populated regions of the galactic disk from the Unknown Regions, was potentially created by the Celestials as a defense against Mnggal-Mnggal and its infectious goals.
Mnggal-Mnggal consisted entirely of a viscous, gray slime, capable of swift movement and the creation of diverse forms. Its touch was slimy, and it emitted an aroma of sweet decay. Although it was a shapeshifter, it could not replicate the intricate disguises of species such as the Shi'ido, yet its abilities remained remarkably versatile. It could extend pseudopods and eyestalks for exploration or interaction, or launch attacks with a fanged maw. It had the ability to fragment its mass, spreading via worm-like forms, and could even achieve flight by morphing into bat-like creatures.
However, Mnggal-Mnggal's most prevalent—and lethal—method of propagation involved infecting and dominating other sentient beings. While it could control creatures like nexu or banthas, Mnggal-Mnggal favored sentients, and it acted swiftly once a potential victim was identified. Upon encountering a pool of Mnggal-Mnggal, the pool's surface would violently erupt, drenching the target in droplets of the entity's substance. These droplets would then gravitate toward the being's mouth and nostrils, and could also penetrate the body through skin pores if necessary. It would initially invade the cranium and consume the brain, before proceeding to the internal organs and tissues, simultaneously expanding its own mass. It consumed its victims from within, filling every part of their body as it swelled and developed inside the lifeless shell. Within a day, the victim would die, completely filled with Mnggal-Mnggal.
It could then assume total control over the victim's body, with sufficient precision to operate vehicles. This also served as its means of acquiring sustenance, although it remains unclear whether the acquired nutrients were distributed throughout the being's numerous components. A Mnggal-Mnggal-controlled zombie was easily distinguishable from the individual it once was. The possession manifested as a vacant stare, a rigid gait, and complete stillness when at rest. The victim's voice was also altered, as Mnggal-Mnggal would have already consumed their vocal cords and lungs (or equivalent organs); their voice would become a flat, buzzing drone. Mnggal-Mnggal could not preserve its hosts indefinitely, and after a week they would begin to decompose, with the entity's gray ooze seeping from their facial openings. The zombies were also employed to further spread the infection, by spitting Mnggal-Mnggal into the faces of new targets.
All components of Mnggal-Mnggal, regardless of their form or dispersion across the galaxy, shared a unified consciousness, leading to its classification as a single entity rather than a hive-minded species.
At some distant point in the past, it had seized control of and rendered lifeless the planet of Mugg Fallow. After countless eons, Mnggal-Mnggal had spread so extensively across the planet, even filling its former oceans, that only barren continents and fossilized tree remains remained visible of the world it once was. Its "body" extended so far and deep across the planet that it flowed as rivers across the continents and filled subterranean grottos. As a testament to its depraved nature, Mnggal-Mnggal created a morbid display of a fleet of derelict ships encircling the planet, with origins spanning millennia. Mnggal-Mnggal used its mind-controlled zombies to pilot the ships there, including Gree sailships and a treasure barge once belonging to Xim the Despot among the lifeless fleet.
Throughout its existence, Mnggal-Mnggal laid claim to thousands of worlds, moons, and space stations throughout the Unknown Regions, with infestations ranging from small pools in dark sewers to worlds ravaged and rendered as lifeless as Mugg Fallow.
As Mnggal-Mnggal spread throughout the Unknown Regions, some species indigenous to the region resisted its advances and sought to eradicate the entity, recognizing the extreme threat it posed. The Lugubraa and the Croke attempted to prevent any infestations within their territories, while the Chiss adopted a more proactive approach. They not only held the most comprehensive collection of information on the entity in their vast data library on Csilla—including the location of Mugg Fallow and all available data on its origins—but also offered bounties to any parties willing to combat Mnggal-Mnggal infestations. The Viis Empire was at one point devastated by a Mnggal-Mnggal outbreak. Other violent outbreaks were responsible for similar power-shifting events in the history of the Unknown Regions. On some primitive planets, it was worshiped by local tribes and known as the "rot god".
In later years, reports of Mnggal-Mnggal surfaced beyond the Unknown Regions, suggesting that it had managed to infiltrate Wild Space and even the Outer Rim Territories. During the reign of the Empire, some individuals noted the similarities between Mnggal-Mnggal and the lethal plagues developed by the Imperials' Project Blackwing.
Mnggal-Mnggal's sole desire was control, and it consequently sought to extend its physical form and influence across as many worlds as possible. While its ultimate goal was to destroy entire planets as it had with Mugg Fallow, it also found amusement in the idle acts of torturing and killing other sentients.
Mnggal-Mnggal reveled in the torture and consumption of other beings; in fact, it seemed to derive more sustenance from their suffering than from the nutrients their bodies provided. Employing its possession abilities, it would orchestrate torturous scenarios, such as repeatedly reuniting a grieving mother with the reanimated corpse of their youngling. It would manipulate other beings by exploiting their emotions, leading them to make fatal decisions such as opening a ship's airlocks or disabling perimeter defenses.
When communicating in its natural state, Mnggal-Mnggal spoke in dreamlike pronouncements, often employing verse, metaphors, and riddles. Due to its extensive lifespan, it also spoke ancient languages and adhered to long-forgotten conventions of speech. Although it recounted tales of the Celestials, Rakata, and the genesis of the Jedi Order, and appeared to possess knowledge of current galactic rulers' schemes, the locations of lost treasures, and the answers to age-old mysteries, some suspected that every word it uttered was a fabrication.
This being was conceived for The Unknown Regions sourcebook. Daniel Wallace mentioned that there was a suggestion that the Celestials generated the hyperspace tangle surrounding the Unknown Regions to isolate themselves from Mnggal-Mnggal. The concept for the entity is rooted in the works of H. P. Lovecraft, and Daniel Wallace also stated that the resemblance between it and the infection in Death Troopers was coincidental. A last-minute inclusion was the line connecting Mnggal-Mnggal to Imperial Project Blackwing.
Furthermore, Wallace confirmed on his blog that the entry's allusion to Mnggal-Mnggal's potential extra-dimensional origins was a reference to Waru.
- "Endnotes for Star Wars: The Unknown Regions" — Continuity, Criticisms, and Captain Panaka — Daniel Wallace's StarWars.com Blog (content now obsolete; backup link)
- The Unknown Regions (First mentioned)
- Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare Author's Cut — The Celestials on StarWars.com (article) (backup link)
- Hiding in Plain Sight: Star Wars Shapeshifters on StarWars.com (article) (content now obsolete; backup link)