The Nyriaanans, who are also referred to as Nyriaanan natives, were the near-Human inhabitants residing on the planet named Nyriaan.
These Nyriaanans were the bipedal and sentient natives inhabiting the planet Nyriaan located within the Expansion Region. Although they were biologically Humans, the Nyriaanans were categorized as near-Humans because they possessed minor evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations aided their survival in Nyriaan's environment, such as a sturdy build and eyes capable of functioning in the dim light of the planet's surface. However, the various Nyriaanan clans displayed a range of different physical forms. While most Nyriaanans exhibited pale-colored skin, some members of the Malvina clan had dark skin.
Nyriaanan society was structured into hundreds of distinct clans, tribes, and family units. Some of these clans lived a nomadic existence, while others dwelled in permanent settlements clustered around groves of Meadlin's trees. These trees were a large fungi species that could reach heights of up to sixty meters. The largest settlement was the town of Starveil, which was constructed at the crash site of the wrecked starship that brought the Nyriaanan ancestors to the planet. The natives considered this site sacred. Planetary authorities estimated that the Nyriaanan population ranged from 1,200 to 2,000 individuals at any given time, but the actual number was much greater. The natives communicated using a dialect called "Nyriaanan," a hybrid of Galactic Basic Standard and High Galactic languages. The language's similarities to its parent languages allowed Nyriaanans to quickly learn Basic when exposed to it.
Despite their generally peaceful nature, the Nyriaanans were wary of outsiders and viewed the colonists and prospectors on Nyriaan as rivals for the planet's resources. They were easily provoked by off-worlders exploiting Nyriaan for profit and particularly resented the mining conglomerates extracting the valuable mineral madilon. They feared that these mega-corporations would eventually destroy Nyriaan in their pursuit of the ore. They disliked the environmental damage caused by the mining operations and especially hated the Mining Guild-operated colony of Tonnage, considering it a blight on the landscape due to the contamination from madilon extraction. On occasion, the Nyriaanans encountered the hostile inbred descendants of the crew of the crashed Sith warship Dying Sun, who attacked them without mercy.
The Nyriaanans were not technologically advanced and used technology based on that of the Old Republic, such as ancient blasters, which they inherited from their ancestors' crash landing. They believed in the utility of everything and honored their ancestors by maintaining and using old technology. However, they were an adaptive race and willing to adopt more modern equipment.
In 4067 BBY, the Republic exploration vessel Starveil crashed on Nyriaan during a study of the Luire system. Fifty-two crew members, including the captain Bethanie Melan, survived and were forced to build a new life on the planet after a Republic rescue attempt failed. These survivors became the first Nyriaanans, and through their resilience and determination, they managed to survive in the alien environment. Over time, their population grew through childbirth and the addition of survivors from other crashed ships. The Nyriaanans remained isolated for thousands of years.
Following the discovery of madilon deposits—a naturally occurring alloy used in starship hyperdrives—on Nyriaan in 85 BBY, the planet was colonized by off-worlders. Numerous madilon extraction operations were established by large mining corporations, including the Corporate Sector Authority and the Mining Guild. These corporations disregarded the well-being of the Nyriaanans, building on their land and using them as pawns in corporate rivalries. The town of Temperance was built near Starveil to allow off-world merchants to sell goods to the natives, becoming a popular place for purchasing modern weapons and spare parts. Galactic Republic anthropologists eventually visited Nyriaan to study the natives.
Tensions between the natives and off-worlders escalated in 47 BBY. After the Corporate Sector Authority liquidated a native settlement, the Nyriaanan clans launched a coordinated uprising, destroying several frontier towns. Jedi Knight Amar Cros was sent to Nyriaan to resolve the conflict. In 43 BBY, a non-aggression pact was signed between the Nyriaanans, the Republic, and the mining corporations, restoring an uneasy peace. Cros became fascinated by the natives and remained on Nyriaan. In 36 BBY, the CSA violated the peace agreement by prospecting on native land, causing renewed hostilities, but this time directed solely at the CSA. Amar Cros played a key role in the native insurgency, while CSA rivals like the Mining Guild and the Trade Federation secretly supported the Nyriaanans.
In 30 BBY, the Galactic Senate, the Republic's governing body, passed the "Luire Accord" to ease tensions between the natives and mining corporations. The agreement set aside environmental reservations in unexplored regions of Nyriaan to appease the natives and established a new planetary government, the Nyriaan Concord, in Locus, the planet's capital. The Concord included a Native Delegation composed entirely of native Nyriaanans, with Amar Cros as its first leader. However, the Concord, dominated by off-world corporations, largely ignored the Native Delegation's views. Cros soon left in disgust and withdrew to the planet's unexplored regions with a large group of Nyriaanans.
During the Clone Wars, Nyriaan fell under the control of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Without the restrictions imposed by the Republic, the CSA and the Mining Guild expanded their operations and exploited Nyriaanan land. The natives resisted violently, aided by remnants of the Republic forces.
Nyriaans were captured by the Yuuzhan Vong in 26 ABY. Initially, the Yuuzhan Vong ignored the native clans, but when they began using captured natives for experiments, the natives initiated a guerrilla war to drive out the invaders. Following the Vong's defeat in 29 BBY, some Yuuzhan Vong refugees settled on Nyriaan and were eventually accepted as equals by the native clans.
After the formation of Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire in 130 ABY, several Jedi sought refuge on Nyriaan, living among the Nyriaanan clans.