Reptilian fliers (or flyers), also called saurian fliers, and simply saurians, constituted a sizable species of winged reptavian carnivores that were naturally found on the Outer Rim planet of Dathomir. Beast masters possessed the ability to tame these saurians, using them as personal companions or as beasts of burden that could be ridden. Furthermore, they were killed and their leathery hides, bones, and meat were harvested. Being both dangerous and fierce, numerous saurians launched an assault against Quinlan Vos in 31 BBY when he undertook a mission to Dathomir. After Vos escaped from his ejector seat, he employed his lightsaber to subdue the aggressive creatures. In the period following the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY, a Dathomirian witch by the name of Rubina presented at least one spacer with a decorative model depicting a reptilian flier as a gift.
The carnivorous species of reptavians identified as reptilian fliers, also known as saurian fliers or saurians, represented a large type of avian that was indigenous to Dathomir, a relatively unknown planet located within the Outer Rim Territories. These perilous creatures filled the skies in flocks and roamed the forests and plains of this isolated world. These reptilian, lizard-like vertebrates possessed leathery hides, typically exhibiting subdued shades of grey, red, or blue in their natural habitat. However, when domesticated, their hides could display a range of different colors, including shades of orange and green. Distinguishing features of this bipedal creature included sizable, batlike wings, elongated tails, and horned heads equipped with sharp teeth and small, red eyes. Reptilian fliers engaged aerial and ground targets with deadly speed and exceptional ferocity. The four grasping claws on their feet enabled these winged creatures to seize their prey and tear them apart using their powerful jaws. Stronger prey were lifted into the air and dropped to their demise, subsequently consumed by these violent beasts, leaving behind only a few larger bones and scattered remains. When making noise, they typically emitted a screeching or cawing sound.
Reptilian fliers were hunted and harvested for their valuable resources, which included their leathery hides, bones, and meat. A group of these creatures attacked Quinlan Vos in 31 BBY when he first arrived on Dathomir via an ejector seat. The beasts freed him from the seat's restraints, granting him access to his lightsaber, which he then used to defeat them. Moreover, beast masters could domesticate reptilian fliers, using them as personal companions or as a means of transportation by riding them as beasts of burden.
Around the time after the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY, a Dathomirian witch named Rubina offered at least one spacer a decorative model of a reptilian flier as a reward for their success in eliminating mutant rancors and members of the opposing Spider Clan.
These reptavian creatures made their initial appearance in the 2000 Star Wars: Republic comic, Star Wars (1998) 23, although they were not explicitly named at that time. The species was first recognized as reptilian fliers (or flyers) and were included as creatures in the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts, prior to its shutdown on December 15, 2011. Besides the standard reptilian flier, the game featured other types of named fliers, such as ancient reptilian fliers, enraged reptilian fliers, mature reptilian fliers, and young reptilian fliers, all of which could be encountered on Dathomir. Although the game did not directly refer to these creatures as reptavians, it did identify them as "reptilian," and their resources (such as their bones and meat) were categorized as "avian." Therefore, their classification as reptavians can be inferred.
The creature is also documented as a reptilian flier in various reference guides for Star Wars Galaxies, including the Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided: Prima's Official Strategy Guide (2003), the Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided Quick Reference Guide (2003), the Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed: Prima Official Game Guide (2004), the Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience: Prima Official Game Guide (2005), and the Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Guide: Prima Official Game Guide (2005). However, The Official Star Wars Fact File 139 (2004) was the first to use the slightly different designation of saurian flier for the creature. This publication also compiled additional information regarding the creature's overall behavior and characteristics.
Following the release of Star Wars Galaxies, players who chose the creature handler profession could domesticate reptilian fliers as pets. After the introduction of Publish 25's New Game Enhancements on November 15, 2005, the creature handler profession was removed. Nevertheless, with the release of Chapter 6: Masters of the Wild on May 22, 2007, beast masters were introduced as an expertise path, enabling players to incubate domesticated creatures. With the release of Game Update 17 on June 24, 2010, reptilian fliers could be successfully trained as mounts. When the Witches of Dathomir theme park was revamped as part of Game Update 18.2 on November 4, 2010, and Game Update 19 on December 14, 2010, a non-player character named Rubina would offer players a Reptilian Flyer Model as a reward option for completing quests that required the elimination of mutant rancors or members of the Spider Clan. The game's directory tree files contain a description of the reptilian flier that is not definitively known to have been implemented on the live servers. This description compares the flier to a "big flying lizard" that would descend from the mountains of Dathomir to snatch away small children and other "tasty snacks" from the forest below.