Shifalas were a species of sentient primate hailing from Carreras Major, situated within the Outer Rim Territories. As the dominant species of the Carreras system, they possessed furry, humanoid characteristics. In the wake of the Second Imperial Civil War, the Shifala became members of the Galactic Federation Triumvirate, the newly formed galactic governing body, under the leadership of Governor Biala. During 138 ABY, the Shifala found themselves entangled in the insurgency led by the rogue Sith Darth Wredd against the One Sith.
The Shifala were a primate species exhibiting ape-like physical traits. Fur completely covered their bodies, and they possessed two eyes and five digits on each hand. A fully grown Shifala was approximately the same size as an adult Human, though they had somewhat larger hands and heads. Like many other sentient species, Shifala wore clothes and protective armor. They were also known to be vulnerable to the Force choke ability.
By 138 ABY, the Shifala had established a governing structure that encompassed the entire Carreras system. The Carreras government was known to have security forces, starfighters, and a space navy. However, their government was known to have a reputation for corruption. Having expanded beyond their homeworld of Carreras Major, they had colonized other locations within their star system, including Carreras Minor, an ice mining platform situated in the ice rings surrounding Carreras Minor, and the Carreras G51 communications array. Furthermore, they had access to starships, blasters, and speeder bikes, technologies widely available throughout the galaxy. The Shifala species was connected to the broader galaxy through hyperspace. One unique piece of Shifala technology was a swarm of droids capable of breaching the hull of a capital ship.
It was also known that some Shifala displayed xenophobic tendencies towards other sentient species, including Mon Calamari and Humans. Many Shifala were displeased with the influx of Mon Calamari refugees following the Sith Genocide on Dac and treated them poorly, often assigning them the most undesirable jobs. A Shifala law enforcement officer was also known to have executed an alien without trial for allegedly stealing an unidentified object. Shifala buildings in Carreras's capital city on Carreras Major were characterized by their rounded, pyramidical shape. Carreras Major was known to have at least one urban settlement, which had various facilities including the governor's palace and at least one pawn shop
By 138 ABY, the Shifala had maintained contact with the larger galactic community for an extended period. The Carreras system was considered to be one of the most remote outposts in the galaxy. The Surd Nebula hindered contact and travel between the Carreras system and the rest of the galaxy. After the defeat of the One Sith and the conclusion of the Second Imperial Civil War, the Galactic Federation Triumvirate initiated an ambitious project to connect the Outer Rim Territories to the wider galaxy by establishing a network of G51 communications arrays. The Carreras system was designated as the farthest outpost of the G51 communications array. Under the direction of Governor Biala, the Shifala constructed a local communications array station.
The Triumvirate dispatched an Imperial Knight, Master Yalta Val, to oversee the final stages of the Carreras communications array's construction. However, he was ambushed and abducted by the rogue Sith Darth Wredd, who assumed his identity and stole his armor. Wredd then imprisoned the real Val at his base on the floating world of Mala, which had drifted into the Surd Nebula. The Sith impostor subsequently seized control of the Carreras G51 array and Governor Biala's security forces. He then tasked the Shifala security forces with retrieving Val's lightsaber, which had been lost during the ambush within the Surd Nebula. The Shifala security guards encountered two offworld refugees—junk dealer Ania Solo and the Mon Calamari Sauk, who had recovered the lightsaber and Val's communications droid. Following a confrontation that resulted in the deaths of at least five guards, Ania and Sauk managed to escape back to Ania's junkyard on Carreras Minor's moon.
Darth Wredd and his Shifala security guards tracked Ania and Sauk to Ania's junkyard. However, Ania and Sauk managed to escape with the help of the assassin droid AG-37, who owned a freighter. After losing several Shifala starfighters in the ice rings around Carreras Minor, Ania and her companions managed to land on Carreras Minor's surface. Meanwhile, another Imperial Knight Jao Assam arrived in the Carreras system to ascertain Yalta Val's whereabouts after hearing nothing from him. Upon arriving, he encountered a Shifala naval blockade and docked at a Shifala warship's hangar bay. Upon arriving, the Shifala guards, under the orders of Darth Wredd, attempted to apprehend him but he fled to Carreras Minor. There, he encountered Ania, Sauk, and Val's newly-repaired Imperial comm droid. The four companions agreed to find and rescue the real Yalta Val.
In the meantime, relations between Darth Wredd and his Shifala hosts quickly deteriorated. Annoyed by the slow progress of the Carreras G51 communications array, the Sith impostor nearly used Force choke on a Shifala engineer, prompting Governor Biala and her colleagues to start preparing a formal complaint to the Triumvirate authorities. However, Biala continued work on the G51 communications array since they wanted to earn the support of the Triumvirate authorities. After Ania and her companions were captured, Wredd ordered their execution, but Biala objected, leading the Sith impostor to attempt to Force choke her. Biala then freed Jao and his companions and sent them to confront the Sith impostor. During the confrontation at the Carreras communications array, Jao was severely wounded, and Wredd managed to escape to Mala.
After Darth Wredd remotely took control of the Carreras G51 communications array, Biala ordered her men to shut down the station. However, the Sith impostor had taken control of the station's computer and was using it to broadcast his manifesto to the wider galaxy. This broadcast was witnessed by many beings across the galaxy including Governor Biala and her subordinates. Wredd then attempted to execute Yalta Val before a live galactic audience but was stopped by Ania, who managed to rescue the Imperial Knight and escape offworld with her companions before the Carreras communications array collided with Mala. Prior to the collision, Governor Biala ordered all the Shifala crew and engineers aboard the station to evacuate. She later compiled a report on the Carreras Incident that was submitted to the Triumvirate leadership in Coruscant, the galactic capital.
The Shifala species made their debut in Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman's Star Wars: Legacy: Prisoner of the Floating World, the initial story arc of the Star Wars: Legacy Volume 2 comic series, which was published from 2013 to 2015. Jimmy Presler designed the species, Gabriel Hardman drew them, and Rachelle Rosenberg provided the colors.