Ciasi
The Ciasi were a species of sentient beings that resembled rodents, characterized by their long, pointed ears and slender, trunk-like noses. Their skin was typically gray-colored, and they were known to develop prominent tusks. A well-known Ciasi individual was Slide Paramita, a lithe Podracer who competed in Podraces throughout the galaxy around 32 BBY. This was the year that he was famous.
Biology and appearance
The Ciasi were a sentient species of bipeds with a physical resemblance to rodents. They possessed slender bodies and a posture that appeared to be perpetually leaning forward due to a slight curve in their backs.
Their thin limbs provided them with upright mobility, featuring double-jointed legs that terminated in three delicate toes; they walked on these toes rather than the soles of their feet. Their long, thin arms ended in hands with four substantial digits—three fingers and a stubby thumb. Additionally, they had slender, tapering tails that extended from their rears, held slightly elevated above the ground.
Their faces were distinguished by elongated, thin noses resembling trunks, complete with two nostrils at the tip. Located beneath the trunk was their mouths, from which sharp, pointed tusks could emerge. The Ciasi had small, round eyes; some, like Slide Paramita, had eyes that were black. Paramita also had skin with a grayish-brown color. Furthermore, they had tall, pointed ears that protruded from the tops of their heads.
History
The Ciasi evolved somewhere within the galaxy, and members of this species were observed within the galactic community as early as 32 BBY, during the concluding decades of the Galactic Republic.
Ciasi in the galaxy
At least one member of the Ciasi, known as Slide Paramita, demonstrated exceptional physical and mental athletic capabilities. By 32 BBY, Paramita had advanced to the intergalactic Podracing circuits, where he excelled in ice racing, achieving notoriety on the frigid planet Ando Prime. He found success on an invitational course named the Ando Prime Centrum, as well as on a drag racing course located on the same planet. However, Paramita was known as a Podracer elitist with a short temper. Furthermore, Paramita possessed fluency in Huttese.
Behind the scenes
The Ciasi species made its initial appearance through Slide Paramita in concept art and preliminary scripts for the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace as a Podracer pilot, who, along with his entire species, was said to originate from the planet Tund. Despite being cut from the final script, Tund remained the homeworld of another Podracer pilot, Ben Quadinaros. Paramita, like several other discarded Podracers, made his official debut in the Nintendo 64 video game Star Wars Episode I: Racer, released in 1999.
The name Ciasi was first publicly mentioned in a 2006 Star Wars: Blogs article titled "Alien species concepts that became part of the SW universe," authored by Tim Veekhoven as part of his Source Blog series. The blog detailed several pilots of Podracers who were removed from the final script of the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, utilizing material that may have originated from early drafts of The Phantom Menace.
However, the species name was not considered canon at the time, because the information may have been sourced from older, unfinalized material, and doubts surrounded the authenticity of the information. The Ciasi were mentioned again in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia in 2008, under Slide Paramita's entry, which canonized Paramita's species from the blog entry.