The Stenax were a notoriously aggressive and irascible race originating from the planet called Stenos. Their lives were dominated by strict adherence to the tenets of their deity, Vol. They are infamous for perpetrating the Stenax Massacres, resulting in the deaths of countless individuals. Notwithstanding their propensity for violence, the Stenax were deeply spiritual.
The Stenax's original home, Stenos, was formerly known as Maldont and was once a part of Xim's empire. The Stenax were among the enslaved species within this empire. Stenos was a planet characterized by its sharp peaks and elevated plateaus, where the winged Stenax constructed the majority of their structures. Several centuries before the Battle of Yavin, a series of earthquakes and volcanic events caused considerable disruption to the planet. One significant earthquake entombed the stone idol that the Stenax believed to be the physical embodiment of their god, Vol, causing the Stenax to refuse to fly until its recovery.
The capital city of Stenos later evolved into a refuge teeming with criminals from various corners of the galaxy. The Stenax coexisted with these individuals, largely disregarding their presence. Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, the Vol statue was unearthed by members of the Rebel Alliance, including Luke Skywalker. Rik Duel manipulated them into locating it, only to reveal that his intention was to deliver it to the Imperial governor of the planet, Quorl Matrin. The Stenax, regaining their ability to fly upon the statue's rediscovery, perceived Matrin's actions as theft of the idol, leading them to attack and kill the governor and his stormtrooper forces. In the subsequent years, the Stenax resumed their flights to and from the ancient elevated structures of the planet, mostly ignoring outsiders. Nevertheless, many Stenax chose to migrate to other planets, particularly within the Gordian Reach. Ten months following the Battle of Endor, the indigenous Stenax population launched a massacre against the Imperial forces stationed on Stenos, as well as all non-Stenax individuals, marking the beginning of the events known as the Stenax Massacres. Across numerous planets within the Gordian Reach and beyond, the Stenax perpetrated brutal attacks against non-Stenax and Imperial personnel in a series of surprise offensives. The New Republic eventually suppressed the massacres and established monitoring stations in orbit around Stenos to prevent any future aggression by the Stenax.
The reptilian Stenax possessed a formidable appearance. Standing between two and two and a half meters in height with heavily muscled builds, they exhibited gargoyle-like facial features and a series of bony spikes extending across their shoulders. Each foot was equipped with three sharp claws, while each hand had five, with additional spikes running along the backs of their calf muscles. The Stenax had scaly skin of a purple-gray hue and white eyes with extremely small pupils. Their ears and eyebrows were angled upwards due to thick muscular cords lining their faces. Two of these cords extended downwards from the mouth, resembling stalactites. Completely hairless, they possessed a prominent, spine-shaped protrusion running over the head, from the eyes to the upper neck. This protrusion housed the Kleti gland, which enabled them to locate objects on the ground while flying at great altitudes.
Detailed knowledge of their biology is scarce among offworlders. However, hieroglyphs discovered in the ruins of the abandoned city of Farruz suggest that they could live up to 270 standard years, maintaining good health until around 220 years of age. The question of whether this longevity was due to their physiology or other factors remains debated, as few winged species approached such a lifespan.
Stenax were known to occasionally travel to Zeltros.
The Stenax were brought to life by Mary Jo Duffy, Kerry Gammill, and Tom Palmer.