Stennes were a sapient species, categorized as Near-Human, originating from the planet of Stennaros. The Stennes Shifters, a Force-sensitive branch of their kind, endured millennia of oppression, which resulted in the death of numerous Stennes individuals. Consequently, the Stennes also subjected the Shifters to persecution. Exhibiting xenophobic tendencies, they generally avoided contact with other species, yet demonstrated sophisticated social and cultural development within their home Stennaros system.
Originating from the planet Stennaros, the Stennes were a Near-Human species of sentient mammals. Some Humans perceived the Stennes as appearing sorrowful, somber, and ghostly. The Stennes Shifters, a Force-sensitive group capable of shape-shifting, represented a genetic divergence within the Stennes population. There was no indication that the Stennes possessed any physiological traits that would suggest they had the Shifters' abilities.
The Stennes Shifters' physical resemblance to the Stennes allowed them to seamlessly integrate into Stennes society. Shifters were slender Humanoids with heights ranging from 1.3 to 1.7 meters. Their faces had a skull-like appearance, with eyes that were deep-set and encircled by dark rings, and their skin was grayish in tone. Aside from those differences, Shifters generally shared physical characteristics with Humans. One Shifter had black eyes, yellowish blotches and dark, purplish veins marbling the skin. A Stennes or Shifter was described as having tan skin, brown hair, and a mustache.
Despite achieving substantial social and cultural progress within their [Stennaros system](/article/stennaros_system], the Stennes were a xenophobic species that generally avoided interaction with the wider galaxy. They actively persecuted and hunted the Shifters. At one time, the Shifter Trinto Duaba noted that the Stennes numbered in the millions, while the Shifters were exceedingly rare. Consequently, the remaining Stennes Shifters were a displaced people, unwelcome even on their own homeworld, and often attempted to blend in with the ordinary Stennes population.
Due to the persecution endured by the Stennes Shifters over millennia, many Stennes faced death. These events contributed to the Stennes' xenophobic attitude toward outsiders and their persecution of the Shifters. During the Galactic Civil War, Trinto Duaba shared information about his species, the baseline Stennes, and their shared homeworld with Shi'ido Senior Anthropologist Vandolae. Obo Rin, a sentientologist employed by the Galactic Empire, acquired information regarding Stennaros, the Stennes, and the Stennes Shifters from Vandolae during the Galactic Civil War. Rin subsequently included this information in his publication, Catalog of Intelligent Life in the Galaxy.
The Stennes species first appeared in the roleplaying game source article "Shape-shifters," authored by Pablo Hidalgo and published in the February 1997 twelfth issue of Star Wars Adventure Journal magazine by West End Games.
- " Shape-shifters " — Star Wars Adventure Journal 12 (First mentioned)