The T'surr were a sentient species that originated on the planet called T'surr. Sightings of T'surr were infrequent throughout the galaxy. Despite being among the galaxy's most dangerous predators, their infrequent appearances lessened their overall threat. A well-known T'surr was the infamous pirate and slave merchant Krayn. While their technological advancement lagged behind galactic norms, the T'surr effectively utilized technology salvaged from their victims' vessels.
T'surr were sentient humanoid species distinguished as blue-skinned and possessing blue-colored blood, and were known to be predators. Their physical structure largely mirrored that of humanoids, exhibiting a two-legged stance and possessing four arms. Two arms terminated in fleshy hands, featuring either five or three fingers, while the remaining pair, significantly smaller, extended from the upper torso or arms, ending in a crab-like claw. The species exhibited sexual dimorphism, with males averaging between 2.3 and 2.6 meters in height, while females typically reached around 2 meters. Males also possessed greater physical strength, exhibiting a robust build, with some demonstrating the ability to manipulate a vibro-ax with one hand as if it were a toy.
The T'surr head featured a mouth filled with extremely sharp teeth, a nose, and two pairs of gleaming red, pupil-less eyes, arranged either vertically or horizontally above the nose. The facial region surrounding the eyes and mouth was characterized by prominent ridges, with creases extending towards fan-like structures on the sides of the head, culminating in numerous horns in males. T'surr could grow hair on their heads, including beards, which were typically black. Their faces could express a range of emotions, including nervousness, amusement, sadness, and astonishment, and when enraged, their necks would turn red.
The T'surr originated from the desert planet bearing the same name, situated within the T'surr system of the Nuon e Safyd sector, a sector located in the Expansion Region of the galaxy. Their homeworld was characterized by cold, dark conditions due to its distant star, and was constantly swept by strong winds, with other species finding the high gravity daunting and oppressive. These harsh conditions fostered a resilient race with limited empathy for other beings, leading to the widespread acceptance of practices like slavery. T'surr society valued wealth based on the quantity and quality of slaves owned, with those lacking slaves considered worthless and subjected to social disdain.
Male T'surr displayed violent and cruel tendencies, holding weaker species in contempt and treating them as controlled livestock. A T'surr would leverage his strength and cunning to dominate other males of his species, as well as members of other species, employing bullying tactics to achieve his goals. However, this behavior did not extend to male treatment of T'surr females, who held dominion over the species' homeworld. Males would anxiously depart the female-dominated T'surr, also allowing mothers to raise any children. Upon leaving their home, T'surr were often drawn to violent, predatory professions, aligning themselves with powerful groups of pirates, privateers, or smugglers. They favored keeping trophies as reminders of their victories, often adorning their belts with stolen trinkets. Their species communicated using a language known as T'surrese. Examples of T'surr names include Datynask, Dyrago, Feyrr, Jeneyd, Reythan, Shyntak, and Treykon.
Despite their long-standing presence in the galaxy, the T'surr never gained representation in any galactic governing body. The Galactic Republic consistently denied them representation in the Galactic Senate, due to their widespread reputation as dangerous, marauding killers. However, certain governments, such as Sith Lord Daiman's Daimanate, willingly employed members of the species as Sith troopers. They were also favored as guards by slave traders on Orvax IV.
During the later years of the Republic, a notorious T'surr named Krayn operated as both a pirate and a slaver. His organization was infiltrated by a Jedi Knight named Siri Tachi, and during her undercover work, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, were also captured by Krayn. Despite his success as a criminal and his prowess as a fighter, Krayn was no match for Skywalker, who had experienced slavery himself, and succumbed to his anger when confronted with Krayn's brutality. The young Jedi attacked and killed Krayn using his lightsaber.
The New Republic maintained the policy of excluding the T'surr from galactic politics.
Among the most notorious T'surr was Krayn, a pirate and slaver active during the final decades of the Republic. In 44 BBY, he raided the city of Mos Eisley, capturing numerous slaves from the desert spaceport. Sixteen years later, Krayn remained active and had gained control over much of the planet Nar Shaddaa, partly through its ruler Aga Culpa. This position of power enabled him to strike a deal with members of the Colicoid species, who sought to dominate the galactic spice trade. Krayn agreed to be the sole provider of slaves for the Colicoids in exchange for ceasing attacks on Colicoid ships, although he secretly orchestrated an attack on a Colicoid cargo ship piloted by the Colicoid Anf Dec. Krayn was present during the attack, but it was thwarted by two Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker, who boarded Karyn's ship, disabled its weapons systems, and forced the pirate to retreat.
Krayn and his crew then proceeded to Nar Shaddaa to confer with the Coliocoids regarding their agreement. While there, he underwent an operational review by a Colicoid-selected agent named "Bakleeda," and uncovered that one of his crew members, "Zora," was, in reality, a Jedi named Siri Tachi. As a result, Tachi, who was covertly working for the Jedi High Council, was imprisoned for her betrayal. However, the Jedi agent managed to escape with assistance from Skywalker and Kenobi, who had assumed the identities of a slave and "Bakleeda," respectively, and who had turned Krayn's allies against him. Following Culpa's and the Colicoids' abandonment of Krayn, and a revolt by his slaves, Skywalker confronted and killed the slaver by impaling him with his lightsaber.
The T'surr species made their initial appearance in Jedi Quest: Path to Truth, a novel authored by Jude Watson within the Jedi Quest series, and the series of comic books based on the book and released concurrently. The comics, penned by Ryder Windham and illustrated by Pop Mhan, featured several notable discrepancies in the appearance of the T'surr character Krayn, whose species was not specified in either the book or the comic. The comic books show a difference in Krayn's appearance in the first issue compared to those that follow. In the initial issue, he is depicted without a nose and with spines running along the back of his neck, while in the subsequent three issues, he is shown with a distinct nose and no spines. This article assumes the three later articles are correct as they match later illustrations of T'surr more closely.
The species reappeared in 2003 as part of a series of previews for the upcoming sourcebook Ultimate Alien Anthology for the Wizards of the Coast Star Wars Roleplaying Game. This article was the first to identify Krayn's species as T'surr and provided roleplaying rules for the species. It was written by XXX with an illustration by Kalman Andrasofszky. The sourcebook contained all of the same content concerning the T'surr and was released later that same year. In 2006 a T'surr appeared in Evasive Action: Prey, a comic strip written Paul Ens and illustrated by Thomas Hodges, which was released on the Hyperspace section of the StarWars.com website. The comic series Star Wars: Dark Times also included a number of T'surr characters in the The Path to Nowhere arc released in 2006 and the Parallels arc released in 2009.