The Qua (/kweɪ/) were a species of small, near-human creatures that originated on the planet Quadia in the Unknown Regions. Relatively small and meek, Qua rarely reached heights of 1.8 meters, and averaged mainly around 1.63 meters (5'4").
Biology and appearance[]
Though humanoid in appearance, the circulatory system of the Qua was unique to them. Their blood contained a regenerative property which allowed it to repair damaged tissue and even replace missing limbs in the creatures. For this reason, the species was very small and incredibly meek, evolution having put size and strength on a back burner in favor of full-on regeneration and healing. The blood was so efficient that it was nearly impossible to poison a Qua, since their immune systems would destroy any illness or disease that came in contact with it, with only one recorded exception.
The properties of their blood did not stop there, though. When given to another species, Qua blood could heal wounds that would normally kill a person. It could also keep a person looking young, and use of it was accompanied by a fantastic, euphoric high that many could not describe as being anything they have ever experienced before. Conversely, however, Qua could not safely receive blood transfusions from other species; receiving blood from others might be fatal to a Qua, as the Qua's hyper-reactive immune system might cause a body-wide purge of blood supply.
It is because of their regenerative blood that the species also aged incredibly slowly. After a gestation period of nearly 19 months, a healthy Qua would usually age at a normal rate until the child hit puberty. At this point, a hormone was produced in the Qua's body that slowed her aging process, and allowed her to live a long life. Qua minds developed and learned at pace with Humans and other species, leaving Qua with the dilemma of experienced beings in the bodies of teenagers. As they aged, some Qua's eyes developed silver streaks before turning fully silver; the change had no effect on their vision. Some part-Qua were born with silver streaks in their eyes, but the trait was uncommon.
Qua were naturally reproductively compatible with Humans, but their hypersensitive immune systems made it difficult for other species to reproduce with them. At least one Qua is known to have reproduced with Sith by means of Sith alchemy.
Society and culture[]
The conquest of Quadia and centuries in slavery wreaked havoc on Qua culture. Many families were broken apart and cultural traditions lost. After the Golden Empire liberated the planet, the remaining Qua became somewhat isolationist, distrustful of other species and not overly welcoming of visitors to their homeworld. Those who remained were fiercely protective of what was left of their culture, and Qua were raised with a deep affinity for both their biological families and their species in general.
Due to their extreme longevity, Qua younger than a century old were not usually treated as full adult members of society, despite their developed mental faculties.
Little is known of Qua culture on the liberated world, although the planet was led by a group of elders, all of whom were at or near a millennium of age. The Consul of Quadia was always a Qua.
History[]
Unfortunately, it was unknown just how long a Qua was able to live. Centuries prior to the Battle of Yavin, Quadia was invaded by roaming space pirates and slavers who discovered the Qua's secret, and began capturing Qua by the hundreds. They locked them up, fitting them with brutal devices to keep them from running or escaping by systematically breaking limbs each time they healed, or simply sending electrical currents directly into the spinal cord to render their limbs useless. This allowed the slavers to milk the blood and spinal fluid from the men, women, and children in the "Farms" they created for their own uses. Forced breeding in the farms failed, and overuse of Qua blood drove them to the brink of extinction.
Things looked incredibly bleak for the peaceful creatures until the Sith witch Rin Sakaros brought an armada and a wrathful temper to Quadia. The slavers were massacred, and the Qua were set free, joining the nascent Golden Empire shortly after. With so few of them left, a sanctuary home was set up for them on Quadia, and laws were put in place to keep them from being hunted ever again. Quadia was placed under special Royal protection, and no beings were allowed to travel there without approval from the Qua themselves.
In the galaxy[]
Given their meek nature and their distrust of outsiders, few Qua received renown even under the Golden Empire. In the waning days of the Galactic Republic, however, the Qua Ye'keb Millennium became a Jedi Master, and under the Empire's rule, Te`net Organi was one of the most famous Centurions. Rin Sakaros, the first Queen of the Golden Empire, was a Qua-Sith hybrid, as was her half-sister Jasmine Auroras.
Appearances[]
- The Fall of Keltrayu (Mentioned only)