Chiss

Homeworld: Csilla

Description: Csilla is identified as the homeworld of the Chiss. Csilla is cold world of glaciers and snowy wastes located deep within Chiss Space, and serves as the capital of the Chiss Empire. Glaciers cover the normally warm equatorial regions of the planet, while solid ice locked the poles in perpetual winter. In order to survive, the Chiss had to build energy-efficient warrens beneath the ice, as close to the warmth of the inner planet as possible. Underground travel routes connect the various underground sections of Csilla. The iceways were bored through the bedrock of the planet, so that they were unaffected by the shifting ice found on the planet's surface. Specialized carriages moved passengers and cargo through the tunnels. Locked in ice for decades, Csilla has forced many socioeconomic and technological changes upon the Chiss, but few physical changes. Contrary to simplistic beliefs in a link between the Chiss skin color and the Csillan temperature, scientists have concluded that the Chiss’ blue skin is caused by a mineral found in the Csillan hydrosphere.

Csilla is also home to the Expeditionary Library, which is a huge, underground library was maintained by the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force, and contained written information on virtually every planet, moon, and star system ever encountered by the Chiss. It was unusual, not because it was underneath the ice, but because every volume contained in the Library was hand-written.

Chiss culture is at the root of the disciplined species. Beyond their cold calculation, there are parts of Chiss culture that exhibit an intriguing mix of elegant beauty, which may be attributed to the differences caused in Chiss society after the glacial movement that plunged Csilla into its long ice age. Elements of the pre-glacial Chiss culture are visible in the smooth, striking lines of Chiss technology, as well as in Cheunh, the native tongue of the Chiss. Cheunh is a complex and creative language with an intricate syntax involving compound words made from a relatively small core of primary words, and the Chiss used detailed ideograms to represent concepts and combinations of images to represent complex ideas. A simple example of Cheunh can be seen in the three-part names used by the Chiss. For example, Grand Admiral Thrawn’s full name was Mitth'raw'nuruodo. The first component, “Mitth”, has an unknown meaning, but the second component “Raw” is the primary name, while the third component “Nuruodo” denotes a Chiss’ familial origins. The Chiss are also said to have incredible works of art, but none have ever been seen or described. Aspects of Chiss cultural practicality are visible in the Chiss societal divisions and approached to decision making. At birth, each Chiss claims affiliation to one of the four ruling families, whose divisions predate modern Chiss civilization. While the actual bloodlines are mixed and convoluted, the Houses are more than just as a cultural holdover, but rather a practical method of dividing Chiss society into focused, specialized segments. Chiss are taught to approach their areas of specialization with intense focus and harsh logic, driving Chiss culture to suppress emotion and avoid hasty emotions such as anger, fear and revenge. From this emotional coolness, and despite a socialist economic model, Chiss culture stresses individual responsibility and self-discipline.

A strange diversion from this shrewd analysis is the Chiss consideration of a pre-emptive strike as equivalent to the most horrible murder, which can be considered a strategically necessary option in the appropriate circumstance. This unspoken law dated back nearly a millennium before the Battle of Endor, and was one of the strongest points of Chiss honor and morality. Within Chiss society, children matured very quickly, never truly having an adolescent period before becoming adults. The concept of open aggression is utterly alien to the Chiss. They do control a large expanse of the Unknown Regions, but this territory, divided into 28 colonies has been taken only as a matter of logic or self-defense, to better maintain Chiss society or to end the threat of a particular enemy.