From the Expanded Universe
By all rights, the Dashade should be extinct. Their world was destroyed by the massive multiple-supernova Cron Drift explosion sparked in the Great Sith War, killing all life on the planet. Four millennia later, sporadic accounts of Dashade-sightings continue, but very little hard data exists since those who see a Dashade rarely live long enough to report it.
During the height of Dashade civilization, the powerfully-built people were ruled by aggressive warlords. The harsh conditions of Urkupp, the sun-scorched resource-poor homeworld of the Dashade, fostered a philosophy of rule by strength. When their early spacefaring efforts revealed to the Dashade a larger galaxy populated by Jedi and the ancient Sith, it only strengthened these ideas.
The Dashade found allies in both the Sith and the Jedi. The ancient Jedi Knights used Dashade combat instructors to hone the warrior skills of their young Padawans. Not only were the Dashade physically resilient opponents, but they showed a partial immunity to Force-based powers. The Sith, too, employed the Dashade, as guards and assassins.
With the devastation of Urkupp, many in the galaxy assumed the Dashade were yet another tragic casuality of the Great Sith War. At least one influential royal Falleen family took steps to preserve their Dashade ranks. The Falleen placed over three dozen Dashade into cryogenic suspension, unleashing the warriors one at a time when a special assignment called for it. These Falleen nobles were the ancestors of Prince Xizor, and he inherited the last Dashade Shadow Killer from that era, a merciless warrior named Ket Maliss.
But he is not the last of his species. New Republic historians have found evidence that Dashade mercenaries may have been employed during the great purge of the Jedi order that accompanied the rise of the Galactic Empire. And perhaps Dashade colonies still exist, founded before the destruction of Urkupp, still waiting to be discovered.
The Dashade are muscular humanoids with high foreheads, a lamprey-like mouth, powerful claws, and a natural ability to dissipate heat that makes them difficult to spot with most life-form sensors.
Behind the Scenes
The Dashade started off as a nameless alien built for the cantina sequence in "The
Star Wars Holiday Special." This fearsome creature is seen mingling in the famous Tatooine watering hole during a lively and seemingly impromptu musical number that clears out the establishment at closing time. The alien was identified as "Ket Maliss" in the
Star Wars Customizable Card Game, and digitally-manipulated photography of the alien made it appear that it was present in the cantina sequences from
A New Hope. The Dashade backstory was first introduced in 1997's
Secrets of the Sisar Run roleplaying supplement.
