A Star Wars ghost story: The Starweirds that go bump in hyperspace
Star Wars has a deep and fascinating lore that includes ghost stories and tales of the unexplained, the extra, extra terrestrial if you will.
With a depth of lore comes urban legends and myths in the Star Wars universe, with such a universe filled with vibrant species and wonderful characters could there exist something, other.
The Starweirds are just such creatures that defy explanation and are without a history.
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As per Wookieepedia: The Star Wars Encyclopedia these creatures lived in the cosmos, floating around space, and only appeared to travelers doing maintenance outside the comfort of their ships or appearing on board ships as they move through hyperspace.
Their appearances seem to be in line with hallucinations, one of the only mentions of these ancient creatures comes from Star Wars: The Old Republic and were created for Ultimate Adversaries guidebook and are listed under species.
These beings are Force sensitive and used their screams to paralyze their victims with fear, They’re intergalactic banshees, if you will, frightening lone travelers in space. Their connection to the Force gives them a wide array of weapons. Apart from their blood curdling screams they have been known to wield force lightning, force pull, push, and the force choke.
Coupled with shock white hair, glowing white eyes, and a tall, wiry, frame they take on the form of a spectral entity. The face of a Starweird can take on many shapes, when confronted with a spacer the Starweird’s face becomes a rotten and horrifying mirror of the person they are with.
They don’t appear in any of the films or literature, they are only spoken of in fear, giving them an almost mythological quality.
The history of the Starweirds and their queen has been lost within the Galaxy Far, Fa,r Away, some of the details had been recorded, a codex entry by Master Wyellet mentions a Starweird Queen in chronicling the battle with the Jedi.
Will they make a real appearance in any of the upcoming films and comics or will they simply remain the stuff of legend, a story told to Younglings to get them to behave themselves? We do not know for sure, but the message is clear, do not enter hyperspace alone.
These beings broaden the lore with a scoop of Cosmic Horror, we know as readers that the universe is a wide and varied place, but this celestial element broadens the world building in Star Wars to different planes of existence. They are believed to have connections with Force, and some speculate that they were created by the Dark Side itself.
What other horrors dwell in the cosmos, and do these other phantasms exist in plain sight? Like the bottom of the ocean, the Star Wars universe possess its own dark depths that have yet to be explored fully.
There is danger and adventure, but the fear of the unknown can be just as exciting and twice as eerie.
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If anyone has any Star Wars urban legends or tales of horror they would like to share make sure to drop them in the comments below.