Gen'Dai

Content approaching. The High Republic: Tempest Breaker–class.

Parts of this article are no longer up to date.

Please update the article to include missing information, and remove this template when finished.

"That is a Gen'Dai. They do not often ally with other species."

―Merrin^[1]

The Gen'Dai were a species of large, sentient beings. Their bodies were made up of a mass of regenerative tentacles, which allowed them to regenerate wounds quickly and be notoriously almost impossible to kill. Once peaceful people, the Gen'Dai became violent nomads centuries before the Imperial Era after the devastation of the Gen'Dai homeworld. The Gen'Dai did not tend to form lasting alliances with beings of other species, likely due to how much they will outlive them, which suggests that their true allegiance was often reserved for their own kind.

Although a rare sight, the Gen'Dai that roamed the galaxy were feared and powerful. One of them was Rayvis, a warrior who lived through the rise and fall of the Jedi Order and the creation of the Galactic Empire, and who became at odds with Jedi Knight Cal Kestis. Another member of this species was the bounty hunter Durge, who aligned himself with the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars and later worked with various individuals during the days of the Empire.

Biology and appearance

"Besides, you heard the guy. He's notoriously hard to kill."

―Chelli Lona Aphra, on Durge, a Gen'Dai bounty hunter^[3]

Gen'Dai were a sentient species with purple skin and orange eyes. They had a larger stature compared to other species. Their bodies consist of tentacles with regenerative properties that helped them survive wounds that were fatal to most, such as impalement and dismemberment. However, a direct strike to their head proved to be fatal, but only if an opponent managed to sever the core nerves on a Gen'Dai neck.^[1]

They often wore armor, not as a protection, but more so to keep their regenerative tentacles from spilling out.^[2] Gen'Dai could also withstand being thrown out into open space.^[3]

History

"There are many wars, but little honor to be won from them."

―Rayvis, on the state of the galaxy^[1]

Gen'Dai came from a peaceful homeworld, which was ravaged and destroyed hundreds of years prior to the reign of the Galactic Empire. With the loss of their homeworld, Gen'Dai lived on as nomadic people, taking various jobs such as bounty hunting due to their massive stature and imposing nature.^[2]

Society and culture

Despite their imposing nature, the Gen'Dai were noble and honorable people, serving until their oath could be considered fulfilled. In battle, their nobility came through when defeated, begging their opponent to grant them a warrior's death. According to Nightsister Merrin, the Gen'Dai did not often ally with other species.^[1]

Gen'Dai in the galaxy

During the High Republic Era, Rayvis was a famed killer of Jedi who massacred many members of the Jedi Order, collecting the lightsabers of the Jedi he defeated as trophies for his victories. He was defeated by the Jedi Knight Dagan Gera, a feat no other Jedi had achieved. He was spared and swore a life debt to the Jedi Master. Following the duel with Gera, he was taken down by a multitude of Jedi, imprisoning him for centuries. Following his imprisonment, he escaped custody during the fall of the Jedi Order and lived on to the days of the Empire.^[1] By 9 BBY,^[4] he had created and led a group of marauders, the Bedlam Raiders. Rayvis, along with his group, took over the planet Koboh in an attempt to search for Gera, who went into stasis after his betrayal of the Jedi Order. His servitude to the former Jedi ultimately cost his own life as he was given a warrior's death by Jedi Knight Cal Kestis in the same year.^[1]

During the Clone Wars, the bounty hunter Durge worked with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, killing many Jedi and clone troopers throughout the war. His lethality was heard and became a legend to some, including the Pirate King Hondo Ohnaka.^[5] Subsequently, during the days of the Empire; he continued his profession as a bounty hunter.^[6] In 3 ABY,^[7] he worked with the rogue archaeologist Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra and the smuggler Sana Starros during one his jobs after the parasitic cymotes infested the cruiser they were on, Opal Empress. Amidst the chaos he got betrayed by Aphra, involuntarily jettisoning out into the empty space,^[3] though he survived. Durge later was hired by the scoundrel Khel Tanna to work for a fellow bounty hunter T'onga and join her crew, filled with various other bounty hunters and assassins.^[8]

Behind the scenes

"What makes the Gen'dai [sic] so interesting, in my own opinion at least, is that in their own mind and their own world, they're very chivalrous. They have a code they adhere to. It binds them to a certain code of honor for their conduct. It also binds them to their history and what's left of their people."

―Respawn Entertainment Cinematic Director Dori Arazi, on the Gen'Dai species^[1]

The Gen'Dai first appeared in the tenth issue of the 2020 comic book series Doctor Aphra,^[6] written by Alyssa Wong, illustrated by Ray-Anthony Height, and published by Marvel Comics on May 26, 2021.^[9] However, the Gen'Dai were first confirmed to exist as a species in the current Star Wars canon through an article published by IGN on February 15, 2023, entitled "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Meet the Gen'Dai | IGN First."^[10]

The IGN article incorrectly spells the species' name as "Gen'dai," with lowercase "d."^[10] Other official published material, including the StarWars.com article "SWCE 2023: Respawn's Stig Asmussen Breaks Down New Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Final Gameplay Trailer – Exclusive"^[11] and the thirty-fifth issue of the 2020 comic book series Bounty Hunters,^[8] written by Ethan Sacks and published by Marvel Comics on June 21, 2023,^[12] had since corrected the spelling mistake.^[8]