Killiks, who referred to themselves as the Kind, were a sentient insectoid species native to Alderaan. They built large mound-like structures on the plains of both Alderaan and Alsakan. Long before most other species came to these worlds, the Killiks vanished. Their disappearance from Alderaan was depicted in Ob Khaddor's moss painting Killik Twilight.
Their societies were structured as huge nests, with individual Killiks differing wildly from each other in shape and size, some being as huge as a starship, others as small as a mite. All nest members were united by a telepathic hive mind, which could be extended to non-Killiks as well: those non-Killiks who became part of their societies were known as Joiners.
Biology[]
As a species, Killiks varied greatly in size, form and function though all shared a similar genetic code. Killiks were a genetically diverse population of intelligent insectoids with their society being composed of hives that were known as nests. Each nest had its members sharing the same physical characteristics. In addition, they possessed the ability to communicate with each other through a variety of means that included pheromones, electromagnetic transmissions and also long distance telepathy. This pheremonal telepathic connection allowed Killiks to communicate with one another. This aura-based form of communication made use of multiple methods that included heat, electrical, magnetic and probably chemical. Killik pheromones had an added impact on other species as they were able to alter the basic structure of the corpus callosum. These changes allowed Joiners to receive signal impulses directly from the brains of Killiks. The transfer agent was believed to be made through auras. The Killiks were social insects and came in several different types—membrosia givers, warriors, attendants, and the deadly assassin bugs. Some hives consist of superior warriors, whereas others excel at construction, mosaic-making, subterfuge, or scouting. Some Killiks were as large as starships whilst others such as fingerlings were as small as mites. Force-sensitivity was found in some types of Killiks. Though the species as a whole was not Force-sensitive, certain types of Killik could be bred to use the Force in simple ways.
The species possessed a strong chitinous exoskeleton that was glossy and greenish with their carcasses capable of surviving thousands of years of erosion as seen by the colonists of Alderaan. The exoskeleton also contained a number of spiracles which served as their way of breathing. This system was capable of being poisoned by the use of insecticide grenades which forcibly closed the spiracles, resulting in the Killik's death. Whilst Killiks were difficult to take alive, a special neutralizer agent was capable of allowing the creature to become docile and submissive. Typically, these Human-sized hive creatures had four arms with each ending in a powerful three-fingered claw. In addition, they stood on two stout legs that appeared to be capable of leaping great distances. All Killiks started as small larvae. After that, their size could vary, though a hive was usually one size.
It was noted that the majority of the Killik race were females with a few males who only left when a new nest needed to be made. Furthermore, a single Killik was able to lay a thousand eggs in a month, with those eggs turning into battle-ready nymphs within a year and by two years time, the survivors were capable of laying their own eggs. This gave them a high reproductive rate, allowing them to create millions of their kind in a short frame of time, as long as there were adequate resources. The Kind were not born, but rather when an egg was dropped a chrysalis was spun that led to a metamorphosis into adulthood.
As most Killiks were female, the males were only needed for reproduction, with little else needed of them. They were only birthed in great numbers in order to help seed a new nest. A breeding female, on the other hand, had a more important role, as they laid a thousand eggs per month which in turn hatched into larvae that grew into work-ready nymphs in under a year.