Hello everyone, this is the next video in the cultural index series where I look into
the canon of a science fiction species to explore its lore based on the votes from you
guys. Last time the poll swung in favour of the Star Wars squidies, the Quarren. I will
be incorporating some legends material where it doesn’t conflict with what is seen on
screen, and will try to mark that out as such when I get to it as the majority of their
development was from the expanded universe. I will also be making some speculative guesses,
but if you’re familiar with this series, you already know all this, so let’s get
started. Before we look at the Quarren specifically,
I should point out that they are one of the rarer instances in science fiction, in that
they are a sentient species that appears to have evolved on a planet alongside a second,
and for a time, neither was aware of the other, according to legends. This planet is Dac,
or Mon Cala, home of the Mon Calamari, who I have already covered in a prior video, so
watching that may help inform you on the general aspects of their homeworld.
So, biologically speaking, the Quarren are more suited for life in the depths of the
oceans, whereas the Mon Calamari have a preference for shallower waters and shoreline habitats.
The Quarren are truly amphibious, in that they breathe air and water with equal ease
by filtering it through holes in their necks. On the back of their head, they have a large
sack-like organ that probably has something to do with their breathing, but that’s unclear.
Their eyes are pale blue and see better in the dark than their neighbouring species.
They are comfortable in depths of around 300 metres, unprotected which is beyond the standard
“twilight” zone that light can penetrate into a water ocean.
From their lower face hang four tentacles that they can freely move and a small mouth
with pincer-like tusks. The flared sides of their head house their ears. In many ways,
they do resemble squid, or some form of cuttlefish, but the arrow-shaped head is not there because
it’s hydrodynamic considering they are humanoid and have humanoid limbs. Speaking of which,
their hands are webbed and have three digits, which are lined with suction cubs for grasping
in the slippery depths. Some members of the species have claws too and their skin tones
are usually orangey-brow, but also vary to shades of pink, tan, greenish-gray and purple,
although rare and mottling is common. Like most life in Star Wars, individuals of
their species could be force sensitive and they had a lifespan of almost 80 years. They
also had a defensive spray of ink that they and release when threatened, again very squidy.
So as mentioned, the live on Mon Cala, which is in the Mon Calamaris system in the Outer
Rim. It is a binary star system of 8 planets. They can be encountered among many of the
cities across its surface and under its waves, but prefer to establish their own settlements,
nearer the ocean floor, unlike the Mon Calamari who remain nearer the surface. They do retain
a presence in the capital city, Coral City, but the only settlement we see in the canon
that is entirely their own is Quarren Town in the depths of the Alopia Rift. This was
a base built near the active volcanic vents and also home to what seems to be the biggest
business they own, Quarren Industrial. This company created a myriad of mining equipment,
from individual mining droids to entire laser mining platforms for deep sea drilling. They
mined Mon Cala and supplied the raw materials for the Mon Calamari to craft their renowned
vessels, which for the longest time, served as the backbone of their economy. Quarren
also made for shrewd business associates, tinkerers, and able huntsman or fishermen.
When encountered off world, these were the most likely positions to find a Quarren working.
Because of the Mon Clamari’s proximity to the surface, many interstellar species encountered
them first. This combined with a turbulent history has resulted in a strong rivalry between
the Quarren and their shared-world dwellers, and it appears that life on Mon Cala is heavily
weighted in the Mon Calamari’s favour, dating back to their initial meeting in 4500BBY.
Much of their early history comes from legends, but there are remnants of it in the current
canon. In ancient times, the Quarren were proud hunters and warriors and the highest
of these were called the Kokad warrior caste. They were responsible for the defence of Quarren
settlements where they would fend off aggressive sea life. Then, aproximatley 4500BBY the Quarren
met the Mon Calamari in the shallows of their world and immediately went to war. The Mon
Calamari were far more technologically advanced than their aggressive deep sea neighbours.
Just how this war was ended is covered in the Mon Calamari video, but they ever searched
for a solution that would cause the least death.
Remnants of this proud and more militant culture can be found in relics on Mon Cala such as
the ruins of the Sacred Arena of Salka’a where the Rite of Challenge can be issued,
an ancient trial by combat. However, these ruins were above water, so I’m unsure if
it is a Quarren legacy or a general Mon Cala event. The head of the Quarren people is referred
to as their chieftan, suggesting a tribe like culture that would go hand in hand with their
combative history. Technically, by the time of the Republic,
the Quarren and Mon Cala governments were working together, with the chieftain representing
his people to the Mon Cala monarchy. The sovereigns of Mon Cala, are a family of Mon Calamari,
to which the Chieftain of the Quarren answers and it has always been this way. This is a
further example of the imbalance of power on their world, although they did have Republic
representatives on the senate. During the clone wars, this tension between
the two Mon Cala residents created a true schism among the Quarren, one loyal faction
that was content to remain with the Republic under the Mon Cala Monarchy, while another
formed with ideas of insurrection, under the title of the Quarren Isolation League which
was being funded by the Confederacy, the enemies of the Republic. This was spurred on by a
change of leadership of Mon Cala, but when the Isolation League was beaten back during
the Battle of Mon Cala, they returned to the loyalists towards the close of the Clone Wars.
However, 19BBY saw the founding of the Empire and in the build up to this, both the Quarren
leadership and Mon Cala Monarchy objected to the growing power of Palpatine and voiced
their concerns when he declared himself Emperor. This made Mon Cala a priority target. However,
even here, the historical resentment led a group of Quarren traditionalists to sabotage
Mon Cala, leading to its fall to the Empire and mass enslavement of both Mon Calamari
and Quarren. After the Galactic Civil War, many Quarren had enough of Mon Cala, and despite
their xenophobia and preference for isolation, many more left their homeworld and set off
to find their own work, not the first, but an increase in exodus to be sure.
Living off world has its own challenges as they need to stay hydrated frequently and
preferred wet worlds, such as the moon of Trask. By 34ABY, it does seem that the Quarren
and Mon Calamari may be working more hand-in-hand as they have a joint military, so perhaps
there are changes afoot. Their technology is standard for Star Wars,
in that the length of time that species have been interstellar in this universe means that
the proliferation of scientific advancement has made for a smelting pot of tech. They
do have some specific devices however, such as the Underwater Turbo Sled (or UTS) Pike,
like a diving propeller but one that can go 50 kilometres an hour and has twin blaster
cannons. Their preferred firearm is a long barrelled blaster which can double as a spear
while the butt of the weapon is reinforced for melee attacks too.
They have their own language, Quarrenese, which they will speak whenever they can as
they dislike Galactic Basic and their names consist of two proper nouns.
The clothing that we see them wear on land, often seems very impractical for an ocean
dwelling species, not counting resistance armour, or scavenged rebel gear and so on.
The robes worn by their politicians are long, flowy and with very baggy sleeves which would
really drag in the water, but their soldiers tend to wear closer fitting gear akin to dive-suits
with pouches attached. Overall, the Quarren are a very proud people
and isolationist by preference. Mon Calamari thought long term and were generally optimistic,
but a Quarren would consider this naive and themselves a pragmatist .The issues arise
from their borderline xenophobic attitudes, arrogance and oft traditionalist values, hearkening
back to millennia before the Mon Calamari. Over the generations, many have put aside
such and began to work more closely with the Mon Calamari government, giving them a presence
on the galactic stage, if even a small one, but preferential treatment is still heavily
skewed towards the Mon Calamari, the more peaceable and approachable of Dac’s inhabitants.
So that is the Quarren. They are a divided species, on a multi-species planet that frequently
at mercy of tides they do not control, but they also don’t do much to engender trust,
so it’s a vicious circle. So recently the Index has been bouncing between three or four
franchises, because it’s what I know best, but this time, I thought about stepping outside
my comfort zone an tackling a new universe of science fiction. So the choices for the
next index are from the Warhammer 40K universe, which is not a happy place. So the choices
are the Imperium of Man, or the Craftworld Eldars, which are nomadic space elves.
I’ve seen several requests for sci-fi I’m not overly familiar with, so I want to start
exploring those too. This is completely new lore to me for the most part, so it’s a
bit of an experiment. Leave your choice over on the community tab and until the next video,
I’ve been Ric and I’ll see you again! Goodbye!