Lesser Nydak

"What is that thing?"
"Bee-beep boo?"
"I wouldn't count on him being friendly."

―Cal Kestis and BD-1, upon first seeing a Nydak^[1]

Lesser Nydaks, also known as Nydaks, were predatory creatures from the Outer Rim Territories planet Dathomir. Carnivorous and highly aggressive, Nydaks could traverse the terrain of Dathomir using their powerful arms. The many Lesser Nydaks were dominated by the Nydak Alpha, a subtype larger and stronger than the rest of the Nydaks. The native Nightbrother warriors feared the Nydak, referring to them as the "scourge of Dathomir." In 14 BBY, while on a mission to Dathomir, the Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis encountered several Nydaks.

Biology and appearance[]

Lesser Nydaks, also known as Nydaks, were semi-bipedal creatures native to^[1] the Outer Rim Territories^[3] planet Dathomir. They had beige and dark-gray skin and black eyes separated by big nostrils. The creatures had two large tusks on each side of their mouth, and their jaws protruded slightly. Nydaks had sharp spikes on their arms and back, as well as a smaller spike on the outside of each foot. Their powerful forearms allowed them to climb and traverse across rough terrain. They had six fingers and toes, each with a claw at the end. Nydaks had armor plating on their backs, which ended in a short tail. A subtype of the Lesser Nydak, known as the Nydak Alpha, had blue skin and more spikes than their lesser counterparts. They were larger and more dominant than Lesser Nydaks.^[1]

Behavior[]

Halls of the Nydak from JFO — Nydaks lived in dens, such as those found in the Halls of the Nydak region (pictured).

In the Dathomirian ecosystem, Nydaks were apex predators, with chirodactyls as their only other natural predators. Carnivorous and highly aggressive, they often used their long, lanky arms to spur powerful, quick attacks. Their agility and arms allowed them to traverse terrain in unparalleled ways to ambush prey. In near-death situations, Nydaks made a final attack on their prey before collapsing.^[1]

Lesser Nydaks were solitary creatures and were rarely found in packs after adolescence.^[1] They lived in dens,^[2] such as those in the Halls of the Nydak region, which shared its name with the inhabitant creatures.^[1]

History[]

According to local Dathomir legends, Nydaks were kept as familiars by the Nightsisters, a coven of Dathomirian female witches native to Dathomir. The Nightbrothers, a group of Dathomirian male warriors subservient to the Nightsisters, feared the Nydaks, which they referred to as the "scourge of Dathomir."^[1] By 14 BBY,^[4] the Nydaks were attacked and assaulted by the chirodactyl Gorgara, whom the Nightbrothers nicknamed "the winged daemon of the canyon."^[1] Prior to the massacre of the Nightsisters by General Grievous and his Separatist Droid Army^[2] in 20 BBY,^[4] the Nightsister Merrin had a pet bramble lynx named Teeno who was fond of Nydaks' blood.^[2]

Cal Kestis encountered Nydaks during his mission to Dathomir.

In 14 BBY,^[4] Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis visited Dathomir while on a secret mission to rebuild the Jedi Order. Upon exiting^[1] the luxury yacht,^[2] the Stinger Mantis, and briefly traversing the Dathomirian terrain, Kestis observed a Nydak on the cliffs above. He relayed to his droid, BD-1, that he was unfamiliar with the creature and that the Nydak appeared hostile.^[1]

During his second venture to Dathomir, the Jedi encountered several more Nydaks, one of which was being kept in a pit where rogue Nightbrothers were thrown into by other Nightbrothers, as an example, to be killed and eaten by the creature.^[1] Sometime later, between 12 BBY and 11 BBY,^[5] Kestis compared the experience of briefly staying somewhere after encountering trouble to finding one's way into a Nydak's den and lying low.^[2]

Lesser Nydaks in the galaxy[]

By 14 BBY,^[4] the Haxion Brood crime syndicate had captured and held numerous Nydaks from Dathomir within the holding cells of the asteroid space station Ordo Eris' Gelid Dungeon for use within the Haxion Fight Pit for gladiatorial fights. Not long after Kestis first left Dathomir, he was captured by the Haxion Brood and imprisoned within Ordo Eris. During his subsequent escape, he fought against several Nydaks in the pit.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

Nydak-Concept — One of Jean-Francois Rey's Nydak concepts

Nydaks first appeared in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, developed by Respawn Entertainment^[1] and released on November 15, 2019.^[6] Concept art of the Nydaks was done by Jean-Francois Rey, who drew at least several different versions of the creature. In Rey's concepts, the Nydaks are depicted with more spikes throughout the body, including on the back where they replace the armor plating of the final version. The artist also experimented with the number of the Nydaks' digits, with some designs featuring eight toes and fingers total. In one design, the Nydaks have eyes spread further apart; in another, they are smaller and closer to the nostrils. None of the three designs feature the tusks present in the final version of the Nydaks in-game model. Vince Rizzi sculpted a version of the finished model. Rey and Rizzi's artworks were showcased in the game's artbook The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,^[7] released on November 19, 2019.^[6]

In Fallen Order's 2023 sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the Nydaks' animations and behaviors from the previous game were reused for the sutabans found on the moon Jedha. Also similar to the Nydaks, the game features a subtype of the Sutaban known as the Sutaban Alpha.^[8]