The creators behind Star Wars devised various species to fill unique roles. Some get to stand in the background during bar scenes. Others occupy the ranks of heroic armies. Many stay comfortably on their home planet and rarely affect the larger narrative. A few unfortunate beings were born to fight for the losing team. Geonosians are among the least lucky species in Star Wars. Anyone could determine their allegiance by looking at them, sealing their fate.
“Evil” races in fantasy and science fiction rarely make sense. Many narratives erase free will from the conversation, replacing character traits with the inexplicable urge to do the wrong thing in every scenario. More nuanced stories invent reasonable justifications for otherwise decent groups to follow the villains. Star Wars doesn’t always stick that landing, but some examples deliver shockingly engaging narrative justifications.
What are the Geonosians?
Geonosians are a bipedal, semi-insectoid species native to Geonosis. They typically stand between 5′ 2″ and 5′ 9″. As insects, Geonosians enjoyed a powerful exoskeleton of chitinous armor. They could shrug off many physical impacts, but their chiton’s main purpose was to survive Geonosis’s natural radiation. Geonosians were typically brown, though sometimes sickeningly yellow. Their bodies change naturally to fit their roles, fitting the planet’s strict caste system. Genosian queens spent their time laying eggs, but their place of honor allowed them to control large portions of the hive mind. Warriors carried sonic blasters and beam weapons to act as security and local law enforcement. Specialized combatants, like those raised to be fighter pilots or gladiators, developed unique traits to suit their roles. Workers toiled insufferably, their bodies strong enough to labor but often too weak to fight. Most Geonosians had wings, though only some used them. There’s no record of any Force-sensitive Geonosians.
What are Geonosians known for?
Geonosians are industrious by nature. Their drones work tirelessly under the penalty of death. Those that aren’t killed are manipulated through indoctrination or brain worms. The Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS) used their labor to create their droid army. The Geonosian leader, Poggle the Lesser, led the species to serve the CIS. The droid army committed endless atrocities in the name of Darth Sidious’s long-winded scheme to establish the Galactic Empire. Geonosians were instrumental in constructing the droids that carried out the initial clone wars. Geonosis became the site of the Clone Wars’ first battle. Obi-Wan Kenobi landed on the planet to escape bounty hunter Jango Fett, unfortunately stumbling into a droid factory and being captured. Republic forces and many Jedi converged on Geonosis to attack, eventually killing Jango Fett, thousands of droids, and countless Geonosian warriors.
Geonosians continued to aid the CIS in future engagements. They developed the initial plans for a planet-destroying superweapon that would come to be called the Death Star. Geonosis suffered massive losses in its second major Clone Wars battle, costing Poggle’s life and the droid foundry. Geonosians began working on the Death Star by force, technically working for their enemies in pursuit of Sidious’ goal. They later staged a revolt to serve the CIS. When the Empire took over, the Geonosians’ reward was slavery. Darth Vader placed restrictions on their lives, including strict breeding limits. They worked as servants until the job became too complicated. The Empire hired Galen Erso to finish the laser, then deployed gas canisters in the largest single act of genocide in the Galactic Empire’s history. They exterminated over 100 billion Geonosians, leaving one survivor.
Notable Geonosians in Star Wars
Few Geonosians get names in Star Wars. The most iconic Geonosian is Poggle the Lesser. Born a lowly drone, Poggle worked with Darth Sidious to engineer a rise to power. He appeared in Attack of the Clones but died shortly thereafter. His actions placed the Geonosians on the path to destruction, working with the inarguably evil Sith for personal gain. Other examples include:
- Queen Karina the Great: The first matriarch by this name commanded her armies underneath Geonosis’ surface. She died in a cave-in, leaving society without its Queen. A later Queen took the name through a combination of respect and madness, attempting to repopulate the species after the gassing.
- Klik-Klak: The last survivor of the Empire’s genocide of Geonosis escaped execution with the help of the Rebel Spectres. He traded the first information about the Death Star for his freedom, allowing him to flee with the egg that would become the new Karina.
- Pehk: A Geonosian hunter who survived the genocide by being off-world but died on a routine hunting job.
Geonosians are the best example of what happens to those who dare to collaborate with the Empire. Their brutal culture sacrificed countless lives to enable Darth Sidious’s evil dreams, only to be tossed aside when they ceased to be useful. Geonosians suffered the worst genocide in the Galactic Empire’s brief regime. It’s a fitting reminder for anyone who’d think to ally themselves with blatant bad guys.
