Star Wars Universe Roleplaying Game

Arkanian Offshoot

Arkanian Offshoots are a genetically engineered Star Wars species created by the intellectually ambitious and ethically contentious Arkanian civilization. In both Star Wars canon and Legends, they represent one of the most complex examples of engineered sentience, shaped by millennia of experimentation and selective design. While Arkanians refined themselves toward physical perfection and heightened intellect, they created Offshoots as specialized laborers, explorers, and assistants, crafting entire subspecies adapted for dangerous environments or demanding work. This duality—superior Arkanian creators and engineered Offshoot populations—has profoundly influenced Offshoot identity, community formation, and cultural evolution across the galaxy.

The original Arkanian genetic programs produced Offshoots designed with remarkable diversity: some were built for extreme climate endurance, some for industrial labor, and others for precision technical work. As a result, Offshoots vary tremendously in appearance and capability, making them one of the most visually and biologically diverse species in Star Wars lore. Yet despite these engineered advantages, many Offshoot populations lived under Arkanian authority, treated as assets rather than citizens. Over time, this created deep social divides, with Offshoots seeking to define themselves beyond the purpose they were created for.

Modern Arkanian Offshoot communities exist both on and beyond Arkania. Some groups establish independent settlements that emphasize shared identity, education, and communal resilience. Others integrate into mainstream Arkanian cities, advocating for rights, representation, and acknowledgment of their full personhood. A growing number of Offshoots travel the galaxy, finding purpose in careers that leverage their unique skill sets—whether scientific, mechanical, exploratory, or combat-oriented. Their engineered adaptability allows them to excel in roles spanning from medical specialists to frontier scouts.

Despite their tumultuous past, Offshoots maintain a strong sense of solidarity born from shared struggle. They prize hard work, mutual support, and the freedom to choose their own destinies—a philosophy that stands in stark contrast to the rigid perfectionism of their progenitors. Many Offshoots approach life with a pragmatic worldview shaped by the understanding that identity is earned, not prescribed. This perspective often draws them toward adventuring, where they can prove themselves through action rather than predefined roles.

In gameplay and narrative settings, Arkanian Offshoots offer a compelling balance of scientific legacy, engineered versatility, and a personal story rooted in autonomy. They embody the Star Wars theme that even those shaped by design can forge their own path, challenging expectations and redefining what it means to be a fully realized species in a galaxy shaped by history, conflict, and evolution.

Home Planet: Arkania
Physical Description: Arkanian Offshoots display significant variation due to their engineered origins. Many resemble Humans with subtle Arkanian traits such as pale complexions, white or silvery hair, or faintly luminous eyes adapted for low-light environments. Other Offshoot lines were designed for enhanced durability, featuring thicker musculature, reinforced skeletal structure, or environmental adaptations like increased cold resistance or heightened organ resilience. Most Offshoots retain the Arkanian four-fingered hand structure, though proportions and body mass differ dramatically between subspecies.

Offshoot attire is equally diverse. Some adopt practical, utility-based clothing suited for labor or exploration, while others reclaim traditional Arkanian designs as a cultural statement of equality. Regardless of variation, Offshoots tend to move with purpose and efficiency, shaped by the physical expectations built into their genetic templates.

Average Height: 1.8 meters
Average Weight: 75 kilograms
Age of Adulthood: 14 standard years

Personality & Customs: Arkanian Offshoot culture reflects a blend of engineered pragmatism and self-developed identity. Many Offshoots value discipline, cooperation, and practical skill, having inherited generations of training and expectation from their Arkanian creators. Over time, however, Offshoot communities have cultivated their own traditions emphasizing autonomy, mutual respect, and the right to self-determination. This makes Offshoot settlements highly communal, encouraging shared responsibility and collective advancement.

Their relationship with mainstream Arkanians is complex—marked by historical inequity, yet also by ongoing efforts toward reconciliation and progress. Some Offshoots seek academic or scientific prestige equal to their progenitors, while others reject Arkanian societal norms altogether. As adventurers, Offshoots excel through adaptability, focus, and a driving desire to prove their worth based on personal merit, not inherited design. Many embrace roles that test their resilience and intellect, viewing challenges as opportunities to forge their own legacy in the galaxy.

Languages: Basic, Arkanian (older dialect)

Example Names: Edessa, Gorman, Vandrayk, Jarael, Zadawi