The Road to Episode Infinity: The Five Subspecies of Nikto

The Nikto are a species with many subspecies. Five of these subspecies first appeared in a 1995 roleplaying gamebook called “Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens — Enemies and Allies”. The Nikto species are named after a famous line from “The Day The Earth Stood Still”: ‘Klaatu Barada Nikto’.

Kajain'sa'Nikto (Red Nikto)

The Red Nikto were recognized as the most common subspecies of the Nikto species. They evolved in the desert regions of the planet Kintan. Red Nikto could even take in water vapor from the air and absorb it into their bodies. Red Nikto had reddish-brown skin, ridges and horns on their faces, and breathing tubes on their necks in lieu of nostrils.

A famous Red Nikto is the Jedi warrior Ima-Gun Di whose name was designed to sound like the phrase “I'm gonna die”. It is no surprise that the Jedi Master perished in the same “Clone Wars” episode in which he was introduced.

Kadas'sa'Nikto (Green Nitko)

The Green Nikto lived on the forests and shorelines of their homeplanet Kintan. Their faces were scaley and green. Face horns radiated out from their dark, black eyes.

Some notable Green Nikto were Klatuu and Wooof, who worked for the crime lord Jabba the Hutt. Another Green Nikto was Neeku Vozo who served as a member of Team Fireball on the Colossus refueling station (ala Star Wars Resistance).

Esral'sa'Nikto (Mountain Nikto)

The Esral’sa’Nikto or Mountain Nikto evolved in the mountains of Kintan. Their large facial fins were used to regulate heat, as well as offer improved hearing. Their skin ranged from shades of blue to grey- perhaps to help them blend in with their rocky environment. The Mountain Nikto spoke the unique language of Cracek.

A Mountain Nikto by the name of Oplock, appeared in "The Platform Classic", aSeason 1 episode of the animated show “Star Wars Resistance”.

M'shento'su'Nikto (Southern Nikto)

M’Shento’su’Nikto (or Southern Nikto) were one of the five Nikto subspecies native to planet Kintan. Like many of the Nikto subspecies the Southern Nikto lacked nostrils. In lieu of a nostrils the Southern Nikto relied on several breathing tubes that ran up their necks and over their heads. These breathing tubes were larger and more numerous compared to their Red Nikto cousins. The Southern Nikto also differed from the other Nikto subspecies in the fact that they lacked horns. Southern Nikto had skin color in shades of yellow and orange.

Southern Nikto first appeared in the “Star Wars Holiday Special” in the form of an individual named Kelbo.

Gluss'sa'Nikto (Pale Nikto)

The Pale Nikto can be identified by their facial fins (similar to the Mountain Nikto) and by the horns around their eyes (similar to the Green Nikto). The Pale Nikto could easily be called the “Island Nikto” because they live on the Gluss'elta Islands of Kintan. They are adept at living near the oceans of their home planet and have mastered the art of sailing.

The Pale Nikto have rarely appeared in Star Wars media, owing their existence mostly to sourcebooks. Unlike the other Nikto, they have never appeared in a Star Wars movie, live action feature, or animated TV show. Like the Southern Nikto, the Pale Nikto are not part of the new Disney canon.

*Update: May 2020*
Blue Nikto?

While watching the second season of Star Wars Resistance, I noticed a character named Nenavakasa Nalor (Nena for short). Nena was quite obviously a Nikto, but not from one of the five known subspecies.

First, Nena has blue skin, unlike and Nikto we have seen before. Her other features seem to be an amalgamation of features from other Nikto subspecies. Nena's face structure is similar to the "starfish" face structure of Neeku (the Green Nikto of "Resistance"). However Nena has no nose which is more similar to all the other subspecies of Nikto apart from the Green subspecies. Nena's eyebrows have little pebble spikes above them, which resembles the Pale Nikto. Her forehead includes ridges which is similar to the Red Nikto and the back of her neck includes downward facing spikes similar to human hair braids.

So what is Nena? Is she a hybrid? Were her parents possibly a Green Nikto and a Pale Nikto? Or is Nena a sixth subspecies that we haven't seen before? Could Nena be a "Numol'elrul"- a mysterious Nikto subspecies mentioned in the 2015 sourcebook "Lords of Nal Hutta".

The truth is that we may never know. Star Wars Resistance is over and Nena only appears in one episode. It is possible that we will never see her (or her subspecies) again.

Yet again, someone behind the scenes of Star Wars probably has a good idea of what Nena is, so perhaps a barrage of Tweets can solve this mystery.

Star Wars Aliens

The Aliens of the Cantina

http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-aliens-of-cantina_1.html

The Aliens of “The Empire Strikes Back"

http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-aliens-of-empire-strikes-back-what.html

The Aliens of Jabba’s Palace

http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/07/aliens-of-jabbas-palace.html

The Aliens of Max Rebo’s Band

http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-aliens-of-max-rebos-band.html

The Aliens of the Battle of Endor

http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-aliens-of-battle-of-endor.html