So I'm getting back into watching Farscape, a sci fi tv show I really enjoy, where half breeds between extremely different species is possible. The main antagonist is a half breed between the show's human species and basically overpowered trandoshans, and I feel like a nemesis based around this half breed character would make for an extremely engaging story.

Basically in star wars they aren't exactly clear how interspecies stuff works, and the only canon info we have is a clone that had half breed babies with a twilek from the clone wars tv show. Twileks and humans are similar enough to make a case for interspecies reproduction but I don't want to get into too much of the science and biology because its star wars and you can't think about that too much.

My question to you all is do you think I could get away with a nemesis half breed between a human and trandoshan or some other freaky race, or would I need to go the biological experiment gone wrong route. Any opinions would be appreciated.

For a Nemesis anything goes imo. If PCs wanna start combining the best of two worlds in a min/max CHARGEN eugenics kind of thing, that's where you'll have to make decisions.

Farscape is one of my favorite shows, but I don't know how common 'half breeds' are in the Star Wars universe. I don't recall any offhand. I forget which game system it is, maybe Warhammer Fantasy, where it states 'half breeds' are impossible. I always liked that idea, if even just for simplicity sake.

That said, I'm positive you could get away with a nemesis half breed between a human and trandoshan. Thinking back to Farscape, do you mean like Scorpious? Maybe you could require the half breed to need some sort of medical apparatus or suit to stay alive, much like Scorpious on Farscape. Then you're basically saying... half breeds aren't possible naturally, they require some degree of bio-engineering and technology to survive. But that begs the question then..., why go through all this trouble unless the 'half breed' wasn't really worth it in some sort of way.

I don't see a problem with it if all you're trying to do is give a nemesis some flavor. But be ready for your players to recognize an unoriginal idea and start to jokingly call your nemesis 'Scorpious' or something worse, which may make him more of a clown than someone to be feared.

Give them the choice between the racial bonus and their racial trait for both species.

They retain any lowered attributes but have to choose between racial traits and higher attributes

Any penalty traits would also be kept ala Scorpius needing a cybernetic cooling unit to counter the hot blooded Skaaran and cold adapted Peacekeeper biologies.

Might want to look into how such a half-breed would be viewed by either race, some might kill them on sight, maybe keep them around until they found out who was responsible then there's some who would view them the same as droids but Hutts would have enslaved them anyway!

In KOTOR the Twi'lek were supposedly artificially created to become better force users maybe you should check on how accurate that is?

Yeah scorpius is definitely the guy I'm referring to, as I feel a bad guy like him would fit right into my campaigns. There is trouble with the possibility of recognition however, since some of my players have seen farscape.

It doesn't need to be trandoshan either, any other creepy alien human hybrids would be welcome, I don't know where to start though.

And yeah I'm fully willing to have the hybrid be an abomination to nature and not able to survive without some sort of apparatus or life support, just so the PCs will find a weakness to a supposedly unstoppable villain.

Thanks for the feedback keep it coming

Scorpius was more than the sum of his parts. His half breed biology was only used to call attention to his being an outsider, his drive to eradicate the scarren, and to give the heroes a chance to fight back from time to time.

His real use as a villain was his collected, calm demeanor, his brilliant mind, and the unlimited funds he had to build his next torture machine, mind control chip, etc.

Don't get me wrong, half breeds are cool, if I'm playing an elf, its a half elf, Namor the Submariner, and my repeated Mongrelfolk PCs when I played in 3.5 D&D. But don't boil down one of science fictions most compelling villains into his questionable parentage.

We don't see too many half-breeds in Star Wars, but it is clearly possible. (with the clone and Twi'lek woman on Saleucami) My geuss, then is that either

a. half breeding is frowned upon in most cultures, so most people only have children with members of their own species,

b. half breeding is rare, and it is something like 98% of humans are incapable of breeding with twi'lek, and 99% of twi'leks are incapable of breeding with humans, but there is the small chance (0.02 percent) that a human-twi'lek couple could have kids. Obviously this could work for any combination of fairly similar species (for example, it would probably be impossible for an insectoid species like geonosians breed with mammals, or for reptiles like trandoshans breed with fish like mon calamari.)

Either way, a half-breed is perfectly feasible, as long as the species are fairly similar.

In Star Trek the only reasons that different species can interbreed are that they all have the same basic DNA and they have the medical technology to deal with genetic problems. I don't think there is a ton of interbreeding in Wars unless the species are much closer. Your antagonist could have a lot of problems and have to have cybernetics, or a coolant suit, or any number of other things to compensate.

Given the way that the Rakata supposedly messed around with dozens of species and some of the forgotten history of the galaxy (at least, per the TOR "legends" timeline), and the projectable future of genetic engineering in reality, I think it's safe to say that a "halfbreed" could exist from deliberate effort. "Accidental" cross-species halfbreeds would be far more rare.

Given the way that the Rakata supposedly messed around with dozens of species and some of the forgotten history of the galaxy (at least, per the TOR "legends" timeline), and the projectable future of genetic engineering in reality, I think it's safe to say that a "halfbreed" could exist from deliberate effort. "Accidental" cross-species halfbreeds would be far more rare.

I agree with this.

Plus most planets are fairly homogenous, frequently with upwards of 90% of the native sentients. The characters we follow in the shows/movies are the exceptions to the rule.

Plus there might have been something in the clone DNA that allowed them to interbreed easier. Maybe an unintentional or ignored side effect from the genetic alterations.

Another option is that mixed species offspring might be sterile. We see that on Earth with Mules, Ligers, and a handful of others.

For a great example of how not to do this, search for Half-Bothan on Wookieepedia. It's bad.

But we need some way to explain Bothans being excellent spies against a human-centric Empire... or maybe that's why so many of them died to get the plans...

I want a Hug (a Dug/Hutt hybrid)!

I want a Hug (a Dug/Hutt hybrid)!

I imagine a Hutt with huge muscular arms ("do you even lift bro?)

But due to the Hutt's asexual nature, I'm not sure this would work, lol

Rystall Sant (the pink backup singer for Sy Snoodles in Jabba's Palace) was a half-human/half-theelin, so there are definitely half breeds in star wars. As for the specifics, the rule in star wars has always been plot trumps science, so go for it!

I´ll keep it like the Dathomir Witches which are Human while a lot of Male on the planet are Zabraks.

The Witches use the zabrak for breeding.

It´s said Girls are always Human while male become always Male (and went right back into the slavery)

I keep it most likley that way, if it is needed to have someone with parents of a different Race.

for Enemys: everything is possible thanks to good old St. Kamino and the blessing of DNA mixxing in Tubes!

Considering the Flash Gordon Space Opera roots of Star Wars, half breed people should be quite common and not at all scientifically accurate.

... all hail to Ming, the Emperor of Mong.

But I won´t go so far to use the inspiration for SW, to base the raceprinciples of breeding on it...

IIRC, halfbreeds just take after one of their parents in most cases, but that might just be for Nikto or whatever. I was in the middle of an overnight shift at work and really tired when I researched that, so I guess I don't really know.

Yeah, just keep it in check and don't get silly....

Because Farscape never got silly....

Yeah, just keep it in check and don't get silly....

Because Farscape never got silly....

Farscape started silly, and got even sillier. Much sillier.

I mean, half the characters are Muppets to begin with.

But there’s silly, and then there’s WTF crazy-ass totally-takes-you-out-of-immersion kills-willing-suspension-of-disblief silly.

A series otherwise known as "One American's Manic Descent into Australia's S&M Scene"

Yeah, just keep it in check and don't get silly....

Because Farscape never got silly....

Farscape started silly, and got even sillier. Much sillier.

A series otherwise known as "One American's Manic Descent into Australia's S&M Scene"

Yeah, just keep it in check and don't get silly....

Because Farscape never got silly....

Farscape started silly, and got even sillier. Much sillier.

Don't go there man. It'll inevitably lead to Kylo Ren...

A series otherwise known as "One American's Manic Descent into Australia's S&M Scene"

Yeah, just keep it in check and don't get silly....

Because Farscape never got silly....

Farscape started silly, and got even sillier. Much sillier.

Don't go there man. It'll inevitably lead to Kylo Ren...

Note to self: If a PC I'm playing every runs across Kylo Ren, be sure to mention what a nice gimp suit he's wearing. Since said PC is likely dead either way, might as well go out with a good one-liner.