Having grown up in the 80s with influences such as Daley's Han Solo novels, the Droids cartoon, and the original Marvel SW comics run, I've so far preferred to only play around in FFG's EotE sandbox. Yep, my favorite of the many genres that comprise the SW mythos is the "space western." ("Space combat/dogfighting" would probably be my second fave.) That said, I became a pretty huge fan of both Tartakovsky's and Filoni's Clone Wars series and am now eagerly awaiting the (first of two/several/many?) Clone Wars era book.

Which got me thinking.

As my current FFG books contain species such as the Quarren, Trandoshans, Hutts, Toydarians, Weequay, Nikto, and other aliens we usually see fill roles such as bounty hunters, crime lords, and mercenaries... Well, are there any species that cannot or do not become Jedi? As a general rule of thumb?

I mean, I know one could always say, "In YOUR game, ANY species could become a Jedi." But, again, I'm looking for canonical or Legends-influenced works that provide a clue that, hey, "this species tends to never embrace Jedi teachings" or "this species is never really found to be Force sensitive." Is there a list somewhere? Or maybe one of you just knows off-hand?

Any help would be appreciated.

There may be something new on this in the Disney canon, but I do remember that back when the prequels were being planned, Lucas said that Wookiees don't become Jedi since they don't have the temperament for it. This, of course, contradicted gobs of the Legends canon, but Lucas mostly ignored Legends stuff anyway, as was his right. I also remember reading an interview by one of the creators of the Republic comic about how they were going to introduce a Vulptereen Jedi Master, but Lucas said "those guys don't become Jedi" or something along those lines. The creators made the character a Veknoid instead. How Lucas knew one podracer species from another in the early '00s, I'll never know.

Taking that temperament criterion into account, we could extrapolate about species that aren't likely Jedi material, such as Aqualish and Gamorreans.

Then there's the issue of Force-resistant species, like Hutts and Toydarians. Legends canon occasionally gave us a Jedi from one of these species, but I don't think Disney canon has done so. They'd be good bets for not having Jedi among their ranks.

Do you ask really for "Jedi" or rather "Force Sensitive/User"?

1 hour ago, SavageBob said:

There may be something new on this in the Disney canon, but I do remember that back when the prequels were being planned, Lucas said that Wookiees don't become Jedi since they don't have the temperament for it. This, of course, contradicted gobs of the Legends canon, but Lucas mostly ignored Legends stuff anyway, as was his right. I also remember reading an interview by one of the creators of the Republic comic about how they were going to introduce a Vulptereen Jedi Master, but Lucas said "those guys don't become Jedi" or something along those lines. The creators made the character a Veknoid instead. How Lucas knew one podracer species from another in the early '00s, I'll never know.

Taking that temperament criterion into account, we could extrapolate about species that aren't likely Jedi material, such as Aqualish and Gamorreans.

Then there's the issue of Force-resistant species, like Hutts and Toydarians. Legends canon occasionally gave us a Jedi from one of these species, but I don't think Disney canon has done so. They'd be good bets for not having Jedi among their ranks.

So far, canon hasn't limited any species from being Force sensitive. The Clone Wars had a Wookiee youngling, though a character commented that it's rare for a Wookiee to become a Jedi. Strangely, the way it was phrased makes it sound more like it's rare for Force sensitive Wookiee children to exist/be found by the Jedi, rather than an issue of temperament.

The big difference in canon (as opposed to Legends) is the implication that it's possible for anyone to learn how to use the Force; it's just that some people are born with a more intuitive grasp of it, and those were the ones selected by the Jedi.

Other than some youths pulling "Flight of the Navigator." Force sensitivity is absent in the Chiss.

There are a handful of species that cannot of the Force because of [instead science mumjo jumbo about genetics or something that basically means “they aren’t smart enough”]

• Tusken Raider (Those of the Tusken Raider species, not adopted ones like Tahiri Viella or Asharad Hett)
• Vulptereen
• Ewok

And just like the wookie example in Clone Wars, there are exceptions to the rule...

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Unidentified_Ewok_Jedi

1 hour ago, Yaccarus said:

There are a handful of species that cannot of the Force because of [instead science mumjo jumbo about genetics or something that basically means “they aren’t smart enough”]

• Tusken Raider (Those of the Tusken Raider species, not adopted ones like Tahiri Viella or Asharad Hett)
• Vulptereen
• Ewok

3 minutes ago, Varlie said:

And just like the wookie example in Clone Wars, there are exceptions to the rule...

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Unidentified_Ewok_Jedi

I agree with @Varlie . There is no reason why an Ewok could not be a Force user, or even a Jedi. Being “primitive is not a restriction. The old D6 supplement, Heroes and Rogue s had a template called the Ewok Shaman. It was a Force using template. Now, one species that definitely wouldn’t become Jedi, regardless of Force potential, are the Ubese. They have a severe cultural hatred for the Jedi.

I think I would put it as “highly unlikely” rather than “do not” become a Jedi. The Force is supposed to be in all living things. I can’t see why any race could not use the force. I could see how certain cultures would make it hard to follow the path of a Jedi or make it hard to make use of the force (I think this is what happens with the Chiss, as some can use it as children but seem to grow out of it). However it just be some quirk that makes it rare for force users to appear amongst a certain race for some reason.

I can't believe no one has said it yet, but:

Droids.

34 minutes ago, Hchar said:

I think I would put it as “highly unlikely” rather than “do not” become a Jedi. The Force is supposed to be in all living things. I can’t see why any race could not use the force. I could see how certain cultures would make it hard to follow the path of a Jedi or make it hard to make use of the force (I think this is what happens with the Chiss, as some can use it as children but seem to grow out of it). However it just be some quirk that makes it rare for force users to appear amongst a certain race for some reason.

As has been said, "Force Sensitive" and "Jedi" are very important distinctions.

Our group has generally agreed that any biological species (is that a redundancy? I guess not as droids fall under the "species" heading in-game) capable of true free will could be Force Sensitive even if the likelihoods are remote, however, being able to be a Jedi requires certain cultural and personal traits to really work out.

During a casual discussion regarding the Force Sensitive Chiss children (until something better or canon comes along) we came to more or less a consensus that the heavily utilitarian usage of the Force by the Chiss is not conducive to sustaining a sufficient spiritual connection to the Force into adulthood... partly because we liked the idea of an allegory to this notion and the fall of the Jedi Order as they became more about functions than enlightenment.

2 hours ago, Mark Caliber said:

I can't believe no one has said it yet, but:

Droids.

Probably because it was either the obvious choice, or it was unclear if the OP meant FFG's definition of "species", the more typical biological definition, or some internal Star Wars canon definition.

6 hours ago, Varlie said:

wookie

*Wookiee

6 hours ago, Tramp Graphics said:

T  here  is no reason why an Ewok cou  ld not be a Force  user, or even a Jedi

The accuracy of this source is a little dubious, but... http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tusken_Raider/Legends#cite_note-RStradley_DHForum-6

2 minutes ago, Yaccarus said:

*Wookiee

The accuracy of this source is a little dubious, but... http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tusken_Raider/Legends#cite_note-RStradley_DHForum-6

Intelligence isn't a factor. There are a number of examples of non-intelligent animals which can use the Force. Not only that, but Ewoks may be technologically primitive , but they are hardly stupid. They have been proven to be quite capable of adapting to modern technology on more than one occasion, both in canon and in Legends. A prime example being an Ewok slicer . They are also a very spiritual people, as are Tuskens. The problem with Tuskens is their xenophobia and their aggressiveness towards outsiders.

If coming from Legends , the Ssi-Ruuk were Force-Blind, unable to be Force-Sensitive at all, and the Yuuzhan Vong were disconnected from the Force, so neither could be Force-Sensitive at all, let alone become Jedi.

If coming from New Canon, neither of those species have been recanonized yet, so the field is open. Force-Sensitivity does seem to be more rare among certain species (such as the Chiss) or practically unheard of, but if any given individual has the temperament and discipline, they can become a Jedi. Moreover, during the Old Republic, the Jedi had a vested interest in getting their hands on all Force-Sensitives they could find. Even if they didn't turn out to have what it takes to be full Jedi, teaching them not to abuse or misuse their abilities was an important factor, and they were shuffled off to other areas where they could help (of course, enough fell through the cracks to keep at least the Sith in apprentices for a thousand years, to say nothing of other Force traditions that may or may not still exist in canon).

As a rule of thumb, I'd say it's nowhere near impossible, in the vastness of the Star Wars galaxy, to have a Wookiee, Quarren, Gamorrean, or even Hutt or Ubese Jedi (yes, even with the Ubese cultural hatred of Jedi). However, the more hoops you have to jump through justifying why this particular member of that species has come to be a Jedi, the greater your risk of falling into Special Snowflake/Mary Sue syndrome. Now, that's not to say that there isn't a lot of interesting character potential in a Hutt Jedi. You can get a lot of dramatic mileage playing against type like that. But if the answer to "Why a Hutt Jedi?" is "Because it's cool," or worse, "because those are the stats I like best," then there's a problem.

Imo, if a species could resist the Force it can not use the Force and be Force-sensitive.

9 minutes ago, WolfRider said:

Imo, if a species could resist the Force it can not use the Force and be Force-sensitive.

Lore proves this to be untrue in numerous cases.

Nikto had a religious sect that hunted both Jedi and Sith, so logically Nikto probably are unlikely to become Jedi...

It's probably technically possible for a Force Sensitive Nikto to become one, but the cultural implications, both native and Hutt imposed, suggest they wouldn't have been recruited as younglings, and would not have had the opportunity, or desire to petition for Jedi training when they became older.

I know and it isn't the only thing in Star Wars where I disagree with the Lore. For game purpose I'd allow a PC or NPC from a species resistant to the Force to be Force-sensitive, but he/she will lost his/her capacity to resist the Force. Or to say it differently he/she will be as vulnerable as any other species are to the Force. Except droids of course. They could never be Force-sensitive since their brain is not organic.

13 minutes ago, Ghostofman said:

Nikto had a religious sect that hunted both Jedi and Sith, so logically Nikto probably are unlikely to become Jedi...

It's probably technically possible for a Force Sensitive Nikto to become one, but the cultural implications, both native and Hutt imposed, suggest they wouldn't have been recruited as younglings, and would not have had the opportunity, or desire to petition for Jedi training when they became older.

And yet we had a number of Nikto Jedi . And the religious sect you are referring to are the Morgukai .

Don't forget the Toydarians. They are specifically immune to force manipulation, which should preclude force sensitivity.

11 hours ago, Mark Caliber said:

I can't believe no one has said it yet, but:

Droids.

I ran a game where a droid ended up being vulnerable to sense altering force effects. He installed a prototype perception boosting chip, and when he put it in, he didn't realize it had organic components. Which were vulnerable to force illusions. They had a **** of a time figuring out what was happening, since they all thought he should be immune.

25 minutes ago, Edgookin said:

Don't forget the Toydarians. They are specifically immune to force manipulation, which should preclude force sensitivity.

Except that being resistant or immune to mind manipulation through the Force does not preclude Force sensitivity. We have had Jedi from species resistant or immune to certain Force powers, including at least one Hutt.

5 hours ago, Ghostofman said:

Nikto had a religious sect that hunted both Jedi and Sith, so logically Nikto probably are unlikely to become Jedi...

It's probably technically possible for a Force Sensitive Nikto to become one, but the cultural implications, both native and Hutt imposed, suggest they wouldn't have been recruited as younglings, and would not have had the opportunity, or desire to petition for Jedi training when they became older.

Nikto existed beyond Hutt control. One of them was a Jedi Master fighting on Ryloth in TCW.

If I read your intention right, what you're looking for is a list of species less likely to become Jedi, and/or less likely to be Force Sensitive.

If that's the flavour of campaign I was going for, I'd probably lean away from the species you've mentioned, i.e. Hutt, Trandoshans, etc, not being Force Sensitive. It's not impossible, but if I'm GM, and I don't want to play in the 'force pool' that would be a rule for the PCs. I almost did exactly that with my current group, but didn't say they absolutely couldn't do it, I just discouraged it.

If you then wanted to complement that, then when/if you do have a Force Sensitive, use a species prevalent in the Clone Wars or Ep I-III, as those are the species we SEE as Jedi and using the force and it fits the stereotype, so Nautolan, Togruta, etc.