By Al Spader

I first encountered the Star Wars Heir to the Empire series by Timothy Zahn when I was in high school. I read the trilogy at least three times and absolutely fell in love with Grand Admiral Thrawn and his cool and collected mannerisms. Imagine my delight when it was revealed that they were going to continue telling the story of Thrawn and the Chiss in modern comics and television. Additionally, the lore and development of the Chiss benefitted so much from the new stories, that I felt we really got to know who they are and what they believe in.

In the years I’ve played Star Trek Adventures, I have created a bunch of new species for people to play in my games. I love the idea of creating new cultures with different beliefs than the players. Then, it occurred to me after seeing a post by a superfan on Facebook; the Chiss would be an incredible species in STA. I see the Chiss as almost a hybrid between the Cardassians and 22nd/Early 23rd century Klingons. Passionate, Isolationist, and family rulership are at the heart of the Chiss and can be a juxtaposition with the Federation. The story potential is both vast and fascinating.