Talk:Barabel

As with my entry on Barab I, I've tried to provide the most complete information on Barabels available. Most of it is true to canon, but I have added my own touches to two of the sections: Society and Naming Scheme.

The entire entry about Barabels being concerned with prestige is based upon the canon practice of showing prestige by presenting a rival clan with their best kill. I've just expanded upon it. The names of the clans and their leaders are purely my invention.

While the names in the Naming Scheme are canon (aside from Rashrak and Skarrek), the reason for why some have just one name and some have two is only a guess of mine.

I purposefully left out one canon trait of Barabels known as the Mating Call. This is the term for an ancient, species-wide "message" that every Barabel is supposed to feel when it's time to return to Barab I to mate. It's supposed to be irresistible.

I left this out for two reasons.

1) This is a relatively knew development in the canon and it completely ruins some important story elements I've built with Skarrek. Skarrek's story came years before the Mating Call was introduced and frankly Skarrek has seniority, especially since he is currently the only Barabel character in Exodus. Geroge Lucas can rip holes in the EU continuity if he wants to, but not Exodus. ;)

2) The whole thing feels a little too Vulcan "Pon Farr" to me. The Barabels work just fine without it and I think it's even a bit of an insult to insinuate that Barabels need something like the Mating Call to reproduce since they're not emotionless creatures like the Vulcans. It also seems to ignore the fact that Barabels are actually gentle and loving with their mates and hatchlings. The Mating Call just comes off as completely unnecessary to me.

Other than that, every bit of canon information I could find is in this entry. Enjoy.

-Halomek