StarCitizen:Valakkar

Template:Infobox Species The Valakkar or "Sandworm" is a species of gigantic sand worms in StarCitizen:Star Citizen native of StarCitizen:Leir III in the StarCitizen:Leir system.<ref name="LMCQ2412">Template:Cite RSI</ref> At some point they became an invasive species of StarCitizen:Monox in StarCitizen:Pyro.<ref name="LMCQ2412" /><ref name="CC54D1">CitizenCon 2954: Day One|accessdate=19-Oct-2024, Star Citizen, YouTube, Oct 19, 2024</ref>

It was first shown at StarCitizen:CitizenCon 2016.<ref>CitizenCon 2016, Star Citizen, YouTube, 10 oct. 2016</ref> The Valakkar was shown again at StarCitizen:CitizenCon 2954, now said to live on Monox, not only in Lier III.

Physiology

Valakkar are born from clutches of two to three eggs that are laid in shallow nests in the desert. When the young emerge, they burrow into the sand, where they spend the majority of their lives. The life stages of a Valakkar can be divided in juveniles, which are around 5 meters long and live near mineral deposits and just under planet surfaces; adults, which are around 15 meters long and attack when their litter is attacked and apex, which can grow up to 300 meters long.<ref name="CC54D1" />

They move with the aid of overlapping plates that grip the ground, pushing them along without the need for limbs. As omnivores, they subsist on a mixed diet of vegetation, detritus, and meat, and have evolved to need very little water to survive. They are known to attack settlements, preventing the construction of permanent habitation on Leir III, leaving it sparsely populated with only nomadic smugglers and StarCitizen:outlaws.<ref name="CC54D1" /><ref>Galactic Guide: Leir System, Jump Point, vol. 04, no. 10, p. 54.</ref>

At CitizenCon 2954, it was revealed that the Valakkar is found on StarCitizen:Monox on Pyro as an invasive species. Its teeth and pearl-like body parts were shown to be lootable, and it is said to spit rock-hard sand at aggressors. It was also hinted that they may have been able to invade other environments and several planets and adapted to the local conditions. So far they have indentified Jungle/Swamp Valakkars and Cave Valakkars.<ref name="CC54D1" />

Julie and Jim

Julie and Jim were two Valakkars obtained by StarCitizen:Jacques Villaume while stopping at StarCitizen:New Junction for refueling in 2853. Villaume, a pet owner who already had two dogs named Barney and Lola, was introduced to the creatures by a StarCitizen:Banu trader. Initially skeptical, he was convinced to purchase them after observing their behavior, describing them as "weird worm things" that unexpectedly made great pets.

Julie and Jim quickly grew in size, nearly doubling within a short period. Julie became notably aggressive, frequently biting Villaume, while both creatures exhibited escape tendencies, breaking out of containment multiple times. Concerned for their well-being and unsure how to manage them, Villaume ultimately decided to release them into the desert at night. Julie immediately burrowed into the sand, vanishing instantly, while Jim hesitated before eventually following suit. Villaume expressed mixed emotions about letting them go, hoping someone else might find them and provide them with a home.<ref>Template:Cite game</ref>

Quotes

"

We said let's put in a StarCitizen:Javelin, sandstorm, sand nomads, and then i was like let's have a big worm too, and everyone was haha, very funny Chris, and i was like, oh no, i'm not joking.

Trivia

• Giant sandworms known as Shai-Hulud are present in the sci-fi classic StarCitizen:Dune series by Frank Herbert, and are the almost certain inspiration for the Star Citizen Valakkar.<ref>Dune, Frank Herbert, 1965</ref> The Star Citizen Shai-Hulud are portrayed as having a mouth consisting of three triangular lobes, as in the 1984 David Lynch movie, which itself takes inspiration from the John Schoenherr illustrations for the serialization of Dune in Analog Magazine and for the book covers.<ref>Dune: the Most Important Science Fiction Art Ever, omnireboot.com, August 16, 2013, archived</ref><ref>Dune (1984), imdb</ref>
• StarCitizen:April 1st 2022 patchnotes indicate that the sandworm has finally been added to the game, but has decided to remain underground indefinitely.<ref>Template:Cite RSI</ref>
• It is sometimes incorrectly spelled Valaka by players.

References

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