Though the Cha'wen'he had three heads, they did not have the split consciousness exhibited by the two-headed Troigs and Paaerduags. This was because their single brains were located in their bodies, rather than in their heads. However, their consciousness did have one peculiarity—Cha'wen'he could access knowledge and skills from a collective "species memory". Some of this knowledge, such as simple motor skills, would be accessed immediately by Cha'wen'he hatchlings. More complicated skills could take years to surface in a Cha'wen'he's mind, or even remain locked in their subconscious permanently.
Cha'wen'he, having evolved as herbivores on a planet teeming with predators, were typically nervous and excitable. Their society was organized in nomadic "flocks", whose informal leadership was constantly changing. This made it difficult for offworlders to arrange treaties with them, as an arrangement concluded with one flock might not be honored by their next leader, or by the next flock to live in the area. As a further frustration, Cha'wen'he owned all of their possessions and buildings communally. Though they learned to understand alien concepts such as "private property" and "no trespassing", they sometimes ignored them.
Cha'wen'he had been in contact with the Galactic Republic for millennia, enthusiastically traveling the spacelanes as scouts, explorers, and navigators. While the Cha'wen'he were under the nominal rule of the Galactic Empire, their tendency to ignore certain Imperial dictates led to incidents of brutal oppression. Due to the fluidity of their leadership and their nomadic lifestyle, these were often directed at the wrong Cha'wen'he.