Kivu family

The Kivu family was a family in the Chiss Ascendancy, the nation of the Chiss species. At least one branch of the family was located on the planet Rentor. It was considered one of the most obscure and incapable families of the Ascendancy by Mitth family Syndic Mitth'urf'ianico, core name "Thurfian."

Around 56 BBY a member of the family, Kivu'rik'ardok "Vurika," was deemed eligible to become one of the Ascendancy's sky-walker navigators, resulting in her leaving Rentor and losing her affiliation with the Kivu family. Their parents would keep Vurika's fate a secret from her younger brother, Kivu'raw'nuru "Vurawn" for several years, prompting him to believe that she had died. Around 39 BBY, Vurawn joined the ruling Mitth family in order to take up military service, as the Kivu were unable to prepare him for a career in military. He adopted the name Mitth'raw'nuru, "Thrawn." He soon attained bridge rank and finally learned about the sky-walker corps, realizing that Vurika had likely become a sky-walker.

In 18 BBY, now-Senior Captain Thrawn was set to be exiled from the Ascendancy for violating the Ascendancy's rules against Preemptive Strikes in battle. Thurfian, who had since become Patriarch of the Mitth, suggested Thrawn be returned to the Kivu family, but the notion was vetoed by Chiss Defense Force Supreme Admiral Ja'fosk.

The Kivu family first appeared in Timothy Zahn's 2020 novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, the first volume of the The Ascendancy Trilogy. In the Star Wars Legends continuity, Mitth'raw'nuruodo and Mitth'ras'safis belonged to the same blood family that first appeared in the 2006 novel Outbound Flight, also written by Zahn.