Nazren were a large, bipedal sentient species comparable in size to Wookiees, though they had broader shoulders and narrower hips. Their thick, resilient skin ranged in color from brown to light yellow, which served as natural camouflage on Nizon's dusty surface. Their heads were flat and noseless, with a prominent brow ridge to protect their eyes. Their spines were visible from behind, and were accentuated by small knobs that began at the backs of their heads.
Nazren had short legs relative to their height, but their arms were long, and tended to swing low to the ground as they walked. Well-adapted to their harsh homeworld, they were physically strong and hardy, but not quick or graceful. These traits made them targets of slavers, as they were considered ideal laborers.
Nazren had very long lifespans compared to most sentients. They were considered children until they were fifteen standard years and young adults until they reached the age of thirty. Adult Nazren were not considered to have reached middle age until they were two-hundred standard years of age, and were only considered old when they lived past two hundred and seventy-five standard years. Nazren were known to live as long as three hundred and fifty standard years.
Nazren placed great importance on family, and usually lived in semi-nomadic family groups or larger tribes. They practiced a democratic system within each tribe, with every adult given an equal voice on all decisions, though the voices of elders were greatly respected. Because Nazren tended to debate the merits of all sides of any issue, their decision-making was slow, and they were often seen as lacking initiative. Once every two years, all tribes met to discuss trade and work out problems that affected all Nazren.
Because of the harshness of their planet, Nazren tended to believe that material things were impermanent, and did not expect them to last. Due to a belief that they had been punished for decadence and violence in their distant past, their culture was pacifistic. They were also patient and dispassionate, to the point that very few initially resisted when the Galactic Empire began enslaving them. However, the value they placed on their freedom and on justice eventually overwhelmed this tendency, leading to rebellion.
After the Galactic Empire was repelled from Nizon, Nazren culture changed radically. Because so many elders, who were traditionally the voices of leadership, had been killed, many traditions were challenged. Further, forced relocation of Nazren tribes had led to mingling of tribes that did not usually interact, creating new genetic diversity. Nazren began to become interested in permanent structures, such as defenses and navigational arrays. This led to increased settlement in the planet's lone city, Ahdjok.
The Nazren originated on Nizon, a planet in the Centares system. They were a very ancient species, and had not changed much over a million years as of around 119 BBY. Nizon was originally a lush and verdant planet with plentiful water. Not lacking for anything, the Nazren engaged in warfare and hunting of their own people for sport. However, a collision between a nearby planet and an unknown celestial body caused Nizon to move closer to the sun and threw off its axial tilt, altering its climate dramatically.
Due to the resulting population decline, warfare became taboo, and the Nazren formed small family groups that largely practiced underground agriculture rather than hunting. Over time, offworlders - mostly miners hoping to exploit rich veins of minerals found on Nizon - began to settle alongside the Nazren, who did not object to sharing their homeworld. However, when the Galactic Empire arrived, they upended the traditional Nazren way of life by rounding up entire tribes, relocating them, and shipping them away as slaves.
At first the Nazren were largely unable to resist, but as time passed their anger increased. Ultimately, a rebel leader named Sartok organized the Nizon Resistance and, with the help of anti-Imperial fighters from offworld, was able to drive the Empire from the planet. Nazren culture was deeply changed by this experience, and many Nazren began building permanent structures and learning about planetary politics and self-governance, concepts which had until that time been largely foreign to them.