Shi'ar

The Shi'ar are a race of avian-descended alien lifeforms native to the Shi'ar Galaxy. They largely look humanoid and can pass for humans at a glance. The Shi'ar make up the bulk of the population of the Shi'ar Empire. The largest concentration of Shi'ar is on their core planet, an artificial celestial body called Throneworld.

Biology

Shi'ar can no longer fly but still have vestigial feathers on their crown and forearms. Their bone structure and musculature made them substantially more physically powerful than humans, with superior stamina and strength. A Shi'ar of average athletic ability could lift around a ton; the strongest as much as two to three.

Due to the influence of Celestial gene-engineering Shi'ar have a high degree of genetic compatibility with other mammalian species. Very few Shi'ar among their billions has any sort of metagenetic ability for reasons unknown. Due to a quirk of biology, cross-breeding with Earth metahumans has produced multiple hybrid Human-Shi'ar with an above-average percentage of metagenetic activity. The race has some common mammalian traits and is in the process of evolving away from oviparous reproduction. This has been delayed due to the popularity of artificial wombs that nurture hatchlings in their growth eggs rather than waiting for them to hatch while in utero. Shi'ar are endothermic and are seriously hampered by cold weather if not adequately clothed.