The people's ancestors once lived in a large city near the planet Stargate and had a language of sounds of breathing and throat. They could not see so well by star light of day, they have often lived to see their children have children of their own. Thousands of years ago released Nirrti a virus in Kandara's water supply and killed 95% of the planet's population in a few weeks, and spared only it could transfer some recessive genes that she wanted to grow. Their descendants can detect light and sound far beyond the wavelengths that normal people are limited, remarkably adapted to extreme temperatures and not suffer ill effects from going a week without water, or two weeks without food.