The Miraluka are a naturally force-sensitive species that played into many key events in the Star Wars galaxy's history. They at first appear to be indistinguishable from humans, beyond a tendency to wear something that conceals their eyes - but the differences become more clear if one looks deeper. They do not so much conceal their eyes as the fact that they have no eyes. One might assume based on this description that Miraluka are naturally blind, but this is also not true. In actuality, they have the unusual ability of force sight - literally being able to see through their connection to the force.
Miraluka are one of the more obscure races in the Star Wars canon, certainly not as iconic as Twi'leks, Rodians, or Ewoks. They never actually appear in any films. Probably the most iconic member of the species is Visas Marr, a major character in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2. The second-most iconic was probably Jerec, a dark Jedi who played a major role in the post-Imperial era of the Legends Timeline. However, they have gotten some attention more recently due to being a playable race in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
5 They Are Closely Related To Humans
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Some keen-eyed viewers might notice that Miraluka look almost identical to humans. In fact, with their tendency to cover their missing eyes one can easily pass for a blind human. This is because they share a common ancestry. A lot of the details are not entirely clear, but the Miraluka were likely descended from a human colony millions of years ago that had to move to Alpheridies. This planet orbited a red dwarf star that could not produce much light, and most of what it did emit was infrared that is invisible to human eyes. For many species, when a particular trait no longer has a useful function it gradually disappears as they evolve. Miraluka followed a similar pattern as they became more adapted to living in the dark.
Like a kiwi losing its wings, they no longer needed eyes, so they gradually stopped expending energy on them. By the Old Republic era, all Miraluka completely lost their eyes and only had empty vestigial sockets in their place. However, this change did allow them to develop their unique ability of force sight, which proved a lot more useful in the dark. It is also worth noting that Alpheridies was located in a secluded part of the galaxy that kept them isolated from other species. This allowed the Miraluka to evolve independently of other humans enough that, despite appearances, they became a separate race.
4 They Were Commonly Recruited As Jedi
Where humans could be aggressive and competitive, Miralukan society was built on ideals of cooperation and collectivism. This made them a naturally compassionate species. They commonly believed in finding a balance between the light and dark side but were generally more likely to embrace the light if pressed to choose. Getting a Miraluka to turn to the dark side can therefore be very difficult, although not impossible. Visas Marr, Jerec, and Prosset Dibs tend to be outliers. If pressed to take a side, most Miraluka would be on the side of the Jedi Order.
As a naturally force-sensitive species, a lot of Miraluka actually became Jedi themselves. Jerec and Prosset were both Jedi masters before joining the Empire, and Visas eventually became a Jedi after escaping Darth Nihilus's brainwashing.
3 Force Vision Is More Than Just Vision
The Miraluka are commonly described as blind, though this is only partially correct. It is true that they lack eyes and therefore cannot see in any conventional sense, but a more accurate statement is that Miraluka do not need eyes because they have a power called force sight. This is an unusual ability that allows one to literally see through the force. It can be learned by any species, but where most had to learn it through rigorous study and practice, force sight came as an instinct to Miraluka.
However, while this may have provided a means for visually processing the world around them, force sight is quite different from conventional vision. Force sight gave its users the ability to see things that would be invisible to the naked eye. Interestingly, force sight allows users to sense force auras, which effectively makes it possible for a Miraluka to see how strongly any organic being is tied to the Force. Greater auras meant they were more force-sensitive.
2 They Had Their Own Force Organization
All Miraluka were force-sensitive by nature, but some were stronger in the Force than others. There were several that became Jedi and, although rare, there were a few who became dark Jedi or Sith. But the Miraluka also had an institution of their own, called the Luka Sene. This organization focused on training and improving one's own skills with the force, but was more interested in studying it academically than other force-related organizations. The primary focus was balancing self-improvement and finding ways to help Miralukan society as a whole, or others if possible.
The Luka Sene was also notable for its leniency, which is lacking in many similar orders. For instance, it avoids setting rules about what its members can do with their personal lives. Another interesting detail was their policy of dealing with Miraluka who fell to the dark side - killing was only to be a last resort if all other options had failed. It was better to either redeem them or take them alive.
1 They Were Hunted By The Empire
The Empire is pro-human and generally looks down on other species, but the Miraluka were a whole other problem. Palpatine saw anyone with force sensitivity as a potential threat to his power, and anyone who was identified was to be either eliminated or turned into a servant. Inquisitors like the Seventh Sister were tasked with abducting force-sensitive infants specifically to indoctrinate them into being Imperial agents. That made a naturally force-sensitive species like the Miraluka a major cause for concern.
The initial Jedi Purge alone took out a lot of their population. The rest were forced into hiding. As a result, they became much rarer during the Galactic Civil War. The ones that weren't targeted for extermination were recruited into service. At least two Miraluka became Imperial Inquisitors. Former Jedi master Prosset Dibs joined the Inquisitorious under the name of "Tenth Brother." And of course, more famously, former Jedi archeologist Jerec became a well-known and feared Inquisitor, though he mainly used his Imperial ties as a means to his own ends.