Cornelius Evazan

"He doesn't like you.''" "I'm sorry." "''I don't like you either."

- Cornelius Evazan and Luke Skywalker

Cornelius Evazan was a human male from Alsakan who operated as a surgeon during the final years of the Galactic Republic. After information concerning his cruel medical experiments came to light, his face was hideously scarred in an encounter with a bounty hunter. The Aqualish thug Ponda Baba rescued Evazan from the bounty hunter, following which the two formed a partnership and began smuggling spice for the crime lord Jabba the Hutt. During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Evazan was killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi after pulling a blaster pistol on the wizened Jedi Master during an altercation in the Mos Eisley Cantina on Tatooine.

Biography
"You just watch yourself. We're wanted men. I have the death sentence on twelve systems."

- Cornelius Evazan, to Luke Skywalker

Hailing from the planet Alsakan, Dr. Cornelius Evazan was once a promising surgeon who worked during the reign of the Galactic Republic. He ran a cosmetic surgery clinic in Pons Ora, a small settlement on the remote desert world Abafar, though the building that housed the business was eventually made available for lease during the Clone Wars. After becoming notorious for conducting cruel medical experiments, Evazan's face was hideously scarred during an encounter with a bounty hunter, though he was saved by Ponda Baba, an Aqualish thug. The two partnered together and became pirates, and began to smuggle spice for the crime lord Jabba the Hutt. They became wanted by galactic authorities, and Evazan was sentenced to death in twelve different star systems.

Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, Evazan and Baba were patrons at a cantina in Mos Eisley on the planet Tatooine. A drunk Baba, bored and looking for excitement, decided to pick a fight with Luke Skywalker, a young farmboy who had taken a seat to the right of them at the counter. Assuming Skywalker would be an easy target, Evazan quickly escalated the argument. This caught the attention of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Skywalker's guardian, who offered to buy the pair drinks to ease tensions. Paying little heed to the old man, Evazan hurled the young farmboy aside, and ignoring the protest of the cantina's bartender, Wuher, the pirates drew their blaster pistols. Given no other choice, the elderly Kenobi&mdash;secretly a Jedi Master&mdash;ignited his lightsaber, swiftly removing Baba's right arm and slashing Evazan across the torso, killing him.

Following the attack, a departing patron informed Mos Eisley's sandtroopers of the violence in the cantina. After the troopers had entered and reached the counter, Wuher indicated to them where Kenobi and Skywalker had taken a seat, though the pair found another exit before they could be apprehended.

Personality and traits
"I'll be careful then.''" "You'll be dead!" "''This little one's not worth the effort. Come, let me get you something."

- Luke Skywalker, Cornelius Evazan, and Obi-Wan Kenobi

During his career as a surgeon, Cornelius Evazan gained notoriety for the cruelty he inflicted upon his patients. As a smuggler, he was boastful of his infamy, openly informing Luke Skywalker of his death sentence in twelve systems. After Baba began to bully Skywalker, Evazan was quick to escalate the argument, even going so far as to threaten Skywalker before Obi-Wan Kenobi, his guardian, interceded. Paying little heed to the old man's attempt to smooth over tensions, the doctor resorted to violence, shoving the farmboy aside and drawing his blaster pistol.

A human male, Evazan had fair skin and stood at a height of 1.7 meters. His eyes were colored blue, though after his face was horrifically scarred in an encounter with a bounty hunter, he lost his left eye. Evazan's hair was colored black with patches of gray, though he showed signs of balding.

Equipment
"No blasters! No blasters!"

- Wuher, as Cornelius Evazan draws his blaster pistol At the time of his death, Evazan carried a black blaster pistol. While at the cantina in Mos Eisley, he wore a long-sleeved khaki shirt underneath a brown vest, a belt with a holster for his blaster pistol, dark pants, and brown boots.

Behind the scenes
According to production notes, Cornelius Evazan was portrayed by actor Alfie Curtis in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. However, the script for the film only identified the character as "grubby human."

In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the character was originally identified as "Roofoo" in the 1981 Star Wars radio drama. The surname Evazan didn't appear until Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope, a 1989 supplement to West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. The character was first identified by his full name of "Cornelius Evazan" in the 2002 The Official Star Wars Fact File 51, which combined his previously revealed surname with "Cornelius," an alias he used in the 1995 short story Doctor Death: The Tale of Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba. Evazan's original Databank entry later established Roofoo as another of his aliases.

Though the character was not identified on screen in A New Hope, Evazan's last name and medical occupation were brought back into canon in Star Wars in 100 Scenes, a 2014 reference book written by Jason Fry. His first name Cornelius was established as canon in Ultimate Star Wars, a 2015 sourcebook co-written by authors Patricia Barr, Adam Bray, Daniel Wallace, and Ryder Windham.

In the Star Wars Legends continuity, Evazan survived his encounter with Obi-Wan Kenobi and went on to make several more appearances, most notably in Galaxy of Fear: City of the Dead, a young readers' novel written by author John Whitman.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
 * Star Wars: Heroes Path
 * Star Wars: Heroes Path