Dagon Niriz

"But now to the bridge. The Unknown Regions are calling, and we have a great deal of work yet to do."

- Mitth'raw'nuruodo, to Dagon Niriz

Dagon Niriz was a fourth-generation navy officer, a captain in the Imperial Navy, and the commanding officer of the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Admonitor in the years leading up to the Battle of Endor. A stalwart supporter of order and obedience in naval service, he took his position seriously.

When he was assigned to Thrawn's mapping expedition in the Unknown Regions, he initially saw it as a blow to his career. However, after a test of Niriz's loyalty which caused the officer to doubt Thrawn's fitness for command but during which Niriz refused to participate in mutiny, Thrawn revealed the true nature of his mission. Thrawn, with Niriz and Voss Parck at his side, was in fact assigned to conquer the Unknown Regions for the Galactic Empire and secure it against the vast array of hidden threats within. Niriz took great pride in this cause, and continued to serve in the Unknown Regions, where Thrawn's holdings became the Empire of the Hand, even after Thrawn returned to the Empire after the Emperor's death.

Assignment to Thrawn
"You've got it backwards, Captain. You're an honorable officer, from a proud Core World family. There's never been any question in Thrawn's mind that he can trust you.''" "You could have fooled me. If he trusts me so much, why didn't he let me in on what he was doing?" "''Oh, you were proving you were trustworthy, all right. But you weren't proving it to Thrawn. You were proving it to yourself."

- Voss Parck and Dagon Niriz

When Grand Admiral Thrawn was assigned the task of mapping and otherwise "civilizing" the Unknown Regions for the Empire, Thrawn took the Admonitor as his flagship, taking Niriz with him. Niriz was initially uneasy with Thrawn, resenting the mission, which he believed to be political punishment.

The first major action of the mission, against the pirate Creysis, was used as a test by Thrawn for Niriz's loyalty. Thrawn, who had been assigning Niriz menial tasks, continually countermanded his orders in favor of mysterious, largely action-less orders. As Thrawn's orders put men in the hands of Creysis, Niriz became more and more convinced his commander was incompetent. The commander of the ship's infantry complement, General Larr Haverel, approached Niriz, suggesting that Thrawn was in league with Creysis and had to be removed from command. Though he found the implication frighteningly easy to believe, Niriz's pride in his service in the fleet and respect for authority caused him to reject Haverel's idea as mutiny.

Niriz intended to inform Thrawn of the issue, but was preempted when Haverel returned with six troopers and demanded Thrawn return to his quarters and hand over command to Niriz. However, Niriz stood with his commander, telling Haverel he would find no support in Niriz or the crew.

As Haverel prepared to act anyway, Thrawn received the key he had been waiting for: Creysis dispatched a courier to his superiors. Thrawn sprang into action, handily defeating Creysis. He then proceeded to take the Admonitor to Creysis's home base, ending the Ebruchi threat. Niriz then grasped the depth of Thrawn's strategy and the reason for his delays and seeming inaction, confirming the captain's faith in his commander.

Niriz's second-in-command and Thrawn's confidante, Commander Voss Parck, later approached Niriz, revealing that Thrawn had tested Niriz's loyalty, and Niriz had passed. Parck revealed to him that the mission was not punishment at all, but instead a secret mission to subdue the myriad threats of the Unknown Regions and provide a foothold for future Imperial expansion. Niriz would be key to this vital mission. Infused with a sense of purpose, Niriz experienced a new commitment to Thrawn and the mission.

Return to known space
"Admiral&hellip;I have to say one last time that I don't think you should do this. At least not personally."

- Dagon Niriz, to Mitth'raw'nuruodo

Niriz completed numerous campaigns in the Unknown Regions before Thrawn returned to the galaxy proper in order to assist Darth Vader in removing Black Sun vigo Zekka Thyne from Corellia. Niriz and the Admonitor returned with him.

Niriz played a critical role in shanghaiing the crew of the Hopskip into aiding Thrawn by capturing their freighter and revealing the extremely sudden imposition of a licensing requirement for their cargo&mdash;which he was prepared to waive if the crew would deliver a cargo for him. He also introduced "Jodo Kast" to the crew and had a convincing argument with the bounty hunter, despite the fact that "Kast" was actually Thrawn in disguise. Once out of sight of the smugglers, Niriz felt free to voice his reservations about the plan to the admiral, displaying great concern for his safety.

When Thrawn returned after having successfully brought down Thyne, Niriz expressed his relief at the grand admiral's safe return and informed him that the plan to track the Hopskip cargo of smuggled blasters was in place&mdash;a plan that would eventually lead to the critical Battle of Derra IV. Niriz was privy to conversations between Thrawn and Vader detailing their plot against Thyne, which was actually meant to undermine Xizor. Once this high-level discussion was carried out, Vader departed and the Admonitor set course for the Unknown Regions once more, but not before Thrawn revealed his payment for the assistance: control of the Noghri.

The Empire of the Hand
"Regardless, the point is that neither Parck nor Niriz&mdash;nor the Admonitor, for that matter&mdash;ever returned to official duty with the Empire. Not even when Thrawn himself came back."

- Grodin Tierce's clone, to Vilim Disra

Niriz continued in his service under Thrawn; however, when Thrawn returned to known space after the death of the Emperor, neither Niriz nor the Admonitor returned with him. It is extremely likely that Niriz continued to serve with Voss Parck in Thrawn's Empire of the Hand, bringing the Empire to the Unknown Regions. Though he was likely one of the senior officers of the Empire of the Hand, no mention of him was made at any point after the Empire of the Hand's existence was revealed to the New Republic in 19 ABY, at which time it was commanded by Admiral Voss Parck.

Personality and traits
"We're warriors of the Imperial Fleet. It's our duty to die when the situation requires it."

- Dagon Niriz to Larr Haverel

Niriz was a by-the-book officer who took great pride in his family's tradition of naval service. He felt obligated to follow orders and perform his duty to the best of his ability, even when he did not care for his commanding officer. If death was part of his duty, he would accept it as necessary.

Though he initially resented his assignment to Thrawn as a career-ending exile which he did not deserve, he did not allow it to impact his performance as an officer. When he discovered that the mission held vital importance, though not public recognition, he was inspired to continue and became extremely dedicated to it, showing that it was not praise and promotions which he sought, but the ability to make a difference in important work.

Niriz also came to greatly admire Thrawn, whom he had initially looked down on as a fool and even an incompetent. However, upon fully understanding Thrawn's tactics, he became wholly committed to his superior officer, and was extremely protective and supportive of the admiral.

Behind the scenes
The character of Dagon Niriz was created by Timothy Zahn, and has only been written or referenced in stories by Zahn, with the exception of a brief mention by other characters in the middle chapters of Side Trip, written by frequent Zahn collaborator Michael A. Stackpole. Niriz's actual appearances in Side Trip were in the two chapters written by Zahn. This lack of references has left Niriz's fate open-ended. Even in Vision of the Future, written by Zahn and dealing heavily with the Empire of the Hand, Niriz's fate is not resolved beyond the fact that he never returned to the Empire from the Unknown Regions. It is possible that he died at any point from 3 ABY onwards, meaning very little can be said about his career beyond that point with certainty. However, by 9 ABY it would seem that Parck outranked Niriz, as control of the Empire of the Hand went to Parck. It is not impossible that Niriz was promoted to admiral as well, however. However, the complete lack of mention of Niriz among the Empire of Hand's leadership suggests that Niriz was dead by the time its existence was revealed in 19 ABY, though this is not certain.

In Command Decision, Niriz fills the same role in relation to Thrawn as does Gilad Pellaeon in the Thrawn Trilogy. Both characters are the captains of Thrawn's flagships and frequently observe his tactics without understanding them until Thrawn explains them in the end. Their questioning of Thrawn allows Zahn to provide expository dialogue on Thrawn's tactics and thought processes without revealing the plot to the reader in advance of the surprise conclusion. In addition, both Niriz and Pellaeon played similar roles within the Star Wars galaxy as protégés of Thrawn who observed his tactics at work and learned from his side. Niriz went on to carry on Thrawn's legacy in the Empire of the Hand, while Pellaeon became Grand Admiral and supreme commander of the Imperial Remnant, carrying on Thrawn's legacy in the mainstream Empire as well.

Appearances

 * Vision of the Future
 * Vision of the Future
 * Vision of the Future