Wookieepedia:Featured article queue/August 12, 2010

Zam Wesell was a shapeshifting Clawdite bounty hunter from the planet Zolan. In her true form, Wesell was a reptilian-like humanoid, although she often appeared as a Human woman with short blond or bronze-colored hair. She trained in the ways of the Mabari warriors on her homeworld before eventually being labeled a heretic and fled to the commercial center of Denon. To escape, Wesell took the form of a Human woman and took a job in personal security. Over time, she moved up through the ranks by honing her skills, gathering equipment, garnering finances and making valuable contacts which altogether allowed her to begin a career in bounty hunting.

Wesell first encountered the bounty hunter Jango Fett in 32 BBY during his search for Bando Gora outlaw leader Komari Vosa. After assisting Fett in his scheme to defeat Vosa, the two began to develop a friendship that was propagated by their periodic partnership on various contracts. One such contract arose in 27 BBY when the two bounty hunters were seeking the Infant of Shaa ancient artifact and superweapon on behalf of the Dug Fernooda. Originally pitted against each other, the pair agreed to work together to capture the idol. It was then revealed to Wesell that a seedy underworld general planned to use it to destroy the Republic capital world of Coruscant. At Wesell's lead, Fett joined in the hunt to retrieve the artifact and save Coruscant. During this incident, Wesell made use of her developed shapeshifting abilities. This skill was also employed in her other exploits, such as the hunt for Kuati Hurlo Holowan, which was subcontracted by Jango Fett.

In 22 BBY, with the rise of the Separatist Crisis, Confederate leader Count Dooku contracted Jango Fett to eliminate Senator Padmé Amidala on behalf of Nute Gunray. In turn, Fett subcontracted the bounty to Wesell, who attempted to kill the senator by destroying the senator's starship with an explosive device. The explosion, however, only served to kill Amidala's decoy and other passengers aboard the vessel. Amidala had arrived separately on another ship and was unscathed by the blast. Not pleased, but undeterred, Wesell met with Fett and schemed to use two venomous insects to kill the vulnerable senator. The attempt was foiled, however, by the alert presence of Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi who had been stationed in the Senator's apartment. The Jedi easily killed the insects and Kenobi leaped through the apartment window to grab hold of the droid which Wesell had used to deliver the predators.

The droid began its return to Wesell, but the bounty hunter spotted the stowaway Jedi. Skywalker, at the same time, commandeered an airspeeder and began pursuit. After chasing Wesell through the skylanes of Coruscant, Skywalker was able to force the Clawdite to crash her airspeeder in a busy street of the Uscru Entertainment District. Wesell fled into a nearby locale and prepared to ambush the Jedi. She approached Kenobi from behind but was easily defeated and dragged from the club into a neighboring alley. There, she was silenced by her friend, Jango Fett, with a toxic dart before she could divulge his identity.