Xizor/Legends

"If you cannot afford to lose, you should not play the game."

- Prince Xizor

Xizor was a Falleen Prince of House Sizhran and the leader of the powerful criminal organization Black Sun. Xizor was a ruthless competitor and charismatic public figure in Coruscant high society with his headquarters in the city planet Coruscant. Close to the Imperial Palace, but less splendid was Xizor's Palace, his home outside Falleen.

Following the Battle of Hoth, Xizor was considered one of the most influential beings in the Galaxy (third, behind Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader) due to his exceptional wealth and secret criminal dealings, assisted by Guri, an enigmatic and brutal Human replica droid assassin.

Biography
Xizor was born on Falleen into a royal family where he developed his taste for an expensive lifestyle. Falleen was home to a biological weapons laboratory that worked on secret projects for Darth Vader.

It is believed that in 32 BBY, Xizor was in attendance at the Boonta Eve Classic on Tatooine.



In 7 BBY, a flesh-eating bacterial agent was accidentally released, causing Vader to order the lab, and the surrounding city, to be razed to prevent an outbreak and keep his projects secret. Xizor's father was the king of the local region, and his parents, brother, two sisters and three uncles perished in the orbital bombardment. Xizor was off-planet at the time, cementing his position as a Vigo in Black Sun, which still hadn't recovered from the assassination of its leader Alexi Garyn. Upon his return, he had virtually all knowledge of his position destroyed. He planned revenge on Vader but didn't want knowledge of his personal vendetta made public. Cold was better than hot, always.

In the years that followed, Xizor built two concurrent empires: one legitimate, one criminal. Xizor emerged as the leader of Black Sun and the proprietor of several major galactic corporations. To fund and facilitate his illegal empire, Xizor had his legal firms, such as Xizor Transport Systems, to funnel funds, transfer contraband and launder millions of credits. Xizor was driven by his desire to restore his opulent lifestyle and to destroy Darth Vader. Learning of Vader's quest for Luke Skywalker, Xizor attempted to frustrate it and simultaneously lower Vader in the Emperor's esteem by having the young Skywalker killed. To disguise his planned revenge, Xizor used his connections to remove all record of Vader's involvement in the death of his family. Everyone assumed their rivalry was jockeying for favor from Emperor Palpatine (who subtly encouraged the rivalry).

Xizor worked with the Assembler, Kud'ar Mub'at to bring about the destruction of the Bounty Hunters Guild. The goal was to create a supply of freelance bounty hunters (i.e Boba Fett) for the Empire. However, he only succeeded in splitting the Guild into two warring factions. At one point, he tried and failed to wrest control of Kuat Drive Yards from Kuat of Kuat.



Xizor, according to Moff Fliry Vorru, relied too much on his ability to read others. Whereas it's true that he was an excellent judge of character (a valuable asset in any venture), he did believe himself to be inherently superior to everyone. The Falleen ability to produce intoxicating pheromones together with his formidable brain and resourcefulness backed up his claim somewhat. He did underestimate the power of the Force which was why Vader and Skywalker were able to get the better of him. He knew the Force existed and respected it but never truly understood it. Vader once Force Gripped him during a three-way conversation with the Emperor, but Palpatine told Vader to put him down, knowing the strength of Xizor's organization would prove to be a valuable ally.

He also considered himself a cultured man. He did appreciate High Coruscanti living, dining at exclusive restaurants, eating Moonglow three or four times a month, sponsoring museums and galleries. He once forgave a rival after the rival presented him an extremely rare miniature Firethorn tree. Such a gift, Xizor mused, was enough to show him that the man was civilized and therefore his mistake could be forgiven.



Xizor also prided himself on his emotional control, which he attributed to his cold-blooded, reptilian ancestry. He felt that mammalian races such as Humans were too easily ruled by their emotions, and that in particular they were susceptible to uncontrolled rage. His own "cold" anger was more controllable, and thus, he felt, superior. While a Human might seek immediate vengeance, Xizor was content to plan his revenge carefully, so as to ensure success, even if it required waiting for years to implement the plan. However, while Xizor's anger built up slowly, in the end it was the very uncontrolled rage he believed himself immune to that doomed him.

The Falleen Prince's personal craft, the Virago, was a heavily modified StarViper Assault Fighter, a craft which resembled a Mandalorian Basilisk War Droid. There is no record of Xizor flying it in combat, but it was always kept ready for immediate departure from his palace or his Skyhook, Falleen's Fist.

Xizor also became enamored of Leia Organa, and attempted to seduce her. As with his other schemes, this backfired dramatically. He used his pheromones upon her and for a while, Leia gave in. However, she quickly rebuffed his advances by kneeing him in the groin, leaving an enraged Xizor to lock her up.



This example of startling risk-taking coincided with the disintegration of Xizor's bold attempts on Luke's life. At the end, Xizor played the losing end by calling a bluff with Darth Vader. Xizor believed that Vader, who could face the wrath of the Emperor, will not dare attack him. However, Vader in his personal flagship, the Super Star Destroyer Executor, called his bluff and took much glee in exterminating Xizor along with his skyhook.

Possible trails to demise
Xizor attempted to make a Tibanna gas run and hired Tyber Zann to do it. However, Zann recognized Xizor's plans as a trap, as Bespin at the time was personally controlled by Darth Vader. Tyber proceeded to plant evidence leading the Empire to believe that Xizor himself did it. Zann's plan was successful and Thrawn personally told Tyber that Xizor was dead.

Behind the scenes

 * During the production of Shadows of the Empire, George Lucas instructed those involved to base Xizor on the Dashade.
 * Xizor makes a cameo appearance in the background of a scene in The Phantom Menace, as confirmed here. However, this cameo was only a micro-machines toy of him, and not an actual actor.
 * "Xizor's Theme," composed by Joel McNeely, can be heard on the Shadows of the Empire soundtrack.
 * Two action figures of Xizor were made in 1996 as part of the Shadows of the Empire assortment of the Power of the Force 2 line. The first was a single carded figure that included an energy weapon and the second came packed with Darth Vader and a staff weapon along with a reprinted comic.
 * Xizor's voice in the Shadows of the Empire video game was provided by Nick Tate.

Appearances



 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace


 * Evasive Action: Prey
 * Evasive Action: End Game
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
 * The Hutt Gambit
 * Rebel Dawn
 * Allegiance
 * Side Trip
 * The Emperor's Trophy
 * Shadows of the Empire novel
 * Shadows of the Empire comic
 * The Mandalorian Armor
 * Slave Ship
 * Hard Merchandise
 * Shadows of the Empire: Evolution
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron 25: The Making of Baron Fel
 * Darksaber