Taris dueling ring

"Ladies and gentlemen, I draw your attention to the dueling ring. Here, two combatants will battle for your viewing and gambling enjoyment. Now, I hope all your bets are down, because we're ready to roll!"

- Dueling ring announcer

The Taris dueling ring was an arena that featured sanctioned duels on the planet Taris. Travelers and residents alike were able to fight using weapons of choice to earn credits and fame. The ring was a profitable business in the years leading up to the Jedi Civil War. Tickets to watch matches were sold to patrons and gambling provided a means of rewarding winning duelists and additional profit for management. In 3,956 BBY, however, the dueling ring was presumed to have been destroyed. A new dueling ring, possibly a rebuilt structure, was active during the Galactic Civil War.

Description
Located in the cantina of the Tarisian Upper City, the dueling ring was a battle arena where inhabitants of the ecumenopolis of Taris could duel to earn credits. The dueling ring was owned and fully-operated by the Hutt crime lord Ajuur, who had ties with Davik Kang, a prominent member of the Exchange. Ajuur personally arranged the fights and often sought match-ups that would be of interest to potential spectators. Even though it was sustained through its entertainment value, dueling was considered a viable sport by duelists. The popularity of the dueling ring went back to at least the years following the Great Sith War.

Duels
Each match only consisted of two duelists who would spar until one was rendered unconscious. Each duelist was allowed to battle with any weapon of choice. Some competitors fought with blasters, blaster rifles and even grenades. Others, such as Marl, preferred vibroblades and vibroswords. Armor was permitted to be worn by duelists, and it is possible that other aids, such as medpacs and stimulants, could be used as well. In spite of fighting with deadly weapons, there was an extremely low chance of death. Energy suppression fields covered the arena, specifically the ring itself. While the weapons still caused a measure of pain, the fields allowed for the competitors to only be knocked unconscious instead of dying. In the event of serious injuries, medical droids were available on site. On the other hand, sanctioned deathmatches were permitted at one point in the past. In these fights, the duelists battled to the death. These matches were banned by the Sith when they began their occupation of Taris.

Spectating
Inside the arena venue, spectators who purchased tickets could watch the matches in-person. Tickets were commonly sold in the cantina area through Ajuur. Since seating was limited, not all spectators were sold tickets and allowed into the venue. In the cantina area adjacent to the arena, viewscreens were set up for spectators to watch the fights free of charge if they did not have tickets. Gambling on the duels was permitted, if not encouraged, and provided significant business. All wagers were placed through Ajuur, who managed the gambling on the fights. The amount of betting was often related to the level of intrigue associated with each fight.

Winnings
Under Ajuur's ownership, standard prize was 10% of the profit from all the wagers. Winning duelists were paid directly and losing duelists earned no reward. The actual amount of credits a winner earned, however, was contingent upon the amount of interest in and betting on the fight. If a particular fight garnered more interest and wagers, the potential to earn more existed.

History
It was believed that the dueling ring dated to the years following the Great Sith War. Over time it began to feature such prominent fighters as Bendak Starkiller, who boasted to have never lost a deathmatch. Once the Sith Empire took control of Taris, deathmatches were outlawed and Starkiller went into retirement. During the Jedi Civil War, the number of duelists dropped. After the destruction of the Endar Spire, Taris was blockaded by Darth Malak's ships, preventing all travel to and from the surface of Taris. The dueling ring, like all establishments on Taris, suffered from this. There were still, however, a few remaining or native duelists actively competing. In 3,956 BBY, Revan and Carth Onasi crash-landed on Taris. During this time, Revan may have fought as a duelist by competing under the pseudonym Mysterious Stranger. The Mysterious Stranger defeated all competing duelists Taris had to offer and earned a reputation that even extended into the Lower City.

While unlikely, the dueling ring may have survived the bombardment of Taris, as it was active as of the Galactic Civil War. Carth Onasi once spoke of Taris, noting that "no building over two stories was left standing". With such devastation, the arena was most likely destroyed in the bombardment and later rebuilt, along with large portions of the Upper City, by 3 ABY. During this time, the ring featured a Gungan by the name of Twitch as its champion.

Known duelists

 * Bendak Starkiller
 * Deadeye Duncan
 * Gerlon Two-Fingers
 * Ice
 * Marl
 * Revan (a.k.a., the Mysterious Stranger)
 * Twitch (Gungan)
 * Twitch (Rodian)

Behind the scenes
In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the player, as Revan, has the choice of competing in the dueling ring, though it is not required to successfully finish the game. Once the player has defeated all active duelists, they have the choice of battling the retired Bendak Starkiller in an illegal deathmatch. Given that accepting Bendak's challenge leads to the player gaining dark side points, and Revan is, canonically, light sided, this would most likely be non-canon.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption

Notes and references
Duellring