Arihnda Pryce

Arihnda Pryce was a female human who served as governor of the Lothal sector fourteen years after the rise of the Galactic Empire. She was, at times, absent from Lothal, and Minister Maketh Tua would directly govern in her absence.

Governor of Lothal
Arihnda Pryce was a human female from the Outer Rim planet Lothal who supported the Galactic Empire. She looked down on her Lothalian roots and sold out her planet to the Empire to advance her own ambitions. Pryce was appointed governor of the Lothal sector after the previous governor Ryder Azadi was charged with treason by the Galactic Empire and imprisoned. Under Pryce's rule, Lothal became the main hub for the Imperial presence in the Lothal sector. She was based in Lothal's Capital City where the Empire had a large military presence on Lothal, built numerous factories, and exploited the people of Lothal in order to benefit the Empire. At one point, Pryce visited Coruscant to discuss Lothal's industrial and mining sectors, and was received by Grand Vizier Mas Amedda. She was extended an invitation to meet with officials on Eriadu within the upcoming weeks. Pryce's rule also saw the rise of a rebellion, particularly in Capital City.

In 3272 LY, Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan lent Pryce two droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, to help negotiate an Imperial arms deal. While on loan to Minister Maketh Tua the droids were captured by the rebels of the Ghost, who fought against the Empire. C-3PO attempted to contact Governor Pryce for help, but the call was intercepted by Imperial Security Bureau agent Kallus.

During the Empire Day festivities marking the fifteenth anniversary of the rise of the Empire, Pryce was invited to Coruscant to celebrate alongside Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine. She remained absent at times, and the government was overseen by Minister Tua. In Pryce's absence, the rebels continued to attack Imperial targets, drawing the attention of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin and, soon thereafter, Darth Vader.

Fighting the rebels
During her tenure as governor, the impact of the growing rebellion continued to destabilize parts of the Empire, Lothal being no exception. In the second year before the Battle of Yavin Pryce met with Grand Moff Tarkin to discuss the growing threat posed by the rebel insurgency. During the meeting, Pryce informed Tarkin that things were quiet on Lothal but that there had been a prison breakout on nearby Naraka. Dissatisfied with the performance of Admiral Kassius Konstantine whom she regarded as more of a politician than a soldier, she believed that the only way to effectively wipe out the rebellion was to enlist the help of someone who could "see the bigger picture". Tarkin understood her concerns and granted her request of the Seventh Fleet.

Later, Pryce and Tarkin met with Admiral Konstantine and the ISB Agent Kallus on the bridge of an Imperial Star Destroyer. Konstantine disagreed with Pryce's assessment that the Phoenix rebel cell posed a serious threat and dismissed them as a localized insurgency. At that point, they were joined by the decorated Imperial officer, Grand Admiral Thrawn, who had recently been promoted for his role in suppressing the rebel presence in the Batonn sector. When Kallus expressed concerns about the high civilian casualties, Pryce justified Thrawn's actions on the grounds that the rebel presence there had been eradicated.

When Tarkin asked Thrawn about his thoughts on Pryce's theory that the rebels were linked to a wider rebellion, Thrawn discussed the recent rescue of the Weequay pirate Hondo Ohnaka from Naraka prison. Since Phoenix Squadron had destroyed an Mining Guild vessel a mere hour after Hondo's rescue and Hondo's cellmate Terba had been a laborer at the nearby Imperial junkyard Reklam Station, Thrawn believed that the rebels planned to raid the junkyard and steal several decommissioned Y-wing starfighters for their fleet. Thrawn vowed to destroyed the rebels before they could pose a threat to the Emperor's plans and the Galactic Empire.

Following Thrawn's instructions, Governor Pryce, Admiral Konstantine, and Agent Kallus traveled on their Star Destroyer to the gas planet Yarma, which hosted Reklam Station. Upon receiving news from Commander Brom Titus that the Lothal rebels had attacked Reklam Station, Pryce ordered him to wait for reinforcements. However, the rebels managed to steal the Y-wings, free the Ugnaught laborers, and destroy the station. Pryce's Star Destroyer arrived in time to intercept the rebel Y-wings, which lacked hyperdrives. Before the Imperials could wipe out the stolen fighters, other rebel ships including the Ghost and a Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier arrived and managed to ferry the Y-wings to safety. After consulting Thrawn, Pryce ordered her forces to allow the rebels to escape since Thrawn believed that sparing the rebel cell would allow them to hunt down and destroy the wider movement.

Personality and traits
Arihnda Pryce was an ambitious human woman who looked down upon her Lothalian roots. While she was from Lothal, she had no interest of remaining on Lothal. She sold out her homeworld to the Emperor and allowed the Galactic Empire to make Lothal their local headquarters in the Lothal sector. She placed her own ambitions and career aspirations over the interests of the Lothalian people. She rarely visited Lothal and only returned to her homeworld because the planet had become a haven for rebels about two years before the Battle of Yavin. Pryce saw the Imperial Grand Admiral and tactician Thrawn as a valuable asset in her fight against the rebel presence in the Lothal sector.

Behind the scenes
Arihnda Pryce was first mentioned in HoloNet News Special Report: Lothal Jobless Rates Hit All-time Low, the third in a series of in-universe HoloNet News report videos posted at holonetnews.com tying in to the Star Wars Rebels television series prior to its first season in 2014. Pryce made her first appearance in the junior novel Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy, the first entry in a series written by Jason Fry which featured Zare Leonis, a character from Rebels. Throughout Rebels's first season and the remaining Servants of the Empire books, Pryce was mentioned several times, however she had yet to be visualized in any form. It was not until the second day of 2016's Celebration Europe, during which the first trailer for Rebels's third season was shown, that Pryce was revealed to be making her physical debut in the series. Voiced by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Pryce appeared in the first episode of Rebels's third season, Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow.

Appearances

 * Thrawn
 * Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy
 * Droids in Distress book
 * Servants of the Empire: Rebel in the Ranks
 * Ezra's Duel with Danger
 * Servants of the Empire: Imperial Justice
 * Servants of the Empire: The Secret Academy
 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
 * Ezra's Duel with Danger
 * Servants of the Empire: Imperial Justice
 * Servants of the Empire: The Secret Academy
 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow