Cornelius Evazan

"He doesn't like you.''" "I'm sorry." "''I don't like you, either."

- Cornelius Evazan and Luke Skywalker

Cornelius Evazan was a human male from Alsakan who operated as a surgeon during the final years of the Galactic Republic. Once considered to be a promising surgeon, Dr. Evazan became gripped by madness and began practicing "creative surgery" on his patients. After information concerning his cruel medical experiments came to light, his face was hideously scarred in an encounter with a bounty hunter. The Aqualish thug Ponda Baba rescued Evazan from the hunter, following which the two formed a partnership and began smuggling spice for the crime lord Jabba the Hutt, earning Evazan the death sentence on twelve star systems. During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Evazan was killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi after pulling a blaster pistol on the wizened Jedi Master during an altercation in the Mos Eisley Cantina on Tatooine.

Biography
"You just watch yourself. We're wanted men. I have the death sentence on twelve systems."

- Cornelius Evazan, to Luke Skywalker

Hailing from Alsakan, Dr. Cornelius Evazan was once a promising surgeon who worked during the reign of the Galactic Republic. He ran a cosmetic surgery clinic in Pons Ora, a small settlement on the remote desert world Abafar, though the building that housed the business was eventually made available for lease during the Clone Wars. However, Evazan slipped into madness and began practicing "creative surgery" on his patients, leaving his victims horrifically scarred. After becoming notorious for his cruel medical experiments, Evazan's own face was hideously scarred during an encounter with a bounty hunter, though he was saved by Ponda Baba, an Aqualish thug. The two partnered together and became pirates, and began to smuggle spice for the crime lord Jabba the Hutt. Successful at their trade, they became wanted by galactic authorities, and Evazan was sentenced to death in twelve different star systems. However, there was no love lost between the pair, and Baba even contemplated turning in Evazan to collect the bounty on the doctor's head, before realizing that their ongoing partnership would be more profitable.

Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, Dr. Evazan and Baba were patrons at a cantina in Mos Eisley on the planet Tatooine. A drunk Baba, bored and looking for excitement, decided to pick a fight with Luke Skywalker, a young farmboy who had taken a seat to the right of them at the counter. Assuming Skywalker would be an easy target, Evazan quickly escalated the argument. This caught the attention of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Skywalker's guardian, who offered to buy the pair drinks to ease tensions. Paying little heed to the old man, Evazan hurled the young farmboy aside, and ignoring the protest of the cantina's bartender, Wuher, the pirates drew their blaster pistols. Given no other choice, the elderly Kenobi&mdash;secretly a Jedi Master&mdash;ignited his lightsaber, swiftly removing Baba's right arm and slashing Evazan across the torso, killing the mad doctor.

Following the attack, a departing patron informed Mos Eisley's sandtroopers of the violence in the cantina. After the troopers had entered and reached the counter, Wuher indicated to them where Kenobi and Skywalker had taken a seat, though the pair found another exit before they could be apprehended. Skywalker later recalled his encounter with Evazan while he was training with his own lightsaber in the Temple of Eedit on Devaron.

Personality and traits
"I'll be careful.''" "You'll be dead!" "''This little one's not worth the effort. Come, let me get you something."

- Luke Skywalker, Cornelius Evazan, and Obi-Wan Kenobi

Prior to being gripped by madness, Dr. Cornelius Evazan was considered to be a promising surgeon, though he later gained notoriety for the cruelty he inflicted upon his patients. As a smuggler, he was boastful of his infamy, openly informing Luke Skywalker that he had the death sentence on twelve systems. After Baba began to bully Skywalker, Evazan was quick to escalate the argument, even going so far as to threaten Skywalker before Obi-Wan Kenobi, his guardian, interceded. Paying little heed to the old man's attempt to smooth over tensions, the doctor resorted to violence, shoving the farmboy aside and drawing his blaster pistol.

A human male, Evazan had fair skin and stood at a height of 1.7 meters. His eyes were colored blue, though after his face was horrifically scarred in an encounter with a bounty hunter, his left eye was damaged. Evazan's hair was colored black with patches of gray, though he showed signs of balding.

Equipment
"No blasters! No blasters!"

- Wuher, as Cornelius Evazan draws his blaster pistol At the time of his death, Evazan carried a black blaster pistol. While at the cantina in Mos Eisley, he wore a long-sleeved khaki shirt underneath a brown vest, a belt with a holster for his blaster pistol, dark pants, and brown boots.

Behind the scenes
"Looks like somebody's beginning to take an interest in your handiwork."

- Han Solo warns Obi-Wan Kenobi about the sandtroopers investigating Evazan's demise

According to production notes, Cornelius Evazan was portrayed by actor Alfie Curtis in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. However, the script for the film only identified the character as "grubby human." Though the character was not identified on screen in A New Hope, Star Wars in 100 Scenes, a canon 2014 reference book written by Jason Fry, revealed his surname to be Evazan's and him to be a doctor, confirming him to be the same character as Dr. Evazan, the owner of Dr. Evazan Cosmetic Surgery, who was only mentioned on the signage of the establishment in "Missing in Action", the twelfth of the fifth season of the canon animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. His first name was established to be Cornelius in Star Wars: Card Trader, an app released on iOS and Android platforms by The Topps Company, Inc. in 2015. His canon name was derived from several publications in the Star Wars Legends continuity.

In Legends, the Evazan was originally identified as "Roofoo" in the 1981 Star Wars radio drama. The surname Evazan didn't appear until Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope, a 1989 supplement to West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. The character was first identified by his full name of "Cornelius Evazan" in the 2002 The Official Star Wars Fact File 51, which combined his previously revealed surname with "Cornelius," an alias he used in the 1995 short story Doctor Death: The Tale of Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba. Evazan's original Databank entry later established Roofoo as another of his aliases.

In the Star Wars Legends continuity, Evazan survived his encounter with Obi-Wan Kenobi and went on to make several more appearances, most notably in Galaxy of Fear: City of the Dead, a young readers' novel written by author John Whitman.

Various sources mistakenly identify Evazan as an alien.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
 * Star Wars: Heroes Path
 * A New Hope
 * The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure
 * The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure