Zygerrian/Legends

"How can a civilization this advanced still practice slavery?''" "''It makes them wealthy and powerful at the expense of others."

- Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, on the Zygerrians

The Zygerrians were a sentient species of Near-Humans native of the planet Zygerria. Members of the species were medium-sized, standing 1.7 meters tall on average and weighing around sixty kilograms. The Zygerrians were distinguished by a number of bony spurs on their face. The species was well-known for its long history of violence, war, and slavery, which they viewed as a natural order of life. This contributed to the fact that the Zygerrians were feared across the galaxy. The founders of the Zygerrian Slavers Guild, the Zygerrians conducted slaving operations in the Outer Rim Territories for centuries before the Clone Wars. At one point, the species was crushed by the Jedi Order, but they eventually recovered.

During the Clone Wars, the Zygerrians allied with the Confederacy of Independent Systems led by Count Dooku in hopes of expanding their slaver empire. The Confederacy supplied them with the captured Togruta population of the planet Kiros, whom the Zygerrians hoped to sell at an auction. However, misunderstandings between Dooku and the Zygerrian Queen Miraj Scintel led to Scintel's death, while the Togruta were rescued by the Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. During the reign of the Galactic Empire, the Zygerrian slaving business thrived, since slavery was permitted by the Imperial Decree A-SL-4557.607.232. The Zygerrians kept close ties with the Empire, supplying it with slaves and receiving discounts on slaver permits in exchange. Due to the nature of their business, though, the Zygerrians also became targets for Rebel privateers, bounty hunters and other spacers.

Biology and appearance
The Zygerrians were a bipedal sentient species, biologically related to baseline Humans. Feline in appearance, the species possessed strong, angular features, with long fangs jutting from their jaws. The Zygerrians' faces and ears were almost entirely covered with fur, which ranged in color from brown to gray or red. Males traditionally had more hair than females, with straps of fur growing on their cheeks. Male Zygerrians also displayed a number of bony spurs protruding from the chin. Females lacked the chin spurs, but they instead had smaller protrusions on their forehead.

With an average lifespan of eighty-one years, the Zygerrians reached adolescence at ten years, were considered adult at seventeen, middle-aged at forty, and old at sixty-one. Medium-sized, they usually grew up to 1.7 meters and weighed around sixty kilograms. They generally had sallow complexion and were physically strong, but some individuals suffered from obesity. The Zygerrians spoke Galactic Basic Standard, with a pronounced accent.

Society and culture
"Slavery is the natural order of things. The weak deserve nothing more than to kneel before the strong, bound to our service."

- Queen Miraj Scintel

A warlike species, the Zygerrians held strength&mdash;both physical and mental&mdash;in great esteem, viewing it as a means to gain power and authority. They believed that it was the natural order of life for the strong to dominate the weak, so slavery was normal for the species, and a display of weakness could mean death or enslavement in their culture. Because of this, the species willingly cultivated an image as dangerous and unpredictable to discourage others from challenging them. This tactic worked, and the Zygerrians were feared in spaceports across the galaxy, earning fame for their history of violence, piracy, slavery, and war. Despite all of that, they were still considered an advanced civilization. The species' natural physical strength was well-complemented by their mastery of various weapons, such as retractable shock whips. The Zygerrians utilized various creatures to travel on their homeworld, including the winged brezak creatures, which the Zygerrian royal guard used to patrol the ground for escaped slaves. In order to transfer slaves between planets, the species used highly durable freighters. Each transport contained space for numerous enslaved individuals, yet only required one pilot to operate it. The Zygerrians were cunning, ensuring that they had the upper hand in any situation. They traditionally settled their differences with an unarmed fistfight.

The Zygerrian people were organized into clans and classes. They had a noble class, many members of which, despite their high status, pursued a career in the military. The Zygerrian Head of State was a monarch; female rulers held the title of Queen. The center of the Zygerrian society, however, was the Zygerrian Slavers Guild that focused on slave trade in the Outer Rim Territories. Founded centuries before the Clone Wars, the organization thrived in their territory, mostly due to its well-organized nature and the Galactic Republic's diffuse presence in the Outer Rim. Each Zygerrian slaver had to pay a yearly membership fee to join the Guild and was then allocated a patch of space in which to work. The size of that patch varied from one planet to an entire system, depending on the amount of money the slaver paid as his fee. Compared to other slaver organizations, the Zygerrians were considered "honorable" by the Twi'leks, who preferred them as slave masters, since the Zygerrians' approach to slaving reduced the damage it did to the Twi'lek society.

History
The Zygerrians hailed from Zygerria, a planet located in the Chorlian sector of the Outer Rim Territories, on the outskirts of the galaxy. Organized under the Zygerrian Slave Empire, the species prospered on slave trade across the galaxy. However, when slavery was outlawed by the Republic, the Jedi crushed the Zygerrians and liberated many enslaved species. The Zygerrians were not considered a threat by the Jedi or the Republic after this incident. However, ever since their defeat, the species longed to restore their slaver empire to its former glory. By the time of the Separatist Crisis, the Zygerrians, along with the Karazak Slavers Cooperative and the Thalassian slavers, once again emerged as one of the leading slaver organizations, with an estimated income of billions of credits. When the Clone Wars broke out, the leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Count Dooku, offered to supply the Zygerrians with slaves captured by the Confederate battle droids on the battlefields. Dreaming of stretching the Zygerrian influence across the galaxy, and believing the Republic too preoccupied with the war to stop her from doing so, the Zygerrian Queen Miraj Scintel allied her people with the Separatists.

Around the second year of the war, the Confederacy invaded the planet of Kiros and captured its Togruta population. On the order of Dooku, the Togruta were handled to the Zygerrians, and Scintel hoped to sell them in a grand auction with the hope of restoring the Zygerrian slavers' glory. Most of the slaves were transferred to a labor processing hub on the planet Kadavo&mdash;which was run by an individual known as the Keeper&mdash;while the Togruta leader, Governor Roshti, was kept on Zygerria to be presented in the auction. After liberating Kiros from the Separatists and finding the entire population gone, the Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi embarked on a search for the Togruta. The Jedi infiltrated the Zygerrian homeworld. While Kenobi set off to search for the Togrutas, Skywalker posed as slaver Lars Quell, who wished to present a Togruta slave&mdash;in reality, Skywalker's Padawan Ahsoka Tano&mdash;to Scintel. Kenobi, however, was soon captured while trying to rescue Roshti.

Scintel held the auction, and many wealthy individuals came to bid on the Togruta, before the bidding was halted in order to present a new exhibit, Kenobi himself. At this moment, the auction was interrupted by Skywalker and Tano, who&mdash;with the help of clone trooper CT-7567&mdash;attempted to liberate Kenobi and force Scintel to surrender. However, the Jedi rebellion was subdued, and they were captured. Scintel kept them alive, hoping to break the Jedi's will and make them her obedient slaves. To this end, Kenobi and CT-7567, along with Roshti, were transferred to Kadavo, while Tano was imprisoned on Zygerria, and Skywalker made Scintel's personal slave.

The Queen's unwillingness to kill the Jedi, however, prompted her aide Atai Molec to invite Dooku to Zygerria to reason with her and execute the Jedi. Scintel refused to listen, and Dooku killed her. Skywalker and Tano managed to escape and headed for Kadavo. Meanwhile, Dooku contacted the Keeper and ordered him to kill Kenobi and CT-7567. As Skywalker and Tano attempted to break into the hub, Dooku ordered them to cease, lest the Keeper would drop the Togruta into the maw of the volcano below the labor processing hub. Skywalker, however, called in reinforcements that he had requested earlier. In the ensuing battle the slaves were liberated, the labor processing hub was destroyed, and the Keeper was killed, dealing another blow to the Zygerrian business.

Later in the Clone Wars, a group of Zygerrians led by Colonel M'Rch deserted combat and captured the spice transport vessel Wayfarer. However, the ship's engines had blown, and the Zygerrians were in dire need of supplies, most importantly bacta to treat their injured. The Zygerrians sent out a distress call, which was soon picked up by the Republic Pelta-class frigate Medica. Hoping to seize the vessel and its cargo of bacta, M'Rch allowed the Medica to approach the Wayfarer close, instead of opening fire as his subordinate Scroon suggested. M'Rch then had the Wayfarer flood its hull with a magnetic charge, allowing the vessel to dock with the Medica. The Zygerrians used hand torches to cut through the Republic vessel's hull and break in. Despite the fact that most of the Medica clone trooper complement were recovering in bacta tanks after a recent encounter with the Confederacy, the remaining troopers still managed to defend against the attack, thanks to the assitance of Obi-Wan Kenobi, whom the Medica was giving an emergency transport. After all the raiding Zygerrians were subdued, Kenobi promised to treat their wounds with bacta, before turning them over to a prison camp.

The Clone Wars ended in 19 BBY with the fall of the Galactic Republic and the rise of the Galactic Empire in its place. Although the Empire quickly seized control of most of the galaxy, the Outer Rim Territories initially refused to acknowledge its authority. The Zygerrian slavers were no exception, as they entered an alliance with Tervig slavers and Sikurdian pirates and established illegal trade routes along the Listehol Run and the Shaltin Tunnels. The slaver union also began raiding the newly reorganized Corporate Sector, an independent territory that shared borders with the Outer Rim. The Empire was quick to respond to such insurgencies along the Outer Rim, and began a campaign to subjugate that troubled territory. In 18 BBY, an Imperial task force led by Admiral Wullf Yularen and Captain Bannidge Holt began the Listehol Campaign. A fleet of Invincible-class Dreadnaught Heavy Cruisers, Venator-class Star Destroyers and TIE fighters under their command defeated the Sikurdian swarms at the Battle of Sagma. Yularen and Hold then besieged Zygerria, forcing the Zygerrians to negotiate peace with an Imperial adviser dispatched to the planet. Placed under Imperial control, Zygerria served as a base of operations for raids on Tervissis, which also fell in 13 BBY.

Now under Imperial authority, the Zygerrian species enjoyed a rise in prominence once again, after the Imperial Decree A-SL-4557.607.232 essentially legalized slavery under certain conditions. By 0 ABY, the Zygerrians were considered the most infamous slave traders. The structure of the Zygerrian Guild and the species' reputation as harsh disciplinarians made it beneficial for the Empire to offer slaver permits at a reduced cost, which, in turn, led the Zygerrians to actively traffic slaves for the Imperial needs. Among the species the Zygerrians dealt in were the Twi'leks, the Mandalorians, and the Wookiees, the latter of which the Empire found most useful in the construction of the Death Star. However, because of such close ties to the Empire, Zygerrian ships were considered legitimate targets for Rebel Alliance privateers during the Galactic Civil War. Additionally, the Zygerrian slavers sometimes became targets for the Empire, and they were hunted by the Imperial Navy and the Sector Rangers.

Zygerrians in the galaxy
"He's Marko Tyne. Wanted in nine systems for unlicensed slaving. I'm claiming him."

- Beilert Valance, after killing the Zygerrian Marko Tyne

At some point between 1,000 BBY and 0 BBY, the Zygerrian Thanda clan became infamous for its daring tactics. The Thandas staged raids on passenger liners and simply spaced&mdash;i.e. sent into the vacuum of space without a space suit&mdash;those they deemed not worth selling as slaves. This attitude provoked several spacers to come looking for the Thandas' leader, Atlee Thanda, to take him down and put an end to his clan's operations. Tracing the money of a rich shipping magnate called Brevis Taug, who sponsored the Thanda clan's fleet of slaveships, the spacers reached a space station above Zygerria. There, they sneaked aboard Atlee Thanda's personal yacht, the Scourge and either captured or killed the clan leader. The Scourge databanks also revealed information regarding other Zygerrian clans' operations to the adventurers. By the time of the Separatist Crisis, the species had ties to the Merson pirates, who supplied them with slaves captured in their raids. During this period, the Zygerrians raided the planet of Rodis, where they captured a local military leader called Nilo. The Zygerrians later sold Nilo to the Rattataki war barons to fight in the Cauldron gladiator pits, impressing the barons with stories of Nilo's military exploits. Nilo, however, did not survive his first fight and was killed by Asajj Ventress shortly thereafter.

The Zygerrian Darts D'Nar allied himself with the Confederacy. After Dooku's forces took Kiros under control, D'Nar was placed in charge of the planet. There, he faced off against the Republic troops led by Kenobi and Skywalker. He attempted to force the Jedi to surrender by threatening to detonate the bombs he had planted throughout Kiros' capital city. However, the Jedi managed to disarm the bombs and capture D'Nar. At the later stages of the war, Zygerrians were also seen on the galactic capital of Coruscant. At least two of them were present aboard a train traveling through the Coruscant Underworld, where they bore witness to the Coruscant underworld police's pursuit of Ahsoka Tano, who was on the run from the Jedi Order after being falsely accused of murder and terrorism. Another member of the species, Zolghast, served the Confederacy of Independent Systems as a commander in the Clone Wars. When the Confederacy captured the planet Tirahnn, Zolghast was placed in charge of the occupation force there. A paranoid person, Zolghast spent most of his time in a secret bunker in the capital city of the same name as the planet, protected by Geonosian bodyguards. Since Tirahnn was located on the vital Perlemian Trade Route, the Republic planned to retake the planet a few months after it fell into enemy hands. To this end, a Republic strike team was dispatched to the planet to take control of a planetary ion cannon. However, Zolghast was the only person who had the firing codes for the cannon, so the strike team infiltrated his bunker and captured him. With the codes, the Republic agents were able to use the ion cannon to fire on the Separatist fleet in the orbit of the planet, opening the way for the main Republic invasion force.

In the midst of the battle, a unit of clone troopers was sent to collect Zolghast and bring him to the Venator-class Star Destroyer Solidarity. At this moment, the Separatists attempted to rescue Zolghast, sending a Force-sensitive Clawdite shapeshifter, Braxus Lyn, to free him and transport him off-planet. Posing as Jedi Master Ezar Elasra, Lyn took custody of the Zygerrian and escorted Zolghast to a Sheathipede-class transport shuttle. While she was preparing the shuttle for take-off, though, the Republic launched an attack, attempting to recapture Zolghast. Ultimately, the Republic was able to reclaim Tirahn. Under the Empire, the Zygerrians made deals with the Imperial Admiral Terrinald Screed, who obtained three Twi'lek slaves from them &mdash;one of them a Force-sensitive called Boc Aseca &mdash;and who praised the slaves' quality to the Galactic Emperor Palpatine.

Around 3 BBY, a group of Zygerrian slavers captured journalist Arhul Hextrophon and his family. They had been ferrying the captives for months before they were attacked by the smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca over the planet Janodral Mizar. Solo broadcasted an Imperial transponder code, claiming that twenty stormtroopers were going to board the slavers' ship to check their shipping licenses, forcing the Zygerrians to abandon ship. Since Janodral Mizar had a law giving slaver profits to the victims, Solo and Chewbacca left the ship and the Zygerrian treasure held aboard it to Hextrophon, departing in their own starship, the Millennium Falcon. One more member of the species, Marko Tyne, conducted unlicensed slavery in nine of Thesme sector's star systems. For these acts, he was wanted dead or alive by Thesmian authorities. A short time after the Battle of Yavin, Tyne was killed by the bounty hunter Beilert Valance in the Junction City cantina on Feriae Junction.

Although the Zygerrian slaver business was mostly situated near their homeworld, in the time of the Galactic Empire the Zygerrians also controlled a smaller and lesser-organized Slaver Syndicate based in the Karazak system on the other side of the galaxy. This organization, generally regarded as mere thugs, was controlled by the Zygerrian Pr'ollerg clan, which strongly dictated the Syndicate's politics. The Syndicate, estimated to have over two thousand active members, actively employed bounty hunters to capture individuals with only a minor bounty on their heads to sell them as slaves later.

Following a pirate raid on her family's transport, a young Human female called Janildakara was sold into slavery to the Zygerrians, who branded her on the neck. After enduring the life of a slave for several years, Janildakara escaped and became a bounty hunter in the females-only House Renliss chapter of the Bounty Hunters' Guild. She hoped to use the Guild's help to find her family, who had not been heard of since the pirate attack. In 3 ABY, the Calian Lobar Aybock was given to the Zygerrian slavers by the Empire, after being deemed unworthy to become a stormtrooper. Aybock's freedom was eventually bought by the Chevin Eedund Cus, who went on to train him in shockboxing, helping Aybock to become a champion.

Behind the scenes
The Zygerrians were first mentioned in The Star Wars Sourcebook, written by Bill Slavicsek and Curtis Smith and published in 1987. The species are mentioned in Han Solo's entry, written in-universe by Arhul Hextrophon and describing the story of Hextrophon's capture and subsequent rescue by Solo and Chewbacca. Timothy Zahn, in his 1991 novel Heir to the Empire further elaborated on the event, describing it from Solo's point of view. In 1993, Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim by Simon Smith and Eric S. Trautmann provided some information on the species, describing the Zygerrian Slavers Guild in detail. The same guide also mentioned another slaver group, the Slaver Syndicate, based on Karazak. The next year, Galaxy Guide 10: Bounty Hunters by Rick D. Stuart provided further information on this organization, establishing that it was controlled by the Zygerrians as well. Throughout the next decade, the species received passing mentions in several sourcebooks, until Zygerrian Takedown was released in 2003. This mini-adventure for Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Roleplaying Game was written by Jason Fry and was focused entirely on the Zygerrians. The adventure addressed members of the species as Humans, thus establishing the Zygerrians' close relation to the latter.

Later, in 2005, The Hunt Within: Valance's Tale, Mission 5: Showdown on Junction, also by Fry, retroactively identified Marko Tyne, a character from Marvel Comics' Star Wars 27: Return of the Hunter, as a Zygerrian, thus making the species' first appearance September of 1979. The species remained relatively untouched by the Expanded Universe until the 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars project. The Zygerrians played a major role in Slaves of the Republic, a story arc of The Clone Wars comic series written entirely by Henry Gilroy that ties into the television series. In 2009, the Zygerrians received an entry in Galaxy at War, a sourcebook written by Rodney Thompson et al. that provided some information on the Zygerrian culture. Various sources are inconsistent on the spelling of the species, although "Zygerrian"  is more common than "Zygerian". Curiously, although he has been identified as a Zygerrian, Marko Tyne does not demonstrate any of his species' biological features, lacking the bony spurs on his face.

The Clone Wars inconsistency
In 2011–2012, the Slaves of the Republic comic books were adapted into three episodes of the television series, titled "Kidnapped," "Slaves of the Republic," and "Escape from Kadavo." The episodes followed the same premise, but featured a number of differences, most notably, an appearance redesign for the Zygerrians that conflicted with their previous depiction in the comic series and Galaxy at War. No attempt has been made to explain the inconsistency, although Lucasfilm Ltd. Holocron continuity database keeper Leland Chee has expressed a theory that there are two Zygerrian subspecies in existence. This article currently follows the events as portrayed in the TV series, in accordance to Mr. Chee's statement that the TV series supersedes the comic books in terms of continuity. The information presented in the original sources that has since been superseded is described below.

According to original sources, the species had pointed ears and predominantly red hair which some individuals preferred to style in ponytails and braids. Some Zygerrians also weaved various beads into their hair for aesthetic purposes. The species' most distinguishing feature, however, was a series of bony spurs that protruded from beneath their skin on the face, giving them a jagged appearance. Most members of the species usually had two larger spurs extending from the chin, and numerous smaller ones that grew along the brow ridge and on other parts of the face, although there were exceptions and some had only the chin spurs or none at all. Additionally, females had fewer spurs than males but had somewhat longer ears. Their eye color varied from green, to brown.

The comic books imply that the Zygerrians were generally viewed as primitive, while the TV series considers them an advanced civilization. The comics also depict the brezak being used as a mount by a Zygerrian law enforcement organization, the Sky Guard. According to the comic series, having formed the Slavers Guild, the species initiated slave operations in the far reaches of the galaxy. For centuries, they moved from system to system, enslaving primitive civilizations, and even venturing into Republic space. Eventually, they were ordered to cease by the Jedi Order, but they refused to comply. In response, the Jedi launched an attack on the Zygerrians and crushed them. Despite the loss, the Zygerrians continued their operations, though on a much smaller scale, and they were not considered a major threat by the Republic. When Dooku offered Scintel to expand the Zygerrian criminal empire with slaver franchises into the Core systems, she agreed and was granted a place in the Separatist Council as Minister of the Slavers Consortium. In turn, the Confederacy stationed its space forces in the orbit of Zygerria, including at least one Lucrehulk-class battleship.

The comic series also featured Onyx, a Zygerrian slaver active during the Clone Wars, who performed slaver operations in the Shi'kar Straits on his vessel, the Fate's Hand. At some point, Onyx decided to capture a blixus. Though half of his crew died while bringing the blixus aboard the Fate's Hand, the creature was successfully placed in a tank inside the ship. Having liberated Kiros and discovered that the Confederate commander Xerius Ugg had been in contact with the Zygerrians, Skywalker and Kenobi assaulted Onyx's ship in order to learn about the missing people of Kiros. Onyx released the blixus, hoping that it would kill the Jedi, but Skywalker and Kenobi killed the creature and captured Onyx and his crew.

The comic books also featured rumors spreading that the Separatists had captured the people of Kiros, despite Dooku's efforts to cover his tracks by lying that the Jedi had killed them. Because of this, Dooku ordered Scintel not to proceed with the auction yet, but she did not comply. Promoting the Togruta as the Separatist prisoners of war, she began the auction, which gathered many influential figures, including representatives of the Smugglers Guild and two of the most influential figures of the Separatist Council, the Techno Union Foreman Wat Tambor and the Commerce Guild Presidente Shu Mai. After the Jedi's attempted escape, the auction was ruined, as the Separatists had fled at the first sign of trouble. Despite Dooku's orders to execute the captives immediately, the Queen kept them alive.

In the original story, one of the reasons for Scintel's death was her open promotion of the Togruta as Confederate captives, which inspired fear throughout many neutral worlds in the galaxy and induced them to join the Republic. It also conflicted with Dooku's account that the Togruta had been killed by the Jedi. Fearing that the liberation of the slaves might prove him a liar, Dooku sent his Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress and General Grievous to kill everyone on Kadavo. In a three-way battle between the Confederacy, the Republic forces, and the Zygerrians led by the Keeper, the Republic emerged victorious. The slaves were liberated, the labor processing hub was destroyed, and the Keeper was captured.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Old Republic
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars 1: Slaves of the Republic - Chapter 1: The Mystery of Kiros
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars 2: Slaves of the Republic - Chapter 2: Slave Traders of Zygerria
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars 3: Slaves of the Republic - Chapter 3: The Depths of Zygerria
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars 4: Slaves of the Republic - Chapter 4: Auction of a Million Souls
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars 5: Slaves of the Republic - Chapter 5: A Slave now, a Slave forever
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars 6: Slaves of the Republic - Chapter 6: Escape from Kadavo
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Darth Maul: Shadow Conspiracy
 * Star Wars 27: Return of the Hunter
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Heir to the Empire 4
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Darth Maul: Shadow Conspiracy
 * Star Wars 27: Return of the Hunter
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Heir to the Empire 4
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Darth Maul: Shadow Conspiracy
 * Star Wars 27: Return of the Hunter
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Heir to the Empire 4
 * Heir to the Empire 4