Torture/Legends

"For every insult, you will scream a dozen times."

- Darth Vader, threatening Han Solo

Torture, was any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, was intentionally inflicted on a being for such purposes as obtaining from them or a third party information or a confession. Torture could also be used as punishment for an act an individual had committed or was suspected of having committed, for intimidating or coercing individuals, or for discriminatory reasons of any kind. Often times torturous methods were initiated by the directives of heads of state, though other individuals or groups were capable of inflicting torture for the same reasons. However, another motive for torture was simply for sadistic gratification of the torturer.

History
"Are you going to make me resort to sterner measures?" "You mean torture? Well... if you have to. But make it a good one. One I haven't seen before. I was tortured by Darth Vader."

- Captain Mudlath and Han Solo



Throughout the galaxy, torture was widely recognized as a means to extract information from an individual who was not as forthcoming with information as the captor desired. Victims were usually held in place with restraints or even rendered immobile, so as to lessen the potential opportunity for a successful escape. There was no set standard as to what could or could not be used for torture, however the use of droids designed for torture was prevalent. Darth Vader employed such droids on many occasions.

During the reign of Lord Keto, dissidents of the Empress Teta system were kept in line with torture droids. Though their technology was seemingly antiquated, Keto's son Satal found them nonetheless effective when he became ruler of Empress Teta. Some droids could be modified from their primary functions to serve as torture droids. While leader of the sith-inspired Krath, Satal Keto used ordinary medical droids and modifed them to perform surgical tortures on individuals.

During the reign of Emperor Palpatine, torture was elevated to an art form. The Galactic Empire dedicated an entire branch of government, the Inquisitorius, to the sole purpose of squeezing and tearing information from the reluctant. A training facility on Coruscant called the School of Torturers, was another testament to this tradition.

Emperor Palpatine himself was quite fond of torturing his subordinates, as was the case with Death Star engineer Bevel Lemelisk. The Emperor subjected Lemelisk to numerous tortures, from being blinded and consumed by piranha beetles to being dipped in liquid copper, with each ending in Lemelisk's apparent death. As an added twist, the Emperor would preserve Lemelisk's mind, and after each of his "deaths", would transfer his essence into that of a clone body. Lemelisk was forced to endure seven of these grueling punishments in all.

During the Confederation-Galactic Alliance War, a secret police organization was created by the Galactic Alliance. In order to counter Corellian terrorist activity on Coruscant, the Galactic Alliance Guard (GAG), as it was called, used brutal methods to achieve its goal. Suspected terrorists were rounded up, deported and interned, before being tortured during interrogation.

During the reign of Darth Krayt, the agency in charge of torture was Sith Intelligence and Assassination. Darth Maladi, the head of this "branch of government", was an expert in the ways of torture.

Torture varied in both method and purpose between species. The Yuuzhan Vong glorified pain not only as a motive for action, but as a state of living. The Yuuzhan-Vong's Embrace of Pain, a rack-like restraint that stimulated pain receptors in victims' brains, was device often used for torture, though the Vong themselves did not consider its use as such. The warrior caste took perverse pleasure in their own pain and the pain of others.

Adolescent Tusken Raiders had to undergo ritual bloodrites, in which they had to capture and torture a lifeform for weeks before ascending to adulthood. The Tusken emerged more esteemed if the victim was sentient.

The life of the Mandalorians revolved around battle and war, both as a culture and as a source of pride and honor. Often working as mercenaries, assassins and bounty hunters, they were a ruthless enemy who were known for their tough pragmatism and brutality. In battle, they would do whatever it takes to reach their objective. While it is not known exactly how common the use of torture were among these feared warriors, at least some of them had no qualms with using torture to achieve their ends. Notable examples were the the mercenary and assassin Kal Skirata, mercenary Walon Vau and the bounty hunter Rav Bralor. The Mandallian Giant Feskitt Bobb had no qualms with using torture methods like the Burning to acquire his quarry. The clone commando RC-1136 ("Darman"), who was trained by Kal Skirata, went as far as saying that torture had to be done, and didn't make you a bad person.

Consequences
"Look at… what is left of him. Do you think saving his life would be a kindness?"

- LE-914 (“Ellie”) after Tay Vanis, a victim of torture, is found by his fellow Rebels

In addition to excrutiating pain and serious permanent or temporary physical injuries, torture could seriously harm the victim mentally. Many were badly traumatized, sometimes to the point of not being able to speak, like many of the citizens who were introduced to the IT-0 Interrogator droid after being unlucky enough to be rounded up by the Imperial Security Bureau. Some torture victims succumbed to madness, whereas others were so broken mentally that they simply existed as mindless shells. The Gen'dai bounty hunter Durge was a victim of unspeakable torture at the hands of the Mandalorians, who turned his species' longevity against him, finding ways of inflicting pain throughout his scattered nerves. Unable to die, his already dangerous psyche was pushed further past the brink of sanity. When the Rebel Bria Tharen and her Red Hand Squadron were tracked down by the Empire during the operation to secure the Death Star plans, she committed suicide by swallowing a lullaby poison capsule, knowing that she would be tortured if captured.

Withstanding interrogation
"What did you hope to accomplish by coming here? Was it your intention to betray us to the Jedi Knights?" "I told you...I...no...longer...serve...the Jedi. I came to...Cinnagar to...learn the ways...of the dark side."

- Satal Keto, as he and interrogates Ulic Qel-Droma



Despite the fact that torture was viewed as an effective means to get information from the reluctant, there were people who were capable of not breaking, despite the excruciating pain. When Princess Leia was tortured by Darth Vader to make her reveal the location of the Rebel base at Yavin 4, she resisted to the end and revealed nothing. It was only under threat of destroying Leia's homeworld of Alderaan by Grand Moff Tarkin did Leia relent, and reveal the location of the rebel's decoy base on Dantooine. Tarkin then destroyed Alderaan anyway, saying that Dantooine was too far, and that Alderaan was a prime target for testing the Death Star's superlaser capacity. Another example was her fellow Rebel Mirith Sinn, who didn't reveal anything while being tortured by Carnor Jax’s men in order to make her reveal the location of the former Emperor's Royal Guard Kir Kanos.

One technique to help a person withstand torture was called “drawing inwards”, and involved breathing techniques and visualizing brain-images, to separate mind and body, not anticipate the pain to come, or relive the pain from the moment before. Mandalorians were trained to endure torture. , whereas the Zabraks were known for their incredible willpower, and were able to endure intense physical pain and torture without breaking their resolve.

Force users
"His name is Arca...he's quite alive...but suffering mightily under the crushing power of the dark side."

- King Ommin, as he tortures Arca Jeth

Many force-users were able to control pain through mind-tricks, which made them somewhat stronger than others when it came to handling pain. The Jedi Master Yaddle went through a torture session with the warlock Tulak without even screaming. When the Arkanian offshoot Jarael was captured by Mandalorians while impersonating a Jedi, she was taken to the Flashpoint Stellar Research Station where other Jedi were being tortured and tested by the Demagol, a Mandalorian biologist obsessed with finding the "source" of their power. After arriving on Flashpoint Station, she met with Squint, a Jedi who had also been made into a prisoner. Upon seeing that he had a new test subject Demagol wanted to study Jarael immediately. Squint, however, protested and insisted that he go in her place since he had already, privately, figured out that she was not a Jedi, and knew that there were trials only a Jedi could survive.



The Zabrak Jedi Master Eeth Koth had an outstanding talent for Crucitorn, a Jedi technique for transcending physical pain that went far beyond the Zabrak ability to withstand torture.

In rare instances, a force-user's pain control could be circumvented by another force-user. This was the case of the Jedi-master Shylar, who was tortured to death by the Sith Lord and former Jedi, Count Dooku.

In other cases, torture would make a force-user turn to the dark side. This was the case of Kam Solusar, who was tortured by the dark jedi Sedriss until he submitted. When the Jedi knight Bastila Shan was captured by the Sith, Darth Malak tortured her, driving her to embrace the dark side of the Force.

Force-users could also use their powers to inflict pain in their own way. By influencing a person's mind, they could make a victim relive their worst fear or nightmares, even to the point where the victim would tear her or his eyeballs out in a desperate attempt to escape the horrors, only to feel them inside their head and mind instead, and be driven insane. At one point, the technique was used by the female Sith Lord Darth Zannah, which left the Anti-Republic Liberation Front member Cyndra in a permanent catatonic state. During the Clone Wars, the Jedi Knight Etain Tur-Mukan used a similar technique on the Separatist terrorist Farr Orjul. When Orjul didn't break during the long torture sessions with the Mandalorian mercenary Walon Vau, where he was beaten to the point where blood was spilled, Etain broke him down by projecting extreme fear into his mind and making him fear for his sanity the same way physical pain would. Her methods succeeded where Vau did not.

Force lightning was a well known Force ability associated with Sith and the dark side of the Force, as it caused excruciating pain and weakened an individual's life. It was also nearly impossible to deflect. When the Jedi knight Luke Skywalker refused to join Emperor Palpatine, the Emperor tormented Luke with Force lightning, beginning with an agonizing but non-lethal barrage, working his way gradually upwards in lethality in order to maximize Luke's suffering, seemingly deriving pleasure from Skywalker's torment.

Notable examples
"You are the subject of scientific experimentation. You will not be hurt, only studied."

- Jenna Zan Arbor to Qui-Gon Jinn, as she prepares to torture him.



In 3,998 BBY, the Jedi Master Arca Jeth was captured by King Ommin of Onderon. With the assistance of the Sith Lord Freedon Nadd's spirit, the king attempted to torture Arca to the brink of death, believing that the Jedi Master would be forced to call upon the dark side of the Force to save himself. At that point, Ommin planned to destroy Arca's body and raise the fallen Jedi as a dark side spirit.

Ulic Qel-Droma was a victim of Krath leader Satal Keto's torturous ways. When Ulic attempted to infiltrate the Krath in 3,997 BBY, Lord Keto had the Jedi restrained in the dungeons of the Krath's Iron Citadel, where Krath torture droids administered excruciating punishments to him.

During the Mandalorian Wars a few decades later, the Mandalorian scientist Demagol used the conquered people of the Outer Rim as subjects for his grisly studies. The doctor was particularly interested in finding the biology base for Jedi powers. Initially, Jedi were kidnapped for this purpose, before hostilities with the Galactic Republic opened, and a number of Jedi captured on Suurja poured into his lab on Flashpoint Station, to serve as new research subjects.

Two and a half centuries later, the female Sith Lord Darth Zannah used her Sith sorcery to drive the Anti-Republic Liberation Front member Cyndra insane, projecting images of Cyndra's worst fears, climaxing in Cyndra tearing out her own eyeballs and entering a permanent catatonic state. A short time later, she killed the healer Caleb by cutting him into many pieces over and over.

Roughly ten years before the Battle of Naboo, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was captured and brought before the famed scientist Jenna Zan Arbor, who was studying the traits of Force-sensitive individuals (with hopes of genetically engineering Force sensitivity into normal beings). Her "experiments" included phlebotomy and torture, designed as test of Qui-Gon's endurance.

A few years later, Jedi Master Tahl was kidnapped by Balog, injected with a paralyzing drug that kept her conscious, but immobilized, and put in a sensory deprivation device, She was still alive when her love, Qui-Gon, arrived to rescue her, but he was unable to save her.

Right after the Battle of Naboo, the Mandalorian Silas was tortured by Count Dooku for information on Jango Fett. As a Mandalorian, Silais was trained to withstand torture, but Dooku's methods were too much for him to handle. After telling everything the count wanted to know, he was killed through an ultra-lethal injection.



In 29 BBY, while being a prisoner of Kh'aris Fenn, the Jedi Master Tholme was introduced to Fenn's droid AX/RX, which tortured the Jedi through electrocution. Fenbn ordered the droid to keep torturing Tholme until he was oblivious, but Tholme used the Force to drop his life signs, making the droid believe he was unconscious, before throwing the Jedi in a cell.

Right before the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Shmi Skywalker, mother of Anakin Skywalker, was captured by Tusken Raiders and tortured for weeks, before dying in the arms of her son.

During the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Alpha-17 were presumed dead after an explosion during the Battle of Jabiim. They had actually been captured by Asajj Ventress and transported to her stronghold on Rattatak. There she tortured them to obtain information about Republic troop movements. She used a variety of methods including muscle maggots, a Sith torture mask on Kenobi, and a knife and a torture droid on Alpha-17.

Also during the Clone Wars, the Jedi Master Shylar was captured by Count Dooku and tortured to death.

After the formation of the Galactic Empire, the senate guard Isaru Omin helped his former partner Sagoro Autem, who was on the Empire's list of officers being purged from the Imperial Navy, escape from Coruscant. Isaru was caught, and tortured by Darth Vader himself. When Isaru admitted that he didn't know where Sagoro was and had only given him the warning, Vader cut him down with his lightsaber in a fit of anger.

A short time later, the Jedi Padawan Dama Montalvo was captured by the Galactic Empire and submitted to a torture session with Darth Vader, who tried to extract the location of his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Jedi. When Dama refused, Vader snapped his neck in anger.

In 0 BBY, while a captive aboard the first Death Star, Princess Leia was tortured by Darth Vader in order to learn the location of the hidden Rebel base. Leia was introduced to an IT-0 torture droid, and pain was inflicted through needles , pressure points , fire-knives and electro-shocks. Vader also employed mind-altering drugs and subliminal suggestion in his sessions, which made Leia believe that her skin was on fire and her flesh being torn apart, causing the same reaction the real thing would.

Three years later, Darth Vader again tortured Leia, as well as Han Solo and Chewbacca on Cloud City knowing their anguish would reach Luke Skywalker through the Force, drawing him to Bespin where he could be captured and taken to the Emperor.



Prior to the battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance hero Tay Vanis was captured and tortured by Darth Vader, who left him a mindless shell of a man. After Vanis was found by his fellow Rebels, his droid LE-914 (“Ellie”) destroyed both herself and her master, as as an act of mercy killing.

One week after Endor, the Rebel pilot Ten Numb was captured by the sadistic Imperial General Weir, who tortured the Rebel with electricity from a live wire. Numb soon broke and supplied Weir with all the information he wanted, including sizes and secret locations of military forces.

Three years later, the Rogue Squadron member Corran Horn was imprisoned by Ysanne Isard, who took him to her personal Super Star Destroyer, the Lusankya. The vessel served as a prison specialized in using drugs and psychological conditioning to turn prisoners into sleeper agents that would activate and perform acts of terrorism against the Galactic Empire's enemies. Corran underwent regular torture and indoctrination sessions, but Isard's attempts at turning him into a brainwashed Imperial agent failed, and Corran was able to escape.

In 11 BBY, the New Republic Intelligence agent Mirith Sinn was tortured by the aspiring Sith Lord Carnor Jax, who was seeking the whereabouts of the Emperor's Royal Guard Kir Kanos.

That same year, the secret Maw Installation was accidentally discovered by Kessel spice mine escapees Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Kyp Durron. They were then captured by the base commander, the notorious Admiral Daala, who upon interrogating them first learned of the deaths of Palpatine, Darth Vader, and Grand Moff Tarkin.

When Jedi Knight A'Sharad Hett was captured by Yuuzhan Vong scouts, they imprisoned him and placed him in the Embrace of Pain. He was relentlessly tortured and subjected to biological experiments, replacing both his cybernetic eye and arm with biological Yuuzhan Vong components.

During the Yuuzhan Vong war, the Yuuzhan Vong Commander Shedao Shai made use of a torture device known as the Embrace of Pain to inflict pain on himself and others, including Caamasi senator Elegos A'kla.

Later in the war, several Jedi were assigned to destroy the cloning facility at Myrkr, including Anakin,Jacen and Jaina Solo, and Tenel Ka, Tahiri Veila, and Zekk. The Jedi were captured and tortured - one of them, Ulaha Kore, almost died. The Yuuzhan Vong commander Duman Yaght showed particular sadism against the Jedi by repeatedly inflicting pain upon the already injured Ulaha, and by forcing Jaina Solo to choose which of her brothers was to be tortured.

After Jacen Solo was captured by the Yuuzhan Vong, Vergere, who years later was revealed to be one of the Sith, held him trapped in the Embrace of Pain for weeks, forcing him to give into the pain and understand the strength gained from it when it was fully embraced.



In 40 ABY, bounty hunter Ailyn Vel was led to Coruscant, where she hid in a Corellian community and was caught during the Galactic Alliance Guard's raids. Believing her to be a Corellian terrorist, Jacen Solo interrogated her. When she did not provide information, he used the Force to repeatedly slam her head into the table where she was sitting, while attempting to enter her mind. The was far more than Ailyn could endure, and she died in the midst of interrogation.

The Embrace of Pain was used again by the Sith Lord Darth Caedus, who in 40 BBY used it to torture his own cousin, Ben Skywalker.

Many decades later, the Jedi healer Hosk Trey'lis was tortured by Darth Maladi in her laboratory, and was made to reveal the identity of Cade Skywalker.

After Cade was captured by the Sith, he was also taken to Maladi's lab, where he was tortured for a whole day, being injected with lethal ixetal cilona again and again, to see if he was able to heal himself.

Darth Krayt would later use the embrace of pain on Cade, having previously encountered the Embrace after completing his apprenticeship with XoXaan on Korriban and being captured by the Vong. As Dark Lord of the Sith, Krayt would use the Embrace as part of the training for certain members of the New Sith Order, including Darth Nihl, in order to push them towards the dark side. He would also have the Embrace of Pain installed in the underlevels of the Temple of the Sith.