Agruss

This article is about the Zygerrian known as the "Keeper". You may be looking for other uses of the term.

This Star Wars Legends article contains information from the 2008 Slaves of the Republic comic books that was omitted from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series' 2011 adaptation of the story.

The Season Four episodes "Kidnapped," "Slaves of the Republic," and "Escape from Kadavo" have canonical precedence. Editor discretion is advised.

"General Kenobi. You are the first Jedi I have entertained at our education center. Few possess a Jedi's resolve, and it is strength of will that is my greatest enemy."

―Keeper Agruss^[4]

Agruss, also known as the "Keeper," was the head of the Kadavo slave processing facility on Kadavo at the time that Obi-Wan Kenobi was imprisoned there. He was a cruel slaver who did not hesitate to end the lives of several enslaved beings in an attempt to break the morale of his captive Jedi.

When Anakin Skywalker led Republic forces on a rescue mission, Agruss tried to dispose of the remaining slaves by dumping them in the caldera. Most of the Togruta captives were saved by the Jedi at the last moment, and Agruss was impaled by Captain Rex with an electrostaff.

Biography[]

Early career[]

"Come now Master Kenobi, I know a Jedi won't kill an unarmed man!"
"I'm no Jedi."

―Agruss just as he is killed by Captain Rex^[3]

KadavoProcessingFacility-EscapefromKadavo — The Kadavo slave processing facility, Agruss' base of operation.

Keeper Agruss was a male Zygerrian slaver who served the Zygerrian Slave Empire, which worked with the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Using a hover chair^[4] and exuding an air of decadence,^[1] he oversaw the Kadavo slave processing facility, the center of slaving operations on the planet Kadavo.^[4] Ironically, a lifetime of excesses had left Agruss as physically weaker than the slaves, but his hover chair was lined with instruments that allowed him to punish those under his command.^[5]

Final assigment on Kadavo[]

AgrussWelcomesKenobi-SotR — Agruss welcomes Kenobi to his "education center"

In 20 BBY,^[6] the captured Togruta population of the planet Kiros was sent to Kadavo to undergo processing under Agruss's supervision. However, the disappearance of Kiros's residents had not escaped the notice of the Galactic Republic, and an investigation led three Jedi—Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Ahsoka Tano—and Clone Captain CT-7567, "Rex," to the Zygerrian homeworld, where all were captured by Zygerrian forces.^[4]

While Skywalker and Tano remained captive on Zygerria, Kenobi, Rex, and Kiros Governor Roshti were sent to the processing hub on Kadavo. Agruss was on hand to greet Kenobi when he and his fellow captives arrived on the planet,^[4] as he was the first ever Jedi to be interred at his grueling facility.^[1] While the Keeper expressed his excitement at having a Jedi at the processing facility, he immediately demonstrated his authority in an attempt to force Kenobi into submission—without warning, Agruss^[4] had cruelly^[7] several Togruta slaves dropped into the volcano above which the processing hub rested. He proclaimed that any attempt at disobedience on Kenobi's part would only result in the further suffering of others.^[4] Even Kenobi's attempts at helping the Togruta slaves backfired, causing them to avoid the Jedi or risk further pain. To prevent any more needless deaths or suffering, Obi-Wan kept his head down,^[3] laboring under Agruss' cruel glare in seeming obedience.^[1]

AgrussRexKenobi-EFK — Agruss before he can execute Obi-Wan Kenobi and Rex.

Agruss, under the order of Count Dooku, prepared to execute Obi-Wan and Rex, but the men of the Republic overpowered the guards while Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano led an assault by clone forces to liberate the slaves.^[3] Desperate^[8] under threat of capture or worse, Arguss tortured Togruta slaves to force the Republic troops to stop, then destroyed the control panels that would have enabled their rescue. At this moment, Obi-Wan took possession of his lightsaber and pointed it at the slavemaster, who scoffed and claimed that the moralistic Jedi would not kill an unarmed man. Rex, enraged by the treatment of his men, the slaves and the Jedi at the hands of Arguss,^[3] had no such reservations.^[1] He quipped that he was no Jedi and threw an electrostaff taken from a guard. Arguss was impaled by the weapon and, in distress and agony, he flew his repulsorchair into a bank of monitors and was electrocuted. His corpse was incinerated when the labor processing hub was destroyed by Republic forces after their personnel were evacuated.^[3]

Personality and traits[]

An overweigth Zygerrian slavemaster^[4] who led the slaving operation on Kadavo, Agruss delighted in his superiority over his pathetic charges. He flaunted his power freely, punishing and executing slaves at a whim to ensure no one every questioned his authority. Though Agruss exhibited zeal in lording over slaves, he was hardly the model Zygerrians.^[4] Most Zygerrians were more powerfully built and physically fit,^[4] while Agruss had let corruption shape him.^[4] Aside of his cruelty, he was also a coward as he attemted to plea for his life after his prisoners had rebelled.^[3]

Behind the scenes[]

KeeperZygerrian — "Keeper," as he appeared in the *Slaves of the Republic* comic arc

The character who would later be named Agruss^[7] was originally created by Henry Gilroy for the first story arc of The Clone Wars comic series, Slaves of the Republic. Identified only as "Keeper," he appeared as one of the Zygerrian antagonists in the fifth and sixth issues of the series, both of which were released in 2009.^[9]

In late 2011 and early 2012, the Slaves of the Republic comics were adapted into a three-part story arc of Season Four of The Clone Wars TV series. Because the three episodes—"Kidnapped,"^[10] "Slaves of the Republic,"^[4] and "Escape from Kadavo"^[3]—were not direct adaptations of the comic arc, many differences existed between the two versions of the story. While the basic plot remained the same, the Keeper and several other characters underwent significant transformations for their TV appearances. Voiced by Victor Brandt, the Keeper appeared in "Slaves of the Republic" and "Escape from Kadavo,"^[4]^[3] first receiving the name Agruss in the former's online guide on StarWars.com.^[3]

"Escape from Kadavo" introduced a continuity error involving Agruss's fate.^[3] In the comic conclusion to the story arc, the Keeper is arrested for his slaving activities;^[11] in the TV conclusion to the story he is killed by Captain Rex.^[3] As The Clone Wars TV series constitutes a higher form of canon than the comic series, the events of the TV series take precedence, indicating that death is Agruss's canonical fate.