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- "Han Solo. You're a dead man."
"Bala-Tik... What's the problem?" - ―Bala-Tik and Han Solo
Bala-Tik was a human male who worked as a negotiator for the Guavian Death Gang. He handled a deal with the famed smuggler Han Solo by paying for Solo to haul rathtars, a deal that Solo also made with Kanjiklub.
Biography
Associate of Solo
- Solo: "Boys, you're both going to get what I promised. Have I ever not delivered for you before?"
- Bala-Tik: "Yeah."
- Leech: «Twice.»
- ―Solo, Bala-Tik and Leech discuss Solo's past work[src]
The human male Bala-Tik served the criminal Guavian Death Gang[3] as a leader[4] and frontman during the reign of the New Republic. During his time with the gang, he encountered the smuggler Han Solo and managed to shake several profitable leads out of him,[3] although Solo let the Guavians down at least once.[1] The smuggler eventually took out a loan of fifty thousand credits from the gang in order to hunt rathtars for King Prana; however, he failed to pay it back within a timely manner and the leaders of the gang soon became tired of his delays and excuses.[3] Less than a year before the First Order's attack on the village of Tuanul in 34 ABY,[5] Bala-Tik was on the planet Kaddak on the forty-fifth level of the city known as the Sliver with three Guavian security soldiers.[6]
While in the Sliver, the Guavians were approached by four members of Kanjiklub,[6] a criminal group with whom the gang were often in conflict.[3] Kanjiklub's leader, Tasu Leech,[3][6] had overheard the protocol droid C-3PO mention that Solo had borrowed money from the Guavian Death Gang,[6] and revealed to Bala-Tik that the smuggler had also borrowed fifty thousand credits from Kanjiklub to hunt rathar. The two groups of criminals found common ground in their hatred of Solo and agreed to confront him together over his debts,[3] with Leech and Bala-Tik shaking hands on the agreement.[6]
Debt collector
- "Tell that to Kanjiklub."
- ―Bala-Tik notes the arrival of Kanjiklub
In 34 ABY, Bala-Tik and a group of security soldiers caught up with Solo while he was hunting on the planet Nantoon and then followed him[3] in a nonmilitary transport[4] when he left the world in his Baleen-class heavy freighter Eravana.[3] Solo, who was unaware of the criminals pursuing him, traveled to the Western Reaches in order to locate his old YT-1300 light freighter the Millennium Falcon. The Eravana stopped in the Jakku system, where a tracker onboard the Falcon had signalled from, and managed to pick up the freighter. Shortly after the Falcon was pulled onboard the Eravana, Bala-Tik and the Guavians revealed themselves by docking with Solo's freighter.[1]
Bala-Tik and a five-man team of security soldiers disembarked their ship and began marching through the ship until they found Solo and his co-pilot Chewbacca in one of the Eravana's corridors. The frontman demanded Solo repay them their money, also revealing that he knew about the loan from Kanjklub. The smuggler claimed Kanjiklub were lying, to which Bala-Tik responded that Solo could tell that to the group himself. Five members of Kanjiklub then revealed themselves in the corridor behind Solo, led by Leech. The smuggler promised both groups that he would deliver what he owed them, but Bala-Tik and Leech were unimpressed due to his previous work for them.[1]
Runaway rathtars
- "Inform the First Order that Han Solo has the droid they want. And it's aboard the Millennium Falcon."
- ―Bala-Tik relays orders via comlink
Bala-Tik then noticed the BB-series astromech droid BB-8, who was hiding between Solo and Chewbacca. Remembering that the group known as the First Order was searching for a similar BB unit and two fugitives, Bala-Tik pointed out BB-8, causing Kanjiklub to start searching the ship for the fugitives. Before Bala-Tik could make a move for the droid, the three rathtars that Solo had caught on Nantoon were set free by Rey and Finn, the two fugitives that Bala-Tik had mentioned who had been on the Falcon when Solo found it. Hearing the rathtars roar, Bala-Tik ordered his men to kill Solo and Chewbacca and grab BB-8; however, one of the rathtars attacked his team from behind before they could open fire[1] and grabbed two of the soldiers.[4]
Bala-Tik and his remaining men fled forward toward Solo and then down a corridor to their left[1] while the rathtar killed the pair it had grabbed.[4] Kanjiklub were also attacked by a rathtar and forced to flee, allowing Solo and his companions to escape.[1] Bala-Tik managed to regroup with one member of his gang in one of the ship's corridors to take account of their losses, although as he spoke the frontman witnessed a third member of his gang being killed by a rathtar and was forced to flee while firing ineffectually at the beast.[4] Solo managed to reach the Falcon with Chewbacca, BB-8, Finn, and Rey and then escape onboard it, killing one of the rathtars in the process. Bala-Tik witnessed the Falcon depart through one of the Eravana's hangar doors and then gave orders via comlink that his men should contact the First Order and warn them that Solo had the droid.[1]
Personality and traits
- "Your game is old. There's no one left in the galaxy for you to swindle."
- ―Bala-Tik loses his patience with Solo
Bala-Tik stood 1.8 meters tall[2] and had fair skin, brown eyes and brown hair. He spoke with a harsher form of the clipped accent commonly found in the galactic Core Worlds. He had a cybernetic left leg, which he concealed. Bala-Tik frequently used Solo and Chewbacca as sources of information, a relationship that he valued for the Death Gang despite growing increasingly impatient with the Corellian smuggler's schemes. He knew enough about Solo to bring several guards with him aboard the Eravana, believing Solo to be foolish enough to start a blaster fight near a ship's airlock.[3]
Bala-Tik was a confident and experienced individual, not one to waste time on false pleasantries. When he met Solo on the Falcon, he was bursting with barely controlled anger and spoke in clipped tones.[4]
Equipment
Like all Guavians, Bala-Tik carried the latest in black market weapons technology. This included a percussive cannon manufactured by Tostovin Munitions, which fired particularly explosive blaster bolts. He wore a black gorraslug-leather long coat with armored lining, a pair of black sparadillo armored boots and a pair of ribbed black pants that concealed his cybernetic right leg.[3]
Behind the scenes
Bala-Tik was portrayed by Scottish actor Brian Vernel in the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.[1] The novelization of the film written by Alan Dean Foster contains notable differences to the film in terms of Bala-Tik's dialogue, with most of his lines being extended. During his initial interaction with Solo, the smuggler suggests that the Guavians accompany him in bringing the rathtars to Prana so that they can claim the reward together, but Bala-Tik rejects the idea as he believes Solo will try and escape. As these scenes contradict the amount of dialogue shown in the film, this article assumes them to be non-canon.[1][4]
LEGO appearances
- "And he shot Greedo!"
"I heard Greedo shot first."
"Oh… them's fighting words!" - ―Bala-Tik and Leech disagree over who shot first
Bala-Tik also appeared in two episodes of the non-canon series of video shorts LEGO Star Wars: The Resistance Rises voiced by James Arnold Taylor. In the episode "Hunting for Han," Bala-Tik brings a pair of musical instruments to the castle of Maz Kanata, which Kanata had hired him to locate. The frontman then demands that in exchange for the instruments, Kanata must tell him where Han Solo is so that he can track him down to reclaim his debt. As the pair discuss Solo's debt, Tasu Leech and several Kanjiklub members enter the castle also demanding to know where Solo is. Leech, Bala-Tik, and several other patrons of the castle argue over who has the greatest claim to vengeance on Solo, which quickly turns into a full-on brawl.
Kanata ends the fighting by using a lightsaber to partially collapse part of the castle's roof on the fighters. To prevent further fighting, Solo's old friend Lando Calrissian directed the fighters to Jakku to search for Solo. Bala-Tik quickly leaves with the other patrons, forgetting to collect the instruments he had brought Kanata.[7]
In the following episode, "Rey Strikes Back," Bala-Tik and his comrades arrive on Jakku on board a Resistance transport and immediately spot the Millennium Falcon. The group races toward it, but is run down by Rey's speeder before they can reach it.[8]
Appearances
- Poe Dameron 9
- Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens (First appearance)
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens: A Junior Novel
- The Force Awakens: Rey's Story
- The Force Awakens: Finn's Story
- The Force Awakens Golden Book (Picture only)
- Han & Chewie Return!
- The Force Awakens Adaptation 2
- The Force Awakens Adaptation 3
- Star Wars Adventures: Flight of the Falcon
Non-canon appearances
- LEGO Star Wars: The Resistance Rises — "Hunting for Han"
- LEGO Star Wars: The Resistance Rises — "Rey Strikes Back"
- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Sources
- LEGO Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens (Set: 75180 Rathtar Escape)
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary
- Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded
- Star Wars: Destiny — Awakenings (Card: Bala-Tik—Gang Leader) (backup link (http://swdestinydb.com/card/01019) not verified!)
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded
- Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
- Star Wars: Smuggler's Guide
- Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: New Edition
- Bala-Tik in the Databank (backup link)
- Guavian Death Gang in the Databank (backup link) (Picture only)
- Percussive Cannon in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bala Tik in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization
- ↑ Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates the attack on Tuanul to 34 ABY, and Before the Awakening establishes that Poe Dameron joined the Resistance less than a year prior. Since Dameron is a Resistance member in Poe Dameron 9, it can be deduced that the events of the comic occurred less than a year before the attack on Tuanul.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Poe Dameron 9
- ↑ LEGO Star Wars: The Resistance Rises — "Hunting for Han"
- ↑ LEGO Star Wars: The Resistance Rises — "Rey Strikes Back"