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"This is so wizard, Ani!"
―Kitster[1]

Kitster Chanchani Banai was a Human slave boy on Tatooine, and the best friend of Anakin Skywalker. After not seeing his smuggler father, Rakir Banai, in many years, Kitster gave up hopes of being rescued from Tatooine and instead hoped to one day be a majordomo for a wealthy Mos Espan estate.

Biography[]

Childhood[]

"Years ago I had a friend -- a slave, like I was -- who later left Tatooine and became a great Jedi Knight."
―Kitster Banai, to a spacer[6]

Kitster Chanchani Banai was born the son of smuggler Rakir Banai,[4] circa 41 BBY.[2] Rakir was wanted by the Hutts, who eventually tracked him down and captured his ship with his family on board. As a result, Kitster and his mother were sold into slavery,[7] which brought them to the Tatooine city of Mos Espa.[8]

WaldKittsterCringe-TPM

Kitster and Wald watching the Boonta Eve Classic in 32 BBY.

A short time before the 32 BBY Boonta's Eve, the young Kitster, with Anakin Skywalker and their friends, narrowly avoided disaster upon hearing of children who had been captured and imprisoned by Sebulba. The Dug intended to sell the captives, including Princess Arawynne, to Gardulla the Elder. The children, disguised as Jawas, sneaked into Gardulla's estate and freed the Ghostling children.[9]

Kitster was the best friend of Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine,[8] but he was also a slave—property of Gardulla, who was ever threatening to sell him to the glitterstim miners if he didn't "shape up."[9] Both boys (then unaware of the true nature of that order) once revered the Sith based on a holo-recording they had seen replayed by a Sith droid Watto had somehow acquired. Their games of "Sith Warrior" came to an end when an old spacer explained the true nature and history of the Sith.[10] During the podrace on Boonta Eve, Kitster was part of Anakin's pit crew.[8]

Before Anakin left to become a Jedi, he left Kitster some of his prize credits. With it, Kitster bought Par Ontham's Guide to Etiquette, a book that Kitster memorized to secure a job at the Three Moons, run by Rarta Dal. With that job, Kitster earned enough to buy his own freedom by the time he had grown up.[5]

Bandrik wrath[]

"I've been trying to help Tatooine's slaves get better treatment. This offends a slaver named Drik Bandrik."
―Kitster Banai, to a spacer[6]

It was said that when Kitster grew up years later during the Clone Wars, he became a smuggler and disappeared on one of his runs.[source?] However, he was seen at Mos Espa again,[6] in 1 ABY.[11] He did not know at the time that his best friend fell to the dark side and became the dreaded Darth Vader. In fact, he believed Anakin died during the Clone Wars.[6]

KitsterBanai

The adult Kitster Banai during times of trouble

When Kitster attempted to improve the lives of a group of slaves, he ended up offending their owner, the slaver Drik Bandrik. Angered, Bandrik framed Kitster by manipulating a tribe of violent Jawas into believing that Kitster had stolen a droid from them. Luckily for Kitster, a benevolent traveler agreed to help Kitster and kill the group of aggressive Jawas, all of whom were working for Wittin. As a reward, Kitster gave the traveler Anakin's podracing helmet. However, Kitster's problems were not yet over.[6]

Bandrik had once again framed Kitster, this time planting evidence with Jabba the Hutt that implicated Kitster with attempting to lead a slave revolt at his palace a few years ago. Though a revolt did take place, and fail, Jabba was still enraged enough to send a Rodian henchman named Deeng to kill Kitster. The same traveler who had helped him before agreed to hunt down and kill Deeng.[6]

Though the traveler succeeded in killing Deeng, Bandrik's persistence in framing Kitster did not end there. This time Kitster was being implicated in the murder of a moisture farmer. Kitster insisted that he was nowhere near the murder, and had the evidence to prove it. Kitster's alibi was that he was rotting in an Imperial jail cell during the time of the murder. He was arrested for "political agitation," as a result of his attempts to promote slave rights. Ultimately, the Galactic Empire released Kitster, because they believed him to be harmless. However, Sont Toipo, a local vigilante leader on Bandrik's payroll, was already rallying a lynch mob to kill Kitster. Kitster surmised that the mob consisted of six or eight local moisture farmers. He pleaded with the traveler to kill Sont Toipo, but to make an effort to spare the others, as they were merely farmers. Kitster hoped they would run off after Toipo was killed. The traveler agreed, and set out to successfully kill Toipo, while making an effort to spare the lives of the farmers. For the traveler's efforts, Kitster gave away another souvenir, a droid brain built by his old friend Anakin.[6]

Kitster-adult

Grown-up Kitster

Eventually, Kitster learned that the "murdered" moisture farmer was in fact not murdered at all, but rather paid by Bandrik to leave town long enough for a lynch mob to be formed. In order to clear his name, Kitster asked the traveler to find the moisture farmer, a female Twi'lek named Krin Vel, and bring her back to Mos Espa. Despite being ambushed by thugs working for Bandrik, the traveler managed to find Krin, and escort her back. Krin claimed that she did not know she was being used in a plot against Kitster. She wished to be brought back, so that both Kitster and herself could see to it that Bandrik went to prison.[6]

With the help of Krin, Kitster managed to assemble enough evidence that would clear him of Bandrik's fake charges. He considered sending the evidence to the police, but soon changed his mind when he surmised that the police and the Empire would have no reason to arrest him. He instead told the traveler to bring the evidence to a slicer friend, a Kitonak who went by the name Thermal Det. The traveler agreed to Kitster's final task, and succeeded in finding Thermal and giving him the evidence. Thermal saw to it that the information went straight to Jabba, and made it onto the HoloNet. Kitster thanked the traveler once again for helping him. Kitster concluded that Jabba would be angered with Bandrik for being manipulated. He believed that Bandrik would have to leave the planet if he ever hoped to survive.[6]

Ironically, Kitster's father, Rakir Banai, was working for Bandrik during these events. Bandrik personally tasked Rakir to deal with the troublemaker, without informing him of his identity. Thanks to the help of a spacer, Rakir finally discovered that Bandrik was a slaver and that his long missing son was the troublemaker. Rakir later send out messengers to the various cities of Tatooine to find Kitster.[12]

Anakin's legacy[]

Eventually, Kitster married a local Kuati woman named Ulda, who maintained the old Podracing Arena, eventually turning it into a swoop bike arena. However, Kitster quickly fell in love with the arena's bartender, Tamora Spice. Kitster left Ulda and married Tamora, and together they had two kids, Ji and Elly.[5]

With Tamora by his side, Kitster soon accomplished his ultimate goal in life by becoming the majordomo at the Rendala Estate in Mos Espa. However, by 8 ABY the estate had been foreclosed, leaving Kitster unemployed. Times became so hard that Kitster took to auctioning off personal objects, such as a holocube of his old friend Anakin Skywalker after winning the Boonta Eve Classic. The holocube was sold to a Gotal collector for thirteen hundred credits at the same auction as the famous painting Killik Twilight, which held Rebel codes in it.[5]

Tatooine ghost illustration scene

Older Kitster meeting with the disguised Solos

In 8.5 ABY, he met Leia and Han Solo at the same auction. When Killik Twilight was threatened with destruction, Kitster acted fast, stealing the painting and using his old friend Wald's swoop bike to escape into the deserts from pursuing stormtroopers. When a huge sandstorm struck, Kitster took shelter in a Jawa Sandcrawler that eventually was attacked by Tusken Raiders. The Sand People kidnapped Kitster and the painting and brought them back to the Valley of the Spirits, where they planned on sacrificing him to the "angry ghost" that had slain an entire tribe with a "glowing, humming sword." The Tuskens began to torture Kitster as part of the sacrifice by breaking his fingers for every time the moss painting needed to be watered. Fortunately, within a few days, Han and Leia found and rescued him and the painting. Before parting, Kitster explained his beliefs that Anakin must have always regretted his vengeful attack on the Tuskens, even after becoming the feared Darth Vader, which eventually brought Leia to conclude that she should forgive her father.[5]

Behind the scenes[]

Kitster Banai was portrayed by Dhruv Chanchani in The Phantom Menace.[1] "Chanchani" was later given as his middle name in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.[8]

Appearances[]

Non-canon appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
  2. 2.0 2.1 In both the shooting script for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace and Kitster's databank entry on StarWars.com, Kitster is described as being "about the same age" as Anakin
  3. 3.0 3.1 Star Wars: Head-to-Head Tag Teams
  4. 4.0 4.1 Databank title Banai, Kitster in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Tatooine Ghost
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 SWG logo sm Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided — Static Quest: "Kitster Banai" on Tatooine
  7. The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 57 ("Banai, Rakir")
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 57 ("Banai, Kitster Chanchani")
  9. 9.0 9.1 Episode I Adventures 5: The Ghostling Children
  10. Star Wars Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook
  11. According to its opening crawl, Star Wars Galaxies was set sometime after Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. The only precise time indication in the game was given by the character Ruwan Tokai, who referenced the destruction of the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin as occurring one year earlier, placing the game sometime around 1 ABY. Later, multiple elements confirmed the placement of the game storyline in 1 ABY. First, The Essential Reader's Companion established that the tie-in novel Star Wars Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine took place in 1 ABY. Furthermore, the game expansion Star Wars Galaxies: Rage of the Wookiees was set during the Blockade of Kashyyyk, one year after the Battle of Yavin according to The Star Wars Holiday Special. Additionally, the main scenario of The Nightsister's Revenge from the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game was set over a year before the Battle of Hoth (3 ABY), so around 1.5 ABY. Finally, the reference book Strongholds of Resistance placed the events of Star Wars Galaxies's Chapter 9: "The Fury of Exar Kun" one year after the Battle of Yavin. Of note, Galaxies's Chapter 11: "The Battle of Echo Base" introduced the Battle of Hoth in the game. However, the developers were quite clear that this was only intended to be a completely isolated "Star Wars Moment" without any effect on continuity for the rest of the game.
  12. SWG logo sm Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided — Static Quest: "Rakir Banai" on Tatooine

External links[]

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