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- "No lightsaber cuts… Interesting."
- ―Shahan Alama, upon finding his droid partner's remains
Shahan Alama was a Weequay bounty hunter who was active during the Clone Wars. He, along with Cad Bane and a group of other bounty hunters and mercenaries, participated in the Senate hostage crisis in order to free the crime lord Ziro the Hutt and deliver him to the Grand Hutt Council.
Biography[]
- "You have two more floors to check."
"Come on. We've got two more floors to check." - ―Skywalker uses a mind trick on Alama

Alama and the crew arrive at the Senate Building
In 21 BBY,[4] Shahan Alama was recruited by fellow bounty hunter Cad Bane to break the nefarious crime lord Ziro the Hutt out of Galactic Republic custody. Bane planned to blackmail the Republic's Supreme Chancellor, Sheev Palpatine, into releasing Ziro by holding a group of Senators hostage. His posse, including Alama, arrived at one the Senate Building's many landing platforms, where their unauthorized arrival garnered the attention of a group of Senate Commandos stationed there. The commandos demanded that they leave, but Bane refused, stating that he had business with the Galactic Senate. Alama and the bounty hunters then engaged the commandos in a brief confrontation, that was quickly ended thanks to Aurra Sing's skilled marksmanship.[3]

Alama and his droid partner hunt Skywalker in the corridors of the Senate Building
The hunters headed into the Senate building, where Bane used his knowledge of the building to anticipate the Senate Commando guard change and promptly dealt with them using a thermal detonator. The group then swiftly entered the control room, and Robonino shut down the power to the building. As the confused Republic senators gathered in the lobby atrium, the bounty hunters entered and surrounded them. Bane contacted Palpatine, demanding Ziro's release but the Chancellor refused. Bane locked down the building in retaliation and prevented all communication to the outside world. He hung up and began to confiscate the senators' comlinks and other valuables but, before he could search senator Padmé Amidala, he noticed the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker hiding in the upper levels. He opened fire on the Jedi and ordered Alama and an assassin droid to find him.[3]

Alama discovers his partner incapacitated
Alama and the droid hunted Skywalker through the Senate Building's now darkened corridors. The Jedi briefly managed to contact Palpatine by hot-wiring a terminal and Alama heard the noise from afar. He and the droid investigated but Skywalker was able to perform a mind trick on Alama, which convinced him they had to check the other two floors. Alama subsequently decided it would be best if he and his partner split up: the droid was to check one floor whilst he checked another. During his search, Alama suspected he'd discovered Skywalker's location, but upon entering the room he instead found a BD-3000 luxury droid inside. Alama laughed and shushed the droid before he quickly continued with his search. Hearing commotion on the droid's designated floor, he rapidly went downstairs to investigate and found the droid's mangled remains. However, he noticed that the droid had no lightsaber cuts and cleverly deduced that the Jedi must not have his weapon. Alama reported his findings back to Bane who then sent Sing to help with the search. Alama and Sing eventually found Skywalker attempting to enter the control room to turn the power back on. Robonino ambushed the Jedi from behind, shocking him with electricity and rendering him unconscious. The trio cuffed the Jedi and brought him back to Bane, who tossed him in with the senators. Palpatine agreed to have Ziro released but Bane decided to give the senators a "parting gift" before they left. The group set up a laser system around their captives that, if triggered, would detonate explosives wired to blow up the entire atrium, thereby killing everyone inside.[3]

Alama escaped with the rest of Bane's remaining team.
The hunters exited the building with their mission apparently complete. However, as they arrived outside, clone shock troopers disembarked from gunships and held the group at gunpoint. Speaking to Palpatine via hologram, Bane revealed the trap he'd set for the senators and threatened to activate the explosives from a remote detonator. The clones were consequently ordered to stand down, and the hunters boarded their getaway speeder, Bane's finger positioned over the detonator all the while. As they flew away, Bane activated the explosives as payback for the indignities that Ziro suffered while in prison, but Skywalker, who had awoken and retrieved his lightsaber from Amidala, saved the senators with a hasty escape.[3] Despite the successful mission, Alama and the crew were pursued by the Jedi down one of Coruscant's underworld portals. In desperation, Bane blasted the engine of an ascending transport ship and the ship spun out of control, forcing the Jedi to take control of it and steered it clear of a populated landing platform, allowing Bane and his crew to escape with their bounty. Although on the other side of the portal wall was the home of the Martez family.[5]
Noted by a pirate[]
- "A Weequay like me, this perceptive hunter is known for his cybernetic arm and his keen attention to detail. If he had only been on my crew."
- ―Hondo Ohnaka, on Shahan Alama

Hondo Ohnaka (pictured) wrote a book detailing his knowledge about Shahan Alama and other bounty hunters.
Around 9 ABY,[7] Ohnaka noted his knowledge and information about some of the most notorious bounty hunters in the galaxy in his guide book The Secrets of the Bounty Hunters, which also included Shahan Alama. Ohnaka had respected the bounty hunter, keen attention to detail and wish he was part of his crew.[6]
Personality and traits[]

Shahan Alama with his blaster
Shahan Alama was a male Weequay who was 1.85 meters (6 feet, 1 inch) tall.[1] His right forearm was cybernetic, and he had brown eyes and brown skin.[3] Alama was a former pirate,[1] turned bounty hunter who served as a member of Cad Bane's group of bounty hunters that attacked the Republic executive building.[3] Alama relished the opportunity to hunt Anakin Skywalker through the senate buildings corridors.[2] He was observant,[1] and when one of his colleagues, an assassin droid, was destroyed by the Jedi Knight, Alama noticed that there were no lightsaber cuts, intelligently deducing that the Jedi was without his lightsaber.[3]
Skills and abilities[]
Shahan Alama was effective in armed and unarmed combat, as well as combat and infiltration.[1]
Equipment[]
Shahan Alama wielded a Weequay blaster pistol and wore a red beret. Alama could equipped his blaster with a glowrod to see in dark places.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
- " It was back in my first or second year working here. Leland Chee, our Keeper of the Holocron, was tasked with naming background characters. They had a Weequay bounty hunter who was part of Cad Bane's gang, and Leland decided to name him 'Shahan Alama.' He wears this cool red beret. They even did a LEGO minifigure! It was very flattering."
- ―Shahana Alam on the character named after her
Shahan Alama first appeared in "Hostage Crisis," the twenty-second and final episode of the first season of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series. In the episode, he was voiced by Corey Burton, who also provided the voice of Cad Bane. Though not named within the episode itself, Alama's name was given during the episode's credits.[3] Shahan Alama is an tuckerization of Shahana Alam, Lucasfilm's Digital Asset Administrator.[8] The reference book Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle! incorrectly says Alama is female.[1]
Appearances[]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Lightsaber Lost" (In flashback(s))
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Hostage Crisis" (First appearance)
- "Hostage Crisis" — The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark (and audiobook)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Hunt for Ziro" (In flashback(s))
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Dangerous Debt" (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
Sources[]
"Hostage Crisis" Episode Guide | The Clone Wars on StarWars.com (backup link)
Cad Bane in the Encyclopedia (original site is defunct)
Star Wars Helmet Collection: Darth Vader Databank A-Z: Ask Aak–Stass Allie (Picture only)
Star Wars Helmet Collection: Luke Skywalker Databank A-Z: B1 Battle Droid–Bantha (Indirect mention only)
- Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle!
"Anakin Skywalker" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: The Secrets of the Bounty Hunters
- Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
Aurra Sing in the Databank (backup link) (Picture only)
Cad Bane in the Databank (backup link)
Coruscant in the Databank (backup link) (Picture only)
Galactic Senate in the Databank (backup link) (Picture only)
Shahan Alama in the Databank (backup link)
Non-canon sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle!
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2
Shahan Alama 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 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Hostage Crisis"
- ↑ Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
- ↑
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Dangerous Debt"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Star Wars: The Secrets of the Bounty Hunters
- ↑ Star Wars: The Secrets of the Bounty Hunters establishes that the in-universe book was written after the War against the Pykes, but before the statue of IG-11 was taken down in "Chapter 17: The Apostate." Star Wars: Timelines dates the War against the Pykes to 9 ABY, and "Chapter 17: The Apostate" takes place around the same year per the reasoning here. Therefore, The Secrets of the Bounty Hunters must have been created around 9 ABY as well.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1
Employee Spotlight: Shahana Alam on Lucasfilm's official website (backup link)