Durge

Durge

Durge was amaleGen'Daibounty hunter who was active inthe galaxy for almost two thousand years. Able to survive several near-death situations due to his Gen'Dai heritage and enhanced battle armor, he fought in several wars and collected a multitude of bounties. Over the centuries, Durge acquired a deep distaste forMandalorians, and even killedtheir leader at one point. As a result of both personal tragedy andtorture, he became increasingly mentally unstable.

Tempted by the idea of killingRepublicclone troopers, clones of the MandalorianJango Fett, Durge was recruited into theConfederacy of Independent Systems during theClone Wars. Given the rank of commander, he performed several key missions for CountDooku himself, and leddroid forces in combat on more than one occasion. Near the end of the war, he was launched, and Force-pushed into astar nearMaramere byAnakin Skywalker where he was truly killed.

Biography[]

Early career[]

Durge was in exceptional physical shape already at an early age, and possessed a natural aggression uncharacteristic of the Gen'Dai species. After witnessing bounty hunters in action, Durge was filled with a lust for hunting. He eventually left his tribe and ventured out intothe galaxy, where he trained under various crack bounty hunters. At one point, he met aMandalorian training master known asJaing, who taught Durge all he needed to know in the field of Mandalorian tactics and combat skill.^[2]

The cybernetics plot[]

At some point, Durge and Jaing were approached by adoctor who offered to complement their bodies and armor suits with advanced cybernetics. Both feared that without such enhancements, they would become obsolete in combat, and therefore took thescientist up on his offer. They traveled to hislaboratory on an unknown planet, where they were introduced to a woman,Nubyl, who had been disabled to the point where she needed cybernetic enhancements to function. The doctor persuaded Durge and his training master by offering them the same cybernetics technology that kept Nubyl alive. Both Durge and Jaing were effectively merged with their armor suits on the operating table, although the doctor encountered some problems with Durge's Gen'Dai physiology—Durge's body was constantly trying to heal itself over the cybernetics.^[6]

After recovering, Durge and Jaing tested out their new abilities in a sparring match against a further enhanced Nubyl. Before the match could become fatal, the Doctor stopped them and informed them of aclan of Mandalorians loyal toUng Kusp, an enemy of the pair, that had been hired to recover aSithartifact stolen by the doctor, and had breached the facility's door. The doctor demanded Durge, Jaing, and Nubyl to kill them in order to repay their debt to him. In the ensuing battle Nubyl and Jaing were incapacitated by athermal detonator. Believing his friend to be dead, Durge swore vengeance against the Mandalorians, leaving forMandalore. As he exited the laboratory, the doctor revealed to the dying Jaing that the recent events were all part of his plan to spark war between the Mandalorian clans and the Sith.^[6]

Further exploits[]

During his history, Durge survived attempts on his life by the Sith, the Mandalorians, and theBloodboilers of Kragis.^[5]

Durge fought for the Sith in theNew Sith Wars, facing severalJedi in combat, learning their techniques and becoming experienced at killing them. In order to avoid Jedi reprisals, Durge went into hiding after the Sith's defeat at theSeventh Battle of Ruusan. He continued to hunt under a series of aliases and false names, amassing a fortune in bounties. Approximately100 years before theBattle of Naboo, Durge was hired to kill thethen-Mandalore. He was successful, but was captured by the Mandalorians andtortured, driving him slowly past the edge of sanity. Although he eventually escaped the Mandalorian torture, it took Durge nearly a century to regenerate, with sixty of those years spent buried underground.^[2]

Clone Wars[]

Joining the CIS[]

When he resurfaced following the outbreak of theClone Wars, Durge was disappointed that the majority of the galaxy's Mandalorians had perished, feeling that he had been cheated out of his revenge. Durge was more than happy to accept the invitation of the Sith CountDooku into the ranks of theConfederacy of Independent Systems, which was at war with theGalactic Republic; he once again had the opportunity to fight Mandalorians in the form of theGrand Army of the Republic, which was made up of clones of the Mandalorian bounty hunterJango Fett. Dooku would often team Durge up with theDark JediAsajj Ventress.^[2]

Durge was assigned a mission to track downBoba Fett by Count Dooku. Two months into the war, his search led him toTatooine. Informed of Durge's presence on the planet,Jabba Desilijic Tiure, aHutt crime lord, hired the Gen'Dai bounty hunter to kill local criminalGilramos Libkath, who had stolen several weapons and spice shipments from Jabba.^[8]

While relaxing in aMos Espacantina, Durge spotted a short fellow wearing a Mandalorian helmet—none other than his prey, Boba Fett. Durge swung at the young man, but Fett evaded his blow and escaped into the streets of the city. A short while later, Durge returned to Jabba's palace, where he was outraged to learn that the crime lord had assigned Boba Fett the same bounty as him—Gilramos Libkath. Durge found this unacceptable, and attempted to kill Fett, but was halted by Jabba after he knocked off Boba's helmet. Jabba wanted to give Fett a short lead on the bounty, and thus tasked Durge with killing severalcombat arachnids while the young Mandalorian ran off. Durge quickly disposed of the creatures, then set off to hunt down Fett. By chance, the chase led them both into the heart of Libkath's operations. After a prolonged fight, Fett tricked Durge into firing on a disguised shipment of explosives, blowing up both Durge and Libkath.^[8]

Battle of Ohma-D'un[]

Durge survived the blast, and was soon back to working for the Confederacy. He and Asajj Ventress tested a new chemical weapon—Jenna Zan Arbor'sswamp gas—on theGungan inhabitants ofNaboo's moon,Ohma-D'un. The toxin turned out to be very effective, particularly against Gungans, who died shortly after being exposed to the gas. Upon learning this, the two started making preparations for a full-scale swamp gas attack on Naboo itself.^[9]

Soon after, a Republic strike team consisting of several Jedi (Anakin Skywalker,Obi-Wan Kenobi,Glaive, andZule Xiss) and severalclone troopers, as well as theARC trooperAlpha-17, arrived on the moon to investigate. Looking forward to battling Jedi once again, Durge revealed himself to his enemies as he clubbed down Kenobi with hismagna bolas. He proceeded to attack the three other Jedi of the group, managing to strike all of them despite being stabbed through the abdomen with alightsaber. He sustained yet another injury seconds later, when Alpha-17 shot him through the eye. Tiring of the battle, Durge called Asajj Ventress for backup. Not long after, she arrived with reinforcements and swamp gas, putting the Jedi at further disadvantage.^[9]

While Ventress fought Obi-Wan Kenobi, Durge prepared to shoot the Jedi Master in the head. He was interrupted by yet another lightsaber wound inflicted by Zule Xiss. Ordered by Ventress to oversee that the swamp gas attack on Naboo went as planned, Durge ran off, only to find the shuttles meant to bear the toxin destroyed. Outraged to see his plan foiled by the Mandalorian clone Alpha-17, Durge threw the commando into a fire. Before he had a chance to react, Anakin Skywalker hit him from the side with his own magna bolas. Shocked and injured, Durge fled the battle, vowing to kill Skywalker on a later occasion.^[7]

Skirmish on Queyta[]

Knowing that the Republic would attempt to track down the source of the swamp gas, Durge and Ventress set a trap on the volcanic planetQueyta. They used the antidote for the swamp gas to lure Jedi into an abandoned factory on a lava river, filled withSkakoans wearing explosive pressurized suits. Between themselves and the exploding Skakoans, they were confident they would be able to kill whatever Jedi the Republic sent.^[10]

A team of five Jedi—Obi-Wan Kenobi,Fay,Jon Antilles,Nico Diath, andKnol Ven'nari—did show up on Queyta, and walked right into the trap. As soon as the Force-users revealed their presence, Durge shot one of the Skakoans, causing a mass explosion and severely damaging the factory, sending it sinking into the lava. Ven'nari used the Force to absorb most of the explosion, sacrificing herself in the process. Diath used the Force to comfort her as she passed. As Asajj fled towards her shuttle with the antidote, Durge flung Jon Antilles into the lava, instantly killing him, but melted away both his arms in the process. Diath was standing on a catwalk when some lava fell on him causing him to fall to his death in the lava stream. He then rushed at Fay and Kenobi, who had incapacitated Asajj temporarily and stolen the antidote, but was blown away by an explosion. As Fay was stabbed by the revitalized Asajj, the two escaped, leaving only Kenobi left with the antidote; they had been ordered not to kill him by Dooku.^[10]

Battle of Muunilinst[]

Four months into the war, Durge was sent to the planetMuunilinst, a major droid producer, to guard it against an eventual Republic attack. He was given command over an entire squad ofIG lancers,swoop bike-mounted droids specialized in close combat with lances. The Republic army, led by Obi-Wan Kenobi, attacked shortly after, yet Durge remained calm, merely watching the battle fromSan Hill's command room. Hill expressed his disapproval of Durge's inaction, questioning Dooku's decision of sending him to the planet. Durge replied by choking the Muun leader, then proceeded to drive out with his lancer droids. He charged part of the Republic force head-on, killing several clone troopers and destroying manywalkers. Having torn straight through the attack force, Durge and his droids took advantage of their being behind enemy lines by flanking yet another Republic group. Using mines, they destroyed all of the artillery in the group.^[11]

The first real opposition came when Republic clone troopers mounted swoop bikes and counterattacked using similar lances. Durge charged General Kenobi's bike, but lost both his own mount and his lance in the process. As Kenobi sped towards him, Durge grabbed his swoop and stopped it with his bare hands, knocking Kenobi off. The two met in melee combat, Durge using the swoop bike as a club. Kenobi cut the bike in pieces, then stabbed Durge in the gut with his lightsaber. Durge found this comical, laughing loudly to Kenobi's evident confusion of how it seemed to have no effect, and then started attacking the Jedi using much of his weapon arsenal. Despite Durge's attacks, Kenobi chopped the Gen'Dai in half. Thinking Durge to be dead, Kenobi drove off.^[12]

Durge recovered surprisingly quickly and headed to San Hill's command center, where Kenobi had just captured theInterGalactic Banking Clan leader. Durge charged into the room and was instantly met with a barrage of blaster fire from clone commandos, knocking him down and ripping apart his armor. No longer restricted by his carapace, Durge took advantage of his extended reach and knocked down several clone troopers before lunging towards Kenobi. He absorbed the Jedi into his body, but Kenobi broke free by blasting the Gen'Dai apart from the inside using the Force.^[13]

Duel with Grievous[]

Main article:Mission to Trenchant space station

Six months after the beginning of the Clone Wars, Durge and Asajj Ventress were ordered by Dooku to searchTrenchant space station for an unknown intruder. Unable to determine the location of their prey, they split up and attempted to trap it between them in the gallery section of the station. As Durge voiced his disapproval at the seemingly menial task, he was struck from behind byGrievous, Dooku's new subordinate, and flung through several items in the gallery. Even Ventress could not match the speed of the cyborg, and was knocked out.

Durge recovered quickly and answered Grievous' onslaught with a punch that sent the cyborg general flying across the room into a wall. That did little to slow him down, and he managed to behead Durge with one of his lightsabers and strangle Ventress. Grievous proceeded to deliver their bodies to Dooku himself, who had arranged the fight to test the cyborg general's abilities. Not wanting to lose two faithful soldiers, Dooku made sure Durge and his Dark Jedi partner were givenbacta treatment. Both then recovered shortly after.^[14]

Prison riot plan[]

Durge soon recovered, and as of 21 months after theBattle of Geonosis, he was still active on the battlefields. In20 BBY, the Confederacy launched a series of attacks known asOperation Durge's Lance that targeted several worlds along theCorellian Trade Spine.^[16]

At some point after Operation Durge's Lance, Durge instigated ariot at theM'Bardi Prison, hoping to attract Jedi to kill. MastersKit Fisto andPlo Koon eventually showed up, trying to recapture all the escaped prisoners. After the Jedi had fought off several prisoners, Durge revealed himself by shooting missiles at the two. He then engaged Fisto and Koon in close combat while boasting about how his plan had worked. Both his arms were cut off, but thanks to his Gen'Dai physiology he was still able to subdue the Masters. As he strangled them, he was shot in the chest byan intervening prisoner. The Jedi took advantage of his surprise, escaping and trapping the bounty hunter in the lower levels of the prison, though Fisto remarked that such a confinement would not hold him for long.^[15]

Set the controls for the heart of the sun[]

Near the end of the Clone Wars, Durge andXist lured Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker into a trap in theKarthakk system. Kenobi was frantically searching for Asajj Ventress, whom Anakin had defeated earlier in the war, which the duo took advantage of. Near the planetMaramere, Durge and a large number of battle droids killed the entire crew of a ship belonging to Xist's business rival,Drama Korr, while Xist tricked Kenobi into believing he would encounter Ventress on the ship.^[17]

Kenobi and Skywalker flew straight into the ruse. Boarding the ship, they made their way to the bridge, where they were almost blown up by a cleverly placed thermal detonator. Kenobi was hit hard by the explosion; Durge immediately appeared, punching the wounded man repeatedly. He was stopped by Skywalker, who used the Force to impale Durge on hundreds of jagged metal pieces. Durge shrugged this off, but was electrocuted from behind by Kenobi. He proceeded to trigger some of the many explosive devices with which he had rigged the ship. Kenobi ran off to look for clues to Ventress's whereabouts while Skywalker engaged the Gen'Dai in combat.^[5]

Durge overpowered the young Jedi, slamming him through a hangar blast door, but was severely damaged when Skywalker used the Force to send a large number of explosives at him. The following explosion tore off Durge's helmet, and launched him into a mindless fury. Skywalker exploited this and forced the bounty hunter into anescape pod. Again using the Force, the Jedi guided the pod into Maramere's star.^[3]

Legacy[]

A month after Durge's death, Boba Fett used aholoshroud projector featuring an image of Durge during his infiltration ofMazariyan, a Separatist fortress onXagobah. General Grievous saw through the projection, however.^[19]

At some point before1.5 ABY, a group of scientists at theImperial research stationthe Warren onDantooine were assigned to "Project Durge," an attempt to repair a grievously injured being. The scientists did not receive any information as to the origins of the life form, and at least one of them,Ogl'woxz, was amazed at the recovery rate of the specimen once they started piecing together its organs and limbs. They successfully revived "Project Durge," but were unable to restore it to its original appearance. Instead, they equipped the being with a suit of heavy battle armor. "Project Durge" eventually escaped with the help of theTalus-based criminal organizationThe Claw, and started collecting bounties. After beating one of Boba Fett's associates to a bounty, Fett ordered his associate to track down "Project Durge" and destroy it. The associate complied, and defeated "Durge" nearDee'ja Peak on Naboo. Fett wasn't convinced that he had seen the last of "Durge."^[18]

Personality and traits[]

Durge was an aggressive Gen'Dai in his younger days, and as he grew older, this evolved into a lust for blood.^[2] He enjoyed killing, to the point where he considered a period of time well spent only if it had been used for this purpose.^[9] His mental health was questionable, likely caused by the large number of near-death situations he experienced, his species' tendency to develop psychosis, as well as undergoing torture by Mandalorians. He despised Mandalorians due to both the torture and the fact that they killed his mentor and friend Jaing.^[2]

Skills and abilities[]

In combat, Durge was a match for even Jedi Knights. His Gen'Dai abilities, coupled with his armor suit, allowed him to hold his own against almost any opponent. Durge's regenerative physique made him difficult to truly kill, and even when unarmed, with both hands chopped off, he presented a major threat to his enemies.^[2] Durge was incredibly strong. Once unleashed from his suit, he easily overpowered a squad of clone troopers trying to subdue him and was able to catch a swoop bike mid-flight and wield it as a club. He had no lack of speed either, as he could easily keep pace with skilled Jedi, dodging and blitzing even Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.^[12] Despite being hit with nine explosive charges in the face, he managed to keep fighting Anakin Skywalker in their duel above Maramere.^[3]

Equipment[]

Durge had a number of cybernetic implants on his body that allowed him to use his heavy combat armor more efficiently. His own neuro-network worked in tandem with his armor's computer system, and his helmet's targeting system was directly connected to his optic nerves. The armor itself was specifically crafted to increase balance and agility,^[6] and was painted with a large symbol that resembled his mentor, Jaing.^[10] He wielded an arsenal of powerful weapons; along with a pair ofblaster pistols and a rifle, he was equipped with ajetpack andenergized bolas. His armor sportedmachine gun gauntlets which firedflechettes, a wrist-mountedflamethrower, a spiked flail,dart launchers andenergy shields capable of blocking lightsaber attacks for a short time.^[12] When unrestricted by his armor, he could extend his body parts long enough to strike down far-away opponents,^[13] and could even sharpen parts of his body to create a claw-like weapon instantly.^[3]

Durge was also supplied by the Confederacy with aNovaSword Space Superiority Fighter, which he used for most of the war.^[20]

Behind the scenes[]

Durge was created specifically for theClone Wars multimedia project.Lucasfilm wanted to establish a new, memorable bounty hunter villain to challenge the Jedi. The first concepts of Durge were designed by theSkywalker Ranch Art Department, the same artists that developed the concepts that appear in the feature films. He was further refined in maquettes that became the basis for Durge's Hasbro action figure.W. Haden Blackman wrote Durge's backstory and personality, while the character was named by Lucasfilm employees.^[21]

Durge was voiced byDaran Norris in theStar Wars: Clone Wars miniseries. He has no lines in this series, but does let out a deep, maniacal laugh when Obi-Wan stabs him with his lightsaber. InStar Wars: Clone Wars, Durge's armor-less appearance was heavily influenced by the1988 animated filmAkira, and is reminiscent of the film's antagonist at the climax.^[22]

Originally, Chapter 20 of theClone Wars cartoon was going to involve Anakin and Obi-Wan having to fight Durge. This was changed whenGeorge Lucas requested that they introduce General Grievous.^[23]

Durge was also originally going to appear as the first bounty hunter in the2008Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series. Supervising DirectorDave Filoni and writerHenry Gilroy considered reimagining Durge as aHuman character, redesigning his alien features and keeping his armor. The exploration was short-lived, and was ultimately dropped in favor of a newDuros character namedCad Bane.^[24][25]

Appearances[]

Explore all of Wookieepedia'simages for this article subject. "Prototypes" —Star Wars: Visionaries Republic 51(First appearance) Republic 52 Star Wars: Clone Wars Cine-Manga Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 4" Republic 53(In flashback(s)) Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 8" Star Wars: Clone Wars — "Chapter 9" Star Wars: Battle for the Republic "Rogue's Gallery" — Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 3 Republic 60(Mentioned only) Boba Fett: Hunted "CIS Shadowfeed Dispatch 15:2:29 Edition" —Star Wars Insider 74(Mentioned only) "CIS Shadowfeed Dispatch 15:3:21 Edition" —Star Wars Insider 76(Mentioned only) Obsession 1(Mentioned only) Obsession 2 Obsession 3 Boba Fett: A New Threat(Appears in hologram) Boba Fett: Pursuit(Mentioned only) Labyrinth of Evil(Mentioned only) "Means and Ends" — Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 6 Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith novelization(andunabridged audiobook)(Mentioned only) Republic 81(Mentioned only) Star Wars Galaxies: Rage of the Wookiees The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader(Mentioned only)

Sources[]

Notes and references[]