 |  |
|
Valarian
Biographical information
Descriptive information
Pronouns
Chronological & political information
Affiliation(s)
LadyValarian was afemaleWhiphid fromToola who became acrime boss andJabba Desilijic Tiure's main competitor onTatooine. Her parents were bothgangsters on Toola, though when they wereimprisoned for life she took up a criminal life of her own. She eventually traveled toMos Eisley on Tatooine and purchased theLucky Despot, an old cargo hauler that had been refitted as a hotel andcantina. She found stern opposition to her presence from Jabba theHutt, but the two criminals eventually reached accords; privately, however, they still despised and sought to ruin each other.
In0 BBY, Valarian arranged to wed famous Whiphidbounty hunterD'Wopp, and organized an elaborate ceremony and reception in theLucky Despot. When D'Wopp accepted abounty onHan Solo posted by Jabba during thewedding, Valarian attacked and killed him, starting a massive brawl.Stormtroopers eventually arrived to raid the hotel; Valarian's illegalgambling was discovered and her wedding, already a fiasco, was stopped. Valarian had D'Wopp shipped home in tiny pieces, though she was determined to continue her criminal operations and usurp Jabba. She had a former lover,J'Quille, among others, infiltrateJabba's Palace and attempt to kill the Hutt, though in the end he was killed byLeia Organa during theBattle of the Great Pit of Carkoon. Valarian attempted to take control of Jabba's organization, and although she encountered many difficulties, the Whiphid eventually seized command of Tatooine's criminal affairs. She made a pact with theNew Republic, and was still active during theYuuzhan Vong War.
Biography[]
Early life[]
- "My goodness, stop blathering. I do not handle business like some other crime lords do. I think this can be settled quietly. I understand that the shipment was lost. Consider yourself on probation, and report for your next assignment. The value of the cargo will be deducted from your cut of this new shipment. This time."
- ―Lady Valarian, to an employee[4]
Valarian was born to twoWhiphidgangsters on the iceplanetToola during the waning years of theOld Republic.[1] She was considered to be very attractive for a member of herspecies,[5] with a thick pelt of golden and white fur, with numerous red tints. Valarian was brought up to view crime as a way of life, and from a very young age she had an illustrious criminal record. When her parents were put behind bars for committing a grievous crime,[1] Valarian fled Toola,[4] struck out on her own, and began to establish a criminal empire of her own. A competent and wily businessbeing, her operation flourished and spread to severalsystems. Valarian, however, wanted more.[1]
TheLucky Despot[]
- "For better or for worse, we're now linked, my vicious little rancor. So enjoy your reward and the pleasures of the Lucky Despot. After all, you're practically family now."
- ―Lady Valarian, to a spacer[2]
In the early years of theGalactic Empire,[6] Valarian, aged just over twenty standard years[1]—young for a Whiphid—[7] arrived on theOuter Rim Territories world ofTatooine, hoping to establish new business ventures. Styling herself "Lady" Valarian, she set her sights on a battered old cargo hauler that had previously been a hotel andcasino named theLucky Despot, located inMos Eisley.[6] Valarian hoped to use it as a base in which to operate her growing criminal empire.[4] Although she knew that Tatooine already had onecrime lord,Jabba Desilijic Tiure, Valarian decided to go ahead with her plans, and after a few well-placed bribes, obtained ownership of the vessel.[6]
Lady Valarian.
To Valarian's immense surprise and frustration, however, Jabba theHutt did have qualms about her setting up shop on his planet.[6] Valarian discovered that theship had never actually been decommissioned, so she had to pay exorbitant taxes on the property and apply for permits and licenses needed to operate a passenger liner. Jabba also used his influence to bar the Whiphid from obtainingliquor andgambling licenses; though she did eventually manage to bribe officials into allowing her to sell alcohol, she never got a gambling license.[4] Instead, she usedholographicsabacc tables that were only activated at nighttime.[8] Valarian did not care much for paperwork and formalities, so she decided to open her nightclub and casino despite Jabba's objections. The Hutt responded by ordering his underlings to attack theLucky Despot and its patrons, and also attempted to derail Valarian's plans with legal wrangling. Eventually, however, the two criminals reached an agreement: Valarian would pay off Jabba to cease his attacks and would ensure that her operation remained too small to pose a serious threat tohis. In return, the Hutt warned her in advance of any police raids to search for illegal gambling.[4] Valarian was extremely careful not to tie herself to any criminal deeds, so that the authorities would have nothing against her.[9]
While Jabba did uphold his agreement and forewarn Valarian of any planned raids,[4] he continued to bar her from procuring a gambling license.[1] The truce between the two was shaky at best, and they both continually plotted to eliminate the other, constantly testing each other's defenses.[6] Despite this, Valarian was always cautious in her plans, fearing retribution from Jabba and his associates.[10] Valarian did plan to overthrow Jabba eventually, but was content to bide her time and wait for a suitable opportunity; being second best did not perturb her, because she knew that she would eventually take Jabba's throne. Valarian pumped little additional funds into her hotel casino, and as a result it became quite shabby and run down in appearance, though it did have a reputation for excellent food.[4] Most of Valarian's time was spent selling illicit goods, arms,[1]slaves,[11] and information,[8] though she also invested much resources into learning what Jabba was up to at all times[4] and in hassling him with her force of thugs. In response, Jabba tasked his chief of security,Ephant Mon, with ruining Valarian.[12]
Valarian
Because she was believed to be a fairer and more reasonable employer than Jabba, Valarian had no trouble finding thugs andmercenaries to work for her,[4] and by the time of the establishment of theAlliance to Restore the Republic, she had many outposts dotted throughout Tatooine,[13][14][15][16] as well as apalace inMos Entha.[6] In2 BBY, when Jabba left Ephant Mon in charge of his operations while he attended to business onNal Hutta, Valarian attempted to take advantage and began encroaching on the Hutt's territory. Jabba eventually returned and put a stop to it, however.[17] Around the same time, Valarian recovered a formerassassin droid of Jabba's, namedE522, which had been smeared in meat and pitted againsthis pet rancor after it had insulted one of his clients.[8] Hoping to spite Jabba, Valarian had thedroid rebuilt from its scrap, and although it lacked its original weaponry, it performed well as a bodyguard and errand runner.[6] Also to Jabba's consternation, she built a base in theDragon's Spine asteroid field in theTatoo system, where she kept a military presence.[18] TheKubazinformation brokerGarindan sold his information to both Jabba and Valarian; the expert spy remained neutral by serving both equally—if he sold Valarian information on Jabba, he usually sold Jabba information on Valarian in exchange.[19]
Disastrous wedding[]
- "My mate and I shall celebrate my glorious return. She is Whiphid. She will understand."
- ―D'Wopp[8]
In0 BBY, Valarian procured a mate from herhomeworld, a renowned Whiphidhunter namedD'Wopp. The two agreed to marry, and Valarian went about organizing a hugewedding in theLucky Despot.[1] The pair planned to spend their honeymoon huntingKrayt dragons, even though it meant crossing Jabba's territory.[20] Valarian hired famed musicianMax Rebo and hisband—former players for Jabba the Hutt and Valarian's favorite musical group—to provide entertainment for the wedding. Days before the planned wedding,Kardue'sai'Malloc, a localDevaronian drunk, met with Valarian in her office to speak with her about her wedding music. A huge music enthusiast, Malloc hoped to trick Valarian into allowing him to see his favorite band, theModal Nodes; he asked the Whiphid if she would let it be said that a band that Jabba fired played at her wedding, while the Hutt employed the best in the business. Furious at the thought of losing face to Jabba,[21] Valarian sent E522 to the Hutt'sdesert citadel to offer the Modal Nodes three thousandcredits to play at her wedding reception.[8][22]
Figrin D'an, the lead musician in the band, agreed to Valarian's offer, and the Modal Nodes set up shop in theLucky Despot a day before the wedding was planned to take place. Valarian's guests arrived the next day, including D'Wopp, who had never been to Mos Eisley previously.[8] Among her guests were various criminals from throughoutthe galaxy, Whiphid relatives, and other, more unwelcome guests: a group of Jabba's henchmen.[21] The wedding went as planned, and Valarian and D'Wopp tied the knot, before the reception began in theStar Chamber Café. The Modal Nodes proved immensely popular, and the two Whiphid lovers danced for a time, until Valarian left D'Wopp momentarily to conduct some business.[8]
Lady Valarian's first and last argument with her husband.
Valarian had been played by Kardue'sai'Malloc, however. The Devaronian had contacted Jabba and told him of Valarian's theft of his band, and provided the Hutt with details on his competitor's wedding arrangements. Furious, Jabba sent an agent of his to try and break up the wedding, while also neglecting to inform Valarian of an impending Imperial raid.[21] While Valarian took a several minute break from the festivities to deal with business, aDuros under Jabba's employ approached D'Wopp and told him of thebounty Jabba had placed onCorelliansmugglerHan Solo's head. D'Wopp, keen to prove his hunting prowess on his new planet of residence, decided to leave and search for Solo there and then; Valarian would understand, he told himself.[8]
Valarian was incensed that D'Wopp would accept a bounty on such an important occasion. When she learned what had happened as D'Wopp was about to depart, she began flinging insults at him. The two clashed and a massive brawl ensued right in front of Figrin D'an's bandstand; spurred on by Jabba's various henchmen, dozens of guests became embroiled in the fight. In the middle of the brawl, a squad of Imperialstormtroopers arrived to search the hotel for any illegal gambling. Valarian's employees were unable to deactivate theholotables in time, and the Imperials discovered them.[8] When many made a mad dash to escape, the stormtroopers began firing on Valarian's guests.[21] During the brawl, Valarian killed D'Wopp,[6] and she was eventually left without a husband,[1] band,[8] or any method of gambling.[5]
Later, Valarian had D'Wopp's body ground into little pieces and shipped back to Toola. Some parts of his body never made it back, though only Valarian and her chef knew exactly what became of them.[1] Valarian's hotel started to go downhill; thefish in the aquariums perished, and the place became less clean and more grubby as theGalactic Civil War progressed. Valarian lusted for revenge against Jabba.[5]
Plotting against Jabba[]
- "The Hutt blocks me at every move. He wrecks my operations, sics the law hounds on me, steals my business, sucks me dry with payoffs."
- ―Valarian, to Ephant Mon[5]
After theBattle of Yavin, Lady Valarian worked closely with two female lieutenants: theGranInd and theChissKavas Urdano.[23][24] However, Urdano and Ind had a very conflicting relationship as both competed for getting Valarian's attention.[25] As the war between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance progressed, relations between Valarian and Jabba nosedived, and the two began continually assaulting each other's operations. Jabba had many of the Whiphid's depots and bases attacked, while Ephant Mon managed to hijack some of her secret financial records.[12][26] In1 ABY,[27] Kavas Urdano and Ind recruited a number ofspacers to assist them in their operations against Jabba.[23][24] In response to many acts against him, Jabba ordered an assassin to kill Valarian, though one of Kavas's trusted men defeated him.[23] Impressed with the spacers, Lady Valarian later hired the individuals for several additional jobs. First, Valarian had realized that a former agent of hers,Una Githori, had turned traitor and was providing Jabba with secrets; the Whiphid had a spacer sent after Githori, who killed the turncoat informant. She also had the spacer kill one of Jabba'sspice dealer,Soobu Javeedo, who was encroaching on her territory. A short time later, the Whiphid discovered that Jabba's prime enforcer in Mos Eisley,Arrud Barsoomu, recruited localswoop gangs to attack the Valarians. She responded by having the spacers decimate the gang of theDesert Banshees and their leaderKilth Saanu, as well as Barsoomu himself. Later, the spacers also killed theChadra-FanassassinDuska Murgo and theWeequay criminalSiron Vurn'ke who were sent after her by Jabba. For all the actions of the spacers, she awarded the individuals ornatedaggers.[2]
Valarian in her office in the theLucky Despot, during 1 ABY
Around the same time, Lady Valarian developed a partnership withTalon Karrde, the leader of theSmugglers' Alliance. This allowed Valarian's lieutenantShamdon Kree to employ Karrde's pilots in space missions against Hutt interests. However, the successes of these pilots attracted the attention of Jabba who discovered the alliance between Karrde and Valarian. Rather than punishing Talon Karrde, Jabba the Hutt threatened the smuggler leader and forced him to provide the services of his skilled pilots against the Valarians. The subsequent attacks caused major setback for Valarian's operations outside the Tatooine system.[28]
Then, still in 1 ABY,[27], Lady Valarian finally decided to attack directly Jabba, and if possible, assassinate him. To do so, she assembled a team of elite off-world specialists, namely thespice dealerDelrice Capreese, theweaponsmithArkahn Greystar, theslicerIris Tanada Sinclair, thewarlordCareem, the tacticianFnast Drexler, and theassassinEmanon. However, the Hutt crime lord discovered the plot and Jabba's henchmen killed Lady Valarian's strike team during an assault on theValarian Strategic Command Bunker. In addition, Jabba's men assassinated Valarian's bodyguardTyrok.[16]
Later the same year, a lab assistant from theMos Eisley Biolab,Bera Jeza, was assassinated in a street of Mos Eisley. Since she had ties with Jabba the Hutt, hismajordomoBib Fortuna hired aspacer to investigate the murder.[29] However, despite the assistance of theSlicerCale Herron, the spacer was not able to find the assassin. As Fortuna urged the spacer to solve the case, Herron suggested to blame Lady Valarian for the murder. The spacer therefore visited Lady Valarian at the Lucky Despot and accused her for the crime. Indeed, Lady Valarian was not eager to be held responsible for a murder she did not order. Valarian then ordered her bodyguard, the assassinTitus Sypknee, to get rid of the spacer. The assassin attacked the spacer but the latter managed to kill Sypknee.[30] The spacer eventually forced Lady Valarian to pay reparations to Jabba the Hutt.[31]
The death of Jabba[]
- "He will fall soon. You can't deny that. If not from my pushing, then from someone else's."
- ―Valarian, about Jabba[5]
Although she decided she had no use for men after her wedding fiasco,[1] Valarian acquired a new lover sometime prior to4 ABY:J'Quille, another Whiphid hunter from Toola. Valarian never had any real affection for J'Quille, and only ever intended to use him as a pawn, but J'Quille loved her immensely. The two had a public "falling out," which was merely a ruse to get J'Quille inside Jabba's Palace. The plan worked, and J'Quille was able to infiltrate Jabba's den without arousing any suspicion, with the intention of finding a way to kill Jabba; he took with him one of Valarian's ornamentalvibroblades, which was in truth a secret holographic communication device that allowed the two to converse. However, J'Quille was only able to use the communicator irregularly, for fear of being discovered. In the several months he was undercover, J'Quille did little to aid Valarian, aside from bribing one of Jabba's assistant cooks,Phlegmin, to add slow-acting poison to the Hutt's food.[32]
J'Quille was not the onlyspy Valarian attempted to recruit; she also had at least one member of theB'omarr Order,[32] a group of religious beings who had built Jabba's Palace seven hundred years prior,[6] acting as an informant, as well as numerous droids and other beings.[33] Valarian also made efforts to recruit Ephant Mon, Jabba's most trusted henchman, to her cause—she and theChevin had much in common, and both enjoyed each other's company. Despite Valarian's lucrative offers, however, Mon continually refused.[5] Around3 ABY, Valarian acquired the spying services ofSy Snootles, a member of the Max Rebo Band who had been rehired to play in Jabba's Court, though Snootles eventually reported Valarian's offer to Jabba.[33] One successful spy Valarian had in Jabba's Palace was aU2-C1-series housekeeping droid, which delivered covert messages for the Whiphid, using its vacuum arms to prevent eavesdropping.[34]
During the same time period, an employee of Jabba's—Malakili, the beast keeper—approached Valarian in theLucky Despot. Malakili had grown discontent with Jabba's treatment of him and therancor, and offered Valarian insider knowledge on Jabba's dungeons and back passageways in exchange for passage off-world. The Whiphid was uninterested, though when Malakili mentioned that he was charged with looking after Jabba's rancor, she saw an opportunity to cause the Hutt great embarrassment. She agreed to Malakili's demand, and arranged for atransport to collect theHuman and the rancor from Jabba's Palace. She had Malakili insert a micro camera into Jabba's throne room so she could see her competitor's reaction when his rancor disappeared.[35] J'Quille was able to arrange the pickup and help Malakili set up the camera, one of his few endeavors while undercover in Jabba's Palace.[32]
Lady Valarian
In4 ABY, several months after his insertion into Jabba's Palace, J'Quille contacted Valarian to inform her of a problem in the palace. Someone had learned of his bribing Phlegmin and had begun to blackmail him; when Phlegmin was found dead, J'Quille became extremely worried and felt it prudent to contact Valarian. The female Whiphid was annoyed at her supposed former lover; communication was very risky, and she only wanted to hear about Jabba'sdeath. She also had another male companion with her at the time. Valarian was about to inform J'Quille of her B'omarr monk spy, who she suspected may have killed Phlegmin, but their call was interrupted by a disturbance in Jabba's throne room, and J'Quille had to leave.[32]
Things went awry soon thereafter. Just minutes before the beast's planned escape, the rancor was killed by Rebel Alliance heroLuke Skywalker;[35] around the same time, J'Quille killed Valarian's B'omarr spy, erroneously believing him to have been the blackmailer.[32] However, Skywalker and hisallies were able tokill Jabba, destroying hissail barge and taking many of his trusted lieutenants to the grave with him.[6]
Taking control[]
Valarian wasted no time in capitalizing on Jabba's death. She quickly began to take over many of his previous operations, and attempted to hire many of his older smugglers; she was not without competition, however, and lost many potential customers and smugglers toTalon Karrde,[6]Big Bunji, and others.[37] Most of those who drifted into Karrde's employ left Tatooine, while other former Jabba employees traveled toHutt Space to work for theDesilijic Clan. After several years, Valarian was the only major crime lord remaining on Tatooine. She knew she had two options to lure criminals to choose her over other crime lords: she could keep them in fear as Jabba had, or become a far more benevolent employer. She opted for the latter route, awarding her smugglers with many rewards and arranging with the authorities to allow her employees to come and go as they pleased, buying their loyalty with currencies Jabba had never used.[6]
Valarian proved extremely successful, and her influence reached far and wide. When the Rebel Alliance's successor, theNew Republic, arrived on Tatooine hoping to establish their governance of the planet, Valarian made huge profit onwater, power, land, and shipping rights, while also arranging tax-exempt status with the New Republic. The Whiphid also negotiated deals with them on her legal commerce; after several years, Valarian had become one of the richest individuals in the system. Part of her deal with the New Republic included that she be given acity council seat in Mos Entha, the new capital city, so that she would have a voice in the governing of Tatooine. Although most of the government was not happy with her presence, as long as she did not embarrass Mos Entha's mayor with any foiled criminal operations, she was allowed to keep her post. Valarian honored this agreement, and eventually became something of a celebrity on Tatooine, even though most knew of her illegal operations. Valarian relied on corruption and "looking the other way" to keep her criminal organization afloat, though scavenging what was left of Jabba's fortunes was another of her primary concerns: she had many of her thugs attempt to raid the treasures left in Jabba's dormant palace, though the B'omarr monks ensured they never returned from the palace.[6]
While Valarian put great effort into ensuring she did not become what Jabba had, increasing pressure meant she was unable to stay as disassociated from her criminal deeds as she would have wished while she cracked down on her own people. Jabba's relatives were showing an increased interest in returning to Tatooine, and many of Valarian's employees who had previously worked for Jabba turned against her—several assassination attempts, many coming from within the ranks of her own organization, narrowly failed. Living in fear, the Whiphid had her palace in Mos Entha converted into a heavily fortified near-fortress. Valarian realized that she was living as Jabba had done in his final days: constantly fending off attacks, uncovering plots, and pitting conspirators against each other. Valarian was growing old, and wished to be less involved in her criminal affairs; she also knew that should she be killed before ensuring she had an able successor, her entire organization would be taken over by the Hutts and things would return to the way they had been under Jabba. Thus, she searched for a protégé to groom as her heir.[6]
Later life[]
Valarian with Shiri'ani.
Valarian found the protégé she had been looking for inShiri'ani, a youngTwi'lek female who had been left homeless after Jabba's death. Shiri'ani had been hired by Jabba's majordomo, Bib Fortuna, to serve as a dancer in the Hutt's palace, but Jabba had been killed and Fortuna had went missing before she arrived; Shiri'ani was able to escape and lived on the streets of Mos Eisley for a time. Believing that the Twi'lek might know of Jabba's hidden treasure vaults—which was not the case—Valarian hired Shiri'ani as a dancer in theLucky Despot. Shiri'ani quickly demonstrated her keen grasp of business, and before long she had been elevated to barmaid and later to assistant manager by an impressed Valarian.[6]
Valarian took special interest in her Twi'lek assistant, and began training her to take over the Whiphid's operations when the time came for Valarian to retire. By the time Shiri'ani reached adulthood, Valarian had taught her the tools of the trade: manipulation, negotiation, and the ability to keep others eating out of her hands. After a time, Valarian decided that her protégé should establish a cantina of her own; Shiri'ani purchased a run downbulk freighter—practically a duplicate of theLucky Despot—in Mos Entha and converted it into a casino and hotel, just as Valarian had done over a decade beforehand. Named theLucky Star, it was an immediate success as both a hotel and as Shiri'ani's headquarters for her various illegal ventures. But while Valarian trusted Shiri'ani and hoped she would become her heir, the Twi'lek had begun to plot against her. Shiri'ani's associate,Firith Olan—actually Bib Fortuna occupying Olan's body—managed to turn her against Valarian, and the Twi'lek began plotting how she would usurp the Whiphid.[6]
Around the same time, a Hutt namedHerogga rose to prominence in Mos Entha, and emerged as a serious rival to Valarian's criminal empire. Herogga was extremely secretive, so much so that even his most trusted lieutenants never saw him in the flesh. His operations were quite successful, and he and Valarian—with Shiri'ani at her side—became embroiled in an underground war, each side determined to wipe out the other. With the outbreak of theYuuzhan Vong War in25 ABY and the ruination of the Hutt homeworld, Nal Hutta,three years later, many Hutts fled to Tatooine to take up residence on the desert planet. Valarian was left with more competition than ever before, though she hoped to make a profit out of theYuuzhan Vong invasion.[6]
Personality and traits[]
Valarian liked to be seen as a fair and approachable employer, and she purposely treated her employees with great respect, giving them reason to stay working with and loyal to her. Her ethos was the opposite of her rival, Jabba's; he ruled through fear and oppression, while she ruled through esteem.[4]Thwim, one of Valarian's security guards, viewed her as a great employer and a warm creature overall.[20] She was extremely ambitious, resourceful, and persistent; while many would have packed up and left Tatooine in her place after Jabba's opposition to her presence, she carried on, eventually making a life for herself.[4]
However, Valarian was also very aggressive and vengeful, and never let any acts against her go unpunished. When D'Wopp angered her at their wedding, she attacked him, ultimately killing him for one insignificant act.[8] After that, she had no need for men, though she was not averse to seducing and using them when necessary.[32] Valarian's ultimate desire was money, and she cared little for how exactly she got her hands on it.[6] She was also known to be cautious in her initial dealings with Jabba, fearing retribution.[10] Valarian was considered very beautiful on her homeworld,[20] and she put great pride into her appearance. She was known to wear jewellery on her tusks, which she often painted in different colors. She also tinted her mane various shades and had it curled constantly,[10] and used strong smelling perfumes.[32]
Behind the scenes[]
Valarian with blue fur.
The character of Valarian was created byMartin Wixted andBill Smith, as part of theGalaxy Guide 7: Mos Eisley sourcebook forStar Wars: The Roleplaying Game. Some backstory was provided in the book, though Valarian mainly served as a character to be used by gamemasters. She went unused untilKathy Tyers featured her in a short story namedWe Don't Do Weddings: The Band's Tale, which was collected in theTales from the Mos Eisley Cantina anthology.We Don't Do Weddings was one of the first of the short stories inTales from the Mos Eisley Cantina to be written, soDaniel Keys Moran based his own contribution,Empire Blues: The Devaronian's Tale, which also featured Valarian, around Tyers's story.[39] Valarian has since been mentioned in several other sources, including several short stories compiled inTales from Jabba's Palace, the short storySpare Parts,Rebel Dawn, andThe New Essential Guide to Characters.Secrets of Tatooine, a sourcebook for theStar Wars Roleplaying Game, provides much information on Valarian's later life after Jabba's death.
Although Valarian is described as having fur with golden and white color inThe Essential Guide to Characters, Valarian's card in theTopps'1996 Topps Star Wars Finest set shows Valarian with blue fur. However, the chrome covered version of the card has a gold tint to it.[40]
Valarian's name is similar toValerian, a type of herb, and aRoman emperor named Valerian.
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}