Darth Vader and the Emperor are two very powerful characters from the movies of Star Wars. However, in third place is one who is significantly less known. And this is despite the fact that he leads a powerful criminal organization.
Who is it about? The mention is of Xizor. He is one of the most powerful men in the galaxy, yet he does not appear in any movie or series of Star Wars. Hardcore fans may know him from the Shadows of the Empire series, which includes comics, novels, games, and audiobooks.
The story of Xizor is quite exciting because the character has worked his whole life to increase his own power while maintaining the favor of the right people.
He was born about 100 years before the Battle of Yavin, the great battle at the end of Episode 4. Xizor belonged to the reptilian Falleen species. He hails from a wealthy, respected royal house called Sizhran.
As its prince, he lived in luxury on Coruscant, the former seat of the Republic and later the center of the Empire. While Xizor made many friends in the high society there and created allies through his charismatic presence, he began to take on entrepreneurial activities.
His company was called “Xizor Transport Systems” and was meant to maintain the appearance that the prince was an ambitious yet honest businessman. In truth, he had already become part of the criminal syndicate “Black Sun” during the Clone Wars.
Xizor wanted to rise to the rank of “Vigo,” or head, within it. He even succeeded through various actions. However, a tragedy then disrupted the prince’s life and led to a conflict with Darth Vader.
Revenge as a Motive, but No One Should Know
What does Vader have to do with it? The fearsome Sith had set up a research lab right on Falleen, Xizor’s home planet. There, biological weapons were being researched illegally. Unfortunately, an accident occurred, and parts of the city where the lab was located were infested with bacteria.
Vader decided to bombard the city, resulting in many Falleen deaths, including Xizor’s family. The prince himself was safe but was now determined to take revenge on Vader. However, it was important to him that no one knew of his thirst for revenge. Thus, he manipulated the relevant data that identified Vader as the puppeteer behind the bombardment. Henceforth, there was no personal connection between the two.
How did Xizor proceed? The prince had two goals: he wanted to eliminate Vader and take his place next to the Emperor. But not to rule together with Palpatine, rather to bring down the Empire from within.
To do this, Xizor gradually gained the Emperor’s favor and sought to displace Vader. He also used the “Black Sun,” of which he was now the head. Vader suspected that the prince was playing a double game, but could not prove it.
Xizor eventually learned about Luke Skywalker and that there was a connection between the young Jedi and Vader. Thereafter, the prince wanted to find and kill Luke to tarnish Vader’s reputation in front of the Emperor.
Did the plan work? Xizor encountered Princess Leia and Chewbacca, who were currently searching for Han Solo – more specifically, Han Solo frozen in carbonite, as we are after the end of Episode 5. Xizor wanted to take them hostage to lure Luke. Initially, he seduced Leia using special pheromones that Falleen can emit. However, this was not fully successful because other heroes like Lando Calrissian attacked the prince’s palace and interrupted him.
Xizor had no choice but to flee. He flew away in his ship Virago but was intercepted by Darth Vader. The Sith presented the prince with a choice: Surrender or die.
Since Xizor was a proud character, he did not yield. This led to his death and sparked a long power struggle within the “Black Sun.” Unfortunately, this story has never been adapted into a film. It would indeed be an exciting one. Did you already know it? Another villain would have liked to return to the cinema: The actor of Kylo Ren wanted his own film, but for Disney, the ending of Star Wars 9 was a problem
