- "I, like many members of my species, make a living as a bounty hunter. Not from a desire to accumulate credits, but out of our love for the Empire."
- ―Slyder
A Rodian male, Slyder operated as a bounty hunter several years until 1 BBY, who based his entire operation out of the luxury cruiser Star of Empire. As opposed to tracking down wanted criminals, he simply looked for anyone who should have a price on their head, and reported them to whoever may have wanted that individual the most. During 1 BBY, Slyder discovered, with the help of the porter droid NB4, that a fledgling officer working for the Galactic Empire, Kyle Katarn, was going to defect to the Empire's enemy, the Rebel Alliance, with the help of several Rebel agents. The Rodian reported them to Governor Dol Donar II, who dispatched Slyder, along with Imperial troopers, to capture or kill the Rebels. Although the Rebels avoided the bounty hunter, Slyder was able to secure their protocol droid, A-Cee. When the Rebels escaped the Star, Donar decided to chase them with his own yacht, and brought Slyder and A-Cee along. However, the droid announced its self-destruction aboard the starship at the sight of Nathan Donar's Imperial uniform. Slyder, furious, executed the Imperials for their lack of precautions, before he patiently awaited his demise.
Biography[]
A unique approach[]
- "There are at least three Rebel agents aboard this ship, plus a droid who may or may not carry valuable data. And an Imperial officer who seems ready to desert."
- ―Slyder sells sensitive information
A Rodian male, Slyder, like many other Rodians, made his living as a bounty hunter. Although the act of hunting often involved picking up contracts and chasing targets across the known galaxy, Slyder regarded such work as more trouble than it was worth. Instead, he identified targets who appeared to hold value, scouted out potential buyers, and worked out a deal that would allow him to hunt the target. As far as he was concerned, this modus operandi was unique only to him. Sometimes around or before the year 4 BBY, the Rodian moved to the luxury cruise ship Star of Empire, which provided Slyder a stable hunting ground.[2] Slyder also acquired the assistance of the porter droid NB4, who sometimes helped him identify and survey targets.[3]
Some of Slyder's eventual conquests included a con-woman, an assassin droid, a spy, and a bank robber, as well as many more. The bounty hunter also made it a habit to collect trophies from his targets as a souvenir of his successful hunts. For example, he owned a four-barreled blaster pistol that he claimed from the con-woman, and the head from the assassin droid. As the Star served not only Imperials, but was actually also a ground of operations for agents working for the fledgling Rebel Alliance, Slyder found that selling out Rebels was the most profitable business, and the Empire, who was always on the market for them, became his greatest employer.[2]
As his career flourished, more and more of his income ended up funding his addiction to pol pollen, a drug. Slyder lived at least three years on Star of Empire in his personal cabin, where he kept the majority of his trophies. He planned on eventually retiring, and creating a home that would have a special room dedicated to his trophy collection.[2]
The final hunt[]
- "A visitor sir... His name is Slyder—he regrets the intrusion—but insists on seeing you."
- ―The Donar family protocol droid introduces Slyder
During the year 1 BBY,[1] Slyder was present at a sabacc game in the Corellia Room, between Dol Donar II, an Imperial governor, and Lando Calrissian, an avid sabacc player. While watching the game commence, NB4 had alerted him to the presence of Rebel agents aboard the luxury ship. During the match, a fledgling Imperial officer, Kyle Katarn, collided into Slyder as he rushed out of the room to follow a Human female, Jan Ors,[2] whom the droid had identified as one of the agents. The officer made a remark about Slyder's body odor, in which the Rodian explained that due to his natural scent, which others found appalling, he was trying to cover it up with cologne. Katarn suggested Slyder stick with his natural scent, and continued on his way. Curious with the officer's haste, the Rodian began to track Katarn and Ors. First, he sent NB4 to plant a transmitter on Ors' ship, Truly Sorry.[3]
Later, Slyder tracked them to a library, where he feigned sleeping in a cubicle, and later discovered, with the use of cameras, that Ors was working with two other agents, Ris Waller and Rosco Ross, along with a protocol droid designated A-Cee. Later, Slyder remotely observed Katarn and Ors as the latter revealed that the Empire had been the cause of the death of Katarn's father. Katarn, who had been told that Rebels were responsible, ultimately decided to join the agents, throwing a Medal of Valor he had been awarded into a waste-bin. Satisfied with the importance of his new targets, and wanting to add the officer's medal to his trophy collection, Slyder decided to contact Donar, whom Slyder believed would be willing to pay for the Rebel agents.[2]
The Rodian met with Donar in person, arriving at the governor's cabin aboard the ship. Although Donar and his family were disgusted with the presence of the Rodian—as they found his scent repulsive, especially due to his cologne—the governor was shocked to learn about the Rebels onboard the ship, although he wanted proof of the matter before he would accept Slyder's offer to deal with them. Silently, the Rodian activated a holocube of the Rebel operations, and Katarn's interactions with Ors. Enraged with this revelation, Donar bought Slyder's services, and ordered several Imperial Military troopers to aid the Rodian in his hunt. However, Donar's son, Nathan Donar III, was an acquaintance of Katarn's, and warned his friend about the bounty hunters and soldiers. The Rebels hustled towards the Star's hangar, where the Truly Sorry awaited. Slyder led the troops where Ors was exiting and opened fire; her droid, A-Cee lost some time documenting the events, giving enough time for Slyder to disable him with a blaster bolt from his pistol. However, the droid would be the only thing that the Imperials would catch; they hunted Ors to the hangar, and they were scattered because of fire from her accomplices who covered her, and the Rebels were able to disembark the Star.[2]
Slyder executes the Imperials responsible for his demise
Donar, not wanting to lose them, crowded the Imperials and Slyder onto his own ship. Slyder at first thought that going with the governor on his yacht as an observer would be a good thing, as its capabilities out-ranked his own vessel. However, Donar's bulk only occupied space; he insisted to bring onboard A-Cee, and distracted the officers by putting priority on it in order to discover the droid's secrets. Slyder's patience continued to wear thin with the Imperials, mostly equal-ranking officers, bossing each other around and bullying a technician while no one made progress. The Rodian found the Imperials to be incompetent, and felt that they should focus on their prey and the droid should have been attended to later. Little did they realize that A-Cee was programmed to self-destruct at the sight of an Imperial uniform, such as the one Nathan wore. When the droid was reactivated, A-Cee spotted Nathan and prepared to explode, much to everyone's horror. While they desperately attempted to deactivate it, Slyder knew there wasn't enough time. Disgusted by the Imperials's stupidity and incompetence in the whole operation, and realising that all his life and career was wasted, Slyder drew his pistol and executed those in the room. With his fate out of his hands, he could only await his demise. A-Cee self-destructed with four point two kilos of plitex nine explosives, destroying Donar's yacht and those aboard, as the Rebels escaped.[2]
Slyder was survived by his mother, who eventually inherited his trophies.[2]
Personality and traits[]
- "Greetings, Excellency. Stories of your wisdom, generosity, and strength are more numerous than the stars."
- ―Slyder flatters Governor Donar
Slyder confers with Donar
Slyder, like many Rodians, lived as a bounty hunter. However, Slyder did not like the usual method of bounty hunting, finding it pointlessly dangerous, time consuming and laborious. Instead, he opted for self-constructed form of hunting, where he would track those who should have a price on their heads before selling them to whomever would want them the most.[2] With this system, Slyder considered himself to be much smarter than the average bounty hunter. He even made it a note to remind himself and his droid companion of his method on occasions of his choosing.[3] Slyder was precise in his work, and worked hard to spy upon people he suspected, sometimes stalking, faking sleeping, and employing tiny microdroids in the form of creatures such as caterpillars.[2]
Slyder's unique "pre-emptive" approach made up for his mediocre tracking skills and average markmanship, and could boast a successful bounty hunter career. Indeed, the Star of Empire, serving Imperials, Rebels, businessmen and scoundrels, proved an ideal "crossroad" of such activities and Slyder served his trade just operating from his cabin, which he filled with a large collection of trophies from his various targets; he intended to take them to his future home upon retirement. Slyder also had a mother somewhere, who was entitled to inherit his possessions in case he was survived by her. Slyder was also addicted to pol pollen, a drug that he believed cleared his mind and helped him concentrate, while consuming more and more of his income as his career continued; he would often reward himself with doses of pol pollen after moments of clarity.[2]
In order to better sell his services, he would flatter his would-be clients, even if he disliked them, and present them with a hand gesture meant to stimulate—or so Governor Donar assumed—respect. With this flattering Slyder hid the fact that he was not fond of those who indulged themselves, and although Governor Donar was his best choice to sell the Rebel agents too, he hated the man on sight due to his corpulence. The Rodian even wished that there was someone who wanted Donar's head. During his tenure with the Imperials and his hunt for Katarn and Ors, Slyder came to dislike the Imperials more and more. He found them inefficient, distracted, stupid, and most of all: incompetent. When the droid A-Cee began to destroy itself at the sight of Nathan Donar's officer uniform, Slyder, finally fed up with the Imperial's ineptness, executed those that he could, including Dol and Nathan Donar, out of desperation.[2]
A Rodian, Slyder possessed a natural odor that Katarn and the Donars found to be repulsive, although Slyder's odor was considered by them to be even worse due to the fact that he tried to cover it up with cologne. Slyder's skin color was dark green, and he had large purple eyes, sensitive to bright lights; he kept his cabin dark in order to keep comfortable.[2]
Equipment[]
Slyder owned an armed ship of his own which was kept in the hangar of Star of Empire. During the short chase with the Rebels outside of the luxury liner, Slyder wished to have used his own ship as opposed to Donar's when he learned that the Imperials brought the disabled droid A-Cee aboard. Slyder also kept a small blaster pistol as his sidearm, and used it to hunt his prey. He was able to shoot the droid A-Cee with it shortly before his death, and he used it later when he killed several Imperials out of desperation before A-Cee destructed. Slyder also kept a four-barreled blaster pistol, which he took from a target, as a trophy. Throughout his tenure with Governor Donar, Slyder wore basic red clothing.[2]
Slyder also acquired the porter droid's assistance early during his tenure on Star of Empire, and the droid considered it to be a blessing to have worked alongside Slyder for so long. Slyder used the droid for reconnaissance, such as scouting out prey like Jan Ors. Slyder had supplied the droid a transmitter that was installed on Ors' ship.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
Slyder was created for the 1997 graphic novella Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire, which was written by William C. Dietz, in which he appeared in the story's fourth chapter, serving as the primary antagonist throughout the chapter, alongside the character of Governor Donar. Slyder appeared in three illustrations, all of which were created by Dean Williams, who created all of the art which appeared throughout the book. Slyder later appeared in the full cast audio adaption of the novella, where his voice was provided by Peter Moore, who also directed the audio drama. In a continuity inconsistency between the two works, NB4 remarks that Slyder has lived on the Star of Empire for seven years, which contradicts the novella stating that Slyder had lived on the Star for only three years. This article keeps the matter ambiguous, stating that Slyder lived at least three years aboard the Star.
Appearances[]
- Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire (First appearance)
- Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire audio drama
Sources[]
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 140 (KAT6, Kyle Katarn)