Slavery

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Twi'lek slaves being smuggled.

"Any attempt to escape… and they blow you up! BOOM!"

Slavery was the practice wherein sentient beings were treated as property to be bought and sold, enforced by violence or other forms of coercion. It was typical for the owner of a slave to implant the slave with a device that would kill them if an escape attempt was made. In the more lawful portions of the galaxy where slavery was allowed, if a slave was injured in a manner that devalued the slave or prevented him from performing his job by a third party, the owner was entitled to compensation from that third party for the depreciated value or the loss of the slave.

[edit] History

"Talk about out of the frying pan—! Next to fallen Jedis, [sic] slavers are the most feared denizens of the galaxy—and they're also some of its lowest scum!"

―Leia Organa^[src]

Popara with Twi'lek slaves.

Slavery was used by civilizations as disparate as the Infinite Empire of the Rakata, Xim the Despot's empire, the Hutts, the Galactic Empire, the Zann Consortium, the Yuuzhan Vong, and the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium. To chronicle the use of slavery by various civilizations over the history of the galaxy was considered by many to be a futile task.

Slavery was made illegal by the Galactic Republic under the Rights of Sentience clause, but continued to exist, particularly in regions not under Republic control, primarily the Outer Rim Territories and the Senex Sector. On Tatooine, some slaves were installed with chips in their craniums that killed them if they tried to escape.^[1]^[2]

A Slave Fair on Orvax IV.

However, after the rise of the Empire, slavery was once again given a degree of legitimacy with the issuance of Imperial Decree A-SL-4557.607.232. Non-Humans were rounded up and enslaved en-masse. Agorffi,^[3] Wookiees, Yuzzem, and Talz were exploited for their strength while the Mon Calamari were used for their famous ship-building skills. Twi'lek girls were enslaved for their beauty.^[4] Many Human critics of the New Order were enslaved as well.

Platt Okeefe in slave outfit.

When the New Republic became the dominant galactic power, slavery was once again made illegal by New Republic Senate Resolution 54.325.^[4] However, slavery still continued in remote areas of the galaxy particularly in the Outer Rim and on certain Imperial fortress worlds such as Byss. The former Imperial Procurator of Justice Hethrir was a major figure in the slave trade and sold undesirable captives into slavery at Crseih Station in the remote Crseih system. With his death, the slave trade suffered a major blow.^[5] Slavery re-emerged as a significant threat during the Yuuzhan Vong War as practiced by the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong Empire. In particular, the Chazrach slave race were used in military operations.

Slaving was often handled by experienced slaving guilds; three of the most notable were the Thalassian Slavers, the Zygerrian Slavers Guild, and the Karazak Slaver's Cooperative.^[4] Other criminal groups such as the Exchange and the Black Sun also had slave trades. The Invisible Market dealt largely with selling slaves on behalf of the Black market, especially since the black market was more out in the open.

[edit] Methods

A Chagrian and a Duros negotiating a little Human slave girl.

Slavers had ways of keeping their charges on their leashes—literally and figuratively. The more physical means was attaching a chain to collars around their necks. Others methods were placing transmitters inside their bodies. Any attempt to escape caused the transmitter to explode, killing the slave. The Sith used the dark side to enslave other beings, like Exar Kun who enslaved the Massassi.

[edit] Image

In a number of ways, slaves were either portrayed as workers or entertainment. Worker slaves were forced to do labor, receiving little food and water. Entertainment slaves were forced to wear revealing clothing to please their masters. Notable examples included the Twi'lek Oola and Leia Organa Solo, who were enslaved by Jabba Desilijic Tiure.^[6]