Zuckuss, also known as the Uncanny One by his fellow hunters and marks, was a male Gand bounty hunter who was active during the time of the Galactic Civil War. His long career had spanned the Core to the Outer Rim, and due to his findsman abilities, he was an in-demand hunter; finding work with the Hutt Cartel, the Galactic Empire, the Bounty Hunters' Guild, and even the Rebel Alliance for a time. Though he had worked with other associates, such as Bossk and even Boba Fett on occasion, Zuckuss primarily partnered with the droid 4-LOM. Diagnosed with schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder, Zuckuss was eventually incarcerated in the Bedacus-Lambrecht Correctional Facility.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Zuckuss was a Gand and a member of the Gand subspecies with ammonia-breathing lungs. He hailed from a 300-year lineage of findsmen on his homeworld of Gand. At one point, he witnessed the subjugation of his home planet by the Galactic Empire. Angry over their involvement with Gand's slave trade, and their usage of sophisticated sensor technology that rendered the findsmen useless, Zuckuss spoke out against the Imperial presence. He harangued an Imperial Moff during a show of force, and then assaulted the man by throwing his shoe at him. Stormtroopers wounded Zuckuss and took him into custody. The Elders of his sect appealed for his release and Zuckuss was brought before a findsmen tribunal. He was accused of being an insurgent and acting on behavior unbecoming of a findsman. He was summarily stripped of his title and name and exiled from Gand.[1]
Zuckuss apprehends Pepan Manja
However, after an emotional breakdown in a dingy Corellian hotel room, Zuckuss decided to reclaim his identity and title as a findsman.[1] The abilities he incurred from his training served him as a bounty hunter. During the Galactic Civil War, Zuckuss and 4-LOM accepted a contract to track down the Millennium Falcon. The pair planned to infiltrate the Alliance and chose to take the survivors of a downed Rebel transport to the rendezvous point, in order to capture Han Solo when he rejoined his comrades. The plan, however, failed, and Zuckuss and 4-LOM defected to the Alliance. This was mostly in Zuckuss's gratitude for the necessary treatment he had received to repair his oxygen-scarred lungs, injuries that he had sustained prior to the Battle of Hoth.
While convalescing, Zuckuss had entered into a friendly relationship with Toryn Farr,[2] who had visited and spent time with him before and after his lung surgery. After his recovery, Zuckuss and 4-LOM were assigned to the Alliance Special Forces, and were dispatched to retrieve the carbonite-encased Han Solo from Boba Fett. The mission failed, 4-LOM was destroyed, and Zuckuss quietly left Alliance service to concentrate on rebuilding his partner. He continued bounty hunting and began to take exclusively-New Republic contracts. During those short visits, he would see Toryn Farr, but they would do little more than exchange greetings before parting.[2]
Around 25 ABY, Zuckuss accepted a contract to apprehend a Kubaz serial killer named Pepan Manja. The hunt transpired without incident and Zuckuss tracked Manja to the Coruscant Underlevels, where he ensnared the Kubaz in a shockstun spray. Zuckuss was paid well for the bounty and the local Coruscant media outlets termed the capture as "poetic justice," due to Manja's record of targeting Gands.[3]
Breakdown[]
Zuckuss's mugshot upon apprehension
Zuckuss eventually accepted a contract with Toryn Farr to act as a bodyguard while the latter was a member of a committee during the discussion of the Enhanced Privacy Invasion Bill. The decision to hire the Gand was primarily Farr's, as due to her veteran status, she was advised to pursue protection in the event that the bill's discussion were to incite retaliation. Zuckuss agreed to the contract and stationed himself in the hallway outside a spare office in the Senate Rotunda. Throughout the course of that job, other personnel, particularly Brigadier General Havenstrite, noticed a mental decline in Zuckuss; he was often unkempt in appearance and muttering to himself. Still others noted increased irritability. Havenstrite, particularly, would often confront Farr about Zuckuss's behavior, be it due to his general dislike for the bounty hunter profession, or to alert Farr that the Gand was talking to himself. Farr, when notified of Zuckuss's behavior, chose to assume that it was stress, though she did notice a growing obsession that Zuckuss exhibited towards her and at one point needed to be told to control himself.[4]
At a later point in his assignment, Zuckuss entered into an altercation with Havenstrite after the general had gotten into an argument with Farr. Zuckuss accused Havenstrite of insulting Farr before he struck the Human in the abdomen. The two engaged in a fight and Toryn contacted security forces. During the fight, she attempted to step between Zuckuss and Havenstrite, only to be hit in the eye by Zuckuss's elbow. Zuckuss immediately ceased fighting as Farr snapped at him. He then suffered a psychological breakdown and was restrained by Havenstrite until security forces arrived. Zuckuss attacked one of the guards before he was subdued and carried out of the office.[5]
Zuckuss was indicted on two counts of aggravated assault against a military officer, one count of aggravated assault against a police officer, and one count of terroristic threats. He was brought before a military tribunal, where he confessed to having no memory of the assaults for which he was charged. He claimed that the lapses had been a problem throughout his career, though the prosecution, namely Havenstrite, dismissed the claims as an elaborate plea for leniency. Nevertheless, Zuckuss was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect and sentenced to an indefinite period of psychiatric observation. After a quiet apology to Toryn Farr, Zuckuss was processed and incarcerated in the Bedacus-Lambrecht Correctional Facility on Coruscant.[6]
Incarceration[]
When he arrived in Bedlam, as the facility was known, Zuckuss was assigned to the E-7 Mental Observation Unit, where he was treated by Dr. Gawynn Karastee, the forensic psychiatrist for the unit.[7] Karastee diagnosed Zuckuss as schizophrenic[8] and exhibiting multiple personality disorder,[3] and due to his outside reputation and the training he had received throughout his career, Zuckuss was deemed as a high-profile inmate by the acting warden, Bencar.[9]
Zuckuss is stabbed by Pepan Manja during an inmate riot.
A year into his sentence, Zuckuss was assigned a cellmate, Cami Sookanado. Cami had been sentenced for a parole violation[8] and due to alleged overcrowding, she was housed in the same cell as Zuckuss.[9] Zuckuss and Cami got along well,[8] and Zuckuss often would watch out for the Rodian. At one point, Zuckuss intervened when another inmate, Dokk, attempted to assault Cami. The Gand threw the Lepi off of Cami and engaged in a fight, which was contained by the corrections officers.[10] Afterward, he was questioned by both Dr. Karastee and Bencar, and Zuckuss accused the staff of negligence,[7] as no one seemed to notice the altercation until it was pointed out to the guards.[10] He claimed that a prisoner such as Dokk should have been housed in the Hi-Max Unit, as the Lepi was a violent individual who was charged with multiple counts of murder and assaults against females.[7]
At a later point, unbeknown to Zuckuss, Pepan Manja was transferred to the E-7 Mental Observation Unit.[11] Zuckuss, however, did not socialize with Manja and usually only spoke with Cami Sookanado.[12] Soon after, on the exercise yard, the Gand became involved in a fight between two other inmates, Hardin and Mahlon. The fight escalated into a riot, and Zuckuss was further attacked by other inmates. He defended himself against these attacks, only to be caught unaware—and by the blade of a shiv—by Pepan Manja. The Kubaz had spent the majority of his sentence obsessing over revenge and used the inmate riot as an opportunity to act. Manja stabbed Zuckuss three times in the abdomen before he was apprehended by the Special Response Team. As he blacked out, Zuckuss's thoughts were on Toryn Farr, whom he still felt responsible for hurting a year prior.[13]
Zuckuss recovered from his injuries, however. He eventually rejoined his cellmate and was present the day that Cami was released from Bedlam. Zuckuss wished the Rodian well,[14] and as of 27 ABY, he had not been assigned another cellmate. Zuckuss's psychiatrist, Dr. Karastee, had discussed the possibility of transferring the Gand to the Secure Needs Unit, as due to his career as a bounty hunter, it made him a target within the general population.[15] After Zuckuss was involved in an altercation with another inmate, a COMPNOR-offshoot gang member named Wes, the Gand was segregated from the rest of the inmate population for his own protection. He ate his meals in his cell, and his yard and recreation time outside of his cell were scheduled separately from the rest of his housing unit.[16]
Appearances[]
- Changing of the Gand
- Breakfast in Bedlam (First appearance)
- The Devil You Know
- Wasting the Day in Bedlam
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Changing of the Gand
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Breakfast in Bedlam — Chapter 9
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Breakfast in Bedlam — Chapter 1
- ↑ Breakfast in Bedlam — Chapter 12
- ↑ Breakfast in Bedlam — Chapter 15
- ↑ Breakfast in Bedlam — Chapter 16
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Breakfast in Bedlam — Chapter 7
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Breakfast in Bedlam — Chapter 3
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Breakfast in Bedlam — Chapter 4 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "BiB8" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 10.0 10.1 Breakfast in Bedlam—Chapter 6
- ↑ Breakfast in Bedlam—Chapter 10
- ↑ Breakfast in Bedlam—Chapter 13
- ↑ Breakfast in Bedlam—Chapter 14
- ↑ Breakfast in Bedlam—Epilogue
- ↑ The Devil You Know—Chapter 1
- ↑ The Devil You Know—Chapter 2
See also[]
- Zuckuss on Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki