Something that we’ve been lacking in the Star Wars canon is good ol’ Czerka Corporation. In Master & Apprentice, from Claudia Gray, we really got our first taste current Star Wars canon about this organization! Czerka was mentioned in a few other recent media pieces as well, the Aftermath series, the main campaign in Battlefront II, and the mobile game Star Wars Uprising. (If mobile games are considered canon?) Czerka is not to be confused with Con Star Mining Corporation, a similar group which was mentioned in the Phasma novel. In planning this piece out, I thought for a moment that Czerka was mentioned in Phasma, but nope, that was Con Star!
According to the Rise of Skywalker visual dictionary, our logo-sake Sidon Ithano carries a Czerka Arms Longswat-44 sniper blaster rifle!!!! (We stan the Crimson Corsair on this blog, more about that later..)
So what is this Czerka Corporation for those of you not familiar with the legends here? The Czerka Corpotation, or Czerka Arms, is a weapons manufacturer known across the galaxy. The group is rumored to be over thousands of years old, predating the republic on some records. Due to this longevity, some illegal business is definitely going on and they are a major player in the slave trade in the galaxy. They have countless protocols to retain, and recover when needed, these slaves and have processes in place to make it all look on datapads as legal. Because slavery is illegal in the Republic, Padmé.
In legends, Czerka corp was around before the events in Knights of the Old Republic. In the new canon, our first real taste of Czerka is Obi-Wan & Qui-Gon’s journey to the sovereign planet of Pijal. Czerka has a a looming presence over the planet, and at first doesn’t seem more than just the usual giant starship stationed in orbit over the planet, a representative on behalf of the company whispering in the ear of the crown princess, and a hyperspace route being planned through that system which would benefit the Republic and other select groups if done to their plan. You know, the usual politics.
In Master & Apprentice, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon enlist the help of a few jewel thieves, Pax Maripher and Rahara Wick. Rahara previously escaped slavery from Czerka. She’s overly cautious about making sure her hands are covered with gloves. It comes to light that Czerka brands their slaves with tags on the back of their hands. The tags are allegedly coated in acid before a slave is tagged to cause scarring on the skin, regardless if it is ever removed. Rahara had her tag removed after escaping, and is always sure to keep her gloves on when conflict arises.
As with any progression though, technology in the universe is always improving. Even when Rahara has her hands properly covered, a Czerka scanning droid is able to identify her by scanning her face instead. A method that Czerka was not using when she was a slave. Rahara was born into slavery, at some point in her lifetime Czerka must have scanned her face, with that information at the time they weren’t using it to actively track their slaves. But as always, things change and they took her back upon a positive facial match. (Don’t worry, she does escape again. Lots of explosions involved. Good explosions, bad for Czerka but good for Rahara.)
All we really learn of Czerka is from Rahara Wick. Now it’s not action packed lightsaber duels and gunfights in a cantina, but I’d love to see it involved more in media to come. Now. Who do I need to speak to to get a The Office style Czerka Corp show. Move over Mando, that’d be my binge worthy show.
