View source for Argazdan

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{{Species
|image=[[File:Raygar_full_body.jpg]]
|name=Argazdan
|designation=[[Sentience/Legends|Sentient]]<ref name="TEA">''[[The Essential Atlas]]''</ref>
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|skincolor=[[Color/Legends|Yellow-green]],<ref name="BFTSS">{{Ewoks|Battle for the Sunstar}}</ref> green<ref name="DITSPOL" />
|haircolor=White<ref name="TEA" />
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|eyecolor=Yellow<ref name="BFTSS" />
|distinctions=Prominent facial [[Skeleton/Legends|bones]]<ref name="TEA" />
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|planet=[[Argazda/Legends|Argazda]]<ref name="HSCSSB 133">''[[Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook]]''</ref>
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|language=[[Argazdan (language)|Argazdan]]<ref name="DITSPOL">{{Hyperspace|url=hyperspace/fiction/feature20090531/index.html?page=1|text=Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd: A Hyperspace Exclusive|int=Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd}}</ref>}}
{{Quote|Forbidden from speaking aloud by their Argazdan enslavers, the Lorrdians developed a sophisticated nonverbal language. Using this 'kinetic communication', the Lorrdians organized a rebellion that would eventually help end Argazdan rule. The implication for present day government is clear: harsh laws to end dissent will only ensure the downfall of their enforcers.|Legal historian [[Janu Godalhi/Legends|Janu Godalhi]]|<ref name="DITSPOL" />}}
The '''Argazdans''' were a [[Color/Legends|green]]-skinned [[near-Human]] [[Species/Legends|species]] native to the [[Planet/Legends|planet]] [[Argazda/Legends|Argazda]] in the [[Kanz sector]]. The species developed from a stock of mainline [[Human/Legends|Humans]] who colonized Argazda when the [[Galactic Republic/Legends|Galactic Republic]] was still young. They brought the [[Vianism|Vianist]] faith with them and spread the religion among the other species of the region. The Argazdans became infamous in [[The galaxy/Legends|the galaxy]] for seceding from the Republic under the leadership of [[Governor/Legends|Governor]] [[Myrial]]. The actions of Myrial's supporters&mdash;the [[Myrialites]]&mdash;taken at a [[Time/Legends|time]] when the [[Jedi Knight/Legends|Jedi Knights]] and Galactic Republic were preoccupied with other conflicts, ignited the [[Kanz Disorders/Legends|Kanz Disorders]] in [[3970 BBY]]. The Disorders were a 300-[[Standard year/Legends|year]] period during which the Argazdans [[Slavery/Legends|enslaved]] their neighbors, formed an [[Argazdan battle fleet|independent navy]], and refashioned the Kanz [[Sector/Legends|sector]] as a dictatorship known as the [[Argazdan Redoubt]]. Their control of the area wrought profound changes; for example, when Argazdan slave owners forbade the enslaved Human inhabitants of the planet [[Lorrd/Legends|Lorrd]] to speak to one another, the [[Lorrdian/Legends|Lorrdians]] compensated by developing non-verbal, [[kinetic communication]]. Meanwhile, the Argazdans enlisted the aid of an [[Unidentified female Yuuzhan Vong Shaper|alien]] [[Scientist/Legends|scientist]] who had turned up in the Redoubt. Under [[Gender/Legends|her]] command, the Argazdans ordered enslaved Lorrdians to construct the [[Slave Pits of Lorrd]], a vast structure that housed a [[Lorrdian Yuuzhan Vong monster|biological superweapon]]. The project came to a halt when [[Jedi/Legends|Jedi]] Knights led by the Lorrdian Jedi [[Mari-Elan Nora]] attacked the Argazdan Redoubt and won it back for the Republic.

Although millennia later, the Argazdans had come to view the Kanz Disorders as a black mark on their reputation, outsiders still largely viewed them as cowardly and self-interested by the time of the [[Galactic Civil War/Legends|Galactic Civil War]]. At least one member of the species, the [[Academician|academic]] and scientist [[Doctor/Legends|Doctor]] [[Raygar]], showed no compunctions about wearing the garb of an Argazdan [[slave lord]], even among former slave species, such as the Lorrdians. Raygar earned a reputation in scholarly circles as an eccentric quester after artifacts he believed to be imbued with power. On one such mission, Raygar sought the weapon hidden in the Slave Pits of Lorrd, while on [[Battle of Bright Tree Village (Imperial-Ewok War)|another]] he searched for the [[Sunstar/Legends|Sunstar]] kept by the [[Ewok/Legends|Ewoks]] of [[Bright Tree Village/Legends|Bright Tree Village]] on the [[Endor/Legends|Forest Moon]] of the planet [[Endor (planet)/Legends|Endor]].

==Biology and appearance==
{{Quote|Kal offered to show us around Qatamer, a colorful city with brightly painted buildings that stand out in the sandy plains. The few remaining Argazdan structures, made of sinister looking black stone, stick out like sore thumbs, as did the green-skinned Argazdans I saw. I was surprised that they seemed to get along with the Lorrdians but Kal explained that present day Argazdans look back on the Kanz Disorders with shame.|Tash Arranda|<ref name="DITSPOL" />}}
As a [[Sentience/Legends|sentient]] [[Species/Legends|species]]<ref name="EGAS 76">[[The Essential Guide to Alien Species (real-world book)|''The Essential Guide to Alien Species'']]</ref> descended from baseline [[Human/Legends|Humans]], the Argazdans shared much in common with their genetic forebears. Each member of the species was [[Humanoid/Legends|humanoid]] in shape, with two [[Limb/Legends|arms]] and legs, a torso, and a head. The Argazdan face featured two [[Ear/Legends|ears]],<ref name="TEA" /> two [[Eye/Legends|eyes]], a [[Nose/Legends|nose]], and a [[Mouth/Legends|mouth]] with Human-like [[Tooth/Legends|dentition]] and [[Tongue/Legends|tongue]]; these features were capable of forming expressions similar to those that a Human could produce. They had five fingers per hand.<ref name="BFTSS" /> However, an Argazdan [[Near-Human|differed]] from [[Gender/Legends|his or her]] ancestors due to the species' stark [[Color/Legends|white]] head [[Hair/Legends|hair]], prominent facial [[Skeleton/Legends|bones]], deep depressions along the temples, light green<ref name="TEA" /> or yellow-green skin, and yellow eyes. When an Argazdan exhibited bags under his or her eyes, the affected skin took on a darker greenish hue.<ref name="BFTSS" />

==Society and culture==
{{Quote|We became separated from Kal in the crowd, and while we waited for him I saw a tall man wearing the garments of an Argazdan slave lord sweep past us. At first I assumed he was one of the actors in costume, but then I recognized him as Dr. Raygar. Both the Argazdans and the Lorrdians in the crowd were extremely offended by his attire, and a few spat on his robes as he passed by.|Tash Arranda, on her first encounter with Doctor Raygar|<ref name="DITSPOL" />}}
[[File:Raygar_bust.jpg|thumb|left|The attire of the Argazdan academic Raygar was associated with the Argazdans' slaver past.]]
During the early [[Standard year/Legends|years]] of their contact with the broader [[The galaxy/Legends|galaxy]], the Argazdans were a species prone to profound conservatism. They disdained the culture of the [[Galactic Republic/Legends|Galactic Republic]] and considered it morally reprehensible.<ref name="TEA" /> From their earliest [[Standard day/Legends|days]], many members of the species adhered to a faith known as [[Vianism]], which venerated the [[Deity/Legends|goddess]] [[Via]], whose name simply meant "goddess" in the species' native [[Argazdan (language)|Argazdan]].<ref name="DITSPOL" />

Nevertheless, after the Argazdan ruler [[Myrial]] purged the [[Kanz sector]] of Argazdans loyal to the Republic and declared independence for the [[Sector/Legends|sector]] as the [[Argazdan Redoubt]], the species quickly became known as unrepentant [[Slavery/Legends|slavers]] throughout their territory.<ref name="TEA" /> During the period that became known as the [[Kanz Disorders/Legends|Kanz Disorders]], the Argazdans possessed technology on par with the rest of the [[Galaxy/Legends|galaxy]], including [[Droid/Legends|droids]] and heavy machines.<ref name="DITSPOL" /> Still, they relied upon non-lethal weapons<ref name="KOTOR2">''[[Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords]]''</ref> such as [[whip]]s<ref name="TEA" /> to control the populations they enslaved. One item the Argazdans developed during the period was the [[Argazdan riot buster]], a ranged weapon that knocked down and [[Stun/Legends|stunned]] its target but caused no other harm.<ref name="KOTOR2" /> The species had a [[Lorrdian Yuuzhan Vong monster|major weapon]] stored within a structure known as the [[Slave Pits of Lorrd]] during the period as well. Argazdan architecture during the Kanz Disorders used black stone as its main construction material.<ref name="DITSPOL" /> Some Argazdan slavers wore black suits, which consisted of a jacket with tails, a shirt, a pair of pants, and a set of [[Boot/Legends|boots]].<ref name="TEA" /> Argazdan [[slave lord]]s wore a black body suit, complete with a partial red [[Cape/Legends|cape]], tall, curved shoulder guards, and a form-fitting hood with a pointed crest on its top.<ref name="DITSPOL" /><ref name="BFTSS" />

The Kanz Disorders sullied the Argazdans' reputation such that they were long regarded as craven and opportunistic in the [[Galactic community|wider galaxy]]. However, by the time of the [[Galactic Civil War/Legends|Galactic Civil War]], most Argazdans felt ashamed about their species's role in the Kanz Disorders. They had made amends with at least one of the species they once had subjugated, the [[Lorrdian/Legends|Lorrdians]], and members of the former enemy species lived side-by-side on the [[Planet/Legends|planet]] [[Lorrd/Legends|Lorrd]]. Nevertheless, at least one Argazdan, an [[Academician|academic]] known as [[Doctor/Legends|Doctor]] [[Raygar]], felt no compunction about sporting the attire of an Argazdan slave [[Lord/Legends|lord]] in public on Lorrd. Other Argazdans on the world took great offense to his outfit, and some even spat upon the scholar for his mode of dress.<ref name="DITSPOL" />

In addition to their native tongue,<ref name="DITSPOL" /> Argazdans were capable of learning to speak [[Galactic Basic Standard/Legends|Basic]] and at least one [[Language/Legends|language]] from the [[Endor/Legends|Forest Moon]] of [[Endor (planet)/Legends|Endor]].<ref name="BFTSS" />

==History==
===Early history===
{{Quote|Like the ancient Argazdans, we believe in the third tenant of Via: sacrifice. We give up our lives to serve Via&hellip; but unlike the Myrialites, we do not force others to do the same.|Sister Sigil|<ref name="DITSPOL" />}}
The Argazdans were descended from Human colonists from the [[Core Worlds/Legends|Core]] who settled on the planet [[Argazda/Legends|Argazda]] during the early years of the Galactic Republic.<ref name="TEA" /><ref name="DITSPOL" /> After establishing themselves on the cool, [[Tree/Legends|wooded]] world, the settlers lost contact with the Core and developed independently.<ref name="TEA" /> They evolved into a distinct species,<ref name="EGAS 76" /> characterized by green skin, white hair, and a distinctive facial structure.<ref name="TEA" /> The Argazdan language evolved with them.<ref name="DITSPOL" />

The colonists retained at least some knowledge of [[Realspace/Legends|space]] flight, and they made contact with neighboring species and cultures. The Argazdans had brought with them the religion of Vianism, and their missionaries converted members of neighboring groups, including the [[Sipsk'ud]] species and the Lorrdian Humans.<ref name="DITSPOL" />

Argazda re-established contact with the rest of the galaxy at some point between [[5000 BBY/Legends|5,000]] and [[4200 BBY]]. Circa 4,200 BBY, the Argazdans had come under threat from a species known as the [[Ereesi]], who were intent on enslaving the green-skinned humanoids. Argazda lay beyond the borders of the Galactic Republic at the [[Time/Legends|time]], so the Argazdans petitioned the galactic government to admit them as a member world and thus permit Republic forces to protect them from the Ereesi threat. Although the planet was located far from any stable [[Hyperlane|trade route]], the [[Galactic Senate/Legends|Galactic Senate]] overcame its misgivings and voted to admit Argazda and its neighboring region as the Kanz sector and thus to bring the area under Republic protection. Republic forces voyaged to the newly admitted territory and [[Republic–Ereesi war|battled]] the Ereesi on the Argazdans' behalf, but the encounter with the allies from outside the region shocked and dismayed the Argazdans, who found their visitors heinous and immoral. Still, the Republic abated the threat posed by the Ereesi and turned military operations over to the Argazdans once the species was deemed capable of handling the conflict on their own.<ref name="TEA" />

The war brought the Kanz sector and the Argazdan [[Homeworld/Legends|homeworld]] within the confines of the known galaxy. The world eventually became a stop on the [[Veragi Trade Route/Legends|Veragi Trade Route]]. Argazda became part of a larger region known as the [[New Territories/Legends|New Territories]].<ref name="TEA" />

===The Kanz Disorders===
{{Main|Kanz Disorders/Legends}}
{{Quote|The symbols on the Deejo tablets call the creator of the Slave Pits 'habensa'&mdash;which in modern Argazdan means 'one who builds', and is considered synonymous with the Basic word architect. Three thousand years ago, however, the term would have had an entirely different meaning: 'one who sculpts', or more specifically 'one who shapes'.|Doctor [[Heilan Rotham]]|<ref name="DITSPOL" />}}
[[File:Kanz_Disorders.jpg|thumb|right|Argazdan overlords enslaved the Lorrdians during the Kanz Disorders.]]
[[Myrial]], the female Argazdan who was serving as the provisional [[Governor/Legends|governor]] of Argazda, carefully cultivated her power base in the region over several years: she weeded out opponents in the sector [[Fleet/Legends|fleet]] and established a [[Spy/Legends|spy]] network.<ref name="HSCSSB 133" /> In [[4000 BBY/Legends|4000 BBY]],<ref name="CSWE I 40-41">{{CSWECite|I|40&ndash;41|Argazda}}</ref> Myrial felt the time was ripe,<ref name="HSCSSB 133" /> so she ordered Argazdan supporters of the Republic [[Death/Legends|killed]] in mass executions and around [[3970 BBY]] declared the independence of the Kanz sector, which she renamed the Argazdan Redoubt,<ref name="TEA" /> with her as the dictator.<ref name="HSCSSB 133" /> The beleaguered Republic, facing a new threat in the form of the [[Mandalorian/Legends|Mandalorians]], was embroiled in the [[Mandalorian Wars]]. With the [[Jedi Knight/Legends|Jedi Knights]] and Republic occupied by the conflict, Myrial quickly established an [[Argazdan battle fleet]], which she dispatched to [[Ereesus]]. There, the fleet's weaponry scoured the surface of the planet and destroyed all life on the Ereesi homeworld. The event marked the beginning of a period of turmoil that would come to be called the Kanz Disorders.<ref name="TEA" />

Myrial's followers became known as [[Myrialites]]. Over the next three centuries, the Myrialites transformed the Redoubt into a site of constant conflict and destruction as they dropped bombs on recalcitrant worlds and enslaved rebellious groups<ref name="TEA" /> to serve as laborers for Argazdan colonists to their worlds or else for sale on the slave market.<ref name="NEC 25">''[[The New Essential Chronology]]''</ref> Pleas by the Argazdans' victims to the Republic went unheeded as the galactic government struggled to survive its own travails.<ref name="CSWE II 198">{{CSWECite|II|198|Kanz Disorders}}</ref>

When a resistance movement began on the planet [[Amaltanna]], the inhabitants of a neighboring planet, Lorrd, joined forces with them to resist Argazdan expansionism. In retaliation, Myrial ordered Lorrd bombarded with ordnance and the Lorrdian species enslaved. The Argazdan attack damaged major [[City/Legends|cities]], such as [[Frezen]] and [[New Shallos]].<ref name="DITSPOL" /> Argazdan [[Soldier/Legends|warriors]] landed on Lorrd and carried out the order.<ref name="CSWE II 262">{{CSWECite|II|262|Lorrd}}</ref> The Argazdan forces tracked Lorrdian refugees to [[Kinyov]] province, where they were rounded up to be enslaved, with some destined for sale offworld. The Argazdans established their Lorrdian headquarters in a small Kinyov city known as [[Qatamer]]. Soon, Argazdan slave lords were commanding Lorrdian slaves in such tasks as constructing [[Fortress/Legends|fortresses]] from black stone from which their masters could govern the world.<ref name="DITSPOL" /> The Argazdans found non-lethal weapons to be a prized commodity, including the Argazdan riot buster.<ref name="KOTOR2" />

The Argazdans faced the [[Sisterhood of the Glorious Radiance]], a sect of the Vianism religion, which had attracted [[Force-sensitive/Legends|Force-sensitives]] to its fold. The Myrialites forbade the enslaved Lorrdians to speak to one another, but the Sisters of the [[Glorious Radiance]] began teaching non-[[The Force/Legends|Force]]-sensitive Lorrdians to read body language and gesture so as to permit secret communication. The Sisters' status as members of the Vianist religion, widespread among the Argazdans as well, sheltered them from Argazdan reprisals, although the green-skinned species suspected complicity between the Sisterhood and local resistance movements. Eventually, Myrial ordered the Sisters relocated to [[Lorrd II]], the planet's [[Moon/Legends|moon]], a move that isolated the Sisters from the rest of the Lorrdian population. Near the end of the Mandalorian Wars, the Argazdans faced an early incursion by the Jedi Knights when the [[rogue]] [[Jedi/Legends|Jedi]] [[Revanchist]]s [[Battle of Lorrd II|raided]] the moon and liberated the slaves there to gain access to [[Lorrdian gemstone/Legends|Lorrdian gemstones]], which were useful as [[lightsaber crystal]]s.<ref name="DITSPOL" />

[[File:Death_and_Slave_Pits_for_kids.png|thumb|left|The Slave Pits, as drawn by Tash Arranda in 0 ABY]]
Although Argazdan slavery of Lorrdians continued on Lorrd proper, by the time of the Sisters' relocation, the spread of [[kinetic communication]] and the reading of subtle body language had become widespread among the enslaved Lorrdians. Unbeknownst to the Argazdans, the Lorrdians learned to decipher their masters' body language, facial expressions, and vocal inflections, an ability that allowed the Lorrdians to endure their subjugation. Meanwhile, the Argazdans faced a [[Lorrdian resistance|Lorrdian guerrilla movement]] that consisted of several divisions that could communicate with one another and organize strikes silently without the Argazdans' notice.<ref name="AE 104-105">''[[Alien Encounters]]''</ref><ref name="EGAS 76" /> Meanwhile, other conflicts erupted in the greater galaxy that further preoccupied the Republic, such as a [[G0-T0]] droid [[Liberation of 400100500260026|revolt]] in the [[Gordian Reach/Legends|Gordian Reach]] in [[3946 BBY]].<ref name="TNEGTD">''[[The New Essential Guide to Droids]]''</ref>

Nearly 300 years after the declaration of the Argazdan Redoubt's independence, Argazdan patrols discovered an [[Unidentified female Yuuzhan Vong Shaper|alien]] artisan and [[Scientist/Legends|scientist]] who had arrived in the area after an experimental [[Hyperdrive/Legends|star drive]] had blasted her there. When Argazdan scientists revived the alien from [[Suspended animation/Legends|stasis]], linguists tried unsuccessfully to learn her language. Nevertheless, she learned the Argazdan tongue. The outsider was in reality a [[Yuuzhan Vong]] [[Shaper caste|shaper]], but to the Argazdans, she was a [[Demon/Legends|demonic]] alien and ''[[habensa]]'', the Argazdan word for "one who builds" or "one who shapes." In a bid to maintain his power in the face of growing opposition from the Galactic Republic, the [[Argazdan Regent]], [[Torphceris]], struck a deal with the ''habensa'': he ordered the Lorrdians to begin work on their planet on a construction project that became known as the [[Slave Pits of Lorrd]]. Despite the availability of heavy machinery on the planet, the stranger forbade the Argazdans to use advanced technology in the pits' construction. Instead, the Argazdans commanded the Lorrdians to dig the pits out by hand, harsh conditions that killed thousands of Lorrdians. Within the bowels of the site, the Argazdans sheltered a major weapon, a [[Bioengineering/Legends|bioengineered]] monster hidden behind a hefty door that opened only upon the commission of a Human sacrifice.<ref name="DITSPOL" />

Ultimately, however, the Argazdans proved unable to overcome the guerrilla resistance offered by the Lorrdians, which helped usher in the end of Argazdan domination on the world<ref name="DITSPOL" /> and in the Argazdan Redoubt more broadly. By [[3670 BBY]], five billion sentients had died in the Kanz Disorders. That year, the [[Jedi Order/Legends|Jedi Order]] had sufficiently recovered from its losses in the Mandalorian Wars and moved to stem the violence in the former Kanz sector.<ref name="TEA" /> Despite the Republic's continued engagement with [[Great Galactic War|another war]] against the Sith, the Jedi had enough support in the Galactic Senate for military intervention. The Lorrdian Jedi Knight [[Mari-Elan Nora]] led a joint Jedi and Republic task force to liberate the Kanz Sector. During the assault, Nora claimed that she witnessed Argazdan soldiers fleeing into the bowels of the Slave Pits of Lorrd, chased by Jedi; nevertheless, none who entered ever re-emerged. Despite dogged resistance from the Argazdans, the Jedi and Republic forces triumphed. The Argazdans and the Argazdan Redoubt&mdash;renamed the Kanz sector&mdash;were placed under the protection of Nora as the region's [[Jedi Watchman/Legends|Jedi Watchman]] until she was killed by slavers on the planet [[Noremac]].<ref name="DITSPOL" />

The turmoil convinced the Republic to be far more careful about admitting far-flung worlds to join the government. The Republic also became reluctant to send more colonists to the Kanz sector. The Kanz Disorders remained well known in the galaxy for millennia. The events served as a rallying point for both advocates of a more interventionist central galactic government and a more conservative government that did not extend its borders beyond its own means to protect them.<ref name="TEA" />

===Later history===
The Argazdan homeworld featured in later conflicts as well. During the [[Clone Wars/Legends|Clone Wars]], Argazda allied with the [[Confederacy of Independent Systems/Legends|Confederacy of Independent Systems]].<ref name="TEA" /> By the time of the [[Imperial Period]], the events of the Kanz Disorders were a legend not only among the Argazdans but in the galaxy at large. The strange alien for whom the Slave Pits had been built took on the status of a myth, a demon with whom the Argazdans had made a deal during the conflicts. Most Argazdans regarded their ancestors' actions in the Kanz Disorders as shameful, and the species eventually re-established positive ties with the Lorrdians. The Lorrdian playwright [[Pordi zet Chatc]] wrote the tragedy ''[[Torphceris]]'' about the final ruler of the Argazdan Redoubt and his diabolical deal with a demon, who demanded the Slave Pits be built to focus her dark energies and offered Torphceris mystical powers in return.<ref name="DITSPOL" />

In [[4 ABY/Legends|4 ABY]], Argazda fell within territory of [[Oversector Outer]] controlled by [[Grand Moff/Legends|Grand Moff]] [[Ardus Kaine]]. By [[7 ABY/Legends|7 ABY]] and into [[11 ABY/Legends|11 ABY]], it was allied with the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]]. From [[12 ABY/Legends|12]] to [[17 ABY/Legends|17 ABY]], the system fell within the [[Imperial Remnant]]. Circa [[25 ABY/Legends|25 ABY]], the Argazda system had a population between 100 and 500 million. It had fallen into [[Roan Fel]]'s [[Fel Empire|Empire-in-Exile]] by [[137 ABY]].<ref name="TEA" />

==Argazdans in the galaxy==
{{Quote|At last, the Forest Moon of Endor. Soon, I will have the Sunstar, and all the power that comes with it!|Doctor Raygar|<ref name="BFTSS" />}}
[[File:RaygarSunstar.png|thumb|right|The Argazdan scientist Raygar became obsessed with locating mystical artifacts, such as the Sunstar.]]
Argazdans were present in the wider galaxy for millennia. Indeed, before the outbreak of the Kanz Disorders, Argazdan missionaries spread the Vianist faith among neighboring peoples, such as the Lorrdians and the Sipsk'ud.<ref name="DITSPOL" />

The pro-Imperial Argazdan [[Archaeology/Legends|archaeologist]] Doctor Raygar was an exception to the species's general disdain for their imperial past. The scientist traveled the galaxy as a participant in projects such as the [[Wolhanian expedition]] to [[Yavin Prime/Legends|Yavin Prime]], but he lost financial backing from the academic community when he developed a fixation on unearthing ancient objects with supposed mystical powers. In [[0 ABY/Legends|0 ABY]], Raygar headed the excavation of the Slave Pits of Lorrd. Despite the Argazdans' and Lorrdians' entente, the scientist drew outrage from both species for his insistence on donning the costume of an Argazdan slave master. Raygar kept his true goal secret: to excavate the ancient weapon given to the Argazdans by the "demon" of ancient myth and present it to [[Galactic Emperor/Legends|Emperor]] [[Palpatine/Legends|Palpatine]]. During a fraught encounter with the Human children [[Tash Arranda/Legends|Tash]] and [[Zak Arranda/Legends|Zak Arranda]], who had followed Raygar into the depths of the Slave Pits, the [[Academician|scholar]] insisted that a Human sacrifice was necessary to access the weapon. Accordingly, he murdered his Imperial contact, [[Facet Anamor]]. The death seemingly awakened an ancient creature. In fear, Raygar and the children fled, but not before the scientist destroyed the site with a [[Thermal detonator/Legends|thermal detonator]].<ref name="DITSPOL" />

In [[3 ABY/Legends|3 ABY]],<ref name="EwoksDate">{{EwoksDate|appearance of the Argazdan [[Raygar]]|[[Battle for the Sunstar]]}}</ref> Raygar's obsession with powerful artifacts brought him to the [[Endor system/Legends|Endor system]], where he sought a gemstone known as the [[Sunstar/Legends|Sunstar]]. He tracked the artifact to [[Bright Tree Village/Legends|Bright Tree Village]], an [[Ewok/Legends|Ewok]] settlement on the Forest Moon of Endor, where he [[Battle of Bright Tree Village (Imperial-Ewok War)|stole]] the artifact from its [[Ewok/Legends|Ewok]] keeper, the [[Shaman/Legends|shaman]] [[Logray/Legends|Logray]]. Back on his Imperial [[Doctor Raygar's Star Destroyer|Star Destroyer]], Raygar realized that the power afforded by the Sunstar would allow him to topple Palpatine and rule the galaxy in his stead. He developed a [[Sunstar-imbued cannon|cannon]] powered by the artifact as his very own [[Superweapon/Legends|superweapon]]. Nevertheless, a band of Ewoks led by [[Wicket Wystri Warrick/Legends|Wicket W. Warrick]] infiltrated the [[Starship/Legends|starship]] to recover the Sunstar. In the commotion, Raygar's cannon inadvertently fired upon Palpatine's approaching [[Emperor Palpatine's shuttle/Legends|shuttle]]. [[Admiral/Legends|Admiral]] [[Kazz]], the Human in charge of the [[Star Destroyer/Legends|Star Destroyer]], arrested Raygar and turned him over to the Emperor for punishment.<ref name="BFTSS" />

==Behind the scenes==
{{Quote|Raygar's identification as an Argazdan is new. This adds history to an obscure character and provides a visual for a previously unseen race. It's a continuity two-for-one!|Adrick Tolliver|<ref name="blog">{{Blog|taloncard|12|Endnotes for "Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd"|The Mofference is now in session!|Adrick Tolliver|archivedate=20090629180129}}</ref>}}
The Argazdans merge two strands of [[Canon|continuity]] that date back to the earliest days of ''[[Star Wars]]''. The species's prominent role in the Kanz Disorders hearkens back to the [[1979]] novel ''[[Han Solo's Revenge]]'', the second installment of ''[[The Han Solo Adventures]]'' written by [[Brian Daley]] and published by [[Del Rey]]. In the story, the [[Corellian/Legends|Corellian]] [[Smuggler/Legends|smuggler]] [[Han Solo/Legends|Han Solo]] and his [[Wookiee/Legends|Wookiee]] co-[[Pilot/Legends|pilot]], [[Chewbacca/Legends|Chewbacca]], join forces with the Lorrdian executive [[Hart-and-Parn Gorra-Fiolla]]. In connection with Fiolla, Daley tells of the Lorrdians' one-time enslavement to masters who go unnamed in the novel.<ref name="HSR 5">''[[Han Solo's Revenge]]''</ref> The [[1993]] sourcebook ''[[Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook]]'', written by [[Michael Allen Horne]] for ''[[Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game]]'' by [[West End Games]], describes the Kanz Disorders in greater detail and names the Argazdans as the Lorrdians' enslavers. Nevertheless, the book provides no indication that the name refers to a species.<ref name="HSCSSB 133" />

Another thread of continuity wrapped up with the Argazdans is the character Doctor Raygar, a humanoid scientist who appears in "[[Battle for the Sunstar]]." An episode of the [[Ewoks (TV series)|''Ewoks'']] television program, "Battle" first aired on [[December 6]], [[1986]], during the show's [[Ewoks: Season Two|second season]]. Still, the installment, written by [[Paul Dini]] and directed by [[Raymond Jafelice]], provides little background for the academic.<ref name="BFTSS" />

Two [[2009]] sources marry the elements from ''Han Solo's Revenge'' and ''Ewoks'': ''[[The Essential Atlas]]'', written by [[Jason Fry]] and [[Daniel Wallace]] and published by Del Rey,<ref name="TEA" /> and "[[Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd]]," written by [[Adrick Tolliver]] and published as part of the [[Hyperspace: The Official Star Wars Fan Club|Hyperspace]] website.<ref name="DITSPOL" /> As both works were in production simultaneously, Fry and Tolliver shared notes about the Kanz Disorders, the Argazdans' role in them, and the species' physical appearance. Fry developed the ideas of the Myrialites and the Disorders' link to the Mandalorian Wars, while Tolliver thought to connect the species to Doctor Raygar from ''Ewoks''.<ref name="blog" /> An illustration by [[Chris Trevas]] in the ''Atlas'' depicts green-skinned Argazdan slavers and their Lorrdian slaves.<ref name="TEA" />

==Appearances==
*''[[Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords]]'' {{Mo}}<!--3,951 BBY-->
*{{InsiderCite|139|Speaking Silently}} {{Mo}}
*{{Shortstory|story=Speaking Silently|book=Star Wars Insider: The Fiction Collection Volume 2}} {{Mo}}
*''[[Han Solo's Revenge]]'' {{1stm}} {{Imo}}<!--2 BBY-->
*{{Hyperspace|url=hyperspace/fiction/feature20090531/index.html?page=1|text="Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd: A Hyperspace Exclusive"|int=Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd}}<!--0 ABY-->
*{{Ewoks|Battle for the Sunstar}} {{1st}}<!--3 ABY-->

==Sources==
*''[[Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook]]'' {{1stID}}<!--Nov 1993-->
*''[[A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded]]'' {{Imo}}<!--Mar 1994-->
*''[[Alien Encounters]]''<!--Mar 1998-->
*''[[Star Wars Encyclopedia]]''<!--Jun 1998-->
*[[The Essential Chronology (real-world book)|''The Essential Chronology'']] {{Imo}}<!--Apr 2000-->
*[[The Essential Guide to Alien Species (real-world book)|''The Essential Guide to Alien Species'']]<!--Apr 2001-->
*''[[Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Prima Official Game Guide]]''<!--Dec 2024-->
*''[[The New Essential Chronology]]'' {{Imo}}<!--Oct 2005-->
*''[[The New Essential Guide to Alien Species]]''<!--Oct 2006-->
*''[[The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia]]'' {{Imo}}<!--Dec 2008-->
*''[[The Essential Atlas]]''<!--Aug 2009-->
*{{SWArchive|url=vault/collecting/cv_collecting_animation_art/index.html|text=CV Collecting Panels: Animation Art|archivedate=20100816120948}} {{Po}}<!--Aug 2010-->

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

{{Interlang
|es=Argazdano
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[[Category:Argazdans| ]]
[[Category:Human and Near-Human species]]
[[Category:Outer Rim Territories species]]