Zatec-Cha's coup d'état

"At last, the royal scepter! Once I place it on the tower, the sun's rays will pronounce me king of all Tammuz-an!"

―Zatec-Cha

In 15 BBY, a coup d'état was orchestrated by Ko Zatec-Cha, Vizier of Tammuz-an, who wished to seize control of his homeworld. Following the ancestral laws of that planet, whoever would present the royal scepter to the Keeper of the Tower at the time of the first sun of the equinox would be anointed the rightful ruler of Tammuz-an. Willing to exploit that opportunity, Zatec-Cha had the rightful crown prince Mon Julpa stripped of his memory so he could bring the scepter to the tower and be crowned in his stead. However, with the help of a young miner named Jann Tosh, Julpa recovered, and Tosh agreed to take him back to Tammuz-an, were he could reclaim his throne. Ultimately, the vizier's plan was thwarted, and Mon Julpa ascended to the position of king.

Prelude

"Who's this Zatec-cha?"
"An evil vizier who'll claim my rightful throne if I don't stop him."

―Jessica Meade and Mon Julpa

In 15 BBY, during the early days of the Galactic Empire, the crown prince Mon Julpa was expected to ascend the throne of Tammuz-an, a double-ringed planet of the Outer Rim Territories. However, Tammuz-an's Vizier Ko Zatec-Cha craved for supreme power on his homeworld, and he devised a plan to depose the prince and take his place.

The coup

The crown prince's deposition

"My memory was erased by an evil vizier so that he could usurp my rightful throne."

―Mon Julpa

The brain-addled Prince Mon Julpa is rescued by Jann Tosh and his droids.

According to Tammuz-an tradition, whoever presented the Royal Scepter to the Keeper of the Tower at the time of the first sun of the equinox would be anointed the rightful king of Tammuz-an. In order to seize power, Zatec-Cha had to make sure Mon Julpa would be unable to comply with the ritual so he could do it in the prince's stead. The vizier had Julpa brainwashed, stripping him of both his memory and his rule. Zatec-Cha had his agents disguise the prince as a second-hand android and send him to Tyne's Horky, an ore-rich mining world of the Mid Rim, where he would be sold at a local droid auction.

After having been purchased by a thug named Yorpo Mog, the disguised prince ended up in the hands of Jann Tosh, a benevolent Human miner who lived under the care of his foster uncle, Putch Gundarian. Back at his mine camp, Tosh discovered the battered android he had just bought was in fact a living being, if a mute and apparently simple-minded one. Following an incident during which the brainwashed Julpa saved Gundarian's life, the prince received the Bocce nickname of "Kez-Iban," which means "he who has returned from death." At that stage, Vizier Zatec-Cha's plan would have succeeded, were it not for the intervention of Sollag Den, a faithful servant of the prince. Den discovered Zatec-cha's machinations, but was banished from Tammuz-an before he could denounce the vizier's treachery. Even in exile, Den tried to find the missing prince and successfully tracked him to Tyne's Horky. He hired Kleb Zellock, a local crime lord, to locate Mon Julpa. However, when Zellock managed to capture Kez-Iban, he decided to change the conditions of Sollag Den's deal, holding the prince for ransom.

Race for the Throne

"What of the Royal Scepter? Do you have it?"
"Soon. Julpa is bringing it to Tammuz-an."

―Zatec-Cha and IG-88B

Mon Julpa recovers both the scepter and his memory.

With the help of Jann Tosh and his droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, Den freed Kez-Iban from Zellock's clutches. Julpa was then presented with his royal scepter, which instantly restored his memory. Tosh and his companions then agreed to take the prince back to Tammuz-an, where they would try and foil Zatec-Cha's attempt at a political coup. However, the Vizier had learned of the prince's liberation, and did not intend to leave matters there. Zatec-Cha hired the assassin droid IG-88B, a famous bounty hunter, to capture Julpa and take the scepter. That new plan succeeded, and Zatec-Cha planned on feeding the prince to his ferocious durkii. However, the timely intervention of the R2-D2 prevented him from doing so; when the droid removed the kleex parasites that were enraging the durkii, the creature turned into a harmless animal. What followed then was a frantic chase, during which the scepter changed hands a few times. Tosh's droids managed to snatch the Scepter from the vizier and threw it to Mon Julpa just as a beam of sunlight was about to light the tower. Despite the best efforts of the vizier and his bumbling servant Vinga, the crown prince was recognized by the Keeper of the Tower in the eleventh hour.

Aftermath

Prince Mon Julpa is proclaimed King of Tammuz-an.

"You've not seen the last of me, Julpa! I have spies, spies that will finish you for good!"

―Zatec-Cha, to Mon Julpa

Following the accomplishment of the ritual, Julpa ascended to position of King. As regards Vizier Zatec-Cha, his chances of seizing power were lost for good, and he was imprisoned for his treason. Even as the King's guards were taking him away, the fallen vizier uttered threats, ensuring that he would send spies to finish Julpa off. Jann Tosh was made the King's personal adviser, and Meade was offered a new ship, which she christened King's Ransom. Even C-3PO and R2-D2, Tosh's droids,were awarded medals and positions in Julpa's court.

Appearances

• The Pirates and the Prince
• Star Wars: Droids—"The Lost Prince" (First mentioned)
• Star Wars: Droids—"The New King" (First appearance)

Sources

• Star Wars: Droids (Pack: Kez-Iban) (backup link)
• A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded
• Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
•  Julpa, Mon in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
•  Meade, Jessica in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
•  Tosh, Jann in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
•  IG-88 in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
•  Tyne's Horky in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
• The Droids Re-Animated, Part 2 on StarWars.com (article) (backup link not verified!)