Black Sun

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Coruscant

• 

From the Expanded Universe

The Empire's control of the galaxy and the efforts of a ragtag Rebellion marked key moments in galactic history. Underneath these events, though, lurking in the shadows of the Empire, was Black Sun, a vast criminal organization possessed of incredible power and influence.

The syndicate's tentacles reach everywhere -- from the polished spires of Imperial Center to the seamiest Outer Rim tavern. Many of the organization's tens of thousands of operatives had no idea that they were benefiting Black Sun, so layered and intricate were the fronts that the syndicate hid behind. Black Sun had involvement in every known type of illegal activity, and its information network rivaled the accuracy and scope of even Imperial Intelligence.

Existing in one form or another for centuries, the modern era of Black Sun was sculpted by Prince Xizor, the elegant Falleen head of Xizor Transport Systems. Serving beneath him were a cadre of nine "Vigos" -- Old Tionese for "nephew" -- who monitored and managed activities in specific territories.

Xizor's personal vendetta against Lord Darth Vader nearly scuttled the entire organization. So fixated on exacting vengeance against Vader, Xizor's allowed his fortress to become infiltrated by Rebel Alliance agents. The devastation of his fortress by Rebel explosives was just the start of a downward spiral that culminated in Xizor's death in the destruction of his private skyhook.

In the resulting power vacuum, the Vigos desperately sought to carve up the criminal empire. Xizor's long-lost niece, Savan, secretly instigated a war between the Vigos as she attempted to take control of Black Sun herself. She failed in her bid to capture the human replica droid Guri, whose mechanical mind contained many vital Black Sun secrets. When Guri's memory was wiped, many of the most secret and lucrative Black Sun ventures were forever erased.

This was not the first time Black Sun had been decapitated. Decades earlier, Darth Maul infiltrated Black Sun and killed its then-leader Alexi Garyn. The remnants of Xizor's Black Sun did not rebound nearly as well as Garyn's organization, as no obvious heir as powerful or driven as Xizor appeared. A string of imitators emerged in the following years, and with each one Black Sun was further diminished. The corrupt Moff Flirry Voru controlled a sizable fragment, while other remains were reformed into Black Nebula by Lord Dequc. After years of directionless rule, Y'ull Acib attempted control, and finally Czethros was the last known ruler of the organization before it was finally crushed.

Behind the Scenes

Black Sun was developed as a shadowy criminal syndicate that permeates the entire galactic underworld, and the principal enemy of the Shadows of the Empire multi-media project. Because Shadows debuted in 1996, Black Sun is strangely absent in stories involving the underworld previous that date. Subsequent books would stress that the nebulous existence of the organization was entirely by design.

Fragments of Black Sun have been detailed in such stories as Shadows of the Empire: Evolution, the X-Wing novel series, Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand, Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood and the Young Jedi Knights novel series.