Honor duel on Hapes In 25 ABY , Prince Isolder and Archon Beed Thane participated in an honor duel . The duel occurred after Ambassador Leia Organa Solo traveled to Hapes to enlist the help of the Hapes Consortium in the Yuuzhan Vong War . Thane , who was opposed to the Consortium becoming involved in the war , insulted Organa Solo and Isolder ' s Jedi daughter , Tenel Ka Djo . Isolder , a friend of the Ambassador , responded by slapping Thane across the face , initiating a Hapan honor duel with him . The duel was held shortly thereafter , with the contestants using an ancient form of hand - to - hand combat . Isolder won the duel after the referee called a sudden death round . As a result , the Hapes Consortium decided to enter the war against the extra - galactic Yuuzhan Vong invaders . Prelude . In 25 ABY , New Republic Ambassador Leia Organa Solo visited the planet Hapes to ask the Hapes Consortium for help in the ongoing war against the extra - galactic Yuuzhan Vong invaders , who had already overtaken several New Republic worlds , leaving many refugees without homes . She was welcomed by Prince Isolder and the royal family and then gave a speech to the Hapan delegates , warning them about the dangerous nature of the invaders . After the speech concluded , the Hapan delegates debated whether or not to help the New Republic by entering the war , and a vote was set to be held in a few days . Beed Thane , the Archon of the planet Vergill , was opposed to Consortium involvement in the conflict and insulted Organa Solo , along with Isolder ' s daughter , Jedi Knight Tenel Ka Djo , in front of Isolder . Isolder responded by slapping Thane across the face , initiating a Hapan honor duel . The duel was to be held at Reef Fortress , the private shore side retreat of the royal family . Isolder , who selected that location , spent the night before the duel there with his family , Organa Solo , and a small group of advisors . Thane was to choose the weapon that both he and Isolder would wield because he was the one offended and humiliated by Isolder slapping him . He decided that they would compete using a form of hand - to - hand combat dating back to a martial art form created by the Lorell Raiders . Both combatants were required to wear electrode - studded power glove s and boots along with a headguard and body armor that were sensor - studded and connected to a remote receiver that would recognize a connecting blow . The equipment setup allowed for a referee to note the score and , at his discretion , decide whether the match went into a sudden death stipulation . As an extra precaution , most opponents in an honor duel agreed to refrain from inflicting serious injury , but the Prince and the Archon waived the usual restrictions regarding that matter . Before commencing combat , Thane , representing House Thane , pledged that if Isolder won the duel , then Vergill would vote to support the New Republic against the Yuuzhan Vong . Likewise , Isolder , representing the Hapan Royal House , pledged that if Thane won , Hapes would withhold its support . The added wager caused much controversy among the spectators , who favored Thane to win , as he was taller and more muscular than the Prince . The duel . To initiate the duel , the referee dropped a red scarf . When the scarf touched the ground , the fight commenced . The Archon and the Prince were both essentially footfighters — Thane using traditional techniques and Isolder using straightforward boxing . Several minutes into the duel , Isolder and Thane scored their first point each in rapid succession . Soon , they each scored another point , and the referee called a sudden death round . After that , Thane injured Isolder ' s left forearm . Eventually , Isolder overcame Thane with a roundhouse kick to the head , winning the duel . Aftermath . The vote was held a short time later , with each planet in the Consortium being allowed an equal vote . As Thane promised , Vergill voted to support entering the war . Thirty - two were in favor of entering the war to thirty - one opposed , and the Consortium thus pledged its support to the New Republic . However , during a conversation with Isolder just after the vote had concluded , Organa Solo received a vision through the Force of approaching disaster and begged him to call for a re - vote , under the pretense that Hapes had changed its position . Isolder told her not to worry and invited her aboard his flagship , the " Song of War " , for the trip to the galactic capital , Coruscant , where the portion of the Hapan Royal Navy sent to help the New Republic was to be briefed on the Yuuzhan Vong and their tactics . However , Organa Solo ' s fears were realized when over half of the Hapan fleet was destroyed during the Battle of Fondor . Behind the scenes . The honor duel was described in the 2000 novel " " by James Luceno .