Hondo Ohnaka

**Hondo Ohnaka** was a male Weequay pirate and outlaw whose varied exploits garnered him notoriety and infamy throughout the galaxy. Over the course of Ohnaka's storied and decades-long career as the head of self-styled operations such as the Ohnaka Gang and Ohnaka Transport Solutions, he often became intertwined with the conflicts of his time. Although primarily self-serving, he provided crucial aid and assistance to his allies in the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars and the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War. In addition to his prolific escapades, Ohnaka authored several books and inspired many outlaws to follow in his footsteps.

After escaping enslavement as a young man, Hondo Ohnaka formed the Ohnaka Gang and began forging a reputation as a successful pirate in the Outer Rim. He first gained galactic fame during the Clone Wars, a war between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, when his gang managed to capture Confederate Head of State Dooku and Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Though Ohnaka was unsuccessful in ransoming the trio, his influence was far from diminished, and he established an uneasy relationship with the Republic through the Jedi, whom he encountered numerous times as both an ally and an antagonist. Ohnaka could not replicate his ties with the Republic with the Confederacy, however, and Dooku ordered Confederate General Grievous to destroy the Ohnaka Gang's base on Florrum, after which his crew briefly fractured.

The end of the Clone Wars saw the rise of the Galactic Empire, under whose rule Ohnaka's gang was dissolved, and the once-great pirate king was cast adrift as a small-time smuggler and outlaw. While on his own, Ohnaka became an ally of the fugitive Jedi Ezra Bridger and the Spectres, an insurgent cell rebelling against the Empire. Ohnaka frequently aided Bridger and the Spectres in their fight against the Empire, culminating in his participation in the liberation of Bridger's homeworld, the planet Lothal.

## History

By 4 ABY, Ohnaka was able to establish Ohnaka Transport Solutions and embark on his new path as a businessman, soon forging contracts with legal and illegal organizations across the galaxy. While at first willing to work with crime syndicates such as the Hutt Cartels and the Black Sun, Ohnaka found that his moral code had evolved and began reconsidering some of his company's relationships with them. While outwardly proclaiming that he had no issue with the Black Sun's activities and presenting aloofness, Hondo put himself in jeopardy with Lord Gyuti's syndicate by purposely allowing a shipment of Black Sun slaves to escape his custody. Still a rebel sympathizer, Hondo also abused his contract with the Galactic Empire, giving Rebel Alliance forces a chance to intercept a shipment of weaponry he had been hired to send to Endor by Imperial Admiral Firmus Piett.

In 5 ABY, Ohnaka took an interest in the artifact known as the Crystal Skull. He hired Boba Fett and Indiana Jones for the task of recovering it, telling them about how his intelligence had confirmed that the skull was in a storehouse on Utapau. Eventually, the pair was successful, rendezvousing with Ohnaka on Tatooine and giving him the Crystal Skull. Sometime after this, the Rebel Alliance transformed into the New Republic, and Ohnaka believed the new government was a sign that his new career as a respectable professional would help his reputation and Ohnaka Transport Solutions thrive. Instead, he found that his tenuous ties to the galaxy's crime syndicates threatened his business, and a bounty of 7,000 credits was placed on his head. In addition, his membership in the Bounty Hunter's Guild was revoked, and he recognized a worrying trend of bounty hunters increasingly ignoring accepted codes. Concerned that his life was at stake, Hondo briefly considered a number of contingency plans, including hiring a decoy and going on the run, but instead resolved to continue his business plans and search for new clients that would be unlikely to put a price on his head.

Hoping to prepare himself and future employees for possible mercenaries that might attempt to collect his bounty, Ohnaka wrote a guide detailing numerous bounty hunters and syndicates entitled *The Secrets of the Bounty Hunters*. In addition to the bounty hunters he had heard tales of and encountered throughout his life, Hondo included sections on his old friends Aurra Sing and Cad Bane. While Hondo knew that Sing had died many years before, he was unsure of Bane's status. Over the years, Hondo and Bane had remained friends as they aged, and Ohnaka had last spoken with Bane when the Duros had accepted a job with a Pyke Syndicate branch on Tatooine for a handsome fee in 9 ABY. Some time after their conversation, Hondo learned that the Pyke's operation on Tatooine had been eliminated by Boba Fett, who had taken over the deceased Jabba the Hutt's territories in Mos Espa, and reports of the battles indicated Bane's demise, which Ohnaka mourned in his book.

## Personality and traits

Hondo Ohnaka was a self-centered, avaricious pirate who was solely concerned with getting the best business deal for himself. His avarice led him to kidnap and ransom several high profile prisoners during the Clone Wars including Count Dooku, and the Jedi Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano. These characteristics occasionally brought him into trouble with the Jedi, the Republic, the Separatists, and even his own men, who attempted to emulate his behavior to advance their own interests. Ohnaka's avarice and treacherous nature continued into the Age of the Empire by exploiting and betraying several "business partners" he collaborated with, including Cikatro Vizago, Ezra Bridger, and the Lasat refugees Chava and Gron. He believed every situation had the chance to be turned into one that could generate profits.

Despite his selfish qualities, Ohnaka was still capable of honor and courage. On one occasion, he successfully convinced the young bounty hunter Boba Fett to reveal the location of two Republic hostages by telling Boba that it was the honorable thing to do, and calmly affirming that it what his father Jango would have done. On a later occasion, he joined forces with his former Jedi prisoner Ahsoka and several Jedi younglings to fight off General Grievous and his droid forces. Ohnaka admired the courage and devotion of the Jedi younglings, particularly the youngling Katooni.

Ohnaka also had a reputation as a reliable businessman who kept his word. He honored his promise to deliver several rocket launchers to General Skywalker's beleaguered Republic forces and their allies on Onderon. And, despite selling out the Rebels for a profit, Ohnaka did not run off immediately. He warned Ezra of the incoming stormtroopers and helped the Rebels escape, showing that even though Ohnaka was keen to make a profit, he still did not want any harm to come to Ezra. In fact, Ohnaka later affirmed that there was nothing he would not do to help Ezra.

Ohnaka also had a romantic relationship with the bounty hunter Aurra Sing, whom he secretly rescued after her ship had been shot down by Jedi forces. In addition, Hondo could speak Ugnaught which helped him to befriend several Ugnaught laborers including Terba. He used his command of the Ugnaught language to convince the Ugnaught laborers at Reklam Station to help the rebels steal Y-wing starfighters and to accept him as their leader. Ohnaka was also skilled at linking other people's interests to his own goals and ambitions. He sold the Phoenix Group information about Y-wing starfighters at Reklam Station in return for gaining a ship and crew. In the end, the rebels did not have to pay Hondo directly because he found a ship and crew at Reklam Station himself.

Though Hondo's schemes were often frustrated or thwarted by the various Jedi he encountered, he never grew to resent them or hold a grudge, instead seeming to remember those adventures fondly and growing a liking for Jedi generally. He held a particular soft-spot for Obi-Wan Kenobi, whom he often greeted with a warm "Kenobi!", even as adversaries.

Ohnaka was also known for his flowery rhetoric and liked to refer to his Ugnaught crew as his "short, fragrant family." While he claimed to regard his Ugnaught crew as his family, Ohnaka was not above abandoning them when danger arose. Ohnaka's betrayal angered Melch, who attacked him. However, Ohnaka managed to placate the Ugnaught by offering him a two percent share of the treasure instead of one. While Bridger trusted Ohnaka to a degree, and respected him as a tricky-but-friendly business partner, Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus regarded him as a slippery and untrustworthy character. While Ohnaka claimed to care for his "partners," he was known to put his pecuniary interests ahead of others (as exemplified by his exploitative attitude towards Azmorigan).

While Ohnaka thought that Ezra had little chance of success in liberating Lothal, he admired the boy's spirit and courage. Ohnaka's respect for Ezra led him to return the youth a favor by volunteering to assist in the planet's liberation. Despite dominating Melch in their relationship, Ohnaka regarded him as a friend. He was distraught when he thought that Melch had been killed, and shot several stormtroopers in rage. However, Ohnaka was elated when he discovered his friend had merely been stunned and quipped that Melch should not strive to be a hero; reflecting his sarcastic sense of humor.

A notable trait of Ohnaka's business conduct was his distrust for hard currency. He preferred payment in expensive trade goods, such as spice or Nysillin.

By the time he met Ezra, Hondo Ohnaka was aging and his hair had turned gray.

## Appearances

* Remastered (First appearance)
* The Quest for the Crystal Skull (Appears in Newsreel)
* Counterattack