Orrk


Orrk was Guildmaster of the Metalsmiths Guild of Vandelhelm during the Galactic Civil War. A longtime Imperial collaborator, Orrk continued to conspire with Imperial admiral Mordur in the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, attempting to keep Vandelhelm's valuable metal production from benefiting the Alliance of Free Planets. Orrk attempted to kidnap Vandelhelm's Venerated Ones in 4 ABY, but was gunned down by Alliance war hero Han Solo.

Biography


A Human male, Orrk served as Guildmaster of the Metalsmiths Guild on his homeworld of Vandelhelm, a planet known for its importance to the shipbuilding trade. A Imperial conspirator for over a decade, Orrk retained his position as Guildmaster after the Empire's climactic defeat at the Battle of Endor, but his past loyalties made some within the Alliance of Free Planets—including General Lando Calrissian, who had dealt with Orrk during his time as Baron Administrator of Bespin's Cloud City—suspicious. As it happened, the Alliance was right to be leery of Orrk. Seeking to keep Vandelhelm's metals away from Alliance control, Orrk conspired with an Imperial admiral named Mordur—whom he sheltered aboard a converted drone barge—to imprison the Venerated Ones two child royals who held great symbolic significance to the world's metalsmiths, in an Imperial internment facility on Ord Vaug.

With the Venerated Ones gone, Orrk announced that the Metalsmiths Guild was ceasing production until their return, denying the Alliance the alloys it used to augment its fleet. Orrk's plan took a hit when Alliance forces liberated Ord Vaug and freed the Venerated Ones, dispatching war heroes Han Solo and Nien Nunb to ferry the children back to Vandelhelm. Orrk and Mordur planned to resolve this issue by simply killing the Venerated Ones upon their return to the system, but Solo and Nunb deftly piloted the Millennium Falcon through a mined asteroid belt to bring them back to Vandelhelm. Orrk returned planetside to greet Solo and the Venerated Ones and find a way to regain control of the situation, ultimately electing to make an attempt on the children's lives. Orrk took the Venerated Ones hostage and attempted to force them onto Solo's Millennium Falcon, only for Solo—famously quick on the draw—to gun Orrk down and save the children.

Personality and traits


Orrk was a longtime, committed Imperial loyalist, one who reveled in the control his position bestowed upon the Metalsmiths Guild. However, after the Empire's defeat at Endor he began to display some contempt for his Imperial allies, making comments about how they lost the Galactic Civil War. Orrk ably and disingenuously wore a public face as the dedicated head of the guild, but among guild members, Orrk had a reputation of being distant and uninterested in their concerns, only deigning to visit them when he had further consolidated his power. Indeed, Orrk had a strong resentment for the metalsmiths he governed, thinking of them as superstitious and simple.

Behind the scenes


Orrk appeared in Star Wars 98, written by Archie Goodwin, illustrated by Al Williamson and released in 1985.

Sources


  • The Essential Guide to Characters
  • The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Appearances

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