The Car'das smugglers, often referred to as simply Car'das, were a syndicate of criminals founded by the smuggler Jorj Car'das. The Car'das were involved in various criminal activities but their main business was smuggling and information brokering. More interested in profit, they usually avoided violent criminal activities and had a reputation of civilized and honorable criminals. Thanks to the talented Jorj Car'das, the organization became one of the major smuggling rings in the galaxy during the Clone Wars and the rise of the Galactic Empire. However, during the Galactic Civil War, Jorj Car'das mysteriously vanished and the organization was taken over by one of his lieutenants, Talon Karrde. Karrde's Organization continued to growth under its new leader, particularly during the New Republic era. Talon Karrde ruled the organization during the Galactic Civil War, the Yuuzhan Vong War and the Second Galactic Civil War. Throughout these troubled times, Talon Karrde successfully preserved Jorj Car'das' tradition of respectable criminals among the members of the syndicate.
Car'das were one of the major smuggling syndicates in the galaxy. Car'das smugglers usually received the best cargoes with high profitability, as well as access to numerous resources that made smuggling easier. Other criminal organizations, like the Black Sun and Hutt clans, disliked Car'das' ability to move on their turf and tried to harm the organization. Contrary to other criminal organization that used smuggling as part of their primary business, Car'das smugglers did not produce the goods they transported and rather smuggled third-party goods and information. The Car'das avoided slave trade.
The Wild Karrde, flagship of the Car'das smuggling fleet after the Battle of Yavin.
The Car'das smugglers controlled many smuggling operations in the galaxy and were also engaged in small-scale piracy and other criminal activities. Though not usually considered to be violent criminals, its hardened members weren't afraid to shoot their way out of a hard situation. The Car'das were more concerned with turning a profit rather than engaging in violent criminal activity. Its members were required to be as intelligent as they were bold, for Jorj Car'das had little tolerance for non-intelligent actions of fools who very quickly got kicked out of the organization. However, the greed and ambition of Jorj Car'das often found its way down to individual members, and many of the Car'das members simply left the organization to make fortune for themselves. Since the majority of Car'das operations involved smuggling, most of its members were high-skilled mechanics and pilots, although slicers, hired blasters and other criminals were also a common sight in the organization. Its members had access to private shadow spaceports, where they could lay down and make repairs until the attention of the authorities shifted to another target.
A Car'das officer
The Car'das were organized into smaller cells that operated in particular sectors and regions throughout the galaxy. Though each cell was operating semi-independently, they still reported to the central organization led by Car'das himself. The cells consisted of individual ships and their crews, each ship having its own and hierarchy and its own captain. Hierarchy and organization among Car'das members were based on their position in smuggling ships. Below captains, Car'das ranks included, from the highest to the lowest, first officers, officer, and simple crewmembers. First officers could serve as aide to a captain but more often had their own ship and crew, though under the orders of the captain of another ship. Only captains directly reported to Jorj Car'das. Officers commanded crewmembers aboard Car'das ships, themselves under the leadership of captains and first officers. Crewmembers included various specialized occupations required to ship daily operations such as pilots and technicians. Among crewmembers, certain individuals could bear the ranks of navigator and helmsman, that were purely honorific.
Car'das smugglers made use of various types of freighters and transports to carry their smuggling missions. In addition, they also used starfighters to defend their bases and protect their operations, each Car'das cell possessing a small wing of about five starfighters. The most frequently used models of starfighters were Z-95 Headhunters, M3-A Scyk fighters and G1-M4-C Dunelizard fighters.
Jorj Car'das during the Outbound Flight incident.
The creation of the Car'das syndicate was based on an idea conceived by Kinman Doriana, aide to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, and Force Commander Thrawn of the Chiss Expansionary Fleet. In 27 BBY, Doriana, Thrawn and the young Jorj Car'das found themselves involved in the destruction of the Outbound Flight in the Unknown Regions. During this brief time together, the three agreed with supporting the rise to power of Darth Sidious, the best way in their opinion to protect the galaxy from the Yuuzhan Vong. Kinman Doriana and Thrawn decided to create a private information network for Sidious that would be operated by Jorj Car'das. After Doriana and Car'das returned to the known galaxy, Palpatine's aide trained the young smuggler during several months and provided money and contacts to support the foundation and growth of Car'das' information network. The network was covered as a smuggling ring and only Jorj Car'das was aware of the real goal of the organization.
Before the Clone Wars, the Jorj Car'das was in control of a smuggling ring that gained some notoriety in the Outer Rim. During the Bpfassh Uprising of the Clone Wars, Jorj Car'das was captured by Bpfasshi Dark Jedi. The smuggler was later rescued by Jedi Master Yoda who healed the young man. During this time the smuggler developed a latent Force-sensitivity. Several months after his disappearance, Car'das returned a changed man, having precognitive abilities. Using his new insights and intuition, he expanded his criminal empire throughout the Outer Rim and beyond, becoming one of the most important smuggling rings in the galaxy. At some point, Jorj Car'das consumed the organization of Booster Terrik, when the latter was sent to Kessel.
Jorj Car'das disappeared again in 0 BBY. Still suffering from his encounter with the Bpfasshi Dark Jedi, the man followed the advice of Master Yoda and joined the Aing-Tii monks in the Kathol sector. After three months with no news from Car'das, his lieutenants realized that their boss would not come back this time. The lieutenants therefore began to discuss the future of the organization. However, it appeared quickly that none of them would be eager to let the control of the organization to another. Hence, it was suggested that the organization could simply be split up with each lieutenant preserving is area of influence. Disgusted by the idea that Car'das' organization could disappear, one of his lieutenants, Talon Karrde, decided to take over the Car'das syndicate. In one single night, Karrde eliminated or neutralized all other lieutenants and assumed command of the Car'das smugglers. Despite eight different attempt by the ousted lieutenants to drive Karrde out, the man succeeded in consolidating his position over the three next years.
Car'das and Black Sun starfighters dogfighting during the Battle of Tansarii Point Station.
After the Battle of Yavin, the Car'das were based on Tansarii Point Station, in the Bright Jewel system. From the station, they patrolled the entire star system and provided protection against pirates to travelers and honest workers such as the Dynath Miners. In 1 ABY, a series of skirmishes with Black Sun pirates in Ord Mantell space turned to open war with Black Sun forces openly attacking Tansarii Point Station. Finally, Car'das pilots managed to defeat Black Sun in the Battle of Tansarii Point Station with the help of a number of bold star-hoppers. Around the same time, the Car'das were also in conflict with the Rak'qua, a tribe of bellicose Nautolans who had taken over the Car'das research facility in the Bright Jewel system. Eventually, Officer Antom Moria discovered the involvement of a local arms dealer in the outbreak of the conflict and was finally able through negotiation to convince both parties that the war was meaningless.
Talon Karrde's syndicate expanded significantly after the Battle of Endor. The death of Jabba Desilijic Tiure generated hundreds of new contacts and markets, allowing the Car'das to become the most powerful criminal organization in the Outer Rim. During this period of time, Karrde absorbed Quelev Tapper's smuggling ring and Tapper became Karrde's second-in-command. The Car'das syndicate then became the largest smuggling ring in the galaxy, a position that Karrde kept secret to most people but his business partners. Around this time, the Car'das counted over eight hundred members and nearly two dozen ships. Over time, memories of Jorj Car'das as the original leader of the organization faded away.
After the death of Tapper on Varonat in 8 ABY, Karrde encountered a woman who would became his new second-in-command: Mara Jade. In addition to Jade, Karrde's most trusted lieutenants and associates included Aves, Dankin, Chin, Fynn Torve, Wadewarn and Zakarisz Ghent.
Talon Karrde and his lieutenants on Myrkr during the Thrawn campaign.
As the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the New Republic raged, the Car'das smugglers remained neutral in the conflict but sold information to both factions. However, Talon Karrde found himself directly involved in the war during the Thrawn campaign in 9 ABY and was forced to align with the New Republic against the Empire. Karrde and other smuggler leaders later founded the Smugglers' Alliance that was pivotal in the defeat of Grand Admiral Thrawn at the Battle of Bilbringi. In the following years, Karrde remained an important ally of the Heroes of Yavin and the New Jedi Order.
In 19 ABY, during the last days of the Galactic Civil War, Talon Karrde traveled to the Kathol sector where he finally found his old mentor Jorj Car'das on the planet Exocron. Karrde was seeking a copy of the Caamas Document in order to end the Caamas Document Crisis but Car'das, although he possessed one of the most extensive information databases in the galaxy, did not have such copy. Nevertheless, Car'das provided sensitive information that helped solve the crisis.
During the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Car'das smugglers were involved in the fight against the extra-galactic invaders, although many other criminal organizations sided with the Yuuzhan Vong in the Peace Brigade. The Car'das and the Smugglers' Alliance fought alongside the New Republic in the decisive Battle of Ebaq where they suffered heavy casualties. During the war, Talon Karrde and Car'das also helped Luke Skywalker to evacuate the Jedi Praxeum from Yavin 4.
- Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, Second Edition
- Heir to the Empire Sourcebook
- Star Wars Gamemaster Screen, Revised
- The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook
- Live-Action Adventures
- Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded
- "The Smuggler's Alliance" — Star Wars Gamer 3
- The New Essential Guide to Characters
- The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Fly Casual