The Exchange was a criminal organization active from around 4000 BBY to at least 3627 BBY, and possibly the most powerful of its time, that dealt in spice refinement and smuggling, extortion, weapon trafficking, slave trading, and bounty hunting. The organization was active on many planets and employed notorious bounty hunters such as Calo Nord. During the First Jedi Purge, it posted a huge bounty on live Jedi, large enough to purchase an entire planet. Three hundred years later, during the Cold War, the Exchange was engaged in a galaxy-spanning crime war with the Hutt Cartel, centering on Nar Shaddaa.
The Exchange was an extremely powerful criminal organization that operated throughout much of the Outer Rim Territories. The shadowy group was led by an even more mysterious entity called the Compeer, with a command structure that included individual crime lords controlling profitable worlds. The only way to be accepted into this elite group was to be nominated by several other crime lords.
It maintained organized cells on various worlds of interest; each of those planetary cells was led by a single boss who ruled over Exchange interests on that world. The bosses reported to sector chiefs, who had no cells of their own and operated under secret identities, leading normal lives. Even the bosses did not know who the chiefs were in real life, since most communications were done over secret, secure communications channels. The chiefs in turn reported to the head of the Exchange, who was himself one of the sector chiefs. It was often locally represented by sham fronts, such as Citadel Station's Bumani Exchange Corporation.
Some Exchange bosses during this period were Davik Kang, the crime lord of the planet Taris, Loppak Slusk of Telos IV, and Goto of Nar Shaddaa. The organization was briefly yet significantly involved with, and damaged by, two important figures around the time of the Jedi Civil War: Revan and the Jedi Exile, Meetra Surik.
Davik Kang, Exchange head of Taris around 3956 BBY
In 3956 BBY, Revan infiltrated the Exchange headquarters on Taris and killed Davik Kang. Five years later, Surik arrived on Nar Shaddaa, Nal Hutta's largest moon. She proceeded to destabilize the Exchange's operations on the moon by killing the crime lords Saquesh and Visquis, and thereafter by destroying the Visionary.
The Exchange boss of Nar Shaddaa around 3951 BBY was known by the name of Goto. Never seen in person and appearing via hologram, Goto was not an organic being but actually a droid, G0-T0. Using a hologram that gave the impression it was a living being, G0-T0 remotely led and operated the Exchange. Eventually, he traveled with Meetra Surik.
G0-T0, Exchange head of Nar Shaddaa around 3951 BBY
G0-T0 managed to use the illegal actions of the Exchange for his ultimate purpose of stabilizing the Galactic Republic. Its smuggling ring caused the deaths of destabilizing persons or organizations, developed unofficial profits for entire sectors, and strengthened Republic worlds that would otherwise have been poor and ignored. Believing that the major source of the Republic's problems revolved around the Jedi Civil War, it enacted bounties on both Jedi and Sith. Many bounty hunters simply killed Jedi and Sith instead of capturing them, but the outcome remained: fewer Jedi or Sith to fight against each other meant less fighting overall. G0-T0, as part of his programming, was simply interested in keeping the Republic in order and keeping its infrastructure intact due to the devastation caused by the Jedi Civil War.
The droid went along with the Exile in hopes of stabilizing the galaxy. He was eventually destroyed on Malachor V when the Mass Shadow Generator was re-activated and blew up the planet.
According to Kreia's predictions before her death on Malachor V, the Exchange grew in power, until the Hutt Cartel ceased tolerating it.
The Exchange continued to operate in the following years and was still in existence by 3653 BBY during the Cold War between the Galactic Republic and reborn reconstituted Sith Empire. In this era, one of their crime lords helped sponsor Jewl'a Nightbringer into the Great Hunt. By this point, the Exchange had become a major rival of the Hutt Cartel, and each group conducted several operations against the other.
During the Cold War, the Exchange acquired a fortune investing in several cutting-edge tech corporations.
Ukabi was the Exchange boss on Nar Shaddaa during this period. Imperial diplomat Maro Vizhen attempted to recruit him into the Shadow Syndicate, a group of crime lords allied with the Empire; However, Ukabi refused and an all-out war ensued between the Shadow Syndicate and the Exchange, culminating in Ukabi's defeat and death at the hands of an Imperial enforcer.
The Shadow Syndicate later continued to pursue the Exchange remnants and drove them from the Corellian Sector.
After the incident on Nar Shaddaa, the Sith Empire formally outlawed the organization and began to actively hunt down the Exchange within their sphere of influence, including on such worlds as Tatooine, where the Syndicate was supporting and supplying local resistance against the Empire.
By 3627 BBY, the Exchange had established a presence on Mek-Sha, and was involved in a conspiracy with the Hutt Cartel to dismantle the Harido Wald. The Alliance Commander put an end to this plan, securing Mek-Sha's independence from the Hutts.
- Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Prima Official Game Guide
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- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
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- Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia