Uul-Rha-Shan was a male Tiss'shar smuggler, mercenary and gunfighter who worked as the bodyguard for Corporate Sector Authority Viceprex of Corporate Security Mirkovig Hirken. After getting his start in a smuggling ring on his native Tiss'sharl, Uul-Rha-Shan eventually went into business on his own, in time becoming regarded as one of the galaxy's deadliest with a blaster in his hand. His path took him to the Corporate Sector, where he became a minor celebrity after saving the life of a low-level official in front of news cameras.
His newfound notoriety earned him a well-paying position protecting Hirken, who was in charge of a secretive prison known as Stars' End. But while it originally proved to be a cushy job, that changed in 2 BBY, when a group led by Corellian smuggler Han Solo arrived to free those held at Stars' End. Uul-Rha-Shan and Solo engaged in a brief duel, resulting in a massive power plant explosion that doomed the prison to destruction—afterward, the Tiss'shar tracked Solo down in the ruined station, only for the Corellian to kill him with a blaster bolt to the chest.
Uul-Rha-Shan.
A member of the reptilian Tiss'shar race, Uul-Rha-Shan had a blaster in his hand from a young age, starting as a member of a large weapons smuggling ring on his homeworld of Tiss'sharl. He quickly discovered an aptitude for killing, and soon started his own career as a mercenary and bodyguard. After striking out on his own, Uul-Rha-Shan began to write his legend as a gunfighter, earning a significant amount of notoriety for killing a number of infamous shootists. His first high-profile victim was the "unbeatable" Gotal mercenary Terrlarn, who tried to bully Uul-Rha-Shan's employer out of a shipment of Tagge Company blaster cartridges on Port Haven—the Tiss'shar proved to be a quicker draw, leaving the Gotal dead in the surf. He also earned considerable notoriety for gunning down Socorran gunslinger Neena Garnet in a dispute over a bar tab at the Black Sands Cantina, and killing Meelto of Rodia during a sabacc game and subsequently disintegrating three security guards during his escape from Omze's Incredible Traveling Starport.
By 2 BBY, Uul-Rha-Shan had earned a reputation that stood out among the galaxy's most exceptional killers, that of a mercenary that would go anywhere and kill anyone for the right price. Eventually, he became well-known enough to attract the attention of the Corporate Sector Authority, which brought the Tiss'shar in to work as a bodyguard—having one was considered a major status symbol in the Corporate Sector. His first position was merely shadowing a minor official from Millennium Entertainments, but his profile soon rose precipitously when he saved the life of the Assistant Advisory Undersecretary of Media during a terrorist attack by the Duroon Rebels at a promotional screening on Etti IV. Uul-Rha-Shan's feat occurred in full view of news cameras, and his exotic look, combined with his skill with a blaster, made him an instant celebrity in the Corporate Sector. He soon started to receive a stream of job offers, but one stood out: an entreaty from Mirkovig Hirken, Viceprex of Corporate Security, to work exclusively for him in exchange for a handsome salary.
Uul-Rha-Shan accepted the offer, and it proved to be a cushy, undemanding arrangement, as Hirken spent his days focusing on his pet project: an experimental prison known as Stars' End where thousands of the Corporate Sector's undesirables and dissidents were discreetly shipped to serve out sentences in suspended animation. Hirken and his wife moved full-time into the prison complex, which was located on the desolate asteroid Mytus VII, and Uul-Rha-Shan followed with them as Hirken's ever-present shadow. In 2 BBY, Stars' End was visited by what was reputed to be troupe of entertainers, "Madam Atuarre's Roving Performers"—in truth, they were an undercover group of Corporate Sector citizens looking for loved ones who had been secretly confined in Stars' End. Their performance was to serve as a distraction while the group's erstwhile leader, Corellian smuggler Han Solo, trawled the facility in search of a way to free the prisoners.
Han Solo and Uul-Rha-Shan do battle.
Initially, Uul-Rha-Shan and the facility staff didn't suspect a thing. While he had heard of Solo, the troupe's "Master Marksman," he didn't recognize him, and their performance went underway. However, Hirken quickly became bored. A gladiator droid enthusiast, the Viceprex was only interested in seeing one of the group's droids battle his prized Mark X Executioner. But when he ordered the fight to go on, he was shocked to witness the underdog Bollux, which wasn't programmed for combat, destroy his deadly machine. In a rage he ordered Uul-Rha-Shan into the arena to face off with the "Master Marksman," who surprised him when he revealed his identity as Solo, someone he saw as worthy of killing. However, their encounter was a short one—the Tiss'shar's first disruptor shot missed and destroyed important circuitry nearby, which rapidly led to a massive power plant explosion that blew Stars' End clear off the surface of Mytus VII.
What followed next was nothing short of chaos, as Hirken, Uul-Rha-Shan and the surviving staff desperately searched for a way off the doomed prison as Solo and his compatriots began to free the confined. Hirken quickly came to realize his only chance for survival was to strike a bargain with Solo, and sent Uul-Rha-Shan with a squad of Security Police to track him down and make contact. But Uul-Rha-Shan wanted Solo's head, and ultimately confronted the Corellian in the smoking corridors of Stars' End. The Tiss'shar got off the first shot, but missed—instead taking off part of Bollux's head—and Solo returned a blaster round directly into Uul-Rha-Shan's chest, killing one of the galaxy's most notorious gunmen.
Uul-Rha-Shan and his employer, Mirkovig Hirken.
Uul-Rha-Shan's path in life was set at a young age, when he learned that he not only had a talent for killing, but that he genuinely enjoyed it. With that knowledge in mind, he had a strong confidence that he could carve out a career with his blaster, and he wasn't mistaken. Uul-Rha-Shan was a cold, calculating opportunist and was known for his extremely fast and accurate draw, typically using a custom Merr-Sonn MSD-32 disruptor pistol that he attached to a power-loaded mechanism on his arm. By 2 BBY he had become renowned as being willing and able to kill anyone, anywhere, although he still preferred to know who it was he was killing before he fired the fatal shot.
The Tiss'shar's penchant for violence led him to his profitable position with Mirkovig Hirken, although he had little respect for the man himself: normally disdainful of the intelligence of Humans, Uul-Rha-Shan thought Hirken was especially stupid for paying him as much as he did, as he figured that the Viceprex of Corporate Security could simply reprogram one of his prized gladiator droids and save himself the money. But while he found working for Hirken to be an easy job, he ultimately encountered an opponent he saw as worthy of killing: Han Solo. Although he was aware of Solo's reputation, the Tiss'shar thought himself as a cut above the Corellian, and was unable to resist the temptation of taunting Solo before ultimately meeting his end.
Uul-Rha-Shan first appeared in Han Solo at Stars' End, a novel written by Brian Daley and released in 1979. He was later pictured by Alfredo Alcala in the story's comic adaptation, and by Chris Trevas in 2009's The Essential Atlas. The Han Solo at Stars' End comic depicts Uul-Rha-Shan as turning on and killing Hirken at the end of the story, while in the book, the Viceprex is murdered by his own wife, and the Tiss'shar is already dead by that point.
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- Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook
- Galaxy Guide 12: Aliens — Enemies and Allies
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- Star Wars Encyclopedia
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- Ultimate Alien Anthology
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. III, p. 285
- The Essential Atlas