Eugene Talmont

Mirroring his father's dedication, Eugene Talmont served the Galactic Empire faithfully. However, his unblemished record and unassuming profile resulted in a succession of transfers from one unimportant assignment to another. He began to harbor resentment toward his father, whom he considered a lesser human being. In 0 BBY, he found himself stationed at Mos Eisley, a spaceport situated on the arid planet of Tatooine, where he was assigned the role of Prefect. Upon discovering that his predecessor, Orun Depp, had been assassinated by IG-72, he devised a series of schemes aimed at securing his own transfer. Initially, Talmont saw his new position as an opportunity to civilize the uncouth inhabitants of Tatooine. However, he soon began to suspect that someone in the higher ranks of the government held a grudge against him. As a civilian officer, Talmont had a squad of Stormtroopers at his disposal, but he was required to formally request their deployment from Lieutenant [Harburik], the squad leader. His office was located in Mos Eisley's run-down regional headquarters, where he interacted with both employees and the general public.

Among Talmont's staff was the informant Garindan. At some point, Garindan, in collaboration with the Devaronian Labria, uncovered a plot by a group of spacers to liberate the smuggler Big Bunji from Imperial custody, as Bunji was being transported to Mos Eisley aboard a hover truck. In response, Talmont orchestrated a trap, filling the hover truck with stormtroopers while secretly transferring Bunji to Docking Bay 87. As anticipated, the stormtroopers engaged the spacers, but the spacers managed to break free, locate Bunji, and successfully free him.

Within a year, Talmont's influence had grown to rival that of Governor Tour Aryon, granting him some authority over the entire planet. Nevertheless, his desire for a transfer persisted, leading him to develop a plan to impress his superiors. Han Solo, the captain of the Millennium Falcon, was a wanted man by the Empire, and Talmont's forces had received intelligence suggesting that he would return to Tatooine to settle his debt with Jabba Desilijic Tiure, a crime lord who had placed a bounty on the fugitive smuggler's head. Talmont hired three bounty hunters, Dengar, Udin, and Eron Stonefield, with the intention of having them stake out Jabba's Palace and await Solo's arrival. Talmont promised the bounty hunters substantial payment, believing that capturing such an elusive terrorist would guarantee his transfer to a more desirable position.

However, this seemingly straightforward plan evolved into a complex, galaxy-spanning pursuit involving the abduction of Hutts, planetary uprisings, and trade disputes. With his Ur-Damo held captive by Solo, Jabba expressed interest in the hunt and contacted Talmont. Despite his animosity towards the Hutt, the Prefect assured him of the hunters' capabilities. With Jabba's involvement, Talmont's role diminished. Although the hunters eventually apprehended Solo, they inadvertently handed him over to Rebels disguised as Imperials. As a result, celebrations erupted across Mos Eisley, and Talmont's desired transfer remained elusive.

During the same year, Prefect Talmont was tasked by the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) with researching the Hutt kajidics, or clans. Talmont complied, producing a highly critical and condemning report on the kajidics, incorporating psychological theories such as "The Hutt Mirror." Talmont's report was submitted to the ISB, and subsequently, Commander Maximillian Seerdon forwarded it to Grand Vizier Sate Pestage.

In 1 ABY, Wilhalm Skrim, Governor Aryon's aide, directed a traveling Imperial spacer to Talmont. Talmont, who was visiting Bestine, had several tasks that the spacer was willing to undertake. First, he instructed the spacer to assassinate the gangster Akkar Plint, who was working for Gohn Bimmin, an Imperial official. Bimmin had apparently fabricated evidence alleging Talmont's involvement in a bribery scandal and was en route to Bestine to present his case. The spacer completed the task, ensuring Talmont's safety, at least for the time being. He then dispatched the spacer to assassinate Bimmin, further safeguarding the Prefecture from damaging accusations.

Impressed by the spacer's abilities, Talmont enlisted the nomad in his conflict against the Hutts. He assigned the spacer another assassination mission, this time targeting the Hutt employee Snrrrlagga. With the spacer's success, Talmont grew confident in his ability to gain the upper hand in the minor conflict. However, Governor Aryon became suspicious of Talmont's activities and enlisted the services of an Imperial Security Bureau officer to monitor the Prefect. Indignant, Talmont discovered that the Bothan spy Nwilla Thar'lyat had been providing the ISB officer with information about his operations. Consequently, he sent the spacer to assassinate Thar'lyat.

Although Thar'lyat was killed, Aryon persisted. With the ISB's effectiveness diminished, she recruited Imperial Intelligence to take over the task. Talmont was confident in his ability to handle the Intelligence officer, but recognized that the officer's bodyguard, Klaua Jik, would pose a challenge. Reminding the spacer to maintain utmost secrecy, Talmont once again enlisted their services for an assassination mission, with Jik as the target. Shortly thereafter, Jik was killed, allowing Talmont to operate freely once more. Still, Aryon remained unsatisfied. She summoned the Inquisitorius, who dispatched one of their members to interrogate those close to Talmont. Panicked, the Prefect sent the spacer to kill Harbo Linn, a member of the Prefecture who would reveal incriminating information if he fell into the hands of the Inquisitor. The spacer succeeded, but Talmont was too distressed to take pleasure in the outcome.

Talmont understood that he needed to eliminate Jabba and his criminal enterprises that plagued Mos Eisley. Initially, he hired Imperial operatives to infiltrate Jabba's Palace and steal data discs containing information about the crime lord's bribery of important officials. He persisted in his efforts, but instead of hindering the crime lord's activities, he merely created a series of easily circumvented obstacles. Further setbacks occurred with the hiring of Dannik Jerriko, an Anzati assassin. Jerriko was employed by both Talmont and Lady Valarian, causing the Prefect considerable distress and confusion. In 4 ABY, he contacted two members of Jabba's cartel: Tessek and Ree-Yees. Ree-Yees, an alcoholic murderer from Kinyen, had three deaths on his record, but Talmont agreed to clear the Gran's name if he could eliminate Jabba. To that end, he had his men gradually deliver the components of a bomb to Ree-Yees, hoping that the Gran would assemble it and eliminate Jabba.

Tessek, Jabba's accountant, made a separate agreement with Talmont. He would arrange for Jabba to inspect a spice shipment in a large warehouse in Mos Eisley, during which Talmont and his men would raid the illegal stash and arrest the Hutt. Talmont believed that by eliminating Jabba, one way or another, he would be transferred to another world. The day before the planned raid, Talmont went to the Lucky Despot with several of his men, and was met by Ephant Mon, another of Jabba's employees. Observing the Chevin dispatch a pair of local thugs, he commended Mon on his combat skills. However, Mon hinted that he knew of Tessek's plan, causing Talmont to worry. Fortunately for Talmont, Jabba was assassinated by Leia Organa the following day at the Pit of Carkoon.

The Prefect was also collaborating with swoop gangs to incite chaos in Mos Eisley, enabling him to declare martial law and consolidate his power. A light corvette arrived and informed him about the Battle of Endor. However, when his scheme was exposed, he was forced to flee.

Eugene Talmont possessed a somewhat embittered disposition, particularly towards his father and his superiors. In Talmont's view, his father had consistently received favorable assignments and postings, while he himself had been relegated to nothing but backwater positions. Adding insult to injury, Talmont considered himself to be a far superior individual to his father. The Prefect did not attribute his assignment to Tatooine to mere chance, as he was convinced that his superiors had deliberately given him a poor assignment out of spite. While Talmont initially believed that Mos Eisley might offer him an opportunity to subdue the unruly citizens, he quickly realized that it was a highly perilous and desolate city with virtually no prospects for advancement. He also appeared to have a volatile temper when informed of failures within his unit, as the colonel in charge of what was the Tusken Bunker hired a spacer to clear out the Tusken Raiders who had taken over the base over reporting the loss due to fearing being reprimanded by him.

He readily accepted bribes, but was deeply offended by accusations of misconduct. He frequently clashed with the governor, and generally tried to avoid her, but when Talmont's assassination orders spiraled out of control, the governor launched an investigation. Talmont panicked in response, and simply ordered more killings, which did, eventually, resolve the problem. He believed that accepting bribes was perfectly normal for a man in his position, and accepted credits from almost every business in Mos Eisley in exchange for turning a selectively blind eye. Talmont's objective became less about "fixing" Mos Eisley and more about doing something noteworthy to attract the attention of his superiors, as he despised Tatooine and sought a transfer. He devised a wide range of schemes, none of which succeeded.

Talmont was a slight man of wiry build and was not a particularly imposing figure. He was also physically short-sighted. During his first year in Mos Eisley, he wore a toupee, but replaced it in 1 ABY with an officer's cap to match his prefect's uniform. He also carried a walking stick, but he had seemingly abandoned it by the time of his second year on the job.

Eugene Talmont was created by Martin Wixted and first appeared in the West End Games sourcebook Galaxy Guide 7: Mos Eisley. The character went on to appear in the short-story collection Tales from Jabba's Palace, and made his first in-story appearance in Kenneth C. Flint's Old Friends: Ephant Mon's Tale. The character was later used by Dave Wolverton, as the catalyst for the plot of the second arc of the Star Wars Missions series, in 1998.

In the Star Wars Miniatures Battles scenario A Line in the Sand..., which occurs during the Rebellion on Tatooine, Prefect Talmont can either be rescued by the Empire, captured by the Mos Eisley militia, or killed by the swoop gang.