The Guavian Death Gang, alternatively referred to as the Guavian gang, constituted a criminal syndicate operating approximately three decades following the Battle of Endor. Due to the turmoil within the galaxy's criminal networks following the downfall of the Galactic Empire, this pirate organization was forced to flee the Core Worlds. They utilized formidable soldiers clad in striking red cybernetic armor designed for high-impact combat.
The red-armored ground troops of the Guavian Death Gang were enlisted after pledging their allegiance to the organization in exchange for cybernetic enhancements. These soldiers were outfitted with a mechanical reservoir functioning as a secondary heart, which injected a unique blend of chemicals into their bloodstream, thereby enhancing their speed and aggression. Communication was facilitated through high-frequency data streams transmitted from a central disk located within their faceplates. The soldiers wielded cutting-edge black market weaponry, including the Tostovin Munitions percussive cannon, as carried by figures such as Bala-Tik.
The Guavian Death Gang was expelled from the Core Worlds by other criminal elements who were unwilling to share their operations with this merciless group. As they rose to prominence as a significant criminal entity, they developed a reputation for using coercion. The gang also seized control of an area known as Guavian Death Space, where they deployed scoutships.
At some point after Supreme Leader Snoke took command of the First Order, Bala-Tik recounted in the Smuggler's Guide how the Guavian Death Gang intercepted a binary transmission from the Droid Gotra. This transmission instructed Gotra members and the Cyban Front to target valuable data caches on Terminus, Little Petrovi, and the Corbett Cluster. Subsequently, the Guavians transmitted their own contradictory message, directing soldiers to intercept these groups and somehow confiscating the Smuggler's Guide from Gotra. Later in the book, he outlined their scheme to initiate a strike on Nantoon with the aim of dominating the galaxy's criminal underworld. However, the Kanjiklub gained possession of the Smuggler's Guide from the gang during a skirmish within the Cronese Mandate.
In 34 ABY, two Guavian soldiers pursued racer Marcus Speedstar to the Colossus station on Castilon because he owed them 20,000 credits. To ensure Speedstar was motivated to win the Platform Classic and its 100,000 credit prize, the Gang held Speedstar's mechanic Oplock as a hostage, releasing him only after Speedstar repaid his debt using his winnings.
Approximately thirty years after the Battle of Endor, the Guavian Death Gang and their representative, Bala-Tik, encountered Han Solo and Chewbacca aboard the freighter Eravana. Accompanied by Kanjiklub, they confronted Han Solo, expressing their frustration with his repeated delays in repaying the 50,000 credits he had unwisely borrowed. When Bala-Tik identified BB-8, he informed Solo that the First Order was searching for the droid, as well as the fugitives Finn and Rey. Upon hearing this information, Rey considered activating the blast doors to trap both gangs, but mistakenly activated the wrong doors, releasing the three rathtars that Han Solo was transporting on his freighter. The rathtars consumed the majority of the Guavian Death Gang and Kanjiklub members, leaving only Bala-Tik and possibly a few other soldiers alive. During the chaos, Han Solo and Chewbacca escaped aboard the Millennium Falcon with BB-8, Rey, and Finn. Bala-Tik then contacted the First Order, informing them that BB-8 was aboard the Millennium Falcon.
During the war between the First Order and the Resistance, the Colossus, while attempting to evade the First Order, entered an asteroid field within Guavian Death Space, leading to a skirmish with Guavian patrol vessels. Several Guavian starships converged on the Colossus, firing upon it in an attempt to intimidate its crew and extort money. The gang demanded a toll of one million credits from the Colossus to avoid the destruction of the station, but the Colossus managed to escape after Kazuda Xiono and Ace Squadron engaged the Guavian fighters.
Another unit of the death gang was under the leadership of Tara Rashin, a Quarren. She had started as a mere foot soldier in the gang, but her tactical abilities allowed her to ascend to a leadership position. She commanded her unit in an attack against a starship belonging to the Droid Depot.
The Guavian Death Gang was created for the film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. Their visual design was inspired by concept art initially developed for the "Jedi Killer," the character who eventually became Kylo Ren.