Guri, a Human replica droid, was crafted to be an almost flawless copy of a Human female. Uniquely, she was the only one of her type specifically designed as an assassin. Around 7 BBY, she was brought into existence by Imperial scientists Simonelle and Massad Thrumble for Prince Xizor, who commanded the Black Sun criminal organization. After Xizor acquired her for nine million credits, Guri became his trusted second-in-command and one of the select few individuals the naturally suspicious crime lord felt he could rely on. Guri was entrusted by Xizor with much of Black Sun's daily operations, leading many to mistakenly believe she was the syndicate's leader. Additionally, Guri acted as an assassin, eliminating several of Xizor's adversaries, including Imperial Advisor Fendrilon Koozar, the Ubese bounty hunter Boushh, and the executives of the rival company Ororo Transportation.
In 3 ABY, Xizor tasked Guri with orchestrating the assassination of Luke Skywalker, a hero of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the son of Xizor's enemy, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader. Following a failed attempt on Skywalker's life by a Black Sun operative, Skywalker's sister, Leia Organa, sought Xizor's assistance in discovering the culprit. Xizor dispatched Guri to meet with Organa and escort her to him on Coruscant. Later, Skywalker attempted to rescue Organa, infiltrating Xizor's Palace and confronting the Dark Prince. During this encounter, Guri engaged Skywalker in combat but was defeated by the young Jedi. However, Skywalker chose to spare her life, and Guri managed to escape the subsequent destruction of the palace.
After Black Sun's downfall and Xizor's demise, Guri embarked on a personal journey to find Thrumble and have him remove her assassin programming, hoping to begin a new life. However, Xizor's niece, Savan, attempted to thwart her plans and ensure the droid's continued service to Black Sun. Despite Savan's efforts, Guri successfully located Thrumble on Hurd's Moon and underwent reprogramming. After defeating Savan, Guri partnered with Dash Rendar, forming a mercenary team before agreeing to serve as the model for a new line of human replica droids.
Around 7 BBY, Prince Xizor of Falleen had solidified his position as the head of Black Sun, the most formidable criminal organization in the galaxy. Given his position, Xizor was inherently paranoid and, lacking trust in those around him, the Dark Prince sought a completely loyal lieutenant, one free from the weaknesses of a sentient being.
Concurrently, the Galactic Empire had initiated research into the development of Human replica droids, with Simonelle and Massad Thrumble leading the project. The researchers managed to obtain both the blueprints and a prototype of a Human replica droid, developed as part of the abandoned Project Decoy, possibly with Black Sun's assistance, which served as the foundation for Guri. Although Guri was initially intended as just a prototype, Xizor quickly recognized the project's potential and commissioned them to build a Human replica droid to serve as his second-in-command. The researchers modified Guri to suit Xizor's needs and sold her to the Dark Prince.
Guri's cost to Xizor was nine million credits, a sum he deemed well worth it for her capabilities. With her long, silky blond hair and clear blue eyes, along with a fit and healthy physique, she appeared as a beautiful Human woman in her early twenties. Her voice was composed and even, lacking any discernible accent.
Guri's lungs inhaled air, and her heart circulated blood, yet, like all her organs, they were entirely synthetic, composed of bio-fibers. Her skeletal structure was constructed from high-strength, polymer-covered alloys, and her joints contained thousands of micro-gyros, providing her with perfect balance. Both her bones and organs appeared entirely Human under scans, as did her flawless, cloned skin. This skin was the only genuinely organic component of Guri's body, cloned specifically for her from real Human skin. However, her muscles would not deceive scanners; to provide her with enhanced strength, they were made from a material that scanned as an unknown tissue. One of the few indicators that differentiated her from Humans was her body temperature, which was ten percent cooler than normal, cold enough to be lethal to a Human.
Her AA-1 VerboBrain processor was extensively modified by Simonelle, the Ingoian scientist's most significant contribution to her development, enabling her to manage all the duties Xizor would require of her. Positronic Human behavioral programs allowed her to behave like a Human—she could eat, drink, and perform any other function needed to pass as a normal woman. She was also capable of replicating all of the "more intimate" functions of a Human woman, abilities which Xizor occasionally utilized. The processor was also loaded with tactical assessment data, combat skills, espionage techniques, and assassination methods. Guri's processor was so advanced that even after Project Decoy was completed following the Battle of Endor, it failed to produce a droid with her level of independent thought.
Guri's eyes concealed advanced sensors, providing her with infrared, low-light, and telescopic vision, while her locked-access memory recorded input from her sensors, including audio. She also had an integrated, encrypted comlink for secure communications. Guri's linguistic abilities were also remarkable—she could read and write in both Basic and Falleen, and her vocabulator and translator unit allowed her to speak various languages, including Basic, Falleen, Huttese, Rodese, and Ryl. She was ambidextrous and could carry up to five kilograms in her internal storage.
Guri was unique as the only droid of her kind programmed to be an assassin. Upon completion, her programming was supplemented with rigorous exercise to tone her muscles and combat training to ensure she possessed all necessary skills, including proficiency with various weapons, though she rarely needed to use them. With her training complete, Guri's speed, combat prowess, and stealth capabilities made her the ideal assassin.
After completing Guri, Simonelle and Thrumble pursued separate paths—Thrumble continued his work for the Empire, while Simonelle began operating from a hidden enclave in the Minos Cluster. Shortly after Guri was delivered to Xizor, he decided to ensure her uniqueness by preventing her creators from producing any more like her. Thrumble's position within the Empire ensured his safety, but the creator of her processor lacked such protection. Consequently, Xizor ordered Guri to travel to Simonelle's workshop and eliminate the scientist. However, Simonelle had anticipated Xizor's actions and created a replica of himself. Upon arriving at Simonelle's base, Guri entered the workshop and approached the figure she believed to be her creator. Acting swiftly, she struck him, sending him crashing into a computer console. Without hesitation, Guri grasped his neck and squeezed until blood poured from his eyes, nose, and mouth. The confrontation ended in seconds, and Guri returned to her master. The real Simonelle went into hiding to prevent Xizor from discovering the truth.
Guri became Xizor's most trusted employee, serving as his lieutenant, chief bodyguard, and enforcer. The "Dark Prince" utilized Guri to manage much of Black Sun's day-to-day operations, including gathering intelligence from the organization's extensive network of spies, identifying potential candidates for Black Sun jobs, manipulating records to conceal their activities, and organizing Xizor's meetings. She also played roles in his legitimate businesses, such as appointing Tavvar Va'ran as Master Chef at the Manarai, an exclusive Coruscant restaurant co-owned by Xizor. Xizor valued her counsel and frequently sought her opinion on his plans. However, her duties extended beyond administrative tasks, and Xizor often employed her skills as an assassin to deal with his enemies and enforce loyalty within Black Sun. Because she frequently acted directly on Xizor's behalf, most individuals outside Black Sun's upper echelons assumed Guri was in charge of the organization, an impression neither Xizor nor Guri discouraged, as it afforded him greater freedom of movement and, from Guri's perspective, provided added protection for her master. Similarly, Guri's true nature remained unknown to all but the Dark Prince.
Following the death of Aruk Besadii Aora around 4 BBY, his son Durga Besadii Tai sought assistance from Black Sun in his quest to become the leader of the Besadii kajidic, having them eliminate his rivals. This left the Hutt indebted to Black Sun, and Xizor intended to use Besadii to gain a foothold in Hutt Space and take a share of Besadii's glitterstim operation on Ylesia. However, Durga was unwilling to relinquish his power easily. Guri suggested she could eliminate Durga, but Xizor insisted that it was better to manipulate the Hutt into serving Black Sun.
Ultimately, it was Durga's desire to uncover the person responsible for his father's assassination that led him to commit to Black Sun. In 1 BBY, after an investigation revealed evidence pointing to Jiliac Desilijic Tiron, Xizor dispatched Guri to personally deliver the evidence to Nal Hutta and assist Durga in seeking revenge. Upon hearing the news, the Hutt was enraged and set out to confront Jiliac under the Old Law with Guri at his side.
After arriving at Jiliac's Winter Palace, the two Hutt leaders engaged in combat while Guri stood guard, ensuring that Jiliac's nephew, Jabba Desilijic Tiure, did not interfere. When Jiliac was dead, Durga emerged and, still angry but lacking the strength to fight Jabba, ordered Guri to kill him. She refused, stating that her orders were only to ensure Durga's revenge against Jiliac—Jabba was not to be harmed. Instead, she insisted that Durga leave with her.
Sometime after the Battle of Yavin, the Empire was conducting clandestine and hazardous scientific research on the remote planet Dathomir, with the intention of engineering the terrible Blackwing virus to create super soldiers. However, an accident occurred at the Imperial Research and Prison Facility and resulted in the virus outbreak. Most of the Imperial staff were killed and transformed into flesh-craving undead creatures. Black Sun discovered the situation, and Xizor decided to exploit the opportunity to obtain a sample of the virus. Guri, accompanied by two Black Sun enforcers, traveled to Dathomir aboard a YT-2400 light freighter to investigate the planet's recently established Quarantine Zone. While on Dathomir, Guri recruited spacers to conduct their own search of the Quarantine Zone, providing them with an encrypted code to enter the zone and instructing them to contact Doctor Zahara Cody at Camp Alpha. After receiving an anti-virus from Doctor Cody, the spacers proceeded to the Imperial Research and Prison Facility to obtain a sample of the virus.
When the Ubese bounty hunter Boushh was hired by Black Sun but, after capturing the bounty, demanded fifty percent more than his contract stipulated, Xizor sent Guri to meet with him. Guri took her ship, the Stinger, to Gelgelar for the rendezvous. Upon reaching Boushh's location, she found the bounty hunter standing behind a makeshift table, his weapon aimed at her. Needing a distraction before she could strike, Guri complied with Boushh's demands, allowing him to frisk her for weapons, then placing a case of credits on the table and opening it.
Boushh kept his weapon trained on Guri as he reached into the case to verify the contents. At that moment, Guri created a distraction when the small dinko hidden in the case bit Boushh's hand, causing him to drop his weapon in pain. Guri's high kick struck him on the head, snapping his neck. Crushing the dinko in her hands, Guri retrieved Boushh's corpse and returned to the Stinger, along with his Nimbanese prisoner.
Another of Guri's targets was Fendrilon Koozar, an advisor to Emperor Palpatine known for interfering in others' affairs. During one of Koozar's visits to the Manarai, Guri approached Master Chef Va'ran and requested he prepare a "house special" for Koozar, a code indicating he should discreetly poison Koozar's meal. She remained at the Manarai to oversee the chef's work, leaving only after the tampered food was served to Koozar. Following Guri's instructions, Va'ran used a combination of chemicals that triggered a hallucinatory episode in Koozar—after leaving the restaurant, the Imperial wrested control of his luxury airspeeder from his droid pilot and died upon crashing into the Ministry of Land Management.
When Owal Sopil, a small-time smuggler unaware he was working under contract for Black Sun, attempted to skim cargo during runs, he was quickly apprehended and taken to a remote bunker complex on the Forest Moon of Endor, where the local Black Sun Vigo would determine his fate. Guri was sent to accompany the Vigo on a visit to the bunker to deal with both Sopil and other matters personally. However, while she was there, Sopil's brother Reik, with the aid of smugglers Dash Rendar and Lando Calrissian, launched a rescue attempt. Guri joined the Vigo and three Abyssin guards in attempting to repel the rescue party.
At some point after the Battle of Yavin, Black Sun discovered that the Corellian smuggler Dash Rendar was providing transportation to the swoop racer Kimmi Chyler as she traveled between races, while secretly transporting cargo for the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Guri was dispatched to intercept the smuggler while he was on Corellia for the race at Agrilat. Accompanied by a pair of Black Sun operatives, Guri tracked two Bothan spies to Kor Vella, where they met with Rendar and his spacer bodyguard to pass on a datafile containing Imperial battle plans. Shortly after the Bothans left, Guri confronted Rendar and his companion, but they fought back and managed to escape.
The final swoop race of the season took Rendar, Chyler, and the bodyguard to Mos Espa on Tatooine. Xizor Transport Systems was looking to sponsor a swoop racing team, and Xizor hosted a party to which the trio was invited. Guri also attended with her master but refrained from confronting Rendar at the party. However, after the party, she and Xizor followed the group to a nearby cantina where Rendar was delivering a datapad to the Jedi Knight and Rebel hero Luke Skywalker. Xizor ordered Guri to kill the group and seize the datapad, but Skywalker and the others mounted a strong defense. As the fight spilled into the streets of Mos Espa, Xizor was knocked down, and Guri moved to protect her master. Deciding they had learned enough about Rendar's involvement, Xizor chose to retreat, with Guri covering their escape.
On another occasion, Vigo Green, in an attempt to discredit his rival, Vigo Sprax, leaked a list of Black Sun's operatives under Sprax in the Sisar Run, which tied several of Black Sun's cover operations back to the organization. Upon discovering the list's existence, Sprax launched an operation to retrieve it before it could fall into the hands of Imperial authorities. The datapad was eventually recovered by agents hired by Kalend Thora and Mal Biron, on behalf of Sprax, and Guri traveled to Yen-2 to retrieve the datapad, which she promptly destroyed. More importantly, during the recovery operation, the agents had also uncovered information implicating Green as the source of the leak. Returning to Coruscant, Guri informed her master of their discovery. Upon learning that Green was a spy, Xizor called a meeting of all the Vigos, where he had Guri throttle the traitor in front of the others. Green's violent death served as a warning to the other Vigos not to betray the Dark Prince.
Xizor later discovered that Ororo Transportation had been attempting to seize Black Sun's spice operations in the Bajic sector, and he ordered Guri to send a clear message about the consequences of crossing him. Meeting with their representatives, Tuyay, Dellis Yuls, and Z. Limmer, along with their Gamorrean bodyguards, Guri presented Black Sun's accusations, which the group initially denied. Later in the meeting, however, Tuyay lost his composure and declared that they no longer intended to be used by Black Sun.
Reacting swiftly, Guri stood and leaped over the table, grabbing Tuyay and throwing him at the bodyguards, knocking them over before they could draw their blasters. Yuls moved to draw his own blaster, but Guri grabbed his wrist and broke it before he could fire. Tossing the weapon aside, she snapped his neck before piercing Limmer's throat with her fingertips.
As Tuyay regained his footing, Guri seized his throat and began to choke him. Unaware that she was a droid, Tuyay futilely attempted to choke her back before losing consciousness. Taking a blaster from one of the downed bodyguards, Guri shot them both, along with Limmer and Yuls, in the head. Finally, waiting for Tuyay to regain consciousness, Guri promised to relay his message to Xizor before shooting him in the eye. The entire confrontation was over in moments.
Following the Battle of Hoth, which took place in 3 ABY, Xizor uncovered the truth that Luke Skywalker was, in fact, the offspring of Darth Vader. Locked in a power struggle with the Dark Lord of the Sith, Xizor gave the order for Skywalker to be eliminated. Entrusting Guri with the oversight of this crucial operation, the Dark Prince directed her to explore all potential avenues for locating Skywalker. Her mission was to pinpoint his whereabouts by extracting intelligence from within the Rebel Alliance fleet, and to attempt to sway Alliance personnel with bribes to orchestrate an "accident" for him. Furthermore, Xizor instructed her to task their operatives with positioning assassins in strategic locations and to ensure that Boba Fett was shadowed by an operative, in the event that Skywalker attempted a rescue of his comrade, Han Solo, who had recently fallen into the bounty hunter's clutches.
To fulfill her mission of capturing Skywalker, Guri leveraged the resources of the Vigos. Clezo, the Rodian whose "safari outfitting" business could discreetly recruit a bounty hunter capable of tracking Fett without any traceable links to Black Sun, and Sprax, the Nalroni whose salvage operation provided him with contacts within the Alliance who frequently purchased starship components, were key assets. Within days, Guri began to achieve results, personally choosing a bounty hunter to tail Fett and discovering that he was en route to the Imperial enclave on Gall in the Zhar system. Upon learning from Sprax that Rogue Squadron, Skywalker's former starfighter group, was also headed to the Zhar system, specifically to a hidden base on Kile, Guri concluded that there was a strong likelihood of Skywalker attempting to rescue Solo within that system.
Additionally, Sprax alerted her to the growing discontent of Viera Cheran, Rogue Squadron's chief technician, with her role in the Alliance. Hoping to secure Cheran's cooperation, Guri directed one of Black Sun's informants to approach the technician with an offer of 50,000 credits to engineer a "technical malfunction" designed to kill Skywalker should he rendezvous with the Rogues. Cheran accepted the offer, and Guri arranged for the funds to be transferred to her account through a complex network of shell corporations established by Perit, the Mon Calamari Vigo, ensuring that the payment could not be traced back to Black Sun.
As Guri had anticipated, Skywalker joined forces with Rogue Squadron in an attempt to free Solo on Gall. Cheran orchestrated for Wes Janson's astromech droid to seize control of his T-65 X-wing starfighter and target Skywalker's craft during the mission. Although Skywalker survived the initial assassination attempt, Cheran was killed by Wedge Antilles as she tried to eliminate Skywalker upon his return to Kile. However, the situation shifted in Xizor's favor when Leia Organa, unaware of the Dark Prince's involvement, decided to reach out to Black Sun in hopes of uncovering who was responsible for the attempt on Skywalker's life. Xizor then dispatched Guri to Rodia to meet with the Rebel leader.
Upon her arrival on Rodia, Guri received instructions to meet Organa at the Next Chance casino. Suspecting Guri's motives, Organa had arranged for Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca to provide security nearby while she and C-3PO met with the Black Sun representative. The initial meeting yielded little, with Guri claiming she had business to attend to on a nearby moon and had to cut the meeting short. However, the Rebels were left with a strong impression that Guri was somehow different.
After returning to Coruscant, Guri received a debriefing from Xizor. Guri expressed her concern that Organa's investigation into Black Sun posed a threat and recommended eliminating her, along with Calrissian, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and anyone else who knew they had been on Rodia, to eliminate any trace of their involvement. However, Xizor had different plans for Organa and instructed Guri to meet with her again and bring her to Coruscant so that he could personally learn what she knew.
When Guri returned for another meeting with Organa, the Rebels had set up a scanner that quickly confirmed their suspicions: Guri was not Human, although they couldn't determine what she was. With the scanner failing to provide further information, Organa had C-3PO slip a sleeping potion into Guri's tea, hoping that during the few hours she was unconscious, the Rebels could conduct a more thorough examination of her person and belongings. When that proved ineffective, the two continued their diplomatic exchange until Guri grew impatient and attempted to kidnap Organa, only to be stopped by Calrissian, Chewbacca, and Dash Rendar, who had arrived after the first meeting, while the group debated their next move. Following extensive discussion, Organa agreed to accompany Guri to Coruscant aboard the Stinger, with Chewbacca joining her. To ensure Organa could enter Coruscant undetected, Guri provided her with Boushh's attire and helmet, which she had kept since his death.
Xizor made an unsuccessful attempt to seduce Organa, but recognized that she could still be useful as bait for Luke Skywalker. As expected, Skywalker arrived to mount a rescue, bringing Calrissian and Rendar with him and linking up with Chewbacca, whom Xizor had allowed to escape. However, Xizor had underestimated the group's capabilities. After losing two units of guards, he instructed Guri to bring Organa to him.
However, Organa was prepared for the situation when the droid arrived. She struck Guri on the back of the head as she entered the room, an impact that would have incapacitated a Human, but only caused Guri to momentarily lose her balance. This was enough for Organa to escape and lock the door. As she fled, Guri began to break down the door. After escaping the room, Guri returned to Xizor, and together they set out to confront the intruders personally.
When they finally caught up with them, a firefight erupted. While Skywalker deflected blaster bolts with his lightsaber, the unarmed Guri grabbed a heavy chair and hurled it down the corridor toward them. Chewbacca destroyed it with his bowcaster. Realizing they were outnumbered, Xizor retreated to a nearby room while Guri provided cover and then summoned the guards for backup. As the guards arrived and a stalemate developed between the two groups, Guri slipped away.
The Rebels escaped after planting a bomb, leaving only five minutes before Xizor's Palace was destroyed. As they fled, the group encountered Guri. Having witnessed his abilities in the previous fight, Guri decided that Skywalker would be a worthy test of her own skills. She convinced the young Jedi to discard his lightsaber and engage in unarmed combat. Using the Force, Skywalker was able to evade Guri's attacks. Momentarily losing his focus, Skywalker was knocked to the floor by Guri, who moved to deliver a killing blow. With the help of the Force, he managed to dodge her strike and used a leg sweep to knock her to the floor, igniting his lightsaber.
Skywalker had defeated her, but instead of destroying her, he offered her the chance to join him and the Rebel Alliance. Guri declined, explaining that overcoming the programming controls implanted in her would be impossible for the resource-strapped Rebels. Skywalker reluctantly left her behind in the palace and made his way to the roof with the other Rebels to rendezvous with the Millennium Falcon. However, Guri made her own way to the roof and, using a para-wing glider, leaped from the top of the palace to safety. As the Rebels took off, Skywalker noticed the missing paraglider and suspected that she had escaped.
Xizor also survived the destruction of his palace and attempted to prevent the Rebels from leaving Coruscant. However, the Dark Prince paid the price for his personal conflict with Darth Vader when the Dark Lord of the Sith arrived in his flagship, the Executor, and destroyed Xizor's skyhook, the Falleen's Fist. Xizor's death at the Battle over Coruscant created a power vacuum at the top of Black Sun, leading to a struggle between the Vigos to take control of the organization.
Her master's death had a profound impact on Guri as well. Disappearing from sight, Guri spent months grappling with the events that had transpired and contemplating her future. She knew that, with her knowledge and skills, she could have seized control of Black Sun herself and become wealthy and powerful, yet she also began to question how Human she could truly be.
Shortly after Emperor Palpatine's death at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, Guri embarked on a quest to find her creator, Massad Thrumble. Since retiring from Imperial service, Thrumble had remained detached from galactic affairs and now owned a cantina on Hurd's Moon, which served as a front for his workshop.
However, the journey to Hurd's Moon would not be easy. While traveling in the Stinger, Guri encountered a Star Destroyer that was still loyal to the Empire. The Imperials ordered Guri to shut down her engines, but the droid had other plans. With the Star Destroyer in pursuit, Guri launched a spread of proton torpedoes from her well-armed vessel, destroying the Imperial capital ship.
As Guri carried out her search, she was unaware that another party was also looking for her. On Coruscant, Xizor's niece and last surviving relative, Savan, had plans to take control of Black Sun. Savan knew that Guri possessed all of Xizor's secrets and that possessing the droid would give her a significant advantage over her rivals for leadership of the criminal organization. Shortly after Guri destroyed the Star Destroyer, Prevaro, the Rodian, approached Savan with information about Guri's location. Savan then contacted Kar Yang, the Hiitian bounty hunter, and hired him to find and retrieve Guri.
After arriving at Hurd's Moon, Guri made her way to the cantina, after first fighting off a group of thugs who tried to rob her. Once there, she finally made contact with Thrumble, who immediately recognized her and what she was. Guri explained that she no longer wanted to be an assassin and asked him to reprogram her, offering him any price he wanted. Thrumble agreed to help but declined the offer of credits, explaining that he was more interested in the challenge than in money. However, there was one obstacle preventing Thrumble from helping Guri: his associate, a unique medical droid called Doc, had been kidnapped by Zan and Zu Pike for delivery to the scientist Spinda Caveel. Without Doc's assistance, Thrumble would be unable to help Guri. In exchange for Thrumble's help, Guri set off for Caveel's base on Murninkam.
As the Stinger approached Murninkam, Guri came under attack from droid-controlled picket starfighters. Although she managed to destroy one, the second struck her ship, causing her to crash into a swamp on the world below. Neither Guri nor her ship sustained serious damage, and as the Stinger sank into the swamp, Guri emerged and began to make her way through the forest.
The journey was difficult, and Guri had to fight her way through the numerous predatory creatures that lived there. She eventually found her way to Caveel's base. Although it was protected by a deflector shield, Guri exploited a small opening, used by the Pike sisters to pass through on their swoops, leaping through the hole after them to gain entrance to the facility.
Once inside, Guri made her way to the laboratory, where she confronted Caveel and the mercenary sisters. As the Pike sisters reached for their blasters, Caveel stopped them. He too recognized what Guri was and wanted her captured alive. However, Guri easily thwarted their attack, leaving them both unconscious on the floor. With some assistance from Doc, Caveel was incapacitated, and the two droids fled the base on a swoop. Returning to the swamp, Guri summoned the Stinger, which rose to the surface, but she was unaware that Kar Yang had followed her to the planet and, as she prepared to leave, he attached a homing beacon to her ship.
On Coruscant, Savan learned that Yang intended to betray her and keep Guri for himself. However, Savan had one advantage over the bounty hunter: Savan possessed Guri's control codes, based on her family's genetics, which would force the droid to obey her. Therefore, Savan headed for Hurd's Moon to take control of Guri.
The Stinger arrived back at Hurd's Moon, pursued by Yang. Returning with Doc to Thrumble's cantina, Guri was taken to the scientist's laboratory to begin her reprogramming. The risks involved were significant: one slight miscalculation could cause Guri's entire mind to be erased. Yet, despite this, Guri was determined to proceed. Just as the procedure was about to begin, Yang arrived. With his weapon pointed at Guri, Yang ordered the HRD to secure Thrumble and then led her out. However, Yang had underestimated Guri's abilities. Waiting until they were away from Thrumble, she attacked Yang, tearing at his heart with her bare hand. Moments later, the bounty hunter lay dead on the floor.
After recalibrating his instruments, Thrumble reconnected Guri, and he and Doc began the reprogramming. When the procedure was complete, Guri awoke with no memory of her time at Black Sun. There was no time to determine how successful the operation had been: Savan had arrived with a group of mercenaries to capture Guri. To make matters worse, Caveel and the Pike sisters had also come to Hurd's Moon to reclaim Doc, along with Guri's head, having abandoned hopes of taking her alive.
As alarms sounded in Thrumble's laboratory, alerting him to the presence of the intruders, another group arrived: Leia Organa and Lando Calrissian had uncovered Savan's plot and, accompanied by Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, had followed her to Hurd's Moon. The Rebels' interference caused the Pike sisters to reconsider their arrangement. Deciding to leave, the two killed their employer in the process. Savan, however, would not be deterred so easily.
With no time to explain to Guri why so many people were after her, Thrumble and the two droids fled the laboratory, hoping to use the Stinger to escape. Their progress was slowed when Guri began to experience delayed synaptic shock from her reprogramming, and Thrumble had to support her as she walked. This allowed Savan's thugs to catch up with them. Acting on instinct, Guri easily defeated the mercenaries. Although she had forgotten what she used to do, she could still remember how to do it.
The group resumed their course for the Stinger, but Savan herself soon found them. With her weapon drawn, she offered Guri a job working for her. When Guri refused, Savan whispered Guri's control codes. At first, it seemed that the droid was indeed under Savan's control, but once the Falleen lowered her guard, Guri turned on her, knocking her to the floor. Later, as Savan was led away by the authorities, Thrumble explained to Skywalker about Guri's reprogramming. After speaking to her and realizing that she truly had no memory of her former life, Skywalker decided to let her go, giving her the chance of a normal life.
Afterwards, Guri walked into a bar, where Dash Rendar, also believed dead around the time of Xizor's death, offered to buy her a drink. The two eventually formed a mercenary team and were recruited by Admiral Gial Ackbar of the New Republic to help place a spy on the Tof fortress world of Saijo, teaming up with New Republic agents Kyle Katarn and Bey for the mission. Around this time, Guri was one of several agents who conducted shadow operations for the New Republic under the command of General Airen Cracken. Knowing what Guri was, Rendar quickly devised a plan: by copying Guri's technology, he could create more of the valuable Human replica droids. Guri agreed to serve as a template for the development of more HRDs and served as Rendar's partner during the research and development phase. Afterwards, the two went their separate ways, though the development of the technology continued through Onadax Droid Technologies.
Although Guri physically resembled a Human female, her true nature as a Human replica droid manifested as a certain coldness. This detachment was integral to her ability to kill without any sign of conscience or emotion, and she frequently viewed killing as the most straightforward solution to problems.
Programmed to protect Xizor at all costs, Guri was completely devoted to him in all aspects of his life. She was even known to hold his clothes while he spent time with a mistress. As Xizor's most trusted advisor, Guri was uniquely positioned to speak her mind, saying things that others would not dare to say to the Dark Prince, and he valued her counsel when offered. Even so, Guri was not one to speak unnecessarily and generally refrained from offering an opinion unless asked.
Although often terse, Guri sometimes displayed a playful arrogance. For example, when she massacred the leaders of Ororo Transportation, she took the time to allow Tuyay, who had been knocked unconscious in the initial attack, to regain consciousness so that she could have the last word before killing him. This smug demeanor and apparent enjoyment of power were further exemplified by her dry and self-assured responses when Leia Organa and the other Heroes of Yavin interrogated her. At the end of this interrogation, when her captors moved to remove the metal restraints they had used to trap her, she dramatically broke them herself, displaying her superhuman strength.
Guri also desired to be challenged to her limits, preferring to undertake jobs that she perceived as difficult. It was this desire to push herself that led her to seek a duel with Luke Skywalker.
Following the fall of Black Sun, Guri lost her primary purpose in life: protecting Xizor. This resulted in a significant shift in her personality as she began to question her programming and consider whether she could become something more. She pursued her quest for a new beginning with the same determination that she had always applied to her work with Black Sun, although neither her decision nor the process was easy for her, and she was troubled by the memories of her past actions.
Guri's reprogramming brought about further changes. Although she retained her fighting skills, she no longer had any memory of her time as an assassin, nor would she ever be one again, as her assassination programming had been removed. She was also free to act independently, as her enforced loyalty to Xizor's family had been purged during the procedure. She also showed signs of a sense of humor, initially pretending to have lost her entire memory during the reprogramming and even smiling for the first time.
Guri was created for Shadows of the Empire, a multimedia project from 1996 set between Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and appeared in its novel, comic, and video game incarnations. After Lucasfilm began working on the project, author Steve Perry was brought in to write the novel for Bantam Spectra. At an early creative meeting at Skywalker Ranch in November 1994, Perry suggested several characters who were incorporated into the final story, including Guri, whom Perry envisioned as Xizor's most capable lieutenant, bodyguard, and assassin. Early designs of the character were produced by game designer Jon Knoles and comic artist Kilian Plunkett. The Topps Shadows of the Empire trading card series featured paintings by Greg and Tim Hildebrandt based on reference photographs; Olga Hildebrandt posed in costume as Guri for these images. Guri appears in both the Nintendo 64 and PC versions of the Shadows of the Empire video game and was voiced by Lisa Fuson in the PC version. At one point, Hasbro/Kenner had plans to create a Guri action figure in their Shadows of the Empire toy line, but it was ultimately abandoned. Concept art exists that shows the Guri figure would have come with a large gun and depicted her with "battle damage".
Guri's character was later featured in the Decipher's Star Wars Customizable Card Game set "Reflections II: Expanding the Galaxy", where an unnamed model embodied her. Additionally, she made appearances in Perry's 1998 comic book series Shadows of the Empire: Evolution, with illustrations by Ron Randall, the 2009 Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game expansion known as The Shadow Syndicate, and the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies. The illustration of Guri by Joe Corroney in the "Underworld: A Galaxy of Scum and Villainy" article from Star Wars Insider 89 was inspired by the appearance of artist Leah Mangue.
Before deciding on the red and gray color scheme present in both the game and comic, Jon Knoles experimented with various color options for Guri's outfit. While Guri's attire shares a similar overall design in the Topps trading card series, it is rendered in yellow and blue, leaving her legs bare. The original trading card attire is depicted in the 1997 Topps Star Wars Vehicles trading cards, Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, and "Underworld: A Galaxy of Scum and Villainy", whereas the Customizable Card Game image showcases a costume design based on the comic book series.
The exact date of Guri's creation is somewhat unclear. According to the Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook, Simonelle created her based on the outcomes of Project Decoy. The involvement of Massad Thrumble, along with the Empire's role, was not mentioned until Shadows of the Empire: Evolution but was subsequently clarified in later sources. The Shadows of the Empire novelization indicated that her skin was ten years old in 3 ABY, suggesting her creation occurred around 7 BBY, a detail echoed in numerous other sources. Her presence in Rebel Dawn confirmed that she was indeed created before 2 BBY. However, Project Decoy was supposedly an initiative of the Rebel Alliance, which was still in its formative stages at that time.