Harrar

Harrar was at one point assigned to the training division of Tsavong Lah, who would later become the Warmaster of the Yuuzhan Vong. The two men developed a certain level of respect for one another, and Tsavong Lah considered the priest a loyal friend and comrade. However, unlike the Warmaster, Harrar did not fully support the invasion of the galaxy. After the coup that placed Shimrra Jamaane on the throne as Supreme Overlord and removed Quoreal from power, Harrar may have secretly become a secret follower of the ousted Supreme Overlord. Nevertheless, the deception priest continued to serve Shimrra Jamaane's government for many years, viewing the Supreme Overlord as the only link to the gods.

Following the Battle of Ithor, Harrar was among the priests who were granted control over military forces, and he was assigned to lead his forces during the First Battle of Obroa-skai alongside the reluctant Commander Tla, coordinating the battle from a highly advanced vessel known to the Yuuzhan Vong as a priestship. While overseeing the spoils and sacrifices obtained from the library world, Harrar learned about the Force from a Gotal H'kig priest and became convinced that the invasion was a holy war between the "false god" of the Force and the "true gods" of the Yuuzhan Vong. The deception priest quickly formulated a plan to eliminate the Jedi threat. He contacted Elan, the daughter of his peer, the High Priest Jakan, and provided her with bo'tous spores, which, when exhaled from the carrier's lungs, would kill everyone present. Harrar collaborated with the Executor Nom Anor to orchestrate Elan's fake defection to the New Republic. However, the operation soon became a drain on resources as Harrar attempted to ensure the plan's success by allowing his forces to be defeated in their attempts to "reclaim" the defector. As a result, the New Republic achieved several victories, notably in the Meridian sector and at Ord Mantell, which drew the displeasure of the Yuuzhan Vong military command. Eventually, much to Nom Anor and Harrar's dismay, the Peace Brigade, a collaborationist organization recently formed by Anor, decided to assist the Yuuzhan Vong by returning Elan to them, believing her to be a genuine defector from her species.

During Peace Brigader Reck Desh's misguided attempt to return Elan to the Yuuzhan Vong in the middle of a fierce battle, Han Solo uncovered the truth behind Harrar's scheme. Aboard the Millennium Falcon, Elan triggered the bo'tous spores and died, failing to eliminate even a single Jedi. The plan's failure led to Supreme Commander Nas Choka's reprimand of the priest for dedicating such a significant portion of the fleet to an ultimately futile endeavor. Harrar, along with Commander Tla, was recalled to the Outer Rim Territories, while Nom Anor managed to evade blame and continue his operations in the galaxy. Fortunately for Harrar, his banishment was short-lived; his old friend Tsavong Lah, now personally overseeing the invasion, took him on as a spiritual and tactical advisor. Before the assault on Yag'Dhul, Harrar sent his peer Ngaaluh to the Warmaster with the news that Elan's familiar, the Fosh Vergere, had escaped the infidels' custody and returned to the Yuuzhan Vong.

During his advance toward the Core in the later months of 27 ABY, Tsavong Lah brought Harrar to the Sunulok, his flagship, so that the priest could witness the sacrifice of his left arm on a cutting block and the subsequent grafting of a radank claw onto the Warmaster's arm. Although Lah had wanted Harrar to preside over the grafting himself, the task was given to Vaecta, the priestess of Yun-Yammka assigned to him by Shimrra himself. Harrar continued in his advisory role, but the Warmaster dispatched him to Myrkr to assist his old ally Nom Anor in capturing the Solo twins, Jacen and Jaina Solo—as it had been foretold that in exchange for giving the Warmaster Coruscant, the gods desired a sacrifice of the Jedi twins. As the galactic capital fell to the Warmaster's forces, Harrar remained in contact via villip with his friend from Myrkr, warning Tsavong Lah not to descend to the planet's surface to meet with Chief of State Borsk Fey'lya, who planned to commit suicide at the Imperial Palace and eliminate the Warmaster with a proton bomb. Although Coruscant had now been secured, Tsavong Lah's radank implant began to fail rapidly, and Harrar pursued Jaina Solo from Myrkr to Hapes in an attempt to help his friend secure the pleasure of the gods. Unbeknownst to Harrar, the failing implant was due to the machinations of a group of shapers and priests who sought to control the Warmaster. Now working alongside Khalee Lah, the Warmaster's fanatical son, the deception priest continued to track Jaina Solo.

Bound to Khalee Lah, accompanied by his bodyguard Neeka Sot, and forced to contend with pirates and Peace Brigaders, Harrar pursued Jaina throughout the Hapes cluster, constantly impressed by the Jedi's skills in deception and trickery. Harrar began to consider the possibility that Jaina was indeed a physical manifestation of Yun-Harla, the goddess he worshiped. However, Harrar kept his heresy a secret from Khalee. The priest had often found it difficult to trust in a goddess who excelled in deception, and the actions of the Solo female evoked a sense of belief in him that he had not experienced for some time. Following the Jedi's success in thwarting their capture attempts, even the crew began to whisper that she was chosen by Yun-Harla. Harrar grew weary of Khalee's constant and narrow-minded fanaticism, and in the culmination of the Solo campaign during the Battle of Hapes, he agreed with the young warrior's suggestion that Khalee's suicide was the only recompense for the warrior's failure.

The death of Tsavong Lah's son did not end the scheme; Harrar remained in charge of the effort to apprehend Jaina Solo and joined Czulkang Lah, the Warmaster's father, at Borleias, where Solo had joined the command of General Wedge Antilles, who was leading the rearguard action on the planet to buy the New Republic enough time to recover from the loss of Coruscant. During the campaign, Harrar joined forces with the veteran Yuuzhan Vong pilot Charat Kraal and his elite squadron. Together, they planned to capture the elusive Jedi, who was now openly referring to herself as the 'Goddess'. However, Kraal was repeatedly duped by Solo, ultimately dying during the last battle in the system (during which Czulkang Lah himself was killed as the Lusankya rammed his command ship). With an entire worldship destroyed, Czulkang Lah dead, and Jaina Solo beyond his capabilities to capture, Harrar ordered the retreat of his personal vessel.

Some time later, Harrar was present at the arrival of Supreme Overlord Shimrra on the newly re-christened Yuuzhan'tar. During Shimrra's interrogation of Nom Anor regarding the failed defection of Jacen Solo, Harrar surprised the Executor by stepping forward from High Priest Jakan's delegation and speaking in Anor's favor. Nom Anor's project with Jacen Solo had occurred concurrently with Harrar's own attempts to capture Jaina; Anor assumed that this was why the priest defended the Executor who had betrayed him years before over the Elan disaster. Whatever the case, Harrar retained a high position in Shimrra's court. He was often present at the meetings of the Great Council, holding the rank of High Priest, and once allowed his old peer Ngaaluh, now unbeknownst to him a secret member of the Jeedai heresy, to be present with him at a meeting concerning the progress of the heretical movement.

As the invasion continued, Harrar's concerns about Shimrra's failures and the possibility that the Supreme Overlord lacked the gods' support deepened. He met secretly with the heretic shaper Nen Yim and revealed himself as a Quorealist, a supporter of Shimrra's deposed and now deceased rival. However, moments later, he claimed that it had been a pretense, stating that although he did practice heresy, he remained loyal to Shimrra, invoking the wrath of the gods if he lied. Nen Yim left, uncertain of Harrar's motives but confident that he would aid her as best he could. Harrar agreed to contact Yu'shaa, the so-called Prophet of the Shamed Ones, and help Yim escape Yuuzhan'tar to study Zonama Sekot. Initially, Harrar claimed he would not accompany her, as his departure would be noticed. However, by the time Jedi Knights Corran Horn and Tahiri Veila arrived to extract Nen Yim and Yu'shaa (actually Nom Anor in disguise), Harrar had lied about his whereabouts to the court and decided to travel with the unlikely group on a journey to Sekot.

By that point, the deception priest had three motives for visiting the planet. He wanted to eliminate the threat posed by Yu'Shaa, the Prophet, and to study and potentially neutralize Zonama Sekot itself. Finally, Harrar had concluded that Shimrra's association with the heretic Nen Yim marked the Supreme Overlord as a heretic himself. The priest now viewed Shimrra as a threat to the Yuuzhan Vong—one who might need to be removed. Upon arrival, however, Harrar was profoundly struck by the beauty and harmony of the living planet. He engaged in lengthy discussions with Corran Horn about the Yuuzhan Vong's reverence for pain, the Jedi, Ithor, and the Force. The two found themselves strange allies, and as Harrar's fascination with the planet grew, so did his ease in working alongside the infidels.

Harrar admitted to Corran his belief that the destruction of Ithor was wrong and lamented the fact that peace seemed impossible between the Yuuzhan Vong and the galaxy's inhabitants. Furthermore, he grew to respect the heretic Nen Yim and the work she was doing for their species, often inquiring about her discoveries on the planet. The priest agreed with her that Zonama Sekot could teach the Yuuzhan Vong that competition and aggression were not the only way forward and came to understand that his people had lost the gods' favor. However, these revelations were betrayed by Yu'shaa, who murdered Nen Yim and was revealed to be Nom Anor. The Executor had revealed Harrar's treachery to Shimrra and proceeded to sabotage the hyperspace engines attached to the planet in an attempt to tear it apart. Harrar, Horn, and Tahiri teamed up to apprehend the disgraced Executor before he could escape. In a skirmish with Anor, during which he had the traitorous intendant at his mercy several times, Harrar made a reckless lunge at the Executor and fell over a rain-soaked cliff. The Jedi and Anor presumed him dead.

However, Harrar survived and was discovered by the native Ferroans. In a conversation with Luke Skywalker, Harrar stated that learning about the possible connection between the ancient Yuuzhan Vong homeworld and Zonama Sekot had shattered his faith. He spoke extensively about Yuuzhan Vong culture, their gods, and Shimrra's ascension. Believing that the Yuuzhan Vong had strayed and become blasphemers due to their wanton destruction, he decided that he was chosen to guide his people back onto the right path, alongside the Jedi.

As he spent more time on Zonama Sekot with the Jedi and Master Skywalker, Harrar became increasingly certain of his mission. He now saw it as his duty to lead his people back onto the right path. Zonama Sekot, Harrar believed, was their home. When Skywalker and Sekot revealed to Harrar that his people had been stripped of the Force, the priest collapsed in shock. He journeyed with the Jedi to Contruum, where the Galactic Alliance fleet was gathering to recapture Coruscant. There, he told them that he would help them enter Shimrra's citadel. He understood that Shimrra had to die or be overthrown for the war to end. To achieve these goals, Harrar allied himself with the task force.

The priest traveled with Han Solo, another member of the Solo clan whom he grew to admire, leading him and his party in the Millennium Falcon to the Well of the World Brain to stop Shimrra's deliberate destruction of the planet, an action he found abhorrent. Guiding the party through the lethal thorn maze surrounding the Well of the World Brain, Harrar encountered his former compatriots. High Priest Jakan assumed Harrar had led the captives to the Well to sacrifice them, graciously informing his old friend that he could preside over the ceremony himself. Harrar startled Jakan by telling him that he had come to neutralize the World Brain; however, the High Priest proceeded with the preparations for the sacrifice, relegating Harrar to a position on the sidelines.

As the captives were prepared for the ceremony, a massive crowd of Shamed Ones, led by the ever-deceitful Nom Anor, entered the atrium and were ordered by High Prefect Drathul to stand down. When warriors arrived as reinforcements, it seemed that all hope was lost for Harrar and his new allies. However, the new arrivals had joined to fight against Shimrra and attacked Drathul's forces. At this crucial moment, with events at their most chaotic, Harrar and the Solos saw Master Shaper Qelah Kwaad rushing to the Well of the World Brain and set off after her. Jakan attempted to stop Harrar from entering the Well but was easily struck down by his former comrade. As Nom Anor strangled Drathul, Harrar caught up with Kwaad and apprehended the Master Shaper before she could influence the World Brain. The priest then led the surviving members of the Elite outside to the square in front of Shimrra's citadel.

With Shimrra's death, Harrar believed that the battle would end. However, Warmaster Nas Choka ignored Harrar when the priest broadcast the news of the Supreme Overlord's death to the Yuuzhan Vong armada. Once Choka saw the destruction of the Supreme Overlord's vessel with his own eyes—unbeknownst to Choka, it was Onimi, the true Supreme Overlord, who had been slain—the Warmaster issued the orders that brought the battle to a close. Harrar was led to Zonama Sekot again, where he had a deep conversation with the planet's intelligence. His discussions, during which he learned that Zonama was a seed of his ancestral homeworld, led him to reason with Warmaster Nas Choka following the liberation of Coruscant. Seated with the Jedi in the vast hold of the Ralroost, Harrar persuaded the Warmaster that there had never been a Yun-Yammka, their deity of war, and that their species had failed themselves when they turned to conflict. Reluctantly, Choka accepted the terms of the peace.

Harrar left for Zonama Sekot one last time. As the planet prepared to leave the Coruscant system, he spoke with Master Skywalker again, expressing his gratitude for the discoveries he had made. He saw the tasks that lay before the Yuuzhan Vong but accepted them with gratitude, understanding them as the only means by which he could save his people. The former priest of deception remained on the living planet to help lead his species to their new future.

Harrar's keen intellect and cunning were well-suited to his role as a deception priest. His innate intelligence and mental flexibility allowed him to analyze different perspectives, although this did not mean he was unemotional. In his conversations with Corran Horn on Zonama Sekot, he admitted that he felt the destruction of Ithor was wrong, demonstrating an inherent capacity for what the vast majority of his race lacked: compassion.

However, this contrasts with his behavior in other theaters of the invasion. Harrar showed no hesitation in sacrificing hundreds of captives to his gods. This perhaps indicates that Harrar needed to believe in something; as long as he did, he would act without question, unfailingly and selflessly, always for the good of his people.

Much like his contemporary, Ngaaluh, Harrar acted on his feelings to explore other possible futures for the Yuuzhan Vong. When he could not do so in accordance with his species' customs, Harrar was forced to turn away from his violent fellows. Due to his oft-tested loyalty, Harrar found himself making decisions that would initially harm his people but later bring them peace. It was this loyalty to the Yuuzhan Vong that gave Harrar the strength to seemingly betray them.

Harrar was created by James Luceno and first appeared in The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial. His character arc develops throughout the series, and alongside Nen Yim, Tsavong Lah, and Nom Anor, Harrar is one of the primary ways in which the reader comes to understand the Yuuzhan Vong as a race. The priest reappears fully in The New Jedi Order: Dark Journey as a foil to the blunt brutality of Khalee Lah and perhaps a near-sympathetic Yuuzhan Vong character. Nen Yim plays much the same role as the series progresses, and the invaders transition from villainous shades of black and white to a race with its own ambiguities. Greg Keyes portrays Harrar's dilemma and clash of loyalties in The New Jedi Order: The Final Prophecy, and Luceno, in The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force, brought the priest's arc to its conclusion.

The image of Harrar used in this article is from Star Wars Gamer 8 but is only identified as Harrar in the filename of the image on the old version of Jeff Carlisle's website (now cached at archive.org). The cover to the Japanese edition of The New Jedi Order: The Final Prophecy depicts Harrar differently, based on an image of an un-named Yuuzhan Vong in the Hero's Guide. This image contradicts his description in the novels. He is shown with five digits on each hand, while he should only have three on each.