Jodo Kast

In his past, Jodo Kast served as a SpecOps operative within the resistance, actively participating in the Rebellion during its nascent stages of local uprisings. His focus, however, was more on acquiring credits than on the principles of freedom and justice. A pivotal mission to Goratak III dramatically altered his trajectory. A Plexus Droid Vessel carrying crucial information regarding Rebel manufacturing sites crashed there, leading an I2-CG droid, which held the data, to escape into the planet's Crystal Forests. The Rebellion dispatched three squads—Red Smoke, Safari One, and the Buzz Boys—to retrieve it. Kast was a member of one of these squads, alongside the former pirate captain Grindol Maal and the Revwien Thuwisten Wuwuhuul. The Empire also deployed forces, including the Mandalorian bounty hunter Feskitt Bobb. Amidst the ensuing chaos, Kast mistakenly identified Bobb as Boba Fett and eliminated him. Realizing his error after the battle, Kast conceived an idea: leveraging Fett's established reputation to gain an advantage. He acquired a set of Mandalorian armor from Zaadja, abandoned the Rebellion, and embarked on a bounty hunting career, utilizing Fett's name to gain entry. Kast modified his equipment to closely resemble Fett's, even replicating the armor's paint scheme. As he became more involved in the criminal underworld, Kast recognized the risks of impersonating Fett. He then repainted his armor with a unique design and accepted contracts under his own name, maintaining ambiguity about his armor's origins and any Mandalorian connections. Soon after, he joined forces with fellow hunters Zardra and Puggles Trodd. Kast obtained a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle, which he armed, renamed Foxcatch, and used as his mobile base, traveling with Zardra and Trodd for a period.

Kast experienced limited success in his bounty hunting endeavors, lacking the necessary skills in tracking and capturing targets non-violently. He focused on less challenging targets, finding more success in scouting and mercenary work. During his partnership with Zardra and Trodd, they often took the lead while he provided support. On one occasion, Kast and Zardra pursued a pair of spice-jackers known as the Thig Brothers in the Stenness Systems. Kast suggested a strategy where he would publicly search for the Thigs while Zardra remained hidden, ready to surprise them. Eventually, the Thigs located Kast in the Red Shadow cantina on Taboon. During the ensuing conflict, Zardra killed a Hutt named Mageye. Jabba Desilijic Tiure, a Hutt crime lord, later placed a bounty on Zardra for Mageye's death. It is believed that Kast warned Zardra upon learning of this bounty.

Several months before the Battle of Yavin, Kast had an encounter with the Aqualish thug Ponda Baba. He offered to share the reward for capturing Baba's partner, Jothel Merritt, but reneged on his promise after killing Merritt. Soon after, Kast targeted Cornelius Evazan, a "doctor" notorious for torturing his patients, who had a million-credit bounty on his head, dead or alive. Following leads, Kast tracked Evazan to Truuzdann in the Corellian system, where Evazan operated a clinic on the outskirts of a small city.

After stunning Evazan's receptionist, Kast stormed into the operating room, firing at what he believed to be Evazan. He soon realized it was a decoy, as Evazan had anticipated his arrival and fled. Kast pursued him to the city's docking bays. Evazan entered the wrong bay, and Kast cornered him against a ship, despite Evazan's attempts to shoot back. Kast fired across Evazan's face, leaving permanent scars, and prepared to kill him. Suddenly, a turret emerged from the ship and fired at Kast, damaging his armor. Realizing he was outmatched, Kast used his jetpack to escape, catching a glimpse of the ship's pilot—Ponda Baba. Kast vowed to get revenge on Baba and Evazan, but he was soon sidetracked by a job for the Empire, much to Evazan's relief.

When Quist, a pirate, revealed the location of Adar Tallon, a presumed-dead hero of the Galactic Republic, as living on Tatooine, Captain Parlan of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Relentless hired Kast and his team—including Trodd and Zardra—to capture Tallon alive. Kast, eager to enhance his reputation, accepted the mission. Parlan also implemented two backup plans: he placed Quist in Tallon's camp as an informant and issued a bounty on Tallon across the Arkanis sector, attracting numerous bounty hunters to Tatooine. Before departing the Relentless, Kast assisted in dealing with Dana, a Rebel agent working undercover. While the Star Destroyer was docked at Kwenn Space Station for repairs, Dana attempted to meet with a group of Rebels. Kast shot her in the neck with a Sennari poison-tipped dart. When the Rebels arrived, they encountered Kast, two bounty hunters, and Lieutenant Voor of the Relentless standing over Dana's body in the airlock. As the others fought, Kast retreated back into the ship.

Kast arrived on Tatooine as early as 35:3:6, days before the Battle of Yavin, informing the hunter Spurch Goa that Jabba had given the Zardra bounty to Gorm the Dissolver. Jabba housed Kast and his team in his Mos Eisley townhouse to monitor them. Kast planned to extract information from all those who knew about Tallon and then eliminate them to prevent any warnings. The first victim was the Lepi shopkeeper Heff. To control the less skilled bounty hunters, Kast sent Trodd to recruit them for a journey into the Jundland Wastes to find Tallon.

Kardue'sai'Malloc, a Devaronian known locally as "Labria," informed Kast that the Ithorian crime lord Slag Flats was also seeking Tallon. Kast killed Flats with another dart and left a squad of bounty hunters to deal with her associates, along with a datapad threatening Old Arno, who knew Tallon's location. Arno had disappeared, and Kast learned that a group of Rebels—the same ones from Kwenn Station—had planned to meet with Flats and Arno and were also looking for Tallon. He decided to eliminate them. Malloc, claiming to have arranged a meeting with Arno, lured them into an ambush at a local cantina. Kast's hunters attacked, and Kast himself arrived to fire a poison dart at the group before fleeing.

The following day, Kast and his hunters ventured into the Wastes in search of Tallon. They arrived at Oasis, a sanctuary for the Dim-U religious order, but left after receiving no answers. Kast later sent Zardra to attack the village until she obtained information, but the Rebel group repelled them. Quist, concerned about the Rebels' interference, finally betrayed Tallon to Kast. The bounty hunter and his team stormed Fort Tusken and ambushed Tallon during a meeting with the Rebels. Kast paralyzed Tallon's mercenaries, Vytor Shrike and Jungen, with his darts, and the fight began. However, the Rebels prevailed, and Kast fled, his failure in the Tallon hunt becoming widely known.

Following several successful hunts, Kast's partnership with Zardra and Trodd dissolved after a failed mission on Dura-Kahn. He abandoned teamwork, focusing on solo hunts. He accepted jobs from Imperial officers, often switching sides and using information gained from previous jobs to his advantage. He also occasionally worked for Black Sun. The bounties Kast took were not top-tier, but this did not bother him, and he became arrogant. While competing for a bounty, Kast clashed with the Rodian cyborg Lotas in the Trax sector, resulting in Lotas losing an arm. He also participated in Arden Lyn's combat tournament during this time.

Kast's earlier imitation of Fett eventually turned into a deep hatred. Speculations arose that Fett had killed a friend of Kast's or that Kast had ruined one of Fett's hunts. Other rumors suggested they had served together or that Fett had been Kast's mentor. Kast aimed to surpass Fett as the most infamous bounty hunter, even if it meant breaking the Bounty Hunters' Creed. He tracked Fett's movements while staying in the Outer Rim Territories and other remote areas, building his reputation. In 2 ABY, Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Imperial Navy disguised himself as Kast to get close to Black Sun Vigo Zekka Thyne and attempt to kill him, as a favor to the Supreme Commander, Darth Vader.

Between 3 and 4 ABY, Kast reunited with Zardra. They were hired by Captain Govin Thane of the Empire to assassinate a Bothan known as "Silver Fur" in Cloud City on Bespin and retrieve a datacard containing the location of Rebel refugees. Kast hid in a room of the Grand Bespin Hotel, watching the plaza where Silver Fur was to meet his contacts, while Zardra waited in a shop below. When Zardra grabbed Silver Fur's pouch containing the datacard, Kast killed the Bothan with a rocket. He used his remaining missiles to fend off Silver Fur's contacts. Kast then used his jetpack to reach Zardra, took the pouch, and escaped into the clouds while she made her own getaway.

Upon hearing that Fett had supposedly fallen into a sarlacc on Tatooine and was presumed dead, Kast decided to reclaim Fett's name and demand higher fees. Although Fett had survived, this was unknown, and Kast spent much of his time trying to convince people that Fett was still alive. Kast posed a dual threat to Fett: he was both profiting from Fett's reputation without earning it and tarnishing it with his failures, and he risked revealing Fett's survival. In 5 ABY, Fett finally intervened.

When the pirate Jerresk's crew attacked New Republic shipments, a bounty was placed on their heads, which Kast accepted. Kast and Fett's associate Dengar independently tracked Nosstrick, the last of Jerresk's crew, to Fluwhaka. Nosstrick attempted to ambush Kast with an explosive, but Kast evaded it and shot Nosstrick with two Frinka venom-laced darts, causing him to flee through a door. Kast broke down the door and followed, informing Nosstrick of his impending paralysis, but the pirate dropped a trapdoor beneath Kast. The bounty hunter narrowly avoided falling into a spiked pit by grabbing the edge. Dengar arrived and found Kast, mistaking him for Fett, trying to pull himself out. He activated the controls to raise the trapdoor and found Nosstrick's paralyzed body nearby. However, when Dengar tried to claim the body, Kast drew a blaster on him. Dengar, realizing that Kast had made more mistakes than Fett would have and had drawn a gun on another hunter, recognized that Kast was an impostor and warned him about impersonating Fett. Kast allowed Dengar to leave, and Dengar, angered by Kast's actions, contacted Fett to inform him about the impersonation.

Fett, disguised as "Sava Brec Madak," hired Kast through the House Benelex bounty hunters' guild. "Madak" claimed that a man named Satnik Hiicrop had stolen his identity and reputation and could be found in a clan keep on Nal Hutta. He wanted Kast to bring him in. Upon arriving at the keep, Kast was immediately trapped as the doors sealed behind him. Kast fought through Fett's traps, escaping a room filled with laser webs by blasting through the ceiling and using his jetpack. Reaching the control station for the keep's defenses, Kast disabled them, only to be attacked by leech-like quamillas. Kast destroyed them with his Blastech J3-E left handed blaster rifle and continued, vowing to make Hiicrop pay. Finally, Kast spotted who he believed to be Hiicrop fleeing down a stairwell. Kast pursued and caught up with Hiicrop, who was lying on the floor. As the bounty hunter approached, the figure vanished, revealing Fett behind Kast with a blaster to his head, declaring Kast dead.

Kast attempted to reason with Fett, pointing out that he would be violating the Bounty Hunters' Creed, but Fett retorted that he wouldn't be the first to do so and ordered Kast to remove his helmet. As Kast complied, he activated his jetpack, sending Fett backwards and propelling himself forward. Kast fired at Fett, who took cover, and then tried to escape using his jetpack to fight on his own terms outside. Fett fired a grappling hook that caught Kast around the ankle, then rocketed up and attacked him. Fett damaged Kast's jetpack, causing fuel to leak, and then injected him with a paralyzing [nerve toxin](/article/nerve_toxin-legends], causing him to crash. Fett removed Kast's jetpack and helmet, angrily telling him that he was "no one." Fett stripped Kast of his armor, warning him about the dangers of taking a reputation without earning it. He left Kast with three vials, claiming that one contained the antidote for the nerve toxin. If Kast had the strength, he could escape before his jetpack exploded. However, Kast was unable to, and the resulting explosion killed him.

Even during his time with the Rebellion, Jodo Kast prioritized financial gain over ideological convictions. This emphasis on credits continued into his bounty hunting career. Throughout his years as a bounty hunter, Kast accepted only the most lucrative contracts, showing no allegiance to previous clients and actively seeking opportunities to exploit their secrets for his own benefit. He also disregarded the Bounty Hunters' Creed, violating it whenever it gave him an advantage over Fett.

Kast was known for his vengeful nature, seeking to inflict pain on those who caused him significant trouble during a hunt or those who inflicted pain indiscriminately. He was known to say, "Jodo Kast never forgets," vowing to track down bounties that initially eluded him. The bounty hunter was a perfectionist, meticulously planning his hunts, which often lengthened the process. He was cold and calculating, deriving pleasure from his prey's suffering, which gave him a sense of power. However, he lacked the necessary skills to be a top-tier bounty hunter, such as tracking targets or capturing them without resorting to violence.

Kast was an ambitious individual who sought to establish a name for himself. He deeply valued his reputation, believing he deserved one, and took on risky missions to prove himself. He achieved some success in this regard; some considered him one of the best, and Grand Admiral Thrawn even used his name to gain credibility with Zekka Thyne. However, this pursuit could lead to humiliation, as seen in the failed Tallon bounty. Nonetheless, Kast grew increasingly arrogant as he completed more bounties, even though they were not top-tier jobs. He prided himself on his skills, believing he never missed a shot and that no one could outmaneuver him. At the very least, Kast was proficient in direct combat.

Initially, Kast modeled himself after Boba Fett, handling situations as he imagined Fett would. He eventually began using Fett's name, capitalizing on the bounty hunter's reputation, a practice that ultimately cost him his life when Fett sought to protect his own reputation. Kast believed that the person inside the armor was irrelevant and that the armor's appearance was enough to secure him jobs. He came to view Fett as a "fossil" and even considered himself superior. However, he was not as skilled as Fett, a fact that Dengar pointed out shortly before his death at Fett's hands.

Kast's Mandalorian armor was a customized version. While not as extensively equipped as Boba Fett's, it shared features like a jetpack and a magnetic grappler mounted on his back, along with a flamethrower. Additionally, he integrated a comlink, a net, syntherope, and poison dart launchers into the suit. Initially, Kast repainted his armor to more closely resemble Fett's, but he later modified it again to create a unique aesthetic.

Beyond his armor, Kast carried various weapons, including a left-handed Blastech J3-E blaster rifle, a blaster pistol, grenades, and a stun collar. When he first impersonated Fett, the bounty hunter modified a heavy blaster to mimic Fett's carbine. However, his preferred weapon was poison darts, which he laced with various deadly and paralyzing toxins, including Frinka venom and his favored lethal Sennari. Kast utilized the Foxcatch, a Lambda-class shuttle heavily armed, as his personal transport and mobile base.

The cover artwork for Tatooine Manhunt features a collection of bounty hunters, originally a conceptual design from The Empire Strikes Back, depicting the group hired by Darth Vader situated on Bespin. With the exception of 4-LOM, all of them have counterparts in the book that are similar in appearance, with Jodo Kast serving as the analogue to Boba Fett. The same source material contains a black and white promotional photograph of Fett, which is labeled as Kast. Kast was essentially created as a substitute for Fett, intended for use in role-playing game scenarios when a Fett-like character was needed, but with reduced power to provide an appropriate challenge for new players, or who could be eliminated without significantly impacting the overall continuity. Kast's armor contributed to his popularity among fans. Ultimately, in late 1996, after primarily appearing in Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game media, Kast was killed off. His demise was initially described in Daniel Keys Moran's short story titled The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett, and then a month later, it was depicted in Andy Mangels' Boba Fett: Twin Engines of Destruction. Due to the close publishing dates of these two stories, it remains uncertain which author initially conceived the idea of Fett killing Kast. West End Games later commissioned Mangels to write a prequel to Twin Engines, titled Jodo Kast & Dengar: Preying for Time. This was planned as a 2-3 issue comic, intended to depict the events leading up to Twin Engines: a pirate attack occurs on a New Republic vessel, and Kast and Dengar accept bounties to track down the escaped pirates. While the plot received approval from Lucasfilm, which requested a few adjustments, WEG declared bankruptcy as they were being implemented, leading to the comic's cancellation.

Abel G. Peña, an author who described himself as a "big Jodo fan", contributed details about Kast's time with the Rebellion, his history with Feskitt Bobb, and the dissolution of Kast's partnership with Puggles Trodd and Zardra in his Star Wars Insider article titled The History of the Mandalorians. Peña has also suggested, although unofficially, that Boba Fett's appearance in Galaxy of Fear: City of the Dead, where the bounty hunter is pursuing Cornelius Evazan, might actually be Kast, linking the novel to Kast's earlier pursuit of Evazan in "One That Got Away", a vignette from Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope.

Neil Ross provided the voice for Kast in Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi. He is featured in the game as a playable character, although he must be unlocked through gameplay. Consequently, it is uncertain whether his participation in the game's events is considered canon, or if his inclusion is simply a non-canon game mechanic.

In the fall of 2008, Hasbro released Kast as an action figure. The figure's packaging understandably featured a recolored image of Boba Fett, specifically from the cover of Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines. A second Jodo Kast figure was released by Hasbro in August 2010, this time featuring a removable helmet, and was available exclusively through the retailer Kmart[1].

In the Swedish translation of Tatooine Manhunt, Jodo Kast's name is misspelled as "Jodo Karst".