The Pyke Syndicate, also referred to as the Syndicate, the Pyke Family, or simply the Pykes, were spice merchants deeply embedded within the Spice Cartel. From their homeworld of Oba Diah, they dominated the criminal world, exercising near-total control over raw spice production across the galaxy.
For transporting their enforcers and goods throughout the galaxy, the Pyke Syndicate maintained a substantial fleet of Pyke patrol ships and freighters. Their [troops](/article/troop], known as Pyke Syndicate Foot Soldiers, commonly carried CC-420 pistols or larger blaster rifles. Conversely, Pyke sentinels typically used more powerful and specialized weaponry, such as A-300 blaster rifles and electrostaves. During the riot on Kessel, some sentinels were observed attempting to operate a blaster turret. On Kessel, some Pyke sentinels utilized stun spears to maintain order among their slaves. Another rank was the Elite Pyke guard, who were armed with a staff-like weapon.
The Pyke Syndicate also frequently employed human mercenaries, who were equipped with blaster pistols and motivated by credits rather than unwavering loyalty. Observation droids were deployed for security purposes. During their operations on Tatooine, they employed repulsor trains for spice transportation. In their conflict with the Fett gotra, they utilized Scorpenek annihilator droids.
Typically, the Pyke Syndicate was led by a representative from a prominent Oba Diah family. Within the larger Spice Cartel, the Pyke Syndicate was the dominant force. Their control over raw spice production in the galaxy was nearly absolute. The Pykes were responsible for maintaining the flow of spice from Kessel to Coruscant, using smugglers and freighter captains to execute Kessel Runs for spice deliveries. By the time of the Clone Wars, they had established connections with crime families on Coruscant. Besides spice, the Pyke Syndicate also extracted coaxium from Kessel. During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Quay Tolsite, a capo, managed the Pykes' Kessel operations along with his droid staff. Tolsite treated the numerous slaves of various species working in the Pyke operations on Kessel with extreme cruelty. The Pyke Syndicate also participated in glitterstim distribution. The Pykes had operations on other planets, such as Mon Gazza, Troiken, and the Spice Triangle.
Despite both being members of Maul's Shadow Collective, the Pykes struggled to maintain a stable relationship with the Black Sun, as they were frequently rivals. They later withdrew from the Shadow Collective when its costs outweighed its benefits and when they were under attack. However, they eventually rejoined the Collective, although Maul reminded them that the Pyke Syndicate was a minor player in his operations and easily replaceable. Following the collapse of the Galactic Republic, the Pykes maintained a precarious alliance with Crimson Dawn at Maul's command, who enforced his will on all of the Five Crime Syndicates. Maul mandated that the Five Syndicates remain allies rather than warring factions, although covert operations that could not be traced to any specific syndicate were still possible.
During the Imperial Era, the Pykes sought to gain favor with Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine and the Galactic Empire, which had an agreement with the Hutt Clan that was coveted by other criminal organizations. The Syndicate War, instigated by Crimson Dawn, was waged by the Pykes and other major syndicates in the belief that they could earn Imperial favor, only for Palpatine to personally end the conflict by contacting the leaders of the galaxy's largest criminal groups, including the Pykes' current leader, to reveal Crimson Dawn's deception. Palpatine promised that any group that could locate Lady Qi'ra, the current leader of Dawn, would gain his esteem. However, Palpatine also reprimanded the crime lords, demanding that they see themselves as servants: while they each controlled their own territories in the galactic underworld, Palpatine made it clear that they were subordinate to him in the galactic hierarchy.
Before the invasion of Naboo, the Xrexus Cartel captured Eldra Kaitis, a young Twi'lek Jedi Padawan, from the wreckage of a crash that killed the other Jedi Knights and personnel. Their leader, Xev Xrexus, put her up for auction, attracting the interest of the Pyke Syndicate and numerous other criminal organizations. Minister Lom Pyke, the Syndicate's leader, brought four of his men to the auction of Eldra Kaitis at Xev's hideout, but failed to win the Padawan, who was purchased by Jee Kra for 2.5 million credits.
The situation changed when Kra and his men were ambushed by Darth Maul and his team, who seized Kaitis. Xev, learning of this, shot down their ship before it could leave the system. She then charged the Pykes and other gangs to hunt down Kaitis and her new captors. Lom dispatched his four Pykes to search for the Padawan. The four soon encountered Kaitis and Maul traveling below them and opened fire. Maul and Kaitis deflected their shots with their lightsabers. The four were then flanked by four DRK-1 Dark Eye probe droids, which killed one of the Pykes. Another destroyed one of the droids, but as they were distracted, Maul attacked them. Unable to defend against the Sith apprentice, the three remaining Pykes were killed.
Later, Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum sent Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas and his aide Silman to negotiate with the Pykes regarding their spice trade monopoly. However, at the request of the former Jedi Tyranus, the Pykes killed Sifo-Dyas. To protect themselves from both the Jedi and Tyranus, the Pykes imprisoned Silman in the Pyke Palace on Oba Diah.
In 29 BBY, Baron Grott led a splinter Pyke faction on the Moons of Varl, supported by battle droids and Pyke enforcers. There, Grott attempted to breed a force of Kayfoundo Kapa predators and established the Varl Tournament as a cover. Senate Intelligence Officer Yarg'l traveled to the Varl system and was captured by the Pykes, forcing Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padawan Anakin Skywalker to come to their rescue. Ultimately, Grott was taken into Republic custody, but the Kayfoundo Kapa escaped and overran the entire Varl system.
Years later, during the Clone Wars, the Pyke Syndicate seized control of the mining operations on Kessel. In 19 BBY, the Syndicate allied with Maul and his Shadow Collective, eager to join after Maul coerced the Black Sun into joining the alliance. Along with Black Sun, they assisted Maul and Death Watch in their attempt to force the Hutt Clan into joining the Shadow Collective on Nal Hutta, attacking Gardulla the Hutt's Palace and forcing all but one of the Hutts to flee to Jabba's Palace. Oruba, the last Hutt, was tricked into revealing the location of the other Hutts and then killed by Savage Opress. The Pyke Syndicate then helped Maul attack Jabba the Hutt's Palace, forcing Jabba and Gorga the Hutt to join them. For the Shadow Collective's next move, the Pykes staged a false flag attack on Mandalore, allowing Death Watch to intervene as defenders of the people. With the government of Mandalore unable to handle the crisis, Death Watch successfully took over Mandalore without resistance and imprisoned their opponents. Pre Vizsla, the leader of Death Watch, arrested Maul and assumed control of the planet.
Later, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived on Oba Diah, following the trail of Sifo-Dyas. After admitting that the Pykes had killed Sifo-Dyas, Lom introduced the Jedi Knights to Silman, whom the Pykes had held captive as insurance against Tyranus. Lom offered to release Silman in exchange for the Jedi ignoring their role in Sifo-Dyas's death. Shortly afterward, Tyranus arrived on Oba Diah to prevent the Jedi from discovering the truth about Sifo-Dyas's death. Tyranus fought through several guards and killed Silman upon reaching his cell. Tyranus then engaged the Jedi and the Pykes in battle. Lom surrounded Tyranus with his men to aid the Jedi, but Tyranus killed him and escaped.
Following Lom's death, Marg Krim became the leader of the Pyke Syndicate. When Ziton Moj, the leader of the Black Sun, proposed merging the two crime syndicates, Krim refused. In retaliation, Moj ordered the kidnapping of Krim's wife, Tezzka Krim, and their children, Vram and Laalee. Krim could not rely on his Pyke Syndicate subordinates for assistance because several of his underlings challenged his leadership. In response, Krim hired two independent bounty hunters—Asajj Ventress, a former Sith apprentice, and Quinlan Vos, an undercover Jedi Master—to rescue his family. Ventress and Vos successfully rescued Krim's family from the Black Sun fortress on Mustafar. However, Black Sun retaliated by attacking the Pyke Syndicate's stronghold on Oba Diah.
The Pykes remained loyal to Maul's Shadow Collective even after he was captured by Darth Sidious, and Fife, Krim's majordomo, met with the renegade Sith Lord on Ord Mantell along with the other criminals and warriors. The Pykes defended the Black Sun stronghold during a subsequent Separatist attack, but suffered heavy casualties. Following this, Fife and Ziton Moj expressed concerns about the likelihood of Maul's plan against his former Master succeeding, but were assured they would be paid regardless.
Soon afterward, the Pykes were attacked by a Separatist armada and lost many ships. The Black Sun suffered a similar attack from the Separatists and abandoned Maul due to his lack of assistance. The Pyke Syndicate followed suit, and Fife informed Rook Kast, Maul's lieutenant, that their partnership was over as they no longer saw any financial benefit. Consequently, the Shadow Collective dissolved, and Maul retreated with his remaining forces following their loss on Dathomir. However, the Pykes and Black Sun would later rejoin Maul and the Collective.
During the Clone Wars, Kinash Lock, a majordomo acting on behalf of King Yaruba of the Yaruba Family of Kessel, negotiated a deal with Rafa Martez to deliver spice to the Pyke Syndicate on Oba Diah. Rafa, her sister Trace, and Trace's friend Ahsoka Tano, secretly a former Jedi, agreed to the deal and loaded Trace's Nebula-class freighter, the Silver Angel, with the spice and set off for Oba Diah. However, a confrontation en route led Trace to believe that the Pyke Syndicate intended to seize her ship, so she jettisoned the spice. Tano, realizing they still owed the Pykes 30,000 credits worth of spice, devised a plan to escape safely. Upon arriving on Oba Diah, a group of Pykes, including Marg Krim, met them on a platform. The group then pretended to have the spice and presented the Pykes with empty containers. Ahsoka Tano, unbeknownst to her friends and the Pykes, used a Jedi mind trick to convince Krim to give them the credits.
Fife, more perceptive than his colleagues, grew suspicious and inspected the crates, discovering that the trio had not delivered their shipment. With Fife ordering Pyke guards to pursue them, the group made a hasty escape aboard their ship; however, they were intercepted by patrol ships and caught in a tractor beam. The group was captured by the Pykes, and Rafa was tortured. Trace escaped the torture chamber and reunited with Ahsoka and Rafa, who had escaped their prison cell. After nearly escaping, the group was recaptured by Marg Krim and the Pykes. To allow the Martez sisters to escape, Tano claimed the sisters still had a family and that she would reveal their location to Krim if the sisters did not return the spice. In reality, the sisters' parents had been killed during Senate hostage crisis. After the two left for their ship and Tano was taken away, Krim spoke with Fife, stating that, while he knew it was a deception, his life depended on recovering the spice. When Fife questioned if he thinks Maul would find out, Krim stated his belief that their dark leader already knew since he always knows.
After escaping her cell using the Force, Tano infiltrated the facility and found an armory, where she acquired a set of magnetic thermal detonators to damage the Pyke base. Elsewhere, lacking the spice but determined to rescue Tano, Trace and Rafa returned to Oba Diah, intending to steal spice from the Pykes and exchange it for Tano. Pretending to take delivery of a shipment, Rafa claimed the order was "from up top" and instructed the Toongs at the shipping dock to prepare the spice for her. Meanwhile, Tano secretly placed the detonators before overhearing Krim talking with Maul via hologram. During their discussion, Krim informed Maul that the Republic was cracking down on the Pykes, mentioning that they had raided a shipment. After Tano hid from the rogue Sith's view when he seemed to notice her, Maul ordered Krim to ensure there were no more delays or Crimson Dawn, another member of the Collective, would seize control of their operation. After Fife and Krim left, having been informed that Tano had escaped, she made continued to plant explosives and learned Maul was on Mandalore from the transmission log. However, Krim and his forces then entered the room and captured her, but not before seeing she could use the Force. This made the Pyke leader believe she was a member of the Jedi Order.
After fighting off a Trandoshan manager and several Toongs, Rafa and Trace escaped the dock with the spice and returned to Krim. Tano's situation was less favorable, as Krim intended to kill her to restore his syndicate's reputation. The Martez sisters then entered the room, claiming they had returned the stolen spice to prevent Tano's death. Krim, however, believed all three were working for the Republic, although he soon learned they had been unaware of Tano's Force-sensitivity until he revealed it. As the Pykes prepared to fire, Tano's bombs detonated, allowing them to escape. They reached the Silver Angel, and while pursued by three Pyke ships, Tano used the Angel's gun to destroy two of the craft, and Trace used the Angel itself to knock away their final pursuer. After this, the former Jedi and the sisters were finally free from the Pykes, retuning back to Trace Martez's repair shop on Coruscant. Once there, Tano thought that, because the Pykes thought she was working for the Jedi, the syndicate would not hunt down the sisters in the near future.
Tano's time with the sisters on Coruscant was cut short almost immediately because they had been followed by members of the Mandalore resistance. Now having recruited by Lady Bo-Katan Kryze to fight Maul, Tano and her resistance eventually joined forces with the 332nd Company of the Republic's 501st Legion to besiege Mandalore and defeat the rogue Sith Lord. During the opening stages of the invasion, Prime Minister Almec ordered Kast to inform the Shadow Collective of the attack. Having foreseen that Darth Sidious would reorganize the Republic into the first Galactic Empire and rule the galaxy as Galactic Emperor, Maul later told Krim, along with Moj and Crimson Dawn's public leader Dryden Vos, to lay low for the time being.
After the rise of the Galactic Empire, the Pykes continued to expand their territory throughout the galaxy. At one point, they made a deal with the Devaronian Roland Durand of the Durand crime family in exchange for spice. However, the spice was stolen by Clone Force 99 with the help of Ciddarin Scaleback, leading the Pykes to threaten Durand's life. The spice was eventually returned to them and the Pykes punished Durand for his failure by cutting off one of his horns so as to not kick off a war with his mother Isa Durand which was something they couldn't afford to do at the moment as they just came out of hiding. The Pyke who cut off Roland's horn would later be captured by Clone Force 99 and turned over to the Durand crime family in exchange for information. The Pyke was held prisoner by the family as punishment for the disgrace he brought upon them by cutting off Roland's horn.
At one point, a news report by Cynabar's InfoNet mentioned that Pyke Syndicate was tearing down smaller criminal organizations in its bid to become the galaxy's sole spice dealer, with insiders predicting Razzi Syndicate to be next. Cynabar's analysts were doubtful that her syndicate would survive this.
In the year 10 BBY, the group led by Tobias Beckett, known as Beckett's gang, made their way to Kessel aboard the Millennium Falcon. Their objective was to pilfer coaxium from the Pyke Syndicate. Initially, Qi'ra, accompanied by Beckett in disguise, along with L3-37, Han Solo, and Chewbacca (the latter pair feigning enslavement), disembarked from the vessel. Tolsite, the overseer of the Pyke Syndicate's Kessel operations, and his Pyke sentinels greeted Qi'ra. She stated she was there as a representative to negotiate a deal, to which Quay agreed. Simultaneously, two of Quay's guards escorted Han and Chewbacca to the mines to work as slaves. Upon reaching the mining operations' control center, Quay ushered Qi'ra and L3 into a secure room, instructing Beckett to remain outside. As soon as the door shut, Beckett eliminated two of Quay's guards and proceeded to eliminate the others. Quay quickly sensed that something was amiss, but Qi'ra swiftly subdued him, stabbing him in the chest and killing the Pyke.
With the control room devoid of guards, L3-37 incited a droid rebellion and disabled the slaves' restraints, triggering a massive uprising. The Kessel raid thus ignited both a droid revolution and a slave uprising, both of which posed considerable challenges for the Pykes. Furthermore, the chaos allowed Han and Chewbacca to break free from their bonds and subdue their captors. Han and Chewbacca then made their way to the coaxium, but Chewbacca noticed Wookiee prisoners being tortured by the Kessel guards, and went to assist them. Now alone, Han reached the coaxium vault and neutralized the lone sentinel guarding it. He managed to steal the coaxium and began transporting it away on a cart. En route to the Millennium Falcon, Han encountered several guards, but Chewbacca returned just in time to eliminate them.
Han and Chewbacca successfully transported the coaxium to the Millennium Falcon, where Beckett was engaging soldiers attempting to quell the riot. Several Pyke sentinels positioned a tripod-mounted gun to disable the Millennium Falcon, but Han and Lando targeted and gunned them down. L3-37, amidst the riot, proclaimed a revolution, but a Pyke soldier fatally shot and destroyed the droid. Deeply saddened, Lando Calrissian rushed to L3-37's wrecked body, but he was shot in the arm by a Pyke soldier. Han then ran out and carried them both back to the Falcon. With the coaxium and all crew members aboard, Beckett's gang fled the planet. The incident resulted in damage to the Kessel mines and a reduction in the Pykes' coaxium supply, thereby impacting the syndicate's profitability. Consequently, the balance of power within the galactic underworld shifted.
At one juncture, Wef, an arms dealer, orchestrated a transaction with the Pykes. However, a member of the Hidden Hand killed the clients at the rendezvous point, presenting the Melbu with a more lucrative proposition upon their arrival. In 3 ABY, Lady Qi'ra of Crimson Dawn extended an invitation to the Pykes to attend the auction for Han Solo on Jekara. Pyke representatives attended the auction aboard the Vermillion and placed bids for Solo, but Jabba the Hutt ultimately outbid them. Subsequently, the Pykes participated in the Syndicate War instigated by Qi'ra, whose fabrications suggested that Palpatine intended to supplant the Hutts as his underworld partner.
In 3 ABY, the Pyke Syndicate wielded considerable influence on the moon of Toshara. Gorak Palas oversaw their operations on the world, which involved an agreement with the Empire. Despite the syndicate's dominance over nearly the entire moon, their grip on Toshara faced threats from rival crime syndicates, including the Hutt Cartel and Crimson Dawn.
Sometime between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, the Pykes, under the orders of syndicate gangster Omel Sampak, bombed a Nar Kanji fight school. As the Syndicate War progressed, Palpatine intervened personally, contacting the head of the Pyke Syndicate and the leaders of the other warring factions. He demanded they cease their hostilities and instead concentrate on dismantling Crimson Dawn, promising support to whichever syndicate succeeded. Following the conclusion of the Syndicate War, the Pykes readily resumed their operations.
By 5 ABY, the syndicate had established a presence on the planet Tatooine, led by a Pyke simply known as the "Pyke Boss," who reported to superiors on Oba Diah. The Pykes operated a repulsor train that traversed the Dune Sea, transporting spice across the planet. The train routinely terrorized a Tusken tribe, with the Pykes dismissing the sand people as simple-minded raiders posing no significant threat to their spice trade. However, Boba Fett, who had integrated into the Tusken tribe, devised a plan to halt the train that was murdering members of his new tribe. He stole speeder bikes from the Kintan Striders and instructed several Tuskens in their use. Equipped with the vehicles and their newfound skills, Fett led a team of Tuskens to take out the train, eliminating numerous Pykes along the way before ultimately crashing the vehicle. Addressing the surviving Pykes, Fett declared that they were to respect the Dune Sea as Tusken territory from that point forward.
Subsequently, Fett approached the Pyke Boss to collect protection money for the Tusken tribe. The Pyke Boss informed Fett that his superiors on Oba Diah, the capital of the Pyke Syndicate, had instructed him that he could not pay protection money to two groups. The boss told Fett that the Kintan Striders Tatooine had already claimed protection money from the Pykes. Fett left to resolve the matter, only to discover that his tribe had been massacred. The syndicate orchestrated the massacre to avoid paying the Tuskens. They planted false evidence implicating the Kintan Striders, leading Fett to believe the gang was responsible for the tribe's demise. Fett later attacked the gang in retaliation.
By 9 ABY, the Tatooine Pyke boss had assumed control over the entire syndicate and forged an alliance with Mayor Mok Shaiz, who promised the Pykes Jabba's former holdings on Tatooine. Subsequently, a contingent of Pykes arrived on Tatooine aboard a starliner. Fett, who had seized control of what remained of Jabba's criminal empire, objected to their presence. Nevertheless, they continued to establish a dominant presence on the planet, including in the cities of Mos Espa and Mos Eisley. Law enforcement declined to intervene in their activities.
Later, during a Pykes trade in spices in Freetown territory, town Marshal Cobb Vanth interrupted the meeting and told the Pykes that he wouldn't tolerate the spice trade in the town. The Pykes tried to kill the marshal due to his meddling, but Vanth drew his blaster faster and killed all but one who backed out of the fight. Vanth told him to go back and inform the syndicate of his ban, but not without taking the spice and throwing it away. To solve the problem, the Pyke Syndicate sent bounty hunter Cad Bane. When Bane was unable to convince Vanth to change his mind, the two had a duel that ended with Bane injuring Vanth and killing Scott, the marshal's deputy. Later, they bombed the Sanctuary, killing many who were inside. After a battle that took place in the streets of Mos Espa, the Pykes decided to leave the world due to the numerous losses caused by the battle, although Master Assassin Fennec Shand assassinated the Pyke leaders on Tatooine before they could leave.
Information on the Pyke Syndicate was included in "Index of Organizations," a survival compendium sent out by Carson Teva during the New Republic Era.
The Pykes were conceived by George Lucas, the mind behind Star Wars. Their initial appearance occurred in "Eminence," an episode from the fifth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Before the cancellation of The Clone Wars TV series, a four-episode arc entitled "Ahsoka's Walkabout" was planned to follow Ahsoka Tano following her departure from the Jedi Order, depicting some of her early experiences in the Coruscant Underworld where she encountered a scoundrel named Nyx Okami, with whom she formed a close bond. During their adventures, the Pyke Syndicate was to challenge her, requiring her to suppress her Jedi principles for her own safety. When The Clone Wars returned for its final season, this arc was reworked, replacing Okami with sisters Trace and Rafa Martez.