Quanto

Living within the Stenness system, Quanto was a male gangster. He gained employment as a pirate under the direction of the system's resident crime boss, Bogga the Hutt. As a member of Bogga's enforcer group, Quanto operated in the Stenness systems, usually with his senior enforcer and comrade, Gudb, seeking opportunities to exploit others. Quanto and his partner favored the local hyperspace jump station, widely considered a hub for illicit activities, where they monitored arriving starship traffic for potential targets. While Bogga typically issued orders to Gudb, it was Quanto, often treated as a subordinate by Gudb, who frequently executed them.

In 3999 BBY, Quanto and Gudb were at the Stenness spaceport, reviewing eavesdropping devices to identify starships ripe for plundering. Quanto watched the viewscreen, noting several ships arriving at the space station, each capturing his attention. A cruiser carrying a large shipment of illegal spice initially piqued Quanto's interest. However, his partner dismissed it, citing the impracticality of intercepting the spice hauler due to distance. Gudb almost disregarded Quanto's second choice before realizing that the passengers on this ship, the Sunrider family, possessed rare Adegan crystals. This excited Quanto, despite his ignorance about the nature of Adegan crystals. Nevertheless, Quanto proceeded to follow the family while his partner contacted Bogga.

Quanto approached the individual, a Jedi Knight named Andur Sunrider, offering him a substantial quantity of Novanian grog alcohol. When the Jedi refused, Quanto attempted to steal the purse belonging to Sunrider's wife, Nomi. The Jedi immediately intervened, demanding that Quanto return the stolen purse. Exposed, Quanto feigned innocence, claiming the purse had inadvertently ended up in his possession, before tossing it back to Sunrider. He then departed and reported his findings to Gudb.

Bogga greatly desired the crystals and dispatched Gudb to retrieve them from Sunrider, cautioning the diminutive gangster about the Jedi's capabilities. Gudb, accompanied by Quanto and another of Bogga's enforcers, Rek, believed that their combined forces would easily overwhelm Sunrider and seize his valuables. Quanto moved ahead to track the Jedi, blending into the station's activity, while his comrades discreetly surrounded the Sunrider family. His role was to distract Sunrider, providing Gudb time to position himself. Spotting A-3DO, the Sunriders' protocol droid, Quanto positioned himself in the droid's path. Rek then pretended to accidentally collide with the droid, causing A-3DO to drop the tray of food items he was carrying for his masters.

When A-3DO apologized, Quanto brandished his blaster pistol and threatened to destroy him on behalf of Rek, who felt that automatons had no right to question the actions of sentient beings. Sunrider intervened, demanding that his droid be left alone. Quanto continued to distract Sunrider while Gudb approached from behind, readying his pet gorm-worm to deliver a poisonous bite to the unsuspecting Jedi. Quanto refused to release the droid, and when Sunrider activated his lightsaber, the gangster aimed his blaster at the Jedi. Gudb's pet then attacked, biting Sunrider on the neck and injecting its deadly toxin. Sunrider briefly struggled but soon died, leaving his wife to grieve and defend herself.

Quanto and his allies surrounded Nomi Sunrider, attempting to force her to relinquish the Adegan crystals, but became concerned when she began speaking to someone invisible to Quanto. He persisted in demanding the crystals, even threatening to throw her husband's body into space. His colleagues grew more alarmed when the woman picked up the deceased's lightsaber, wielding it like a trained Jedi. Quanto, however, remained confident, knowing that Sunrider was not a Jedi, and gave her a fraction of a second to drop the weapon before he opened fire on her and her child. His threat was met with equal force—as he finished his countdown, Nomi Sunrider killed him, bisecting him from his right shoulder to his left hip. When Rek attacked Sunrider in retaliation for the killing of his friend, Sunrider also killed him. Gudb was spared and fled in disbelief that a seemingly timid woman had just bisected Quanto.

Quanto was a bipedal being with yellow skin, characterized by bulbous red eyes protruding from stalks on either side of his face. He also possessed a long, whisker-like appendage on each side of his pincer-like mouth. His entire body was covered in black markings, and when his eyelids were closed, the markings created the illusion of eyes.

Quanto was a criminal by profession, exhibiting many traits associated with such individuals. He and his fellow enforcers preyed on unsuspecting visitors to the Stenness Hyperspace Terminal, hoping to steal whatever they could when the opportunity arose. He was dishonest, as demonstrated when he lied to Andur Sunrider about how he obtained Nomi Sunrider's coin purse. When confronted by Jedi Sunrider, Quanto relented and returned the stolen property before fleeing. He was ignorant of the nature and value of Adegan crystals, yet he shared Gudb's excitement upon learning of their presence in the hyperspace terminal. He became easily enthused by the prospect of looting new vessels.

Although Quanto considered Gudb a friend, he was treated as a subordinate by the senior enforcer, who often sent Quanto into confrontations while Gudb remained in the background. He frequently used slang and intimidation tactics, and was quick to draw his blaster to end disputes, though he offered both Andur and Nomi Sunrider opportunities to back down before firing. Shortly before his death, he displayed a callous attitude toward Nomi Sunrider in her moment of grief, further provoking her. His aggressive and persistent nature contributed to his demise, as he was killed by Sunrider after receiving repeated warnings to leave her and her child alone.

Quanto could operate basic surveillance equipment, such as the eavesdropping technology he and Gudb used to scan for ships to plunder. He carried a personal blaster pistol, which he wielded in his right hand. Quanto was also a pickpocket, though he was caught immediately after attempting to steal Nomi Sunrider's pouch. Quanto was not Force-sensitive, nor did he recognize Andur Sunrider's Force ghost when it appeared, believing that Nomi Sunrider was hallucinating.

Quanto's first appearance was in the third issue of Tom Veitch's Tales of the Jedi comic series, titled The Saga of Nomi Sunrider, Part 1. Quanto is also featured in the audio adaptation of the Tales of the Jedi series, where his exploits are further detailed. In the Tales of the Jedi Companion, The Essential Chronology, Power of the Jedi Sourcebook, Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide, The Official Star Wars Fact File 67, Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Quanto is indirectly mentioned, along with the rest of Bogga's enforcers, as one of the thugs involved in the murder of Andur Sunrider.

Aside from minor differences in dialogue, Quanto's role in the events leading to his death varies between the comic and audio versions. In the comic, Gudb overhears the Sunriders discussing the Adegan crystals and informs Bogga, with Quanto present. In the audio drama, Quanto and Gudb monitor their arrival, and Gudb's sensor detects the crystals. He then sends Quanto to follow the Sunriders while he speaks with Bogga. Also, in the comic, Rek is the one who bumps A-3DO, causing the droid to drop the tray. In the audio drama, Quanto bumps the droid, not Rek. Finally, in the comic, Nomi Sunrider kills Quanto immediately after he gives her a millisecond to put the lightsaber down. In the audio version, Quanto counts to three before she kills him.