The Argazdan archaeologist known as Doctor Raygar initially gained notoriety for his involvement in the successful Wolhanian expedition to Yavin 4, which aimed to recover Sith artifacts. This occurred before the rise of the Galactic Empire. However, Raygar's obsession with uncovering more ancient secrets led to a decline in support from public institutions. Ultimately, he secured the patronage of Emperor Palpatine, who, secretly a Sith Lord, had acquired some of the artifacts discovered during the Wolhanian expedition while serving as Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.
Shortly following the Battle of Yavin, Raygar assumed command of an archaeological excavation on Lorrd where the ancient Slave Pits of Lorrd had been unearthed. Lorrdian legends spoke of a powerful Argazdan superweapon concealed within the Slave Pits. Despite his inability to ascertain the weapon's true nature, the revelation that activating it required a human sacrifice, and the knowledge that it originated from an alien depicted as a demonic figure in Argazdan fiction, Raygar pressed forward with his plan to unearth the weapon. After Raygar killed his Imperial contact, a monster emerged from the pit. Unable to control the creature, Raygar resorted to using a thermal detonator to destroy his discovery, resulting in his fall from Palpatine's favor.
In 3 ABY, Palpatine granted Raygar permission to travel to the Endor system aboard an Imperial-class Star Destroyer commanded by Admiral Kazz. His objective was to acquire the legendary Sunstar, a gem of immense power. Upon arriving at the Forest Moon of Endor with his Imperial Reconnaissance droids, he located and attacked Bright Tree Village. During this assault, he was confronted by the Ewok shaman Logray, who employed the Sunstar to destroy Raygar's droids. Raygar swiftly retaliated by stealing the Sunstar and returning to Kazz's Star Destroyer.
Once back in his laboratory, Raygar began analyzing the Sunstar, realizing that he could harness its power to usurp Palpatine and become the Galactic Emperor. He commenced construction of a potent cannon fueled by the Sunstar's energy, believing it would be the most devastating weapon the universe had ever witnessed. His intention was to test the weapon on the captured Ewoks Latara and Teebo, but his plans were foiled by their friend, Wicket Warrick. Instead, the weapon accidentally struck the Emperor's personal shuttle, resulting in only a glancing blow. Palpatine survived, and Kazz promptly arrested Raygar on charges of high treason. The Emperor personally oversaw the doctor's punishment.
Dr. Raygar, an Argazdan archaeologist, participated in the Wolhanian expedition to Yavin 4, which led to the recovery of several ancient Sith artifacts. These artifacts were subsequently placed in the care of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.
Subsequently, Raygar's growing obsession with discovering ancient artifacts resulted in the gradual loss of support from reputable universities and museums. Eventually, Palpatine established himself as Emperor of a new Galactic Empire, which Raygar then served.
Around the time of the Battle of Yavin, the Slave Pits of Lorrd were discovered, and an excavation project commenced. Although Lorrdian scientists initiated the dig, control was later transferred to Dr. Raygar, who sought an ancient and deadly Argazdan weapon said to be hidden deep within the Slave Pits. He hoped that successfully locating the weapon would help him regain favor with Palpatine. For this assignment, he collaborated with Imperial Agent Diamond, who had infiltrated the local Sisterhood of the Glorious Radiance under the alias "Sister Sigil." During his time on Lorrd, the doctor wore the robes of the ancient Argazdan slave lords who had oppressed the Lorrdians thousands of years ago during the Kanz Disorders. This choice of attire drew criticism from all sides, as the Argazdans were ashamed of their past, and the Lorrdians were angered by Raygar's actions.
The doctor made considerable progress with the dig, entering the central pit and approaching his goal of retrieving the weapon. His studies did not reveal the weapon's exact nature, but he learned of its origins—an extragalactic alien who had assisted the Argazdans after the liberation of Lorrd by the Republic. This alien was depicted as a "demonic" figure in popular works like the tragedy Torphceris.
Raygar was spat on by crowds as he walked through Qatamer's Performance Square due to his choice of clothing. Passing through the square, Raygar entered a secluded docking bay and contacted Agent Diamond via hologram. He reported his progress to the agent, who informed him that she had gathered crucial evidence regarding Rebel activity in the area. Later, Raygar met Diamond in the Slave Pit, but they were soon discovered by Tash and Zak Arranda, two Force-sensitive Alderaanian children sought by Lord Darth Vader. Raygar instructed his battle droids to secure the intruders, and Tash inquired about the ancient Argazdan weapon. Raygar shared his theories and his recent discovery—the requirement of a Human sacrifice to access the weapon.
Diamond dismissed Raygar's suggestion, but the doctor argued that killing the Arrandas would provide the sacrifice and eliminate them as a threat. Diamond agreed, as Vader would likely want the children dead regardless. Suddenly, Raygar stabbed Diamond in the back. The pit began to shake, and a gargantuan monster emerged from the center. Raygar immediately threw a thermal detonator at the creature and fled towards his ship. Although he escaped Lorrd, his and Diamond's mission was a failure, causing the Emperor to lose favor in the doctor.
Doctor Raygar aimed to acquire the legendary Sunstar, a powerful gem he believed was located on the Forest Moon of Endor. He requested permission from Emperor Palpatine to launch an expedition to retrieve the Sunstar, and his request was granted. Admiral Kazz transported Raygar to the Endor system in 3 ABY aboard his Imperial-class Star Destroyer. Kazz doubted the mission's value and held Raygar in low regard. However, the doctor remained determined, assuring the admiral that the Sunstar was real and powerful.
Accompanied by PD-28 and a detachment of large droids, Raygar landed on the moon and set a trap to capture a wandering Ewok. His plan was to interrogate the Ewok to find the location of Bright Tree Village, where the Sunstar was kept. Instead, his trap caught a perkle, but the creature's cries attracted the attention of the Ewoks Wicket W. Warrick, Princess Kneesaa a Jari Kintaka, Teebo, and Latara. Latara was caught in the trap while trying to free the beast, prompting Teebo to use Ewok magic to free her. This attracted the attention of one of Raygar's droids, who seized Teebo. At that moment, Raygar arrived on a floating weapons platform.
The doctor immediately attacked the princess with an energy ray. Warrick tried to attack the droids with a stick, but Raygar destroyed the weapon. Moving closer, he demanded that Warrick reveal Bright Tree's location, threatening to destroy Kintaka and Teebo. Warrick relented, but the doctor ordered that the four Ewoks be imprisoned in his ship. After securing his prisoners and ordering that they not be fed, Raygar moved against Bright Tree Village with two droids.
Attacking the village, Raygar damaged some of Bright Tree's structures. Chief Chirpa launched a retaliation, but Raygar repelled them with repeated fire. Catapults were used to try to bring down Raygar's platform, but without success. However, the doctor soon faced more formidable resistance—shaman Logray, wielding the Sunstar. The shaman destroyed Raygar's droids, forcing the doctor to retreat. He fired at Logray, destroying the walkway the shaman was standing on. The Sunstar fell to another walkway below, from which Raygar retrieved it. With his mission seemingly complete, he raced back to his ship.
Upon returning to the Star Destroyer, Raygar was greeted by Kazz. The doctor refused to show the admiral the Sunstar, insisting that he would only present it to Palpatine. Back in his lab, he began studying the gem and realized its unlimited potential. He decided to use the Sunstar to claim the title of Galactic Emperor for himself instead of presenting it to Palpatine. As he ranted, Latara and Teebo, disguised as droids, entered his lab. He quickly saw through their disguise and used the Sunstar to incapacitate them, before accelerating his bid for galactic domination.
Raygar began crafting a cannon with the Sunstar's power, believing it would be the most powerful weapon in the universe. He planned to test it on his captives before using it on the Emperor. He placed Teebo and Latara in an escape pod and launched them into space. Before he could fire his new weapon, Warrick and Kintaka entered his lab. As he fired on them, his droid PD-28, who had defected to aid the Ewoks, tried to attack the doctor. Raygar shot PD-28, but then had to contend with Warrick. The young Ewok warrior flew at Raygar's face, and the doctor could only scream. As he grappled with the Ewok, he accidentally activated his new weapon.
The weapon's blast missed Latara and Teebo's pod and instead hit the Emperor's personal shuttle, which was approaching the Star Destroyer, as Palpatine wanted to inspect the Sunstar. The shot only clipped Palpatine's craft, thwarting Raygar's coup. Realizing his plans had failed, he began squeezing Warrick. Kintaka blasted Raygar with the Sunstar, freeing Warrick. As his enemies escaped, Raygar shot at them with his blaster, but missed. Warrick then disarmed and incapacitated him with the Sunstar. When Raygar recovered, he chased after them, only to be met by stormtroopers sent to arrest him.
Brought before Kazz, Raygar was charged with high treason. He protested at first but then resigned himself to his fate. Asking what Kazz would do to him, Raygar learned that Palpatine would carry out his punishment. Protesting again, Raygar was taken to Palpatine's shuttle and dealt with by the Emperor.
Doctor Raygar was an ambitious man prone to wild speculation. Initially, he sought to gain favor with the Emperor by finding weapons for Palpatine to use against his enemies, but he lost all support after his expedition to Yavin 4. He was viewed with disdain by people like Admiral Kazz and was described as evil by the Ewoks. While studying the Sunstar, his aspirations grew, and he believed he could assassinate Emperor Palpatine. When faced with arrest, he displayed indignation, resignation, and fear, begging for Kazz's mercy.
He delighted in obtaining the Sunstar and was willing to harm woklings to achieve his goal. Although skilled in creating weapons quickly, he was a poor shot, which cost him his position in the Empire. Raygar had no qualms about executing Human children and killed his collaborator, Agent Diamond, on Lorrd. He had yellow eyes and green skin.
Raygar's first appearance was in the Ewoks episode "Battle for the Sunstar," which aired on December 6, 1986. In the magazine article "A Star Wars CELibration," published in Star Wars Insider's twenty-seventh issue in 1995, the character's name is given as "Raegar." Leland Chee later confirmed that the correct spelling is "Raygar." Both spellings were used in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.