Snoova, a Wookiee who operated as both a bounty hunter and a mercenary, made his mark during the era of the Galactic Civil War. Shunned by his own Wookiee community, he was under a death penalty on his homeworld of Kashyyyk. This was a consequence of his transgression against the Wookiee law forbidding the use of their natural claws for purposes other than climbing. Rumors circulated about an incident where Snoova allegedly used his claws in a fight over a female Wookiee. Escaping Kashyyyk as an outlaw, Snoova largely avoided contact with other Wookiees. He embraced the life of a bounty hunter—an occupation not typically associated with his species—and supplemented his income with mercenary gigs. Given that Wookiees were an enslaved group under the rule of the Galactic Empire, Snoova focused his bounty hunting efforts on targets with rewards offered by the galactic government. His success in this field led to widespread recognition, granting him the freedom to move through the Empire without interference. Moreover, his identification datawork was altered to reflect him as his own master.
Snoova's distinctive appearance further amplified his notoriety. His brown fur was marked with patches of black, and he sported a flat-topped spacer's haircut. He also wore a monocle ocular enhancer over his right eye, a device surgically implanted after he lost the eye while pursuing a target. While Snoova generally preferred to work solo, he occasionally collaborated with members of the Aurodium Sword and the Black Sun criminal syndicates, as well as with other bounty hunters, including the Ubese Boushh. His reputation inspired the Human replica droid Guri to disguise the well-known Wookiee Rebel Alliance operative Chewbacca as Snoova. This was done to smuggle Chewbacca, a wanted Rebel agent, past customs in Imperial City.
His volatile nature and propensity for violence made him a figure of fear within the galaxy's criminal circles. Despite his ability to charm clients, he typically treated his targets with disdain. Although capable of stealth, Snoova favored direct confrontation, reflected in his choice of weapons: a vibro-ax and a powerful blaster rifle. He was also adept at using his natural claws to inflict damage on his opponents.
Hailing from Kashyyyk, the homeworld of the Wookiee species, Snoova's departure from the planet was shrouded in mystery. Speculation suggested a conflict with a relative over a Wookiee female. The narrative claimed that Snoova attacked and injured his rival with his climbing claws, a transgression punishable by death in Wookiee society, earning him the label "madclaw." To evade the death mark placed on him, Snoova was compelled to flee, living the rest of his days as an exile from his people.
In his travels across the galaxy, Snoova engaged in mercenary work. He briefly served a small-time crime boss named Asteria as an indentured servant. However, upon the expiration of his contract, Snoova sought greater opportunities. Eventually, he took up bounty hunting, an uncommon profession for a Wookiee during that time. As the Galactic Civil War engulfed the galaxy, Snoova's species was officially enslaved by the Galactic Empire. Consequently, Snoova confined himself to Imperial space, pursuing bounties offered by the Empire. This strategy allowed him freedom of movement despite his species' enslaved status. In fact, despite technically being a slave, his identification datawork identified him as his own master. At some point, Snoova lost an eye while tracking a bounty. He replaced it with a monocle ocular enhancer, previously used as a hunting aid, which was surgically connected to cybernetics within his eye socket.
Although he generally preferred to operate independently, Snoova occasionally collaborated with criminal organizations and other bounty hunters. He worked with the Ubese bounty hunter Boushh on at least one occasion. He also worked for Aurodium Sword Executive Security, a mercenary group offering security and paramilitary support to high-profile clients. Snoova participated in a skirmish alongside the group's leader, a rogue ARC trooper known as Muzzle, and another Wookiee, defending a Sullustan executive from a squad of assassins. An image from the fight reached an Imperial intelligence agent, who reported on Aurodium Sword to the Empire. A few months after the Battle of Yavin, Commander Maximillian Seerdon of the Imperial Security Bureau included the report and image in his dossier on underworld figures. Although pictured, Snoova was not named in the document.
Snoova also worked as a mercenary for the Black Sun criminal syndicate. When the Empire released the Emperor's Most Wanted, a list of high-value bounties on key Rebel Alliance leaders, after the Battle of Talus, Snoova joined the hunt for the listed individuals. He captured a bounty from the list and delivered the target to Bossk, another bounty hunter, at an Imperial outpost at Dee'ja Peak on Naboo.
Rumors of the capture spread, and Rebel agents, disguised as smugglers, arrived at Dee'ja Peak to find Snoova and rescue his Rebel bounty. Warned by his contacts, Snoova ambushed the interlopers. Near the center of the outpost, their leader was forced into an alley and attacked by Snoova and several Black Sun thugs. Snoova was wounded during the firefight, and his Black Sun associates fled. Reluctantly, Snoova answered the Rebel's questions and directed them to Bossk, who knew the prisoners' location.
By 3 ABY, Snoova had become well-known, the most famous Wookiee bounty hunter in the galaxy. That year, Princess Leia Organa, a Human Rebel Alliance leader, sought the help of Xizor, the [Falleen](/article/falleen-legends] Prince and head of Black Sun, to rescue Han Solo, a Human smuggler, from the Mandalorian bounty hunter Boba Fett. Organa also sought information on who was attempting to assassinate Luke Skywalker, a Human Jedi. Organa and her Wookiee companion, Chewbacca, needed to bypass Imperial customs agents in Imperial City on Coruscant, the galactic capital, where Black Sun's headquarters were located. Black Sun agreed to assist.
Unbeknownst to Snoova, he became part of Black Sun's plan. While leaving a meeting with Asteria in her townhouse, Snoova was ambushed with shock batons, stun pikes, and tranq slugs. Unable to defend himself, he awoke in a small cell, chained and unable to use his claws. Lonay, a Twi'lek Vigo, informed him that he was being "taken out of the picture" and imprisoned at a slave camp so that someone could impersonate him on Coruscant. Despite Snoova's threats, the Twi'lek assured him of substantial compensation. With Snoova safely hidden, Guri, a Black Sun Human replica droid, disguised Leia Organa and Chewbacca as bounty hunters. Organa's disguise was that of the Ubese hunter Boushh, while Chewbacca's was modeled after Snoova's distinctive appearance. Chewbacca shaved his head into a squared-off style and dyed black spots into his fur. He also carried Snoova's preferred weapons: a vibro-ax and a large blaster rifle.
By 3 ABY, Snoova was a known figure in the galactic underworld. His reputation for brutality and bloodthirstiness, stemming from his quick temper and uncontrolled rage, made other bounty hunters wary. Even at his best, Snoova's sour disposition manifested as irritable growls at minor annoyances. He disregarded social niceties and was willing to bully others to get his way. Among the few Wookiee bounty hunters during the Galactic Civil War, Snoova was considered the most vicious. He defied the Wookiee prohibition against using climbing claws in combat, preferring them for close-quarters combat, resorting to blasters only when necessary. This earned him the "madclaw" designation and ostracized him from Wookiee society. However, he generally behaved appropriately with clients, redirecting his aggression towards his targets.
Snoova was somewhat paranoid and preferred to work alone, distrusting alliances with other bounty hunters due to the risk of betrayal and the bounty on his head from Kashyyyk. He also avoided other Wookiees, fearing they might enforce Wookiee law for his madclaw status. Nevertheless, he allied with a fellow Wookiee while working for Aurodium Sword, and with other bounty hunters when it suited him.
Snoova's brown fur had distinctive black spots, including a mask-like patch around his eyes. This unusual pattern earned him the nickname "the furry bandit" among other bounty hunters, though never to his face, making him easily recognizable. He further enhanced his appearance with a short spacer's haircut featuring a flattop and ponytail. Snoova's breath was often foul. The prefix Sno- in his name meant "curious," "fast," and "quick" in Shyriiwook, his native language, while the suffix -ova meant "eye," "gazer," "seeker," and "seer."
Snoova was a skilled fighter, proficient with both the bowcasters favored by his species and blasters, with training in repeating blasters. He was adept with melee weapons and blaster rifles, using the latter with brute force. He excelled at hand-to-hand brawling, using his natural climbing claws to inflict damage.
Streetwise and savvy, Snoova navigated the criminal underworld with ease. He was skilled at spotting hidden targets and in stealth. He had a penchant for intimidation and was trained to pilot starships and repulsorlift vehicles, with good endurance and survival skills. Although literate in Basic and able to understand it, he could only speak Shyriiwook.
Snoova's preferred weapons included a vibro-ax, heavy blaster pistol, blaster rifle, light repeating blaster, and grenade. He often wore an ammunition bandoleer. Other equipment included a medpac, satchel, binders, comlink, and datapad.
He used a removable monocle ocular enhancer for low-light vision and enhanced acuity. After losing his eye, he had the device permanently installed as a cybernetic eye patch. He often wore a pauldron. When Chewbacca impersonated him, he wore a short cape.
Snoova's creation was tied to the Shadows of the Empire project, a series of Star Wars releases including a novel, comic book, video game, and toy line developed in 1994. Hasbro designed new Star Wars characters for the project, including Snoova. Mark Boudreaux and Mike Butkus are credited as his designers. Snoova's look was used for a Chewbacca action figure in disguise, part of the 1996 Shadows of the Empire toy line, a retooled version of the first Power of the Force Chewbacca figure, with a shaved head, dyed fur, and armor. The figure included a blaster rifle, vibro-ax, and detachable cape.
Other sources expanded on Snoova's backstory. The Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook by West End Games in 1996 provided the earliest graphical depiction and biographical details. "Underworld: A Galaxy of Scum and Villainy" and Scum and Villainy added more information. These sources lack a consistent chronology, so this article combines all known details, though the order may not be accurate. Sources also disagree on the ocular enhancer. The Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook calls it a tool, while Scum and Villainy calls it a cybernetic replacement. This biography assumes both are correct, but for different periods in Snoova's life.
The Star Wars Customizable Card Game expansion Reflections II: Expanding the Galaxy by Decipher in 2001 included Snoova as a character. His preference for melee weapons allows him to use his vibro-ax for free and gain extra bounty hunting abilities. The Light Side scenario of Galactic Hunters for the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game in 2009 features Snoova as a villain the player characters must defeat to rescue a Rebel leader, which this biography assumes they do. The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia in 2008 uses an image of Chewbacca in his Snoova disguise from the cover of 1996's Shadows of the Empire 4 as an image of Snoova. Snoova is available in Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, a video game by LucasArts in 2001, via the scenario editor. In that game, as well as in 2007's Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron and 2009's Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron, players can create a "Wookiee bounty hunter" unit with Snoova's hairstyle and ocular enhancer.