Solha

Solha, a duke of Serenno origin, was born on the planet Serenno located in the Outer Rim. His family included a brother and sister. Prior to the Clone Wars, a conflict spanning the galactic scale between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the duke was a member of the Republic's ranks. During this time, he encountered Senator Padmé Amidala during a diplomatic expedition. By this point, Solha had come to believe that he was perceived as a figure of ridicule or insignificance by many within the Republic and the Senate. Ultimately, he lost trust in the Republic, aligning himself with Count Dooku's Separatist movement and commencing work for their military.

In 19 BBY, Separatist leader Dooku sent Solha to the planet Mokivj. There, he transformed an existing factory into a droid manufacturing factory and oversaw the mining and processing of cortosis, a metal capable of deflecting blaster fire and disabling lightsabers. While stationed there, the duke also conceived and constructed cortosis B2 super battle droids. Solha's facility operated under the secret oversight of Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who intended to utilize the factory's other product, clone trooper armor reinforced with cortosis, as a safeguard to ensure the success of Order 66. This order mandated that all Republic clone troopers eliminate their Jedi commanders.

Eventually, Solha's siblings joined him at the factory. With the establishment of the droid factory and its cortosis mines, the Serennian duke dedicated several months to working with the material, accumulating reserves of battle droids. Solha engaged smugglers from various locations to transport materials for his operations to Batuu for subsequent transfer to Mokivj. This was done to maintain the clandestine nature of his facility by minimizing direct connections to it. The duke began collaborating with Captain Boroklif and his crew, who used their freighter, the Larkrer, to transport goods to the Mokivj factory.

At one point, Duja, a former handmaiden of Amidala, initiated an investigation into the Separatist presence on Mokivj while stationed on Batuu. Having uncovered evidence pertaining to Solha's factory, Duja was assassinated under the duke's orders. Local citizens subsequently discovered her body and left it at a bar, hoping someone would uncover the circumstances surrounding her death. Amidala eventually received a message from Duja, sent prior to her demise, relaying the suspicious findings of her investigation into Separatist activities. Solha and his siblings had restricted access to the factory's lower levels, except for those used by maintenance workers, to maintain the secrecy of the Mokivj factory's products.

Following her discovery, Amidala traveled to Batuu but went missing for weeks after deciding to investigate Separatist activities by traveling to Mokivj. Her disappearance prompted her husband, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, to embark on a search that ultimately led him to Batuu. There, he encountered Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo, also known by his core name "Thrawn," of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet. The two decided to collaborate in investigating Amidala's disappearance. After eliminating several of Solha's smugglers, including Boroklif and his crew, in the world's Black Spire outpost, Thrawn and Skywalker commandeered their ship and its cargo and changed clothes to appear less conspicuous when meeting the duke.

Utilizing the preset hyperspace route stored in Boroklif's ship, Skywalker and Thrawn traveled to the coordinates on Mokivj indicating the Serennian's location. Upon locating Solha's droid factory and contacting the duke, Skywalker initiated his plan to infiltrate the facility. The Jedi informed Solha that Boroklif was unavailable due to trouble at Black Spire and that his forces were likely deceased. The Jedi Knight offered to deliver the lost cargo to his factory, which the duke accepted, stating that he would open the shield upon the ship's landing in the factory courtyard, and not before.

Upon their arrival, the Serennian duke and his escort, consisting of a pair of B2-series super battle droids and two squads of B1-series battle droids, hailed the Jedi Knight and the Chiss. Solha inquired about Skywalker's possession of R2-D2, an R2 series astromech droid belonging to the Republic. In response, Skywalker explained that he had found the droid and believed it could be valuable if the duke wished to purchase it. He and Thrawn further questioned Solha about Duja's fate, which the duke dismissed, and discussed their acquisition of Boroklif's ship. Thrawn explained that they came to Mokivj because there was a preset hyperspace course on the ship, and upon the Serennian's inquiry, elaborated that Boroklif had set the coordinates.

Solha warned Skywalker and Thrawn that they had divulged all their information, leaving them with minimal bargaining power. However, the pair informed him that another preset hyperspace course was locked below the current one, secured by a two-stage encryption passcode, each possessing half. After Skywalker introduced Thrawn as "Brix," Solha ordered his droids to lower their weapons and escort them into the factory.

As the group entered the building, Skywalker employed Force-powered telekinesis to manipulate his lightsaber, creating the illusion that a rogue Jedi had infiltrated the facility and caused damage to doors. Skywalker destroyed several droids and then launched his lightsaber to the top of the building, hoping the duke would pursue a nonexistent figure. Now focused on capturing a rogue Jedi, Solha sent Skywalker and Thrawn to improvised [prison](/article/prison] cells, labeling the latter a thief and aiming his blaster at Skywalker, blaming him for "transporting" a Jedi to the facility aboard the Larkrer. Solha then attempted to impress Skywalker with his ducal title, to no avail.

A B2-series super battle droid confiscated the pair's weapons and communication devices before locking the cell and departing with R2-D2. Skywalker, sensing Amidala's presence on Mokivj through the Force, agreed with Thrawn to wait in the detention block for two hours in case she joined them, after which they would break out and attempt to locate her. Thrawn later informed Skywalker that the ship in the courtyard was a filled ore carrier, indicating that Solha's factory was a manufacturing facility rather than a staging ground. While they waited, Thrawn updated his partner on the ebbs and flows of activity nearby by sensing heat signatures, as Chiss possess greater infrared vision than humans.

After waiting two hours without Amidala's arrival in the detention block, the Chiss fashioned a cord from the clothing he obtained from the Larkrer and used it to unlock their cell. Shortly thereafter, assisted by factory maintenance workers Cimy, Huga, and LebJau, Amidala met Skywalker and Thrawn after their escape, defeating the droids guarding the area. Following the Chiss' introduction to the newcomers by his Jedi companion, the group formulated a plan to retrieve Skywalker's lightsaber and defeat Solha.

While Amidala and Thrawn departed, the Jedi began to explore the factory and discovered a section dedicated to the production of cortosis B2 super battle droids, guarded by the duke, his siblings, and droid sentries. The Serennians, protected by cortosis-covered clone trooper armor, resisted Skywalker's attempts to confuse them. Aware of the Jedi's presence, Solha attempted to track him down, prompting Skywalker to hide while Amidala and the Chiss commander retrieved his lightsaber. Unarmed, Skywalker used the Force to discern the locations of Solha and his droid sentries, avoiding them while traversing the factory. The duke became increasingly frustrated by the Jedi's telekinetic disruptions, ordering his droids to secure the factory. Shortly thereafter, Skywalker reunited with Amidala and reclaimed his lightsaber, also learning from the senator that Thrawn had decided to focus on his own mission for the Chiss Ascendancy.

With Skywalker determined to destroy Solha's factory, Amidala assisted in the evacuation of the factory's workers. Thrawn, having completed his own mission, rejoined their mission, informing the duo that the duke's droids were constructed with cortosis, a metal Solha believed could decisively alter the course of the Clone Wars. After donning clone trooper armor, Solha sought out Amidala and engaged her in a conversation regarding his past ambitions and his current goal of dismantling the Republic in accordance with Dooku's plans. When Amidala's attempt to persuade Solha to surrender failed, she resorted to stunning him with a strike from the grappling hook function of her S-5 blaster pistol.

Skywalker and Thrawn also discovered that the Separatists were producing cortosis-covered clone trooper armor in another section of the factory. The Jedi deduced that they were planning to infiltrate the Republic by sending Serennian troopers disguised as clone troopers to Coruscant, the Republic's capital planet. After Skywalker and Thrawn defeated the battle droids guarding the room, the group abandoned the factory and destroyed the clone armor section while sabotaging the droid manufacturing areas.

Skywalker decided to detonate the cortosis mine of Solha's facility, despite the advice of Amidala, Thrawn, and LebJau against it. The mines were destroyed, but the amplified blast, caused by the expansion of the area's cortosis, also resulted in heat being directed to Mokivj's crust, sending lava, ash, and smoke into the planet's best cropland and water supplies. Although LebJau informed the Jedi that his actions would result in volcanic activity and widespread devastation, including mass deforestation and desertification, Skywalker remained unrepentant. Many years later, after Skywalker had fallen to the Dark side of the Force and become the Sith Lord Darth Vader, he reflected on the events on Mokivj and Solha's defeat.

Solha was a slender, tall human male. He had white hair and a mustache, blue eyes, and fair skin. During his time with the Galactic Republic, he felt that members of the Galactic Senate and the Republic viewed him as a joke. By the time he oversaw operations at the Separatist Mokivj droid factory, Solha presented himself as a highly ambitious and confident individual, in contrast to his previous quiet demeanor. While he worked for the Republic, Amidala observed that his face conveyed a sense of thwarted desires and ambitions; however, when he worked for Dooku, his face radiated ambition and determination. The duke aspired to become one of the most influential members of the Confederacy, assuring others that his actions would ensure his lasting recognition. He acted as a traffic controller as leader of the factory, which later became the reason for Skywalker not taking him seriously. The duke spoke the Basic language with a pronounced Serennian accent by the time of the Clone Wars.

Solha took great pride in his creations on Mokivj, including the cortosis B2 super battle droids. He displayed a disregard for the welfare of the workers under his management, treating them harshly by depriving them of adequate food and allowing them to perish during their labor of lifting heavy loads. During the raid on the facility, the Serennian duke was confident in his victory against his assailants and anticipated praise following the Republic's eventual defeat. Protected by armor, Solha was prepared to engage Amidala in combat, initially mistaking her for a Jedi when she wielded Skywalker's lightsaber. As the factory's situation deteriorated, he remained steadfast in his belief that he would survive to witness the assailants' defeat.

Although he began as a professional politician, Solha demonstrated the ability to lead workers in manufacturing projects, such as the production of cortosis B2 super battle droids at the Mokivj droid factory, which he had designed.

Upon Skywalker's arrival on Mokivj, Solha wore a royal Serennian cloak distinguished by its style, throat clasps, high collar, brown color, and ribbing. He complemented his attire with black clothing beneath his cloak and black shoes. After removing the cloak, he donned cortosis clone trooper armor adorned with the Republic 212th Attack Battalion's markings for protection during the raid on his factory. He also used an E-5 blaster rifle and a communications device during the attack.

Solha made his debut in the second storyline of the 2018 novel Thrawn: Alliances, the second book in the Star Wars: Thrawn novel series penned by Timothy Zahn. His first visual representation appeared in the fourth issue of Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances, a 2024 comic miniseries adapting the events of the book. The issue was co-written by Timothy Zahn and Jody Houser, illustrated by Pat Olliffe and Andrea Di Vito, and published by Marvel Comics on April 10, 2024.