Weazel

Originating from the Outer Rim world of Tatooine, Weazel began his career as a thief working for the dominant Hutt Clan within the spaceport town of Mos Espa around 32 BBY. During the Trade Federation's Invasion of Naboo, Weazel was present at the Boonta Eve Classic podrace held in Mos Espa. He sat alongside Watto, a Toydarian junk dealer who had bet heavily on the reigning champion Sebulba. Weazel rooted for Sebulba throughout the competition, but the Dug racer was ultimately defeated by a young Anakin Skywalker, the same boy who would later become Darth Vader, the enforcer of the Galactic Empire that Weazel would eventually oppose during the Imperial Era.

As the Empire rose to power, Weazel abandoned his life of thievery and joined the Cloud-Riders, a band of vigilantes led by Enfys Nest. Despite being perceived as mere pirates by individuals like Tobias Beckett, they were, in truth, aspiring rebels driven by a desire to fight for justice on behalf of those victimized by the Empire and the criminal organizations, such as Crimson Dawn, that thrived across the galaxy. Weazel ascended to the position of Nest's most trusted lieutenant and keenest spy. Together, he, Nest, and the Cloud-Riders frequently clashed with Beckett and his crew, who often served Crimson Dawn.

In 11 BBY, Weazel joined Nest, Callixido Ryss, and Moda Maxa on Gargon for a raid targeting an Imperial spice cache to acquire medicinally processed spice. The mission was successful, resulting in the spice being converted into triage kits and emergency packs. However, they chose to leave behind the raw spice, despite its potential for refinement into narcotics and immense profit. This decision intrigued Agent Andressa Divo of the Imperial Security Bureau, who deduced that the Cloud-Riders were likely amassing an army in preparation for war.

The Cloud-Riders' final encounter with Beckett's gang occurred in 10 BBY, when they learned of a heist being carried out by Beckett's team on Vandor for Crimson Dawn. As Beckett, his partner Val, pilot Rio Durant, and new recruits Han Solo and Chewbacca attempted to steal the valuable hyperfuel coaxium from an Imperial conveyex train, the Cloud-Riders attacked on swoop bikes, aiming to seize the loot for themselves. The confrontation resulted in casualties for the Cloud-Riders, as well as the deaths of Val and Durant. Ultimately, neither group succeeded in stealing the coaxium. During their attempts to secure the train car containing the coaxium, Solo, the pilot, detached the car from the AT-hauler he was piloting, causing it to crash into a mountain. Weazel and the others survived the ensuing hyperfuel explosion, and they departed in different directions.

Beckett organized a new operation with Crimson Dawn to pilfer coaxium from the spice mines of Kessel, an operation that the Cloud-Riders discovered. Weazel tracked Beckett's team as they connected with Lando Calrissian and arranged for him and his ship, the Millennium Falcon, to assist them in completing the Kessel Run quickly enough to transport the stolen unrefined coaxium to Savareen for processing. After learning of Calrissian's involvement, Weazel attached a tracking device to the Millennium Falcon to monitor the movements of Beckett and his team.

The Cloud-Riders confronted Beckett's gang upon their arrival on Savareen, leading to a brief standoff. Nest then revealed the Cloud-Riders' true intentions, presenting Beckett's team with a choice: surrender the coaxium to Crimson Dawn or allow the Cloud-Riders to take it and use the millions of credits to further their cause. Consequently, Solo and Qi'ra killed Dryden Vos and the traitorous Beckett. Thanks to Han Solo's actions and assistance, the Cloud-Riders obtained the coaxium. Weazel secured it within their transports as Nest explained to Solo that they intended to use it to fuel a rebellion.

Weazel was a human male characterized by light skin, blue eyes, and brown hair. Shorter than most humans, Weazel had transitioned from being a common criminal working for a major crime syndicate to opposing them, driven by a belief in delivering justice to those harmed by the syndicates and the Empire throughout the galaxy. In his operations, he employed a K21c portable ordnance launcher manufactured by Merr-Sonn Munitions and wore a Kalevalan tracker helmet equipped with a rangefinder and a communication device for interacting with Nest.

Weazel was initially portrayed by Star Wars veteran Warwick Davis in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, which marked the beginning of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Davis later reprised the role of Weazel in the 2018 Star Wars Anthology film Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Davis was originally cast solely as the masked character Wald in The Phantom Menace, but during filming, director George Lucas decided to include Davis unmasked. Consequently, Davis was placed in Watto's viewing box during the Podrace scene after hair extensions were attached to his head. The scene was filmed over a single day at Leavesden Studios in England, where, according to Davis, he was "basically sitting in bleachers and moving my head left to right."

Solo co-screenwriter Jon Kasdan persuaded his co-writer and father, Lawrence Kasdan, to bring back Davis as Weazel in Solo. Jon specifically wanted to include him in Enfys Nest's Cloud-Riders gang to meet Davis, given his admiration for Davis's role as Willow Ufgood in Lucasfilm's 1988 film Willow. Lawrence Kasdan was unfamiliar with Weazel, as he had not seen the prequel films, but Jon assured his father and encouraged him to allow him to write Weazel into the Anthology film. Weazel's costume in Solo drew inspiration from the distinctive Hungarian Hussars' cavalry jacket worn by the English singer and musician Adam Ant in the early 1980s. Additionally, Davis revealed on his Twitter account that Weazel's costume included a piece of Ewok fur on his left shoulder, humorously adding that the fur did not originate from Wicket, a character he portrayed in the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.

Although the details of Weazel's story between The Phantom Menace and Solo remain unknown, Davis speculated on the reasons behind Weazel's departure from the criminal underworld to join the Cloud-Riders. Davis believes Weazel realized he was gambling and associating with the wrong people, prompting him to seek a more meaningful path, though he remains uncertain about the specific catalyst for Weazel's transformation from criminal to freedom fighter.