Kharl

This article is about the artist Kharl.
You may be looking for the technician Kharl Vanneb in the Star Wars Legends continuity.

"My name is Kharl, and I know why you're here. Jamillia wants to tell our parents we're safe at home. I have to tell you, it's going to be a hard sell. The others really don't want to go back."
"But it could be dangerous here. Naboo is your home."
"This is our home."

―Kharl and Anakin Skywalker, about the former's chosen home of Nooroyo — 20?cb=20250116042720

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Kharl was a human male from the Mid Rim planet Naboo. He joined the Torada Collective, an organization of artists who felt they did not fit in on their homeworld. Due to Kharl's medical condition—which caused him chronic pain and required him to use exoskeletal braces and canes—he chose to relocate with four other Torada Collective artists to an artist commune on the Outer Rim planet Nooroyo so he could access medicinal-grade spice to alleviate his pain.

In 22 BBY, Senator Padmé Amidala and her secret paramour, Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker, traveled to Nooroyo to bring the five artists home to Naboo at the behest of Queen Jamillia and the artists' parents. Kharl met with the pair at the request of the commune's owner, the woman Celena, but refused to leave the world and explained his reasons for coming to the planet. Ultimately, after realizing Amidala was in danger due to the Separatist presence on the planet, the Naboo artist brought Jamillia's sister—the artist Antraya—to flee with them aboard their Nubian yacht, while himself remaining on Nooroyo with the other three artists.

Biography

"You're on spice! Is that why you won't go back to Naboo? Because you need to keep getting your fix?"
"I take the medical-grade stuff. I have a chronic condition that causes me immense pain. Spice makes it tolerable. I can't get it on Naboo, because of the laws there. I can barely function when I'm at home, and on Nooroyo, I can do my work."

―Anakin Skywalker and Kharl — 20?cb=20250116042720

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Kharl was a Naboo human male who lived during the Republic Era and hailed from^[1] the Mid Rim^[2] planet Naboo. At some point, he joined the Torada Collective, an organization for Naboo artists who often felt at odds with the rest of their world's society. During this time, Kharl suffered from a chronic medical ailment that caused him severe pain, resulting in him using exoskeletal braces to walk. Kharl and four other Torada Collective artists—including Antraya, the sister of Naboo's Queen Jamillia—eventually left their homeworld to live in the woman Celena's artist commune on^[1] the Outer Rim^[2] planet Nooroyo. There, Kharl began taking medical-grade spice to alleviate the pain caused by his condition. He gradually acclimated to living in the commune and began to consider it home, greatly enjoying his time painting and teaching children about making paint colors and preserving plants.^[1]

Jamillia (pictured) sent Padmé Amidala to bring Kharl and the other Torada Collective artists back to Naboo.

Following the start of the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems^[1] in 22 BBY,^[3] Nooroyo fell within the borders of the latter's territory. Jamillia and the parents of the five Naboo artists living on the planet—including Kharl's parents—worried for their safety due to the onset of the conflict. The queen, aware of their worries, asked Naboo's former queen Padmé Amidala—by then a Republic senator—to bring them back to Naboo. Amidala departed Naboo in her Nubian yacht with her secret paramour, Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker, and traveled to the Nooroyo coordinates Jamillia had given her.^[1]

At Celena's behest, Kharl met with the pair and insisted that Nooroyo was now their home, expounding on his own personal reasons for living on the world—to acquire medicinal-grade spice to deal with chronic pain. The man spoke with Amidala further about what he enjoyed about Nooroyo while also indicating to her that each artist had differing reasons for coming to the world. Kharl panicked upon realizing Amidala's identity and informed her of the presence of Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray on Nooroyo for spice negotiations, which put her in danger due to the Neimoidian's several attempts on her life over the past decade. As Amidala and Skywalker fled to their Nubian yacht, Kharl left and then returned with a reluctant Antraya, with the latter having agreed to flee the artist commune while the other artists chose to remain. Amidala informed Kharl that she and Skywalker may not be able to return for him and the other artists if they changed their minds, though the man reassured her that they were happy on Nooroyo. After departing the commune, the pair successfully reunited Jamillia with Antraya on Naboo.^[1]

Personality and traits

"You're exactly the kind of person we need on Naboo. Working for change, not letting us become complacent. But it’s not the kind of work everyone wants to do."
"I just want to paint. The idea of public speaking makes me want to vomit. I do like teaching though. There are kids here, and I teach them about making paint colors and preserving plants."

―Padmé Amidala and Kharl — 20?cb=20250116042720

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As an artist, Kharl felt that he did not fit in on Naboo and chose to live elsewhere to express his talents. Though he held great fondness for Naboo and regarded it as a good place, he also felt its medical system failed those in pain—like himself—by having overly strict laws that restricted some forms of treatment. He eventually came to consider Nooroyo home, finding joy in being part of Celena's anti-violence commune. Kharl enjoyed teaching children and took time to instruct them in art and nature related subjects. Kharl disliked the idea of public speaking, indicating that he wished to live a simple life rather than try to promote broad social change. Though he chose to remain on Nooroyo, he acknowledged the risks associated with the decision and felt comfortable staying where he was.^[1]

Equipment

While on Nooroyo, Kharl wore clothes featuring the Naboo style. He used exoskeletal braces and two canes to assist his mobility.^[1]

Behind the scenes

Kharl appeared in the 2022 young-adult novel Queen's Hope, written by E. K. Johnston as the third installment of Star Wars: Queen's Series. Prior to its release, he was indirectly mentioned in a StarWars.com preview for the novel on November 2, 2021.^[4]