Melo Tolicus

"She helped me, and I betrayed her and took the last escape pod."

―Melo Tolicus to Sol, regarding Verosha Aniseya^[2]

Melo Tolicus was a human miner who lived during the High Republic Era. After suffering space psychosis, he killed several fellow miners and was taken prisoner. In 132 BBY, Tolicus was transported in a cell aboard the prison ship Palwick while restrained by a dybbuk, a parasitic organism that subdued the convict. He was eventually released by the meknek Verosha Aniseya during an escape attempt by other convicts, but betrayed her and left in an escape pod without her. He was later imprisoned on the planet Coruscant, where Jedi Master Sol interrogated him for Aniseya's whereabouts.

Biography

Subdued on a prison ship

"Dybbuk."
"Excuse me?"
"It's a parasite used to subdue violent criminals."
"Oh…Is it hurting him?"
"No way, he's having a great time."

―Syreth Dunn and Verosha Aniseya^[2]

Melo Tolicus was restrained by a dybbuk.

Melo Tolicus was a human who worked as a miner during the High Republic Era.^[1] By 132 BBY,^[3] while working at a valuable deep space mine, Tolicus succumbed to space psychosis as a result of the profound isolation and pressures he experienced and killed several fellow miners. After, Tolicus was taken prisoner.^[1]

In 132 BBY,^[3] Tolicus was transported in a cell aboard the prison ship Palwick alongside other Corporate Sector criminals to be processed by the Detention Task Force^[1] on the planet Coruscant.^[2] While aboard the Palwick, special measures were used to keep Tolicus restrained and prevent him from revealing the location of the mine, including a parasitic dybbuk^[1] that latched onto his mouth and induced an altered state of consciousness.^[4] As the Palwick traveled through hyperspace, Tolicus groaned while laying^[2] barely conscious^[5] on the floor of his cell. The meknek Verosha Aniseya, who was being held in the cell next to Tolicus, observed him, and the prisoner^[2] Syreth Dunn,^[1] who was held across from Aniseya, informed her of the dybbuk's purpose. Aniseya inquired if the dybbuk was hurting Tolicus, and Dunn responded that he was having a great time. Dunn and^[2] his^[1] fellow prisoners then asked Aniseya if she had truly killed a Jedi and told her of their escape plan, inviting her to join them, though she declined.^[2]

Betraying Aniseya

"The Jedi-killer is evil! I sensed her darkness."

―Melo Tolicus to Sol, on Verosha Aniseya^[2]

Soon after, the other prisoners began their escape,^[2] exploiting a security flaw to cause the Palwick to drop from hyperspace^[1] and then using a droid arm to open their cell. The group entered an escape pod, leaving Tolicus and Aniseya behind. Aniseya was able to escape her cell using her PIP droid Pip and rushed to another escape pod, but then stopped and turned back to Tolicus's cell. She attempted to lift him, but was unable, and so used Pip to shock the dybbuk restraining him, causing it to release its grip.^[2] Disoriented,^[5] Tolicus began shouting and grasping at the wall of his cell. He then stood and shoved Aniseya aside as he ran to the escape pod, which he ejected before she could join him aboard it. The Palwick, which had collided with several asteroids, then crashed on the planet Carlac.^[2]

Tolicus and the other prisoners were later recaptured and kept in holding cells in Coruscant's Jedi Temple. In his cell, Tolicus sat while fidgeting and grabbing at his head. As Jedi Master Sol, who was searching for Aniseya, walked toward Tolicus's cell to question him, the prisoner stood and claimed that the Jedi-killer was evil and that he had sensed her darkness. Sol then entered the cell, and after using a mind trick on Tolicus, the prisoner admitted that Aniseya had actually helped him and he had betrayed her. When Sol left the cell, Tolicus returned to sitting in its corner. Aniseya was later found on Carlac and cleared of her crime.^[2]

Personality and traits

Melo Tolicus had brown hair, blue eyes, and light skin. He was a violent criminal who required a dybbuk to restrain him. Although Verosha Aniseya helped him, he betrayed her and claimed that she was evil when asked about her.^[2]

Equipment

Tolicus wore a tattered brown shawl made of graphin hide and an improvised sash.^[1]

Behind the scenes

Melo Tolicus first appeared in "Lost / Found," the first episode of the live-action television series Star Wars: The Acolyte, which was released on June 4, 2024 on Disney+,^[6] and was portrayed by Dan Milne.^[2] Prior to the episode's release, he was first depicted in a trailer uploaded to the official Star Wars YouTube channel on March 19 of that year.^[7] Tolicus was first identified in the 2025 reference book Star Wars: The Acolyte: The Visual Guide, written by Pablo Hidalgo.^[1] The scenes aboard the Palwick^[8] including Tolicus^[2] were shot at Shinfield Studios in the United Kingdom.^[8]