Mercenary

"In some ways, a mercenary is like a pirate without a crew. In other ways, not so much. These soldiers of fortune sign contracts with their clients in hopes of amassing great wealth, a decision I can respect. But the mercenaries most in demand are the ones who do only what they are told and ask for nothing more than the credits they were promised. While a pirate takes great pride in their independence and ambition, a mercenary has no real code and will simply fight for whomever is willing to pay them the most."

―Hondo Ohnaka^[1]

was a mercenary during . — Migs Mayfeld was a human mercenary during New Republic Era.

A mercenary, also known as a hired gun or soldier of fortune,^[2] was an individual who fought for other individuals or parties in return for payment such as credits.^[3] Mercenaries could look for work via the Undervine network.^[2] Many bounty hunters, like Cad Bane and Boba Fett, acted like mercenaries and were hired to do jobs other than tracking down bounties.^[4]^[5]^[6]

History

Republic Era

"You are a mercenary. Mercenaries go where they get paid. They have no personal code or—"
"Tolerance for overly chatty rust-buckets."

―Pilot droid RL-18 and Lourna Dee^[3]

Former Jedi Padawan Ty Yorrick took up the life of a mercenary, or "saber-for-hire," and monster hunter.

During the High Republic Era, the former Jedi Padawan Ty Yorrick became a mercenary, sometimes referred to as a saber-for-hire, and an independent monster hunter.^[7] Yorrick's career included working as a bodyguard for Mantessa and Klerin Chekkat.^[8] The Silver Knights were a group of mercenaries led by Captain Li Yu.^[9] The bounty hunter Deva Lompop worked as a mercenary as Avon Starro's bodyguard and a maurader for the Nihil, before retiring and becoming an information broker.^[10] However, she was called back into action by Jabba the Hutt.^[11]

The mercenary droid AD-W4 worked for the Confederacy of Independent Systems due to General Grievous hiring the droid to oversee the Separatists operations on the planet Hissrich during the Clone Wars.^[12] In the wake of Jango Fett's death, the Galactic Republic hired the bounty hunters Bric and El-Les to train various clone cadets.^[13]

Imperial Era

"Look, I ain't in this for your revolution, and I'm not in it for you, Princess. I expect to be well paid. I'm in it for the money."

―Han Solo, to Leia Organa^[14]

Saponza, a mercenary who had been part of the underworld for decades

During the Imperial Era, the Bad Batch—Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, and Echo, along with their young ward Omega—defected from the Empire and ended up becoming mercenaries, working directly for the Trandoshan underworld figure Ciddarin Scaleback in order to survive in the rapidly changing galaxy without the Republic.^[15] Although he was from^[16] the peaceful world^[14] of Alderaan,^[16] Vect Nokru took on the life of a mercenary.^[17] Former Jedi Knight Bode Akuna began freelancing for Lank Denvik being a gunslinger and spy.^[18] The operative Vel Sartha called the criminal Cassian Andor a mercenary when Luthen Rael brought him to worked for the Aldhani rebel infiltration team.^[19] At one point during the Imperial Era, Saponza found trouble getting mercenary work and suspected the issue was not just limited to him. He guessed that major syndicates like Crimson Dawn and Son-tuul Pride maintained private armies, leaving them no need to hire the likes of him.^[2] Crimson Dawn had started out as a band of ruthless mercenaries before they expanded into a criminal syndicate.^[20]

Moroff was a Gigoran mercenary affiliated with Saw Gerrera's Partisans. He continued to fight with the Partisans all the way up to the Jedha insurgency.^[21] During that insurgency, a mercenary guarded the nomadic market.^[22] Leia Organa, disgusted at Han Solo seeming to only love money rather than wanting to help the Rebel Alliance, once described him as "quite a mercenary."^[14] Anton Markox worked as a self-described "soldier of fortune" during the Imperial Era and advertised himself to crime lord clients within the Smuggler's Guide.^[2]

New Republic Era

After its fall in the Battle of Jakku,^[23] the Empire was seemingly reduced to scattered warlords and mercenaries.^[24]

During the early New Republic Era, Din Djarin worked as a mercenary for various organizations. The shock trooper Carasynthia Dune went into an "early retirement" when she realized that the work she was performing was not what she had enlisted for. As a result, she left the Republic and became a mercenary^[25]. Djarin's old friend Ranzar Malk formed a team composed of the ex-Imperial sharpshooter Migs Mayfeld, the Devaronian Burg, Twi'lek Xi'an, and the droid Q9-0, to rescue Xi'an's brother Qin from the Bothan-5, a New Republic Correctional Transport.^[26] Morgan Elsbeth had the hired gunfighter Lang working as a mercenary for her.^[27] She also hired former Jedi Knight Baylan Skoll and his apprentice, Shin Hati,^[28] a duo of mysterious^[29] mercenaries. Both came to free her from the New Republic's custody. She also had former Imperial Inquisitor Marrok working for her.^[28]

A criminal named "Bazine Netal" was a mercenary who worked as a First Order spy.^[30] The pirate captain Kragan Gorr was willing to work as a mercenary for the First Order.^[31] Kendoh Voss was a criminal of notoriety^[32] active in the First Order-Resistance War. She had turned to a life of crime to restore the fortunes of her Serennian family. As a criminal active as a mercenary, thief,^[33] and bounty hunter, she would come to lead a crew known as the Kendoh Gang.^[34]