- "Anyway, there's no need to bother her or Zord with such trifling matters. Besides, you don't have to worry about the Countess at all. I'm buying her out"
"Oh?"
"I'll be part owner of this spa very soon, and when I am, I plan to make some personnel changes."
"Oh."
"Depending on how things go, someone could end up with a raise and a promotion. Or, you know, without a job." - ―Sturg Ganna to Lexo Sooger
Sturg Ganna, also known as "Big Sturg," was a male member of a sentiant amphibious species called Whippomorn. He was a gangster who operated in Canto Bight. Early in his life, he worked as a lawyer and holo-show host before turning to politics. He served as a councillor on the Canto Bight legislative body for over twenty years with one term being cut short due to a felony conviction. He and was one of the wealthiest and feared individuals in Canto Bight. He had plans to destroy his political and criminal rivals such as Defancio Storsilt , Ubialla Gheal , and Countess Alissyndrex delga Cantonica Provincion and take over the city. To this end he had long sought the masseuse Lexo Sooger, hoping to acquire him as an asset. After many rejections, Ganna kidnapped Lula, Lexo's adopted human daughter to force him to become his informant, though he intended to keep Lula as his slave even if Lexo did agree to comply. This however proved to be Sturg's undoing, as the Dor Namethian freed his adoptive daughter aand they both discovered highly incriminating data on Sturg's takeover plans and transferred the information with to trusted sources, who would leak them if the amphibian killed them. [1] [2]
Biography
Early Years
Sturg Ganna was an amphibian from a humid, swampy world where swamp folk music was highly regarded. Ganna was very wealthy, and had managed to create his own criminal syndicate, with several Gamorrean Guardsmen, as well as other aliens in his employ. Sensing business on the planet Cantonica, he decided to move to the wealthy city of Canto Bight, taking a decision-making role on what was to be done in the town, thanks to his great economic resources. No one understood why Ganna had decided to move to a hot desert planet with an artificial sea, but few knew of his long-planned ambitions, thanks to informants and spies. His base of operations was located underground, in a humid cavern converted into a lavish suite below the Canto Casino Hotel, it was adapted to the climate of his native planet, and he often spent time in cold water tubs.
Kidnapping of Lula Sooger
By the time of the First Order-Resistance War, Sturg Ganna had become one of the most powerful and feared individuals in Canto Bight, but he faced several equally powerful rivals and needed informants for his plans. In 34 ABY he showed up at the Zord's Spa and Bathhouse. A large stone pedestal replaced the massage tables, and Ganna made his entrance, the air smelled rotten, the atmosphere of his home planet had been recreated. Lexo Sooger, a Dor Namethian masseuse, agreed to massage the Crime Lord, but he smelled the scent of a medicinal plant, Corwindyl paste the same one his adopted daughter Lula had taken to treat an injured Fathier, in the place where she worked. Ganna told Lexo that, being a masseur and having many rich clients, he probably had something to say. Lexo wondered how the smell of the medicinal plant had ended up on Ganna's body, theorizing perhaps it was his hands. But the smell only got stronger while he Councilor asked Lexo about some interesting things, talking about the rich people of Canto Bight, whom he often massaged, and about the Countess Alissyndrex of the Cantonica Province, who was present on the balcony of the massage parlor. Lexo pointed this out to him, and Ganna's body tensed, but then went limp and relaxed again. The Crime Lord told him that he would buy her soon, too. He had enough money to buy the whole of Canto Bight. He turned to have his chest massaged, but it wasn't Lexo who did it, but Maby Sagedo and Oble Rumb. The masseurs were careful not to touch his sensitive tail. Ganna continued to insist, and when he finally left, Lexo went to Lula's workplace, but when Bargwill Tomder , the Cloddogran who managed the poor indentured children by exploiting them, told him that Lula hadn't shown up at work, he realized that Ganna had kidnapped her to blackmail him. He immediately went to the office of Detective Neepers Panpick, who told him that he would help him. In the meantime, Ganna returned to his lair, protected by his numerous guards who now also watched over Lula in the cell he kept her.
Rescue attempt
Lexo made a disposable comlink call to Ganna and identify his base. Lexo told his name to the secretary, who very politely replied that he could record a message in a few seconds. Lexo interrupted him, telling him to tell his name to Councilor Ganna, who was waiting for his call. The secretary said that he should tell him now, but would still put Ganna through after the song " Serenity Starscapes " from the Councilor's homeworld was over. Ganna was sure that Lexo had reconsidered his offer to become his informant, but that was not the case. Lexo wanted his daughter back, but the Whippomorn told him that he was sure that if he gave her back, he would flee the planet with her. Lexo asked if the child was safe, at which point Ganna, made it clear that his daughter was treated well, and that no one would hurt her, but perhaps she could get hurt accidentally. He laughed as he could sense Lexo's anger and fear. Lula had told Lexo that a child who had been looking after the Fathier had decided to spy for Ganna to earn more money, and that he had been found dead in less than a month. Lexo tracked Ganna to the Canto Casino, learning from a bartender that a droid had been coming in for a swamp drink once a day for years, and taking it somewhere, but the bartender didn't know where. Lexo followed the droid, and found himself beneath the Canto Casino in a damp cavern. The droid entered, but found his way blocked by two Gammorrean Guards . Lexo could understand what they were saying thanks to his translator necklace , and was forced to flee, when one of the Guards said that someone was asking questions of another of the Councilor's servants via comlink. Lexo decided to go to Countess Alissyndrex of the Cantonica Province herself, who told him that Sturg Ganna was her greatest ally. Thanks to his senses, Lexo realized that she was lying, and it became even more obvious when the Countess started crying, because she did not want to sell her share of the Zord's Spa and Bathhouse. The Countess told him that she knew how to get Lexo into Ganna's suite, but in exchange he had to kill someone for her, a human named Jerdon Bly, who was on Baron Yasto Attsmun 's ship , the Undisputed Victory . Lexo did so, and the Countess managed to secure for him a way into Ganna's base.
Sooger's Infiltration
Once inside, Sturg Ganna's cave was adorned with plants, bioluminescent algae that reflected a blue light on the walls. The Countess had a arranged a power outage of the suite to give Lexo the chance to find Lula and escape while the security measures were down. Lexo followed the trail of Corwindyl left by Lula, and found his thirteen-year-old daughter who has escaped from her cell when the outage took place. Before the guards returned, he found the bookcase with Ganna's private collection: there was even a piece of the Second Death Star guessing that Ganna must have been very rich. Lexo and his daughter began rummaging through, ruining expensive one-of-a-kind pieces. While seaching the data files, Lexo discovered that Sturg Ganna had changed the diet of Defancio Storsilt 's Fathiers specifically to ruin the magnate. With Lula's help, he found a datapad with information that would have compromised Ganna if it got out: first of all, he had a plan to force Ubialla Gheal to give up his nightclub and all of his businesses, another to replace the Canto Bight police with his own Sentinel Droids that would only obey him, and also a plan to buy the Countess's share of the Zord's Spa and Bathhouse. Lexo didn't know how to use technology, so his daughter took care of it: they sent all the information from the datapad to Neepers Panpick , the private investigator, and if he didn't see it the next day, he would have to make it public. They barely had time to send before the power and security systems were restored. Lula then destroyed the datapad thouroughly to make sure their actions couldn't be traced. The two then attemped to leave when a silver protocol droid and Gammorrean Guards entered. The droid ordered that they be taken to Ganna immediately, before they were killed.
Blackmail
Sturg Ganna was immersed in his cold, glass-like sludge tank, surrounded by algae. The protocol droid in his service told him that he had found Lexo and his adopted daughter in the library. Ganna, pompous as ever and confident in his power, said that now he would have to kill them. However Lula told him that he would be making a big mistake by killing them, but he laughed saying could afford to do what he wanted. Soon Canto Bight would be his...or so he thought. The crimelord asked Lexo how he has arranged the power outage knowing the humble masseuse didn't have the kind of resources or clout for such an act, Lexo told Ganna that, as he himself had pointed out, he massaged many important sentients.
Ganna found this statement quite scary for his business, but to regain control of the situation, he said that he would kill them to inject carbon into his compost tank. Lexo then revealed everything they had discovered in the library, and at that point Ganna sank into panic. They had to die. The two Gammorrean Guards were about to kill them, when Lula said that they had sent all the material to a secure source, and that they could reveal the data to anyone if they wanted. Lexo reminded him that with all those important people and rivals against him he wouldn't survive a day. Ganna said that they were lying, but he raised a hand to stop the guards as part of him believed them.
It was then that the protocol droid stating that in fact the base's communications system had detected a large amount of material, files, that had been sent away a few minutes earlier, when Lexo and Lula were in the library. Even if they didn't know what the files they were, they were the exact same size as the ones in the datapad. Ganna sank completely into the tank, creating a chaos of waves with his nose. Then he resurfaced knowing he had lost, now he was the one trapped, subdued. Knowing that Lexo and his daughter now held all the cards and that he would be ruined even if he did kill them, Ganna asked them what they wanted. Lexo told Ganna that first of all he was not to buy the Countess's share in the Bathhouse, he should stop hurting Defancio Storsilt's Fathiers and restore their normal feed, without poisoning them.
Then Lexo also said that Sturg was to no longer ask for his services as the others would massage him from now on. Finally he had to pay off his daughter's indentured debt to Bargwill Tomder and finance a five-year course for Lula to become a Fathier rider. Ganna was furious wondering why Lexo would go to such lengths for one little girl who wasn't even his child by blood, but Lexo was unyielding and ordered Ganna to let him and his beautiful daughter go and never threaten them again. Ganna indeed let Lexo and Lula leave unharmed, left with the somber fact kidnapping Lula had been his biggest mistake and caused a serious setback in his plans to take over Canto Bight.
The next day at the bathhouse, Ganna was being massaged by Maby Sagedo and Oble Rumb , while Lexo massaged a Twi'lek. The Countess was also present, on the balcony. Lexo said he had Ganna to thank for her generosity, as she was standing near the townsfolk. As he seethed with anger, the Whippomorn noticed that the Countess had raised her glass of wine to Lexo, in greeting and thanks. [1]
Personality and traits
The drink was custom made for Big Sturg Ganna
Sturg Ganna was a wealthy and cunning Whippomorn. Despite his vast wealth and all the luxuries and power it afforded him, the greedy crimelord always wanted to get more, and quickly. In 34 ABY, he could have easily become the new master of Canto Bight thanks to his wealth, but he wanted to act slowly and thoroughly in order to outdo his equally powerful enemies and rivals. Knowing a good informant was always useful, and that Lexo Sooger who massaged famous, wealthy and powerful clients, could report possible activities that could hinder his plans, the Whippomorn long sought to recruit him. Ganna was on the verge of making all of Ubialla Gheal's businesses surrender and even replacing the Canto Bight Police chasers with his own security droids, not to mention the financial damage it would do to the Countess since, on Canto Bight, he or she who had the most money ruled, and after the Countess, Ganna did. In the end, however, Ganna caused his own misfortune and had only himself to blame.
As a greedy and ruthless crimelord who only cared about himself and his goals, Ganna didn't understand unconditional love, and questioned why Lexo would risk his life and so much effort to rescue one little girl whom Ganna found stupid and ugly, much less one that wasn't Lexo's biological daughter. He was also extremely cruel and enjoyed lording his power over others. Even though Lexo outwardly agreed to comply with his demands after he kidnapped Lula, Ganna refused to return the child and intended to keep her as a slave perminently to ensure Lexo wouldn't escape the planet if he did return her.
This arrogance ended up being his undoing as he underestimate both Lexo and Lula which led to his possible ruin when Lexo infiltrated his suite and stole data on his entire plan to take over the city, forcing Ganna to grant several of their demands and never bother them again.
Sturg Ganna loved to be massaged, he was an amphibious being with a ticklish tail. His body was covered in a layer of blubber that kept him warm in his native environment, and he liked to spend hours in cold water and listen to the native music of his planet. He also loved Storga; a custom sludgy brown drink made just for him. He was also a Collector and owned a piece of the Second Death Star and numerous valuable objects, and wanted to indulge in opulence in his underground cavern, complete with aquariums and bioluminescent algae. [1]
Appearances
- "Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing" — Canto Bight (and audiobook) (First appearance)
- "The Ride" — Canto Bight (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi (In deleted scene(s))
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition (and audiobook)
Sources
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary
- The Last Jedi: Rose Tico: Resistance Fighter
- Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious