Terak

This article is about the warlord named Terak. You may be looking for the Sith Lord named Terrak Morrhage.

"He will get what he desires."

―Charal^[3]

Terak was a Sanyassan warlord from the storm-shrouded world of Sanyassa IV. Huge and fierce-looking even by Sanyassan standards, he was the chief of the Marauders, a band of criminals who engaged in spaceways piracy. A century before the Battle of Endor, Terak and his Marauders joined with Charal, a Forceful female who possessed a magic ring. Traveling through the Moddell sector in a stolen starship, they crashed on the lush Forest Moon of Endor. Resigned to their fate, the Marauders constructed a castle in the plains of Endor, where they were ruled by the self-appointed King Terak, and Charal his accomplice.

In the months leading to his destruction, Terak murdered most of the Towani, a family of Humans who were themselves castaways on Endor. The king wished to obtain the crystal oscillator from their spacecraft, as he believed it to be "the Power" he was looking for. Having captured the crystal, Terak had no idea how to release its energy. He tried to compel the young Cindel Towani, last survivor of the Towani family, into revealing the secrets of the crystal. But the little girl was unable to answer the king's questions, and he imprisoned her.

The day after her capture, Cindel was freed from the Marauder's dungeons by her peaceful Endorian friends. Terak ordered the witch Charal to transform into a raven to lead him to the Humans, so he could retrieve the crystal. The warlord kept the Nightsister's magic ring to guarantee she wouldn't betray him. This, however, led Terak to his ultimate demise; during a pitched fight, the Ewok hero Wicket Warrick struck the ring with a stone, causing it to activate, and the evil Marauder was burnt to a crisp.

Biography

Early life

"There was a time when each of those who you see before you were kings of the stars. We rode great warships in the vastness of space, terrorizing the galaxies with the mere mention of our name."

―Terak to a spacer^[5]

Back on Sanyassa IV, Terak assumed leadership of the Marauders.

Born on the gloomy planet Sanyassa IV^[1] more than a century before the Galactic Civil War,^[2] Terak was a male Sanyassan.^[1] On his homeworld, hierarchy was essentially determined by force and stature.^[6] As Terak grew to become unusually tall, even by reference to his species's standards, he ended up reaching the top of the social pyramid and became a warlord.^[7] Terak assumed the leadership of the Marauders, a band of Sanyassan criminals. The warlord imagined that he and his goons could become great space pirates and the scourge of their native Moddell sector. However, their reign of terror proved much shorter than the warlord had expected. The Marauders had been successful in stealing a spaceship, but none of them were able to pilot it properly.^[8] Hunted by law enforcement agencies, they kept moving through the sector, until they met a strange woman known as Charal—a Nightsister witch from Dathomir. She possessed a magic ring that allowed her to transform into a raven at will. Impressed by her strange powers, Terak agreed to take Charal aboard and established her as his personal mystic.^[9]

, a castle built on . — Terak's Keep, a castle built on Endor.

Around 96 BBY,^[2] when the Marauders' ship reached the Endor system, the improvised navigator couldn't handle the unusal gravity patterns in the area, as the vessel was way too advanced for him to pilot. The Sanyassans pirates crash landed on the forest moon of Endor,^[8] a celestial body orbiting a planet known as Tana.^[10] Many Marauders survived the crash, including the navigator, but Terak blamed him for his failure and had him executed in a fit of rage.^[8] As their ship was damaged beyond repair,^[11] the Marauders resigned to their fate, and a new life began for them in the plains of Endor. Terak established himself as King of the Marauders, with Charal as his cohort.^[12] They relocated in the open savanna^[11] where the built a squarish stronghold, which would serve both as barracks and fortified residence of Terak.^[12] The castle was built with stone quarried from mines in the Dragon's Spine’s foothills.^[4] For his throne, Terak tore the captain’s chair from the bridge of the dilapidated ship and placed it in his royal audience chamber.^[8]

Terak held his mercenary pirates together and, under the lead of their king, the Sanyassans worked to bring terror to the other sentients of Endor, the bear-like Ewoks and the singing Yuzzum.^[8] It became one of the planet's biggest scourges, discussed only in whispers in Ewok villages and Yuzzum burrows alike,^[4] and a constant source of strife and conflict.^[11] At some point he had also fathered several sons incluning Zakul, who would grow up to match his father's brutality.^[4]

Life on the Forest Moon

"Destroy any who defend the ship. Do what you will with them, only bring us the power. Make a thorough search of the area and all beings from the ship, bring tools, parts, documents, anything you find. I can feel our inevitable return to the glory of the stars coming closer, closer. I have only to reach out and... "

―Terak to a spacer^[5]

The remains of , a victim of Terak's ignorance. — The remains of Salak Weet, a victim of Terak's ignorance.

With his dreams of glory shattered, Terak came to hate the Forest Moon, which he called a "green carbuncle on the backside of the galaxy."^[5] Around the year 26 BBY,^[13] the Marauders captured the stranded^[1] humanoid^[3] scout Salak Weet, who told them about his damaged starship hidden in the forests. Weet explained how the starcruiser traveled through space thanks to the "power" of a crystal oscillator.^[1] Terak knew nothing about spaceships, and he thought a crystal oscillator was a magic gemstone that could give him great powers.^[14] He killed Weet in an attempt to gain that power.^[3] When the murder accomplished nothing, the Marauders embarked on a quest to locate Weet's ship and the great power they presumed was contained therein.^[12] Unbeknownst to the Marauders, Veet had not come alone to Endor. His human partner Noa Briqualon awaited Veet's return for a time. When Briqualon understood that Salak Veet was probably dead, he settled as a hermit in the forest and maintained a low profile for many years on.^[3]

Terak expected the solution to their exile to be a simple one. However, in time he himself didn’t remember why he was searching for a power pack, but he was obsessed with geting the power—even though he would not know what to do with it if he held it in his hands.^[8] Terak possesed an ancient scroll that he believed would one day gave him the power to conquer the star as he has “conquered" Endor. All he needed to do iwas unlock the scrolls' secrets. He has concluded that what he needs a source of power, but what he doen't nealize was that his ancient scroll was a blueprint for a starship, and the Power was literally the energy matrix that would allow his starship to leave Endor.^[7]

Enlisting the spacer

"Scholar Szingo tells me you are worthy of trust, but you look like a weak willed, oafish lout, used to failing in your duties. We will quickly find the value of appearance."

―Terak to a spacer^[5]

King Terak in the early days of the Galactic Civil War

In 1 ABY,^[15] Terak sent out a patrol that was ambushed by Ewoks around the border of their territories. The only survivor, a pink-skinned Sanyassan named Indar, reported their defeat was due to a single Ewok holyman wielding a powerful magic wand. The warlord hoped this scepter contained the elusive "Power" that would help him leave Endor. King Terak seized the opportunity. He bartered with a passing-by spacer, sending the offworlder on a mission to kill the Ewok priest and return to the Marauder's Stronghold with his magic metal staff. When the spacer returned with the staff, it proved to be a sham. Terak understood that Indar had lied to him in hopes of covering up his cowardice during the ambush with Ewok warriors. The warlord was incensed about this act of treachery, and he ordered the spacer to retrieve and kill Indar.^[5]

A bit later, Terak's scouts reported a ship had crashed not far from the Stronghold. The king ordered the spacer to raid the shipwreck and take anything he could find, especially potential sources of power. When the spacer returned with a hyperdrive generator, Terak was overjoyed. The warlord immediately ordered the Sanyassan scholar Szingo to study it carefully. As a last assignment Terak also tasked the spacer with stopping two Ewok warriors who intended to raid the Stronghold, abundantly insisting that the matter should be resolved in the most violent and bloody manner.^[5]

The Emperor's scouts

"Terak, the king of the marauders, holds his mercenary pirates together while he search for a new power source to be installed on their long-disassembled attack ship."

―Pfilbee Jhorn, on Terak^[8]

Several years before the Battle of Endor^[8] in 4 ABY,^[16] the Galactic Empire sent a scouting expedition to Endor, where Emperor Palpatine wished to build the shield generator for his new Death Star superweapon. Terak and his Marauders captured the scouting party, which included the sergeant Pfilbee Jhorn. While the Imperial team contemplated an alliance with the Marauders, Terak and his goons did not see it that way. The King ordered the Imperials brought to his dungeons, where a few of them were tortured to death. While his prisoners were still in jail, the Sanyassan warlord discovered that his mystic Charal had plotted behind his back. The Dathomiri had freed the Imperials for a promise to take her offworld with them. Outraged by that act of treason, Terak put Charal behind bars for a time.^[8]

The Battle for Endor

"How dare you suggest that I am to blame!"

―Terak^[3]

Terak leads his attack at the . — Terak leads his attack at the Bright Tree Village.

Terak's obsession with obtaining what he called the "Power" increased over the years. About a century after Terak's arrival on the moon, by the year 3.5 ABY,^[17] a family of Humans called the Towani were stranded on the Forest Moon.^[18] Several months later,^[19] Terak and the sorceress Charal led a raid^[3] at the morning^[19] on Bright Tree Village, where the Towani were sheltered.^[3] Terak and his Marauders had mistook the stranded star cruiser of the Towani for Salak's ship.^[1]

Terak confronted the father, Jeremitt Towani, who was trying to repair his ship, and demanded the "Power." The king seized the power cell from the starcruiser and killed the unarmed Human. Jeremitt's daughter, the young Cindel Towani, was able to escape while Ewoks were gathered up to be taken back to Terak's castle. The girl's escape, however, was short-lived—she was captured by Charal and placed in a prison carriage with her Ewok friend Wicket Warrick. When he looked at his young Human prisoner, Terak thought Cindel was "a pretty prize." With the other Ewoks' help, Towani and Warrick escaped from the carriage, but Terak only sent a few Marauders after them.^[3]

Terak on his throne with the crystal oscillator

At the Marauders' keep, King Terak wanted Charal to get the oscillator crystal to work by chanting over it, to no avail. According to the witch, her spies had located Cindel Towani in the woods, near the hut of the old scout Noa Briqualon. She suggested the young girl might know the secret of the magic crystal and could be forced to share it with Terak. The Sanyassan king agreed, and he ordered the witch to bring the child back. When Towani was taken before him,^[3] an evily grinning^[14] Terak ordered her to release the "Power," but she answered the crystal was not magic and was only a machine part. But Terak did not believe her, and he had both the girl and Charal taken to the dungeon with the Ewoks captives. The king threatened to execute all the prisoners if Towani hadn't shown the secret of the crystal before dawn.^[3]

That night, the Marauders held a banquet in castle hall. Terak remained seated on his throne with a pint of alcohol, hoping the little girl would eventually change her mind. Suddenly, an alarm bell started ringing from the dungeons, meaning the prisoners had escaped. Terak headed for the cellblocks, even as the prisoners were blasting a hole in the wall to escape through. The king learned that Cindel and the Ewoks had been freed by their friends, Noa Briqualon, Wicket Warrick and a creature known as Teek. The enraged warlord then freed Charal to help him trace the fugitives back. The sorceress used her ring and turned into a raven, but Terak grabbed the bird by the leg and seized the ring so Charal would not run away and betray him.^[3]

The Marauders army eventually found the fugitives, but the Ewoks put up a valiant defense while Noa Briqualon was trying to get his starship running using the energy cell from the Towani spacecraft. During the skirmish, Cindel Towani was captured by Terak, even as the other Marauders retreated. A climactic duel ensued between the towering Sanyassan and Briqualon. The old hermit was able to strike many good blows, but Terak ended up chopping Briqualon's staff in two with his sword. When it seemed that the warlord had won the fight, Wicket Warrick used his slingshot and damaged Charal's ring, which Terak wore in a pendant round his neck. The talisman shattered, releasing a great amount of energy,^[3] and the Marauder king was burned from the inside-out.^[1]

Legacy

Because Terak died before returning the ring,^[9] Charal was trapped in her animal form forever^[20] and was unable to reclaim the remains of her ring.^[21]

Terak's death created a power vacuum in the Marauders' society. While his General Yavid did attempt to succeed him as king, but he failed to bring the rabble-rousers into line.^[6] Ultimately, Terak's son Zakul managed to impose his authority over the Marauders and acquiring the throne.^[4] Nevertheless, when the New Republic later sent agents to scout the Endorian forest, they found no trace of the Sanyassan Marauders.^[22]

Personality and traits

"Silence, fool. You will perform this task for the simple reason I told you to do it. And if you fail me in this it may be my own men who pursue you to your just reward."

―Terak, to a spacer^[5]

Terak ready to harm . — Terak ready to harm Cindel Towani.

At 2.3 meters,^[1] Terak was a giant,^[23] taller and more powerful than many of his peers.^[7] Terak was also long-lived and was able to live for a hundred years on Endor,^[2] though eventually grew bored of the forest moon.^[5] Even before his arrival at Endor, he was a vicious and bloodthirsty warlord^[8] and became obsessed with obtaining what he called the "Power," which he was convinced would allow him to leave Endor and conquer the galaxy. Fortunately for the rest of the galaxy, Terak's strength was not equaled by his intelligence. His way of thinking was more in the superstitious form than the scientific form. Otherwise he could have simply taken the Towanis' ship. Instead, Terak believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that the oscillator by itself was the key to letting him and the other Marauders leave Endor. Terak also had a dark sense of humor, which he shared with his subjects.^[3]

Behind the scenes

Early concept art of Terak sitting on his throne

The Marauder King Terak was created by George Lucas for Jim and Ken Wheat's 1985 made-for-television film Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.^[24] In the movie, 2.13-meter-tall^[25] Dutch actor Carel Struycken portrayed Terak.^[3] In early designs by the American director and artist Joe Johnston, Terak was one-eyed and bald, with a thinner frame, yellowish skin and three-fingered hands.^[8]

The 2003 article "Who's Who in Star Wars Galaxies," published in Star Wars Insider 65, claimed that Terak's quest for the "Power" caused him to forge his alliance with Charal.^[7] However, both Charal's Databank entry on StarWars.com^[9] and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, published in 2008,^[2] stated that the witch joined the Marauders shortly before their crash on Endor, which happened decades before Terak first heard of the "Power" from Salak Weet. This article follows the facts featured in the Complete Encyclopedia, as it is the newer source.

The sources also give conflicting accounts of Terak's demise. While the King's defunct Databank entry on StarWars.com stated that he was burned by the power of the ring,^[1] the reference book The Essential Guide to Characters, the young readers' book The Ring, the Witch, and the Crystal: An Ewok Adventure and the book-and-record Ewoks: The Battle for Endor stated that he was turned to stone instead.^[20]^[14]^[19] This article follows the Databank's version of the facts, as it was once the most official Star Wars database.