Summary
TheStar Warsgalaxy ishome to many colorful characters,locked in a battle between good and evil. Sitting in the middle are the bounty hunters, who will take any job as long as it pays well. The franchise’s many iconic bounty hunters range from the legendary Mandalorian Boba Fett, to more obscure characters like Zuckuss and Aurra Sing.
One of the more unique and iconic bounty hunters from the era of the Clone Wars was a masked warrior namedDurge. He has had a long history in the lore ofStar Wars, both past and present, and is one of the more dangerous foes the Jedi have faced. Here are some of the more interesting factoids about this menacing warrior.
6He Hates Mandalorians
His Vendetta Is His Reason For Fighting
In the non-Disney timeline, a major reason Durge joins the Clone Wars is so that he could slay the clones of Jango Fett, a Mandalorian. Durge hasa long history with the Mandalorians, which has led to his rage against them.
He did not always hate them, though. He was once trained by a Mandalorian named Jiang. After a Mandalorian clan loyal to their enemy mortally wounded Jiang, Durge swore vengeance on the race. He even killed the ruler of Mandalore one hundred years before the battle of Naboo. The Mandalorians subsequently captured and tortured him, driving him towards insanity. Durge had to go into hiding for 100 years to regenerate and heal the damage done to his body.
5He Is A Gen’Dai
He Represents One Of Star Wars' Most Obscure Species
Durge is aGen’Dai, a once peaceful species whose home planet was destroyed. Now they roam the galaxy, often taking up jobsas bounty hunters, with Durge being just one of them. One other member of their species, Raylann, shows up inthe video gameStar Wars Jedi: Survivor,and butts heads with Cal Kestis.
The Gen’Dai species is recognized by their purple skin and orange eyes, as well as their mass of regenerative tentacles, encased in the armor they wear. Their nervous system, which is distributed throughout their bodies, gives them keen reflexes as well. Members of their species can live for thousands of years, though they do tend to become more mentally unstable with time.
4He Is Nearly Indestructible
Durge Has Cheated Death Many Times
The regenerative abilities of the Gen’Dai species make Durge nearly indestructible. The only sure way to kill one is to sever their heads from their neck and destroy them. His enhanced battle armor from the original Expanded Universe, called Legends by Disney, makes him even tougher to face.
Durge has survived many encounters in the non-Disney lore, including squaring off with the Jedi, and even General Grievous. He also survived tortureat the hands of Mandalorians. It took Anakin Skywalker launching him into a star to seemingly finish him off for good.
3He Fought Obi-Wan Kenobi
Across continuities, Durge has faced off against many foes. These would include multiple Jedi,including Obi-Wan Kenobi, not just in the comics, but also in Genndy Tartakovsky’s 2003Star Wars: Clone Warsmicroseries, now under Disney’s Legends label.
InStar Wars:Clone Wars, Durge is sent by Dooku to defend a droid factory on the planet Muunilinst. Here, fans got to witness his almost supernatural abilities, when Kenobi pierces his stomach with his lightsaber, only for Durge to laugh it off. Even after cutting him in half and dismembering him, Durge pulls himself back together. He would return soon after, free from his armor, where he engulfs Obi-Wan, who destroys him from the inside.
2Disney Brought Him Back In Doctor Aphra
A New Continuity Means Durge Cheats Death Once Again
In 2014, Lucasfilm announcedthe creation of the Lucasfilm Story Group, which would create a new Star Wars continuity separate from already created lore. For a long time, Durge was not a part of this new era, until the character was resurrected in Marvel’s Doctor Aphra #20.
In this story, he runs into Aphra and smuggler Sanna Starros in pursuit of a bounty. They have to team up in order to fend off the alien parasites on the ship, only for Aphra to jettison both the parasites and Durge out of the air lock. He would survive this, and play a major role in the Marvel Comics story lineWar of the Bounty Hunters.
Another Bounty Hunter Owes His Existence To Durge
Durge was a powerhouse in the pre-Disney Expanded Universe. He destroyed everything in his path, and he was a challenge for the Jedi to take on. While Durge didn’t make it to Dave Filoni’sStar Wars: The Clone Wars, he did lead to the creation of another iconic bounty hunter in his own right:Cad Bane.
Durge was going to be redesignedfor a Season 1 story, except he would be mostly humanoid with his more fantastical abilities stripped. That design would evolve into a new character with a design inspired more by World War II soldiers. Star Wars creator George Lucas would suggest a spaghetti Western-inspired design, ultimately culminating in the gun-slinging member of the Duros species. He would become a fan favorite, even jumping to live-action inThe Book of Boba Fett.
