Death mark

"A death mark's not an easy thing to live with."

Death Mark SWDConv — The death mark on Han Solo

A death mark could be placed on someone that somebody else wanted to be hunted down and killed by a bounty hunter.^[1]

History

After the Westhill Palace was invaded and the starship Trailblazer was stolen by Canto Bight criminal Kay Vess, Sliro Barsha, leader of the Zerek Besh crime syndicate and owner of the starship and mansion, issued a death mark against Vess.^[2]

When Han Solo did not pay off his debts to Jabba the Hutt, Jabba placed a death mark on him. The death mark was so large that Solo felt he had no choice but to leave the Rebel Alliance in order to pay off his debt. This plan was thwarted, however, when the Rebels were attacked by the Galactic Empire and Solo was forced to flee along with Leia Organa and the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO in the Millennium Falcon. Darth Vader of the Empire then commissioned Boba Fett, a bounty hunter, to hunt down Solo.^[1]

Following the Battle of Endor, Governor Ubrik Adelhard locked down the Anoat sector and established the Iron Blockade to prevent the sector from hearing of Emperor Palpatine's demise. Anyone who did - including a young smuggler and his sister who stumbled across Princess Leia Organa's message of the battle's outcome to the galaxy - subsequently had a death mark placed on them and was relentlessly hunted down by Adelhard's top enforcer Commander Bragh and his Purge Troopers. To prevent the information from spreading, any individual or known associate of those who knew of the truth was also tracked down and killed. In an attempt to have the death mark from her and her sibling removed, Riley and the Ivax Syndicate struck a deal with Bragh and allowed the Empire to capture the leaders of the syndicate's rivals, the Noble Court and the Kouhun, in exchange for amnesty.^[3]

The Trandoshan smuggler Feresk Tssat earned a death mark when he was hired by an Imperial governor to acquire a painting. The governor in turn showed the painting to Grand Admiral Thrawn who noticed that, unbeknownst to Feresk, the painting was a counterfeit. To escape the death mark, Feresk joined the Rebel Alliance as a starfighter pilot.^[4]

Pathfinder navigator Qilori of Uandualon believed the Chiss Junior Commander Thrawn earned a death mark by alerting the Lioaoin Regime that they were hunting pirates at the Lioaoin heartworld. Years later, General Yiv the Benevolent of the Nikardun Destiny told Thrawn at the battle over Primea that he had "earned death" for capturing one of his warships.^[5]