Reelo Baruk

This article is about the Rodian gangster. You may be looking for the Rodian soldier.

He claims to be an honest garbage hauler, but he's really one of the most powerful criminal kingpins in all of Nar Shaddaa—even the Hutts won't touch him.Kyle Katarn to Luke Skywalker

Reelo Baruk was a male Rodian gangster from Nar Shaddaa.

Biography

In the flesh, but who are you?Reelo to Kyle Katarn

Reelo Baruk — Baruk while working for Jabba the Hutt

In 1 ABY,^[4] Baruk was working for Jabba Desilijic Tiure on Tatooine. Living in Jabba's Palace, his job was to hire spacers to eliminate Jabba's enemies, such as the Alkhara Bandits or the Valarians.^[3] There, he also contacted a local spacer to deal with Jabba's Sand People problem.^[1]

Baruk eventually moved to Nar Shaddaa, and opened a bar and also began his own criminal empire. Most people just saw him as the head of a local garbage-hauling company, but this was not the case. He worked very hard to keep his criminal activity under the radar. His thugs were of many different alien species, and were considered some of the worst scum in the galaxy.^[2] Even though he wasn't a Hutt, he managed to become one of the most respected crime lords in Hutt Space, but kept his business covered up enough that even New Republic Intelligence believed him to be legitimate.^[5]

Businessbeing

In the years leading to 12 ABY, the New Republic had no evidence about Baruk's criminal activities, seemingly turning to clean business. He operated a company for garbage hauling and disposal, and managed to register it officially with the Republic, something that would make him the only legitimate business man on Nar Shadda.^[5]

During the Empire Reborn crisis, he made a deal with the Dark Jedi Desann, and former Baron Administrator Lando Calrissian reported some vague criminal activity in his former City, but his pleas were ignored by the Senate, and New Republic Intelligence Service found nothing about his claims. Eventually Baruk's company started serving the Cloud City on Bespin--a curious move since the City always recycled its garbage for fuel.^[5] In reality he was supplying the Imperial Remnant with thugs for a takeover of the carbonite freezing chambers on Bespin.

Last stand

Reelogun — Reelo shortly before his death

While looking for him in Nar Shaddaa, Kyle Katarn discovered Lando Calrissian in Baruk's hold and eventually found the crime lord. Baruk managed to entrap him in a room full of autoturrets, but the Jedi escaped and freed Lando.^[2]

While Katarn and Calrissian were about to escape from Nar Shaddaa, Baruk attacked the two men with a handful of mercenaries. The criminal leader used his thugs to board the Lady Luck, but Katarn killed them all. When the ship was about to depart it malfunctioned, and Reelo and more of his thugs, in a desperate attempt, attacked with Baruk using a gun platform. But Katarn jumped into the laser turret of the ship and shot them all down, including Baruk.^[2]

Behind the scenes

Reelo first appeared as one of the more major villains in Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, where his voice was portrayed by Kevin Michael Richardson. Reelo later appeared in Star Wars Galaxies, as the entrance point to the Jabba The Hutt quests.