Karjj

"Karjj was an unlucky sabacc player with a bad temper. His love of the game was not diminished by his frequent losses."

―An entry in an artist's journal restored and expanded by the Graf Archive^[3]

Karjj was a Crocin spacer active during the reign of the Galactic Empire. Facing financial and marital troubles alike, he was also an enthusiastic player of the sabacc game, which he enjoyed despite frequently losing money in it. In 10 BBY, he participated in a Corellian Spike sabacc game at the Lodge saloon on the planet Vandor, where he gnawed his own cards out of agitation. More than forty years later, a bounty stemming from various offenses had been posted on the Crocin on the planet Batuu, and the spacer was eventually also highlighted in an entry of an artist's journal.

Biography[]

Karjj was a Crocin^[1] spacer^[2] who hailed from Croce,^[1] an Outer Rim Territories^[4] celestial body that was the species' homeworld.^[3] During the reign of the Galactic Empire, he was plagued by bad luck and had crushing debts and a troubled marriage.^[2] An avid player of the sabacc card game, he sought to quickly win prizes by gambling.^[5]

SabaccPlayer — Karjj was an avid player of sabacc.

In 10 BBY,^[6] Karjj participated in a game of^[7] the Corellian Spike variant of sabacc at the Lodge, a saloon in the Fort Ypso settlement on^[2] the Mid Rim Territories^[4] planet Vandor.^[2] Seated between^[7] the Nephran Therm Scissorpunch^[3] and the game's dealer,^[7] known as Saucer Head,^[8] Karjj at one point became agitated to the point of placing his hand of cards between his jaws and shredding them to bits. Thereafter the Crocin eventually left the table, with his seat being taken by a human player.^[7]

By the time of the First Order occupation of^[1] the Outer Rim^[4] planet Batuu,^[1] in 34 ABY,^[9] a bounty of nine hundred credits had been posted on Karjj, who was wanted for outstanding debts and evading arrest as well as a theft of a starship at Batuu's Surabat settlement and causing damage to^[1] the local rock-like spires—in reality, ancient petrified trees.^[10] While Karjj was hiding in one of the buildings of Black Spire Outpost on Batuu, a visitor to the outpost was assigned his bounty by the Bounty Hunters' Guild. Using a thermal scanner, they discovered the Crocin's location, which they then reported to the local Guildmaster's Hideout before collecting the bounty.^[1] At some point, Karjj was also mentioned and illustrated in an entry of an artist's journal dedicated to the Crocin. The journal was restored, expanded, and displayed at the Graf Archive^[3] at some point no earlier than 34 ABY.^[11]

Personality and traits[]

A yellow-skinned,^[2] Croci-speaking^[12] Crocin, Karjj had a short temper that he frequently lost during sabacc games. Coupled with his general distracted nature, it made other players—who expected to quickly part him from his money—readily welcome him at a gaming table.^[2] Although Karjj frequently lost at sabacc, it did not affect his enjoyment of the game.^[3]

Equipment[]

Karjj wore a brown fur-lined coat with a black shirt, brown pants, and a brown belt. His outfit was complemented by a brown, scarf-like oiled headwrap that prevented his scales from drying out.^[2] Like other Crocin, who were not used to bright sunlight,^[3] Karjj wore a pair of^[2] thick goggles^[5] to protect his sensitive eyesight when away from Croce.^[3] The goggles made his eyes appear glowing yellow in low-light conditions,^[7] and they also rendered reading his facial expressions during card games difficult.^[5] Around 10 BBY, Karjj owned a decrepit starship.^[2]

Behind the scenes[]

"Sure hope your hand's better than his."

―Han Solo's representation in a Denny's Solo: A Star Wars Story tie-in advertisement, to Lando Calrissian's representation on Karjj^[13]

KarrjConceptArt-TheArtOfSolo — Concept art of Karjj by Jake Lunt Davies

Karjj first appeared in the Star Wars Anthology Series film Solo: A Star Wars Story,^[7] which released on May 25, 2018.^[14] He was portrayed by Kiran Shah^[15] and was simultaneously named by the accompanying reference book Solo: A Star Wars Story The Official Guide by Pablo Hidalgo^[2] and Beth Davies' Solo: A Star Wars Story Ultimate Sticker Collection.^[5] Karjj was designed by Jake Lunt Davies, who took real-world inspiration from the snouts of crocodiles and caimans and the "teeth" of sawfish. During the design process, the character, whose resultant snout Lunt Davies characterized as a "hedge trimmer–type saw," was nicknamed "Crocamole," and Karjj's early outfit included black gloves and a metallic bracelet.^[16]

Before the film's release, Karjj was also featured in a tie-in advertisement for the restaurant Denny's. In the advertisement, which was released on April 4, 2018 and re-enacts a different version of the corresponding scene from the film, the Crocin plays sabacc with^[13] the Danzikan Lark and Jonk^[2] as well as the advertisement's representations of^[13] the humans gambler Lando Calrissian and thief Han Solo.^[7] At one point, Karjj slams his hands onto the game table and exclaims in Croci, causing the Lodge's patrons to fall silent and the music in the venue to stop. With another utterance he then reveals his unsuccessful hand of cards, after which the game goes on without his participation.^[13]