Ars Dangor

Ars Dangor
Descriptive information
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Hair color	Black
Chronological and political information
Affiliation(s)	Galactic Empire Imperial Ruling Council

"The Empire is—without question—the most powerful government that has ever ruled the galaxy. As an Imperial Advisor, I consult with the Emperor on matters of galactic security, especially those related directly to this 'Rebel Alliance,' as these traitorous rabble choose to label themselves. We rule through might and fear—fear of the chaos that would ensue should the Imperial government falter. Who better than the most educated, well-trained, highly civilized elite to lead lesser beings who know nothing about maintaining culture and organization? The Empire reaches far and wide, and is made up of countless individuals who all strive for the same overall goal: stability. A few have come to take positions of importance in the recent campaign to eradicate the Rebellion. In actuality, it is a minor inconvenience that will soon be swatted into extinction by those who serve the rightful rulers…."

―Ars Dangor, Advisor to the Emperor

Ars Dangor was a male Human who served as one of Palpatine's first aides during the waning days of the Republic, and went on to serve the Galactic Empire through the Declaration of a New Order until well after the Battle of Endor. A gifted orator and talented politician in his own right, he followed Palpatine throughout the Naboo man's career as a Senator and during his terms as Supreme Chancellor with a fanatical loyalty, and was forever content to serve his master. When Palpatine dissolved the Republic and formed the first Galactic Empire, Dangor became an Imperial Advisor, though unlike many other advisors, who wore elaborate dress and doted over the Emperor's every word, Dangor was considered cunning and ruthless, and served by the Emperor's side.

When the threat of the Rebel Alliance emerged—which Dangor thought doomed to fail—Palpatine handed all public addresses and the day-to-day running of his Empire to Dangor. When the Emperor dissolved the Imperial Senate in 0 BBY, Dangor prepared the public announcement, as well as a private message to the Empire's Moffs and Grand Moffs. After Palpatine's death in 4 ABY, Dangor became the head of the Emperor's Ruling Council, which vied for control of Imperial Center with Grand Vizier Sate Pestage, though Tribune Paltr Carvin was the public leader. Eventually, in 5 ABY, Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard took control of the Empire, assassinating much of the Ruling Council in the process, though Dangor survived her purge. He continued to be an important leader of the Empire until after the Thrawn campaign, watching as his master's Empire slowly died. However, after recapturing Coruscant from the New Republic, Dangor and his peers were vocal proponents for a new Emperor to be elected from their ranks, though they backed out when the regional governors demanded that the number of votes held by each voter be proportionate to the number of planets they controlled. Eventually, the Empire erupted into full scale civil war, until Palpatine returned in a cloned body.

Biography

Aide and advisor

"Only his admiration for the Emperor keeps his own ambitions in check. He is content to forever serve–something that not even Lord Vader can truly admit to."

―Unidentified report on Ars Dangor

Ars Dangor was a Human male with a plain physical appearance. From before 32 BBY, he served as an aide to Palpatine; a native of Naboo and the Chommell sector's representative in the Republic Senate, Palpatine had designs on taking over the galaxy, and the assignments he gave his aides differed greatly, from simple administration to espionage. Palpatine had great trust in Dangor, who, like the Naboo Senator, was a talented and charismatic public speaker. Although he was a man of great ambition, Dangor knew his role was at Palpatine's side and not in his place, so he was content to always be the servant, something shown by few of Palpatine's minions. Dangor was thought to be highly ruthless, and he cared little for the lives of his subordinates—those who failed him only did so once.

Dangor continued to serve as Palpatine's aide when the Naboo man replaced Finis Valorum as Supreme Chancellor in 32 BBY. In 19 BBY, Chancellor Palpatine dissolved the Republic, proclaiming himself head of the first Galactic Empire. Ars Dangor became one of his advisors on the Imperial Ruling Council, becoming an influential figure. While Palpatine was the Emperor, the advisory council wielded more power collectively than any other Imperial sub-organizations. Dangor consulted directly with the Emperor on matters of galactic security, as well as many others, and he was a firm believer in the New Order—without the Empire, he believed, the galaxy would fall into a state of chaos; without the Empire, there would be no order. Unlike many of his peers, Dangor did not dote upon the Emperor's every word, and he wore simple black garbs reminiscent of those worn by his master as opposed to the flamboyant attire of most Imperial advisors.

Dissolution of the Senate

"Loyal subjects,

These are dangerous times. Our grand Empire of united star systems now faces a threat that could destroy us if action is not taken quickly.

As always, we shall act quickly.

The rebellion against the Emperor's fair and just rule has flared into a flame greater than we anticipated. It threatens to become a civil war, and as such we have declared it an emergency situation.

To better protect our citizens and our member worlds, the Emperor has superseded and suspended the Imperial Senate for the duration of this emergency. The Moffs and Grand Moffs will now have direct control of their systems until such time as the danger has passed.

We are sure you shall all do everything in your power to assist us during this time of crisis.

Your servant,

Ars Dangor, Imperial Advisor"

―Dangor's public holomessage

In 0 ABY, Palpatine decided to dissolve the Imperial Senate as means of stopping the spread of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, giving control of star systems directly to the Moffs and Grand Moffs of each sector and oversector, for the duration of the crisis with the Rebellion. Dangor was tasked with giving two holomessages conveying this message, one to the citizens of the Empire and another to the Moffs themselves. In his public address, Dangor informed viewers that they were living in dangerous times, and that the Rebels' attacks on the Empire were threatening to boil over into an all-out civil war. Desperate times, according to Dangor, called for desperate measures; his short message concluded with Dangor expressing his confidence that the citizens of the galaxy would do everything in their power to assist the Empires in such harsh times.

In his message to the Moffs who would benefit from Palpatine's new ruling, Dangor told them that the last remnants of the Old Republic had been "swept away"—a phrase that Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin would later repeat to other Imperials aboard the Death Star superweapon. He informed them that, although the Senate's dissolution was not a permanent measure, the Emperor had no qualms about maintaining it for however long was necessary, and if the "emergency" lasted forever, then so would the suspension. Dangor told the Moffs in no uncertain terms that, with their new powers, they were to lay down the law on any worlds supporting rebel activity with an iron fist. Fear was to be used to keep local populations in line, of both the vast Imperial Navy and the newly-constructed Death Star, a superweapon capable of destroying planets.

The Empire strikes back

"It is time to let that fear spread, time for the Empire to strike back at its enemies and destroy them once and for all."

―Ars Dangor, in a holomessage to the military hierarchy and Grand Moffs of the Empire

However, shortly after the dissolution of the Senate, the Rebels destroyed the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin, taking Tarkin and hordes of high-ranking Imperials with it. Palpatine's enforcer and fellow Sith Darth Vader took his recently-finished Star Dreadnought Executor to Yavin 4 and razed the Rebel base, but by then the Rebels had already evacuated the moon and eventually relocated to a new, hidden base, in the far reaches of the Empire. However, despite the setbacks, the Emperor was determined to continue with the doctrine of fear; in another holomessage to the military hierarchy and Grand Moffs of the Empire, he told them to intensify their efforts at forcing submission through might and suppression. Death Squadron, a newly created Imperial fleet headed by Vader and the Executor, had been formed to locate and destroy the new Rebel base, and Dangor ordered all Imperials to place Vader's orders on the same level as the Emperor's, and submit to his every whim.

Post-Endor

"The most important officials in the government, Imperial Advisors like Ars Dangor, blithely suggested the new ruler be selected from their ranks by election."

―Voren Na'al

After the disastrous Battle of Endor of 4 ABY, in which both the Emperor and Darth Vader perished and the Star Dreadnought Executor was destroyed, the Empire was thrown into disarray. Palpatine had not specified who should succeed him, and many sought to claim the throne for themselves. While Grand Vizier Sate Pestage took the reins soon after Endor, the Emperor's Ruling Circle was formed, with Dangor at its head; however, Tribune Paltr Carvin was the Circle's public leader. Pestage and the former Imperial advisors vied for power, with Ysanne Isard, the Director of Imperial Intelligence, acting as a neutral intermediary between the two factions, though she had surreptitious designs on leading the Empire herself. Dangor and his peers recalled Imperial forces from across the galaxy to converge at the Circle's location on Coruscant, from where they would be sent to defend various fortress worlds of Dangor and his peers. Some, including a number of Grand Admirals, heeded and obeyed the call, but many ignored it and turned warlord. Among these was Admiral Zsinj of the Quelii sector, who, along with his massive task force and Super Star Destroyer Iron Fist, founded his own mini-Empire, which encompassed over a third of the galaxy at its height.

Carvin and the Ruling Circle on Coruscant.

After the Battle of Brentaal IV, which saw the purse world of Brentaal IV fall to the fledgling New Republic, Sate Pestage fled Coruscant with the intention of defecting to the New Republic, and the Ruling Circle took control of the remnants of the Empire, with Carvin remaining the public leader. However, the entire affair had been orchestrated by Ysanne Isard, who wiped out the Ruling Circle with a series of assassinations and kidnappings, installing herself in Carvin's place. Dangor survived this purge, however, and continued to serve as an Imperial advisor, becoming an important and influential figure during Isard's reign.

In exile

After Isard's fall and the loss of Coruscant to the New Republic in 7 ABY, the Empire essentially creased to exist, with various factions squabbling amongst themselves. Dangor and what remained of the advisors resurrected the Ruling Council on Orinda, a planet in the New Territories. However, there control was weak, with Grand Moff Ardus Kaine's Pentastar Alignment remaining resolutely isolationist, and Warlord Zsinj pursuing his own ambitions at the expense of Imperial power. After Grand Admiral Thrawn returned to the known galaxy in 9 ABY, Dangor sanctioned his campaign against the New Republic, though he had few military assets to offer him. Thrawn, however, achieved astonishing results in an extremely short time, nearly defeating the New Republic before he was assassinated by his Noghri bodyguard Rukh and his fleet was subsequently defeated at the Battle of Bilbringi.

Inspired by Thrawn's example (and perhaps at the order of the resurrected Emperor Palpatine), in 10 ABY the various warlords and factions, including Dangor and his fellow advisors, banded together and retook Coruscant by force. The rapid campaign drove the New Republic from the Core Worlds and recovered many former centers of Imperial power. Although they had been successful, Dangor and his fellow Imperials soon reached a predicament; despite their newfound power, they had no one to rule Dangor suggested that a new ruler be chosen from their ranks via an election, a suggestion that received much praise by the other Imperial advisors. Whoever was chosen would rule over a body comprised of the advisors.

Dangor's plan was supported by the Moffs and Grand Moffs, but only on the condition that they, too be given seats on the legislative body; they also suggested that each member would have as many votes as planets he controlled, which would give the Moffs far more power than Dangor and his peers. With this, the plan fell through, and the former Empire descending into full scale strife—the Imperial Civil War—with Dangor and the advisors, the navy, the military, the Moffs, the Inquisitorius, and COMPNOR officials all fighting each other. The Empire was divided, though it soon emerged that the Emperor was alive, in a cloned body, on Byss in the Deep Core. United with their Reborn Emperor as their leader, the Empire struck back at the New Republic, but was ultimately defeated and again splintered into warlordism until Admiral Daala emerged to reunify the Old Empire for good in 12 ABY.

Personality and traits

"From now on, fear will keep potentially traitorous local governments in line. Fear of the Imperial fleet—and fear of the new Death Star battle station. Have I made myself clear?"

―Ars Dangor speaking to a collection of Moff and Grand Moffs

Dangor

A tall, thin man with the sneer of cruel amusement and the bright eyes of a fanatic, Ars Dangor was ruthless in his defense of his own position within the vicious, lawless politics of the Imperial court, but he also admired Palpatine passionately, and his ambition was ultimately directed into serving and facilitating his Emperor and the New Order he embodied. As befitted the man who served as Palpatine's senior spokesman for most of his reign, he was an impressive orator, whose powerful, seductive speeches were compared to those his Emperor had given during his rise to power, and whereas many of the other advisors adopted pompous costumes based on the traditional dress of their homeworld, he preferred simple cloaked garb, modeled on that of the man he served.

As befitted his status as a luminary of Palpatine's court, Ars Dangor enjoyed civilized pursuits—he was a capable horseman, and his interest in politics extended to a deep, scholarly understanding of the long history of Galactic government; but he was also at home among the underbelly of Galactic society, a skilled gambler and a capable street fighter, adept with bladed weapons and blasters alike.

A man of undoubted political abilities, Ars Dangor was also one of the most committed supporters of Palpatine's brutal autocracy, entirely ruthless in eliminating his political rivals and instrumental in facilitating the brutal policy of fear and oppression. He had impressive powers of persuasion, involving other senior Imperial figures in his schemes and political strategies, and using his rhetoric to secure and retain the adherence of the New Order's grassroots supporters throughout the Galaxy. Ultimately, however, his influence was limited to the Council and the rabble, and he alienated the regional governors, the ideologues and uniformed paramilitaries of COMPNOR, and above all, the military, who he saw as merely a tool of central power.

After Endor, Ars Dangor seems to have been blind to the disdain in which the advisors were held by other elements of the Imperial hierarchy, and his insensitivity to this discontent played a major part in bringing about the implosion of the Imperial system.

Galactic Weekly NewsStack correspondent

The name of Ars Dangor was co-opted by the arts correspondent of the subversive magazine Galactic Weekly NewsStack, chronicling such cultural highlights of the Galactic Civil War as the running feud between the loyalist boy band The Emperor's New Clothes and their banned rivals Deeply Religious.

It is likely that the byline "Ars Dangor" (pseudonym), Arts Correspondent was intended to mock and parody the signature of Ars Dangor, Imperial Advisor on high-level communiqués.

Behind the scenes

The advisor previously speculated to be Ars Dangor.

Some fans believe that Dangor's image was identified by the now defunct "Ask the Lucasfilm Jedi Council" feature on StarWars.com. In a piece on the Imperial Ruling Council, several prominent advisors were named, along with a production photo from Return of the Jedi, showing a group of Imperial courtiers in the shuttle bay aboard the second Death Star: it was assumed that by a process of elimination, one of these men could be identified as Ars Dangor. However, this theory is based on the assumption that the names listed are those of the individuals in the photo, rather than those of the most prominent advisors (the three named movie extras plus Dangor and Grand Vizier Sate Pestage, the two most important Ruling Council members in the Expanded Universe). Moreover, Dangor is never explicitly said to have been aboard the second Death Star, as this image would imply, and his rapid consolidation of power on Coruscant after the Battle of Endor suggests that he was in Imperial City at the time, rather than accompanying Palpatine to Endor. In the end, West End Games resolved the issue when it published the Star Wars Trilogy Sourcebook, Special Edition in 1997, which contained a full-body illustration of Dangor that did not resemble any character in the Jedi Council photo. Additionally, the Death Star Command chart in the Death Star Technical Companion shows a picture of an Imperial Advisor that is intended to be Ars Dangor, but happens to be visually identical to the reported likeness of Janus Greejatus.

The command chart featuring "Ars Dangor"

Dangor's profile in the first edition of the Death Star Technical Companion is mistakenly titled "Dars Angor." However, his name is spelled correctly throughout the rest of the book. This mistake was fixed in the second edition printing.

Appearances

• "Imperial Spin" — Imperial Sourcebook (also reprinted in Second Edition) (First appearance)
• "Galaxywide NewsNets" — Star Wars Adventure Journal 4 (Mentioned only)

Sources

• Imperial Sourcebook (First mentioned)
• Death Star Technical Companion
• Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim
• Dark Empire Sourcebook
• Death Star Technical Companion, Second Edition
• Cracken's Rebel Operatives
• Imperial Sourcebook, Second Edition
• Cracken's Threat Dossier
• Gundark's Fantastic Technology: Personal Gear
• Star Wars Trilogy Sourcebook, Special Edition
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 22
• The Essential Guide to Warfare
• Death Star Owner's Technical Manual

Notes and references

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