Zsinj

Zsinj zɪnd͡ʒ was a male Human from Fondor. Although he bore no first name per the traditions of his father, a Fondorian shipyard mechanic, Zsinj preferred to follow in the footsteps of his more famous mother, Maarisa Zsinj, a Chandrilan Admiral in the Republic Outland Regions Security Force popularly known as the "Ace of the Spacelanes." Zsinj served under his mother until the end of the Clone Wars.

After the birth of the Galactic Empire, Maarisa Zsinj refused the order to return her starship, the Venator-class Star Destroyer Retaliation, to port for decommissioning. The elder Zsinj denounced the new government as corrupt and went rogue, preying on ships of the Empire as a pirate. Young Zsinj was granted command of the aging Victory-class Star Destroyer Iron Fist to hunt down his own mother. The campaign was intense but ultimately successful, and Maarisa Zsinj was killed by her own son. The younger Zsinj was officially named the first Warlord of the Empire, and the elder Zsinj was expunged from Imperial history. This was the beginning of a string of victories that would lead to ever greater power for Zsinj, but also initiated a pattern of absurd thinking that would confound future opponents and analysts.

Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Zsinj was promoted to admiral and given command of the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Brawl—which Zsinj later renamed Iron Fist after his first command—by Emperor Palpatine himself. Zsinj quarantined the planet Dathomir and prevented the escape of the Force-sensitive Nightsisters, and Palpatine was personally grateful to Zsinj for halting this potential threat to his rule. Soon after this, Zsinj became High Admiral of the Crimson Command, a fleet of Victory-class Star Destroyers, and gained the position of Grand Moff over the Quelii Oversector, a large portion of the northern quadrant of the galaxy. It was from this position that Zsinj established himself as an independent warlord after the Battle of Endor.

After what was believed by the galaxy at large to be the death of Palpatine, Zsinj was recognized by many as the most powerful of the post-Imperial warlords. In fact, his official title of "Warlord of the Empire" popularized the term "warlord" for the renegades who broke away from the crumbling Empire, as in the initial chaos following the Battle of Endor he proclaimed loyalty to the Empire and used his legal title to foster an appearance of legitimacy. However, he set up a base on Serenno, locked down his Oversector, and began to absorb the forces and territories of his rivals like Terrinald Screed and Nigel Nivers. Along with his formidable fleet, Zsinj built a supporting financial infrastructure unlike that of any other warlord, and at the height of his power he controlled a third of the known galaxy, rivaling both the New Republic and the Galactic Empire.

After the defeat of Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard, Zsinj became the target of a New Republic campaign against him, which was led by General Han Solo, who became a personal enemy of Zsinj. Zsinj's forces fought Solo's task force on several occasions, each taking turns laying traps for the other. In 7 ABY, Iron Fist, Zsinj's personal command ship, narrowly escaped destruction at the hands of Solo's fleet twice, the first time due to New Republic collaboration with Imperial Admiral Teren Rogriss while the second engagement was precipitated by a double agent aboard the Iron Fist, Gara Petothel. Zsinj faked the destruction of the Iron Fist and escaped to his hidden base over Dathomir to plan his next move. However, his outpost was attacked by the Hapan war fleet. During the battle, Solo, who had won Dathomir in a gambling match and had journeyed to the world, flew his personal craft, the Millennium Falcon, on a strafing run against the Iron Fist. Firing concussion missiles at the bridge of Zsinj's flagship, Solo slew the warlord and brought about the collapse of his empire. Zsinj's former forces scattered to join other warlords or strike out on their own, but no other independent force ever matched Zsinj's power.

Text and facts from the “Zsinj” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.