Gan'hil Urbek was a Zabrak in the waning days of the Galactic Republic. He was a powerful Force-sensitive but decided not to join the Jedi. He said it was too much work and commitment. His brother, Tu'hil (Darth Octillious) gave his family an everlasting bad name. Determined to rid their bad name, Gan'hil devoted his life to helping the Republic. He became a senator and did all he could to help the Zabraks of Iridonia. Once the Galactic Empire was formed however, he feared what would happen to the senate.
When the senate was dissolved in 0 BBY he joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic and served as a rebel soldier. He fought in many battles, even the attack on the Death Star II. Upon getting back from the Death Star II he and the rest of the rebels heard the wonderful news that Darth Octillious was dead. It was joyous to everyone, that is, except for Gan'hil. Gan'hil Urbek didn't know how he should have felt. He was torn between choosing one of the two options he had. Should he have mourned the death of his youngest brother, or should he have celebrated the death of a Sith? He chose neither.
Gan'hil Urbek once again joined the senate, but this time in the New Republic. His new life was short-lived though. He was killed in the Liberation of Coruscant. Sadly, he had not succeeded in his life-long quest. The galaxy still remembered the Urbek family as the origin of Darth Octillious, and what would be Gan'hil's great grandson, Darth Octil. Octil would come to wonder why his ancestor chose such a path.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Life growing up on Iridonia was harsh for Gan'hil and his brothers Tu'hil and Ru'rif Urbek. Early on their parents died from an unknown disease. They became accustomed to their orphaned lifestyle and they missed anything out of the ordinary. They simply wanted something besides their current lives. As soon as a Republic ship landed with Jedi on it, the Zabrak brothers went to see. It was there that Gan'hil's two brothers were taken to the ship but Gan'hil refused to go, stating that the Jedi life wasn't the life he desired. The Jedi respected his decision and left without him. He spent the next few months alone. He heard news that the ship carrying his brothers crashed but no one could find Tu'hil's body.
Gan'hil was devastated by the death of a brother and the disappearance of the other. It wasn’t until years later when news reporters caught footage of a creature with a red lightsaber killing merchants that he found any trace of Tu'hil. The creature was his brother. He recognized the zabrak easily, even though the last time he had seen his little brother since he was a child. Word spread about that as others on Iridonia recognized him. The message spread through the Republic. Knowing that, Gan'hil Urbek made it his life goal to clear the family name.
Becoming a senator[]
The senate at the time Gan'hil Urbek joined it
I believe that Iridonia does not have to be a harsh, desolate world. I believe that the people of this world don't have to grow up like the way they do now. I believe that we can put an end to corruption as we know it in the Galactic Republic. I believe that Iridonia can and will become one of the most favorable and tourist-attracting worlds in the galaxy. I believe that I can help'.
—Gan'hil in one of his speeches
Eventually Gan'hil got a job and worked tirelessly to afford a pilgrimage to Coruscant. After four years he had the money and enough to start his new life. He searched for any ships going to his destination but couldn't find any. Getting annoyed, he started asking smugglers if they could get him there, but no one wanted to risk it for that money. Eventually he found someone in a cantina willing to take him for that amount of money in 55 BBY. He was so excited that he would finally leave Iridonia that he immediately started packing. They left the next day. When he arrived on Coruscant he hadn't thought about what he would have done there up until that point. He decided to try a few jobs until he had a hang of his new life. He first started working at Dexter's Diner for money. After around 5 months of service there he saw on the news that a new senator for Iridonia was to be elected. Gan'hil Urbek decided to give that a shot and have the diner as a fallback. Off he went into the campaign, earning the trust of the Zabrak people. He ended up winning the election with a 78% vote. Amazed, he humbly joined the senate in 54 BBY. Other senators disagreed with the Zabrak decision though, because Gan'hil hadn’t had any prior experience with politics. Even so, they still somewhat respected the decision of Iridonia.
Life as Senator[]
Gan'hil Urbek as a senator
Gan'hil's term as senator was harsh, people from all sides demanding things at the same time. This was not the job that Gan'hil Urbek thought he signed up for. He thought it would be easy just discussing what the people of Iridonia wanted, but instead he was in for a barrage of pleaders of nightmarish proportions. For some reason, it made him feel comfortable, like they needed him. He tried to satisfy all of the people although some always weren't pleased no matter what he did. Once the Galactic Republic was reorganized into the Galactic Empire his troubles got even worse.
Countless Zabraks were taken from their families to do the Empire's bidding. They were forced to build the First Death Star, spy on enemies and much more. Outraged, Gan'hil Urbek urged the emperor to stop doing all of that to his people. The result of his plead caused an uproar of other senators to try to urge the Emperor to stop. He hadn't realized until that moment that it was not just the Zabraks, but also the rest of the empire. He started a petition to relieve the enslaved people from duty. The emperor would not pass it even though most senators had signed it. The Zabrak senator pushed even further, trying to get the emperor to sign it. No matter how much he and the other senators tried they failed.
Joining the Rebellion[]
Stormtroopers stalking Gan'hil Urbek and Tooine Jeha
In 0 BBY the imperial senate was dissolved by Emperor Palpatine. Gan'hil was infuriated, knowing that all that he had worked for was for nothing. It was not until he heard of the location of the rebel base that he decided to act. The fact that the rebels had destroyed the Death Star was quite more than enough to win his approval and his enlistment. Even though he wanted to join the rebellion withal his heart he still didn't know how to get there. Guards and imperial spies were watching him wherever he went. Gan'hil Urbek decided to make a drastic move. He went into a cantina and after four hours was able to get someone to bring him to Yavin 4. The smuggler that he hired was a human named Tooine Jeha and was paid 15,000 credits to do so. Gan'hil told Tooine that imperials would be constantly trying to attack them.
They went to a spaceport where Tooine showed his client his ship. The two then entered the ship only to find the cockpit destroyed. Gan'hil looked out a window and saw stormtroopers heading their way. They exited the ship and ran for their lives. Tooine saw a ship with the airlock open and grabbed his client, Gan'hil Urbek. The human then knocked the owner of the ship to his knees and tossed him some credits to buy a new ship. The 2 then ran inside the ship as the stormtroopers opened fire on them. The airlock closed and they took flight. Eventually they got to Yavin 4 and Gan'hil joined the rebels. After an hour of asking he finally got Tooine to also join.