The Star Wars galaxy has a pretty extensive criminal underworld, with organized crime playing some role from the beginning. Even as far back as A New Hope, Han Solo was a smuggler (a profession that, by definition, requires some level of illegal activity) who only helps Luke because of a debt to the crime boss Jabba the Hutt. Since then, plenty of criminal organizations have surfaced in both the canon and legends timeline: the Hutts, Black Suns, Crimson Dawn, the Exchange, Kanjiklub; but one particular group has been getting an increasing amount of focus: the Pykes.
The Pyke Syndicate was first introduced in The Clone Wars, and they would go on to reappear in Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Book of Boba Fett, and Star Wars Outlaws. There is a lot to know about the Pyke Syndicate that will help viewers feel in the know when they eventually play Star Wars Outlaws.
Updated on June 21, 2023 by John Hitchcock: This article was originally written with reference to the Pykes' role in The Book of Boba Fett. With the Pykes returning for Star Wars Outlaws, and being featured in Ubisoft's gameplay reveal, it is a good time to provide an updated guide to help new players get acquainted with this faction.
They're A George Lucas Creation
With Disney Star Wars ramping up the pace, lots of new characters are being established in the universe and expanded upon across the TV shows. However, the Pyke Syndicate are a genuine George Lucas creation.
Lucas created the Pyke Syndicate for use in The Clone Wars, with them making their first appearance in the Season 5 episode "Eminence". With a lot of Star Wars media focusing on the New Republic or High Republic eras, there aren't many new additions to live-action Star Wars that were created by George Lucas. In the final season of The Clone Wars, the Pyke Syndicate comes up against another of Lucas' created characters. This is something certain fans may not know about Ahsoka Tano, especially those who haven't yet seen the final Clone Wars season.
Background
Admittedly, details about the origins of the Pyke Syndicate are murky at best. However, it is known that they have been operating at least as far back as the Clone Wars, if not earlier, and they are still a powerful force after the Galactic Civil War. They have crossed paths with several major characters including Ahsoka Tano, Darth Maul, Boba Fett, and Han Solo.
Their modus operandi can be described as relentless. There is no moral line they will not cross if they can profit, with many of their operations bordering on military conquests. Their primary trade is spice, but they are certainly not above dabbling in other forms of criminal activity when it suits them. Like many criminal organizations in the galaxy, they see no moral issues with relying on slave labor.
What Does "Pyke" Refer to in Star Wars?
Somewhat confusingly, "Pyke" can actually refer to three things, all of which are interconnected. There is the Pyke species, the Pyke Syndicate, and the Pyke family. Usually when people refer to the "Pykes" they are referring to the syndicate.
This is an easy point of confusion since the Pyke species makes up most, if not all, of the syndicate's members. It does not help that the syndicate contains a large portion of the Pyke species, making it very hard for anyone individual to disassociate from them. The Pyke family runs the syndicate, basically their equivalent of the Corleones.
Oba Diah Is Their Homeworld
The Pyke Syndicate comes from the planet Oba Diah. Oba Diah is an outer rim planet at the end of the Kessel run that has not yet been explored in live-action, which some fans view as a Star Wars untapped plotline. However, it has appeared in multiple episodes of The Clone Wars as well as the Dark Disciple novel.
Oba Diah's location makes it an excellent place for the Pykes to sell spice from, as it is located as part of the Kessel run. This gives the Pykes and their organization a straight-through trade-route line to many different planets, probably contributing to their growth.
They Killed Sifo-Dyas
In Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan Kenobi becomes aware of a secret clone army being built on Kamino for the Republic. He learns that ten years previously, a Jedi Master named Sifo-Dyas had come to Kamino and paid for their people to begin cloning an army, using Jango Fett, Boba's father, as the donor. This also led to the 'birth' of Boba Fett himself. Despite Attack of the Clones being a polarizing movie, it established an interesting mystery in the Sifo-Dyas character that would go on to be explored in the expanded universe.
In The Clone Wars, it is revealed that Sifo-Dyas and Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum's personal aide Silman were shot down while traveling to Felucia. This led to them crashing on the Oba Diah moon, and it was revealed that the Pykes were hired by the Sith to kill him.
They Have a Tight Grip on the Spice Trade
"Spices" (which in this case, includes a variety of contraband drugs) are a popular commodity in the Star Wars galaxy, and even when existing governments try to ban or regulate them, it doesn't stop demand. As it just so happens, the Pykes were in a perfect position to exploit the growing market for illegal substances.
Oba Diah was conveniently located near Kessel, so the Pykes were able to occupy and take control of its spice mines without much effort. From there, they were able to expand and take control of other worlds. By the time of the Clone Wars, the Pykes had a full-on monopoly over spice. Anyone who wanted it had to go to them, and getting it was not easy.
They Helped The Death Watch Conquer Mandalore
Mandalore has been the sight of many different civil wars, a result of various Mandalorian clans with opposing views warring with each other for generations. Ultimately, the strongest Mandalorians usually take control of the planet. Fans familiar with the civil war will remember the time that the Death Watch, under the banner of the Shadow Collective, overthrew the New Mandalorian government and conquered the planet.
Darth Maul was the head of the Shadow Collective and managed to convince the Pyke Syndicate, Black Sun, and Hutt Clan to help them in their quest. The Pykes agreed to help and were a big part of the Death Watch managing to conquer the planet.
They Bidded For Han Solo
Every Star Wars fan remembers the iconic moment that Han Solo was frozen in carbonite by Darth Vader during The Empire Strikes Back. Solo had built up quite a reputation over the years as a smuggler. So much so that an auction was held for him by Lady Qi'Ra, his old girlfriend as explored in the Solo film.
The Pyke Syndicate attended the auction and bid for him, eventually losing out to Jabba the Hutt. Fans will appreciate that Jabba won the bid, as it made more sense considering the backstory of his dealings with Solo, and set up a great sequence in Return of the Jedi. This is one of the better things Star Wars' new canon has come out with in recent years and adds more relevancy to the Pyke Syndicate in the overall lore.
Count Dooku Killed Their Old Leader
During the Clone Wars and likely a long time before that, the Pyke Syndicate was run by Lom Pyke. Lom's era of stewardship over the Pykes led to them joining the Shadow Collective and helping Maul and the Death Watch to overthrow the New Mandalorian government.
Eventually, Lom was killed by Count Dooku when the Jedi started investigating Sifo-Dyas' death. They revealed Dooku as Darth Tyranus to the Jedi and made it clear they didn't have any business with him anymore. This was one of the best Clone Wars arcs, so it is well worth a watch to any Star Wars fan interested in this mystery.
They Are Extremely Powerful
The Pykes are widespread and influential enough that most of their competition is limited to the other major syndicates. They have a complicated but often antagonistic relationship with the Hutts, against whom they are evenly matched at worst. The Pykes are such fierce competition that the Jabba's cousins, who ran Tattooine after the Galactic Civil War, actually gave up their claim to the planet when they learned the Pykes were coming.
Put simply, the syndicate has enough of a reputation that even the Hutts are reluctant to get on their bad side. And the Pykes' reputation is well-earned. The only faction to actually threaten them was Crimson Dawn under Maul and Savage Opress, and even that was not enough to wipe them out completely.
They're Weaker By The New Republic...But Not Weak
By the time of the New Republic era. Events such as Lom's death, the Empire's tight grip on the galaxy causing crime to fall, and then the power vacuum created by the Empire's downfall resulted in the Pyke Syndicate as well as other criminal organizations being weaker than they used to be.
This does not mean that the Pyke Syndicate are weak, however, and they are likely to respond to violence against them with retaliation. Boba and the Tusken Raiders' victory over them in The Book of Boba Fett's flashback sequences likely means that they will soon be showing up to take their revenge. Future fights between the two may result in the death of either side.
Star Wars Outlaws is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.