Tessek

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Mon Calamari

• Species:
  Quarren

• Gender:
  Male

• Size:
  1.8 meters

• Weapon:
  Vibroblade, sonic grenade, holdout blaster

• Affiliation:
  Criminal

• 

From the Movies

This squid-headed henchman was one of more noble-looking hangers-on in Jabba's court. Bedecked in cream-colored robes, this turquoise-eyed Quarren lurked in the shadowy alcoves of Jabba's palace and accompanied the ill-fated execution party that ventured to the Pit of Carkoon.

From the Expanded Universe

Once having ties with Republic politics, the Quarren known as Tessek fled his homeworld of Mon Calamari after the Imperial invasion of the watery planet. His knack for number-crunching and ledger-shuffling earned him a position in Jabba the Hutt's criminal organization as an accountant.

Tessek's corruption, rooted in politics, flourished in Jabba's palace. He secretly funneled profits from the gangster into a hidden account, intending to someday betray Jabba and escape with his life and fortune intact.

The Hutt had a thousand eyes, or so the saying went. Jabba knew of Tessek's dishonesty, and the Quarren eventually learned that he was discovered. Yet Jabba's revenge was slow in coming. He kept the Quarren under close supervision, and invited him to the execution party at the Sarlacc. Tessek escaped aboard a speeder bike just as the sail barge burst into flames.

He holed himself up in the palace, trying to cobble together enough assets to profit from this disaster. Tessek instead found himself cornered by the creepy B'omarr monks that lived in the palace. The squid head was forcibly entered into the B'omarr religion by having his brain removed and placed in a nutrient jar.

Behind the Scenes

Tessek was realized as a slip-on mask and gloves for Return of the Jedi. He was known simply as "Squid Head," not gaining the name Tessek until the expanded universe named him in a 1990 roleplaying game supplement. Tessek nearly made it into Episode II, when the early drafts of Attack of the Clones identified one of the Quarren separatist Senators as "Tessek." The name changed in production to "Tikkes," the name of the Quarren Senator from Episode I.