From the Movies
Zuckuss is an insectoid bounty hunter of few words. He is a short, stocky being with a grubby robe, and a number of breather tanks affixed to his head. He was one of the deadly trackers that answered Lord Darth Vader's call to find the
Millennium Falcon after the Battle of Hoth.
From the Expanded Universe
As a findsman, Zuckuss continues the ancient tradition of his people, the Gand. The ways of the findsman stretch back three standard centuries in his family. With arcane rituals and keen intuition, the ancient Gand would receive visions of their prey, which would enable the findsmen to track them through the swirling mists of the planet Gand.
While in the employ of crime lord Jabba the Hutt, Zuckuss was teamed with the analytical protocol droid-turned-bounty hunter 4-LOM. Their teamwork was impressive, and Zuckuss' nebulous instinctive style was complemented by 4-LOM's hard-edged logic. Among the bounties assigned the two was Sector Governor Nardix. This gained Zuckuss and 4-LOM considerable notoriety when the hunters turned Nardix over to the Rebellion, who then tried the Imperial for his crimes. The trials caused a great deal of embarrassment for the Empire.
In order to curry favor and mend their strained relationship with the Empire, Zuckuss and 4-LOM helped destroy the Rebel transport Bright Hope. Later, the two hunters schemed to capture the stranded crew of 90 Rebels. Zuckuss, touched by the Rebels' devotion to one another, had a change of heart. Zuckuss and 4-LOM joined the Rebellion for a very brief period.
While part of the Alliance Special Forces, Zuckuss and 4-LOM underwent a dangerous mission to recover the frozen form of Han Solo from Boba Fett before the bounty hunter delivered the Corellian to Jabba the Hutt. The mission was a disaster. Fett got the better of the duo, and 4-LOM was blasted apart in the process. Zuckuss cobbled the droid back together, and began to rethink his decision to join the Alliance. The two soon returned to their unscrupulous hunter ways.
Behind the Scenes
What's in a name? In the revised fifth draft script of
The Empire Strikes Back, dated March 19, 1979, Zuckuss' name is misspelled "Tuckuss." Furthermore, the script and original novelization described Zuckuss as a "human type" bounty hunter. This description prompted comic book author Archie Goodwin to use the human bounty hunter Dengar in his stories as "Zuckass."
But perhaps the greatest confusion came from Kenner toys, who produced the Zuckuss and 4-LOM action figures with their names reversed. It was not until Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back came out in 1989 that this error was corrected.
Some bounty hunters just can't get any respect.
