Every galaxy has its monsters, but few were born from an obsession like the Rakghoul Plague. Long before the rise of the Empire or even the Republic’s golden age, one Sith Lord’s hunger for control set off a chain of outbreaks that scarred worlds for millennia.
I’ve gone through the old records, comics, and archives to piece together how the Rakghoul Plague began, spread across the galaxy, and refused to die for thousands of years. Let’s go step by step through one of the most terrifying legacies left behind by Sith alchemy.
Birth Of The Plague – Karness Muur And His Talisman
It all began with Karness Muur, a Sith Lord who wanted power that could outlast death itself. He forged the Muur Talisman, a Sith amulet filled with his mind and dark magic. Whoever held it could turn nearby sentient beings into rakghouls—twisted, mindless creatures that obeyed the talisman’s master.
But there was a flaw. Force-sensitives and several non-Human species couldn’t be changed by the talisman. To fix this, Muur created the Rakghoul Plague, a virus that could infect almost any living being. Every rakghoul carried it, and a single bite or scratch could pass the infection along. Victims usually turned within 6 to 48 hours, going through an excruciating change that left them pale, bleeding from their eyes and mouth, and growing into hulking, clawed predators.
Their minds broke down, but traces of their old skills stayed. Some could still use weapons or tools if the talisman’s master commanded them. Researchers later identified two strains—the Bozan and Hirano variants—born from a mutation in a Clawdite gene sequence. No matter the strain, the result stayed the same: more rakghouls.
The First Cradle Of Infection
After Muur’s death, his spirit stayed bound to the talisman. It eventually ended up buried in the Undercity of Taris, where the plague spread among the poorest levels. The upper tiers didn’t care much, thinking the disease was trapped below. By the time they realized how bad it was, over 60 million beings were already infected.
During the Jedi Civil War, Sith forces on Taris carried a rakghoul serum that could stop the infection before transformation. Revan, still recovering from amnesia, found a vial of the serum and helped a Tarisian doctor replicate it for the public. Sadly, that came right before Darth Malak’s orbital bombardment, which wiped out much of the planet—including millions of rakghouls.
Centuries later, when the Republic tried to resettle Taris, they learned the plague hadn’t truly vanished. New settlers faced mutated rakghouls and even stranger beings called nekghouls—taller, smarter, and Force-sensitive. They could speak and reason but didn’t carry the infection. That mutation was proof of how long the plague had been shaping life on the planet.
The Jebble Outbreak: Mandalorians, Morne, And A Nuclear End
During the Mandalorian Wars, a Mandalorian scientist named Pulsipher recovered the Muur Talisman from Taris. On his way to Jebble, he accidentally infected his soldiers, and once they landed, the disease exploded. Within days, entire Mandalorian units turned into rakghouls and tore through their comrades.
Jedi Knight Celeste Morne eventually took the talisman from Pulsipher. Realizing how dangerous it was, she sealed herself and the artifact inside Sith Lord Remulus Dreypa’s oubliette to keep it from spreading further. Cassus Fett, hearing about the infection, made a harsh call—he ordered a nuclear bombardment of Jebble to burn out the plague completely. The planet turned to molten glass, and the oubliette sank beneath the melted surface. Everyone assumed that ended the Rakghoul threat. It didn’t.
A New Age Of Mutations And Weaponization
Taris never truly recovered. By the Cold War era, rakghouls had infested the ruins again. Exposure to radiation and chemicals mutated some into stronger, faster variants. Scientists studying them found the nekghouls—Force-sensitive offshoots—and even attempted to guide them toward the light side of the Force.
Things got worse when Doctor Sannus Lorrick decided to weaponize the plague for revenge. He infected Kaon, then escaped to Ord Mantell and continued his experiments. One of his creations, an infected risp, ended up aboard the passenger liner Stardream. Within 15 days, the ship’s passengers and crew were dead or transformed. The liner crashed on Tatooine, scattering infection pods across the Dune Sea.
The Republic and Empire both reacted the same way—full planetary quarantine. They sent containment troops, blocked off the system, and kept anyone from leaving. Even native species like banthas and Tusken Raiders fell victim to the virus. Entire desert regions turned into death zones.
When Vader Opened The Box
Centuries later, ice miners on Jebble found Dreypa’s oubliette frozen under the surface. Traders mistook it for an ancient Jedi artifact and sold it across the galaxy until Darth Vader got his hands on it. Inside was Celeste Morne, still alive after all those centuries. When she saw Vader, she recognized the Sith and used the Muur Talisman to defend herself. His stormtroopers turned instantly, forcing Vader to retreat.
Two decades later, Vader sent a scout team to that same moon. Morne sensed them, pulled their ship from the sky, and transformed them too. Then Vader leaked false info about a secret Imperial weapon on the moon, knowing the Rebel Alliance would take the bait.
The Rebels landed and were quickly overrun. Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and the clone Able fought through the chaos. Able was scratched and changed right in front of them. When Muur’s spirit realized Luke and Leia were Force-sensitive, it tried to possess them. Morne managed to pull the talisman back onto herself and took the Rebels’ shuttle to leave the moon—turning the crew of a nearby Star Destroyer into rakghouls before disappearing into the void.
The Legacy Era: Cade Skywalker’s Fight
More than a thousand years later, in 127 ABY, Morne still lived. She and her rakghoul army took over the Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer Iron Sun, killing or converting its 8,000 crew members. A decade later, Cade Skywalker and his crew boarded the derelict ship during their mission against Darth Krayt. Cade was bitten, and Azlyn Rae was scratched. Morne, remembering every outbreak she’d caused, planned to kill them both before they could turn.
Cade used his Force healing, known as dark transfer, to cleanse the virus from himself and Azlyn. Morne had never seen anyone cure the plague that way. Impressed, she decided to join Cade’s team against the Sith.
At Had Abbadon, Morne unleashed another horde, turning Imperial stormtroopers into rakghouls to fight Darth Reave. The Devaronian Sith was wounded, escaped to Coruscant, and transformed mid-report in front of Darth Krayt. That event convinced Krayt to lead his Sith directly to Had Abbadon, where Cade and his allies ambushed them.
Morne’s rakghouls swarmed the Sith. Krayt’s lightning and his followers’ blades tore through them, but the battle ended with Krayt badly injured. Afterward, Morne admitted she couldn’t keep fighting Muur’s influence. She asked Cade to end her life, and he did. When the talisman tried to attach itself to him, he used the Force to destroy it, ending its control forever.
The Muur Talisman was gone, but any surviving rakghouls still carried the plague. The galaxy had to rely on containment and eradication to stop any new flare-ups.
Understanding The Plague Itself
The Rakghoul Plague spread in two ways: through direct contact (a bite or scratch) and through the Muur Talisman’s magic. The incubation period ranged between 6 and 48 hours, depending on species and exposure. Victims lost color, bled from their eyes and mouth, and went through a painful mutation that left them unrecognizable.
They lost their personalities, but old skills sometimes remained. A soldier could still shoot; a pilot could still operate a ship—if the talisman’s wielder ordered them to. No protective gear stopped the talisman’s magic, only distance or destruction.
There were two known treatments: the Rakghoul Serum from Revan’s era, which worked only before the transformation, and Cade Skywalker’s dark transfer, a rare Force healing that removed the infection completely.
As long as the talisman existed, no cure could guarantee safety. Once Cade destroyed it, the galaxy finally broke the cycle.