Brander Lawson

Hopefully the repair droids can fix it.

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Captain Brander Lawson was a human who lived in the galaxy during the Imperial Era. During or after 19 BBY, Lawson, along with his partner, Two-Boots, was attempting to investigate lawless dealings occurring on the planet Janix.

Biography[]

Early life and career[]

Brander Lawson was a human captain of the Tactical Defense Force on the Mid Rim planet Janix who had previously operated as a bounty hunter,^[5] committing acts he later deemed "ugly" in what he considered his "previous life."^[6] Lawson once undertook a mission on Catalor along with fellow Padlom bounty hunter Rheena Sul and saved each other's life after the mission went wrong.^[7]^[8] Before the Clone Wars ended, he worked with a Jedi, and he never understood why they were considered traitors by the time of the early Imperial Era.^[9] He later became a father after marrying the human woman Drea Lawson and eventually had a son named Rylee Lawson.^[10] Drea worked for the Galactic Empire,^[2] and the two got in shouting matches^[6] and at some point divorced, with their son staying with Lawson at their apartment family home on Janix^[2] while his now ex-wife was on the planet Coruscant.^[8]

A venomous underworld[]

"Illegal in most systems—isn't that right? Including this one?"
"Oh, you're right about that. But we don't like to be told what to do here on Janix, do we? You already feel the heat—don't you? Maybe smell a trace of honey? That's the venom of a wasber. That's what you came for, isn't it...Captain Lawson?"

―Brander Lawson is found out by a Dowutin bartender^[5]

Lawson is poisoned by the Dowutin bartender.

No earlier than 19 BBY,^[11] with his^[1] police droid partner Two-Boots asking via comms for permission to join, Lawson approached a droid bouncer at the entrance of a cantina in Janix city. The bouncer informed Lawson that the establishment was exclusive to members, and Lawson responded by flicking a small object onto the droid's head, shorting the unit out. Upon entering the bar, the officer was greeted by the Dowutin bartender, and he sat next to a patron with a red cybernetic arm and ordered a Corellian whiskey.^[5] As the other patron departed, Two-Boots asked to join Lawson once again, but Lawson turned him down. The bartender overheard the conversation and asked Lawson what he had said, and the captain replied by offering a bid of three gold coins for organic specimens carrying some of the most potent poisons in the galaxy.^[5]

Lawson fights off two venomous creatures.

Lawson took a swig of his whiskey, and the bartender revealed that the drink was laced with wasber venom and that he knew the captain's real identity. As the Dowutin prepared to attack Lawson with a large tool, Two-Boots once again asked if the time was right for him to join, and the captain obliged as he drew his blaster pistol. The assailant knocked the captain's pistol from his hands. While Lawson leaped and crawled to retrieve his weapon, the bartender reared back for a heavy blow with the tool, and the captain continuously inquired as to where his droid companion was. Just as the Dowutin was about to make the killing blow, Two-Boots fired and hit the assailant on the right shoulder, demanding he surrender to law enforcement under charges of attempted murder and smuggling of illegal life-forms. The bartender turned and hurled the tool at the droid, just missing to the right and smashing open an enclosure for a large serpent-like creature.^[5]

Lawson's vision begins to blur as he aims at the arachnid.

As the creature escaped, Two-Boots suggested calling for backup, and the bartender grabbed the droid, causing^[5] him^[12] to fire his blaster into another enclosure and free a massive arachnid. Lawson attempted to fight off both creatures as Two-Boots' scanners indicated the captain's temperature and heart rate were elevated and he needed to get to a medcenter for antivenom serum immediately. The droid dispatched the bartender, slamming them behind the bar. The arachnid attacked Two-Boots, and, while losing consciousness, Lawson shot the spider, saving his companion. As the captain's body shut down, and despite his refusal to request assistance, Two-Boots called for backup. Before help arrived, the clients involved in the creature smuggling escaped and the accounting list was destroyed.^[5]

Finding his place[]

"Your bounty hunter days are behind you, Lawson. You answer to this city, and you belong to a team. And unless you want the Empire showing up..."
"You know I don't."
"...then we need ot keep the chaos on Janix to a minimum."

―Chief Klyce chastises Lawson^[5]

Klyce introduces Lawson to his new squadmates.

Back at Janix Civil Defense HQ, Lawson was called into Chief Klyce's office, where she scolded him for his reckless behavior. The captain claimed he and his partner had shut down a dangerous operation—which he claimed was owned by Nico Deemis, head of a criminal syndicate—though he had no evidence. He also believed the suspects had been tipped off and knew he was coming, suggesting the department had a mole. Klyce reminded Lawson that he was no longer a bounty hunter and that his responsibilities were to the city and his team. To keep Lawson on track, and to prevent further chaos that could attract the attention of the Galactic Empire, the chief introduced Lawson to three new members of his squad: the humans Hendrix and Jam Jam and the alien Fraxmoor. As Lawson met the team, he informed Hendrix that they were sitting in the captain's chair, and they got up, apologizing and offering to shake the captain's hand, revealing a red cybernetic similar to the one Lawson had seen on the patron in the bar.^[5]

Sometime later, Lawson briefed his new squad on the city's three main syndicates, as well as an incident from the previous week in which an entire wedding party was poisoned by dessert laced with ro hypa venom. With intelligence indicating the brother of an associate of Deemis was present at the event, and that the associate wanted him brought down, Lawson had Two-Boots stay with the associate in a safe house while the squad rotated through a surveillance position in the hallway outside, with only the squad having the location of the safe house. The captain assigned Jam Jam the first shift, but while the officer was standing guard, they were attacked with a thermal detonator by Hendrix, who broke into the safe house and attempted to bring the associate to Deemis alive. Hendrix was subdued by Two-Boots, however, and Lawson arrived on the scene, discovering Jam Jam was still alive and commanding Two-Boots to hail a medspeeder. As the captain entered the safe house and approached Two-Boots and Hendrix, the traitor was shot by an unknown individual.^[5]

Brought in for questioning[]

"Brander Lawson—thank you for being here. Please. Have a seat. I assume you know why we're talking?"
"It's Captain Lawson. Captain."

―Clariveen Ruhl brings Lawson in for questioning^[5]

Two-Boots offers Lawson and Ruhl some caf during the interrogation.

Lawson was brought into HQ for questioning by Clariveen Ruhl of Internal Investigations over the death of Hendrix, thus missing his son Rylee's shockball match. He initially refused to answer any questions until he had some caf, but he regardless recounted the events at the cantina and the following introduction to his new team, noting he had seen Hendrix's red hand at the bar. Two-Boots arrived with caf for both Lawson and Ruhl, but Lawson told the droid the inspector was not thirsty. Ruhl sensed resentment in Lawson and hypothesized that he was also possibly resentful when he was assigned to a new unit. The captain clarified that he was a little resentful but mostly suspicious due to the police department's corruption.^[5]

Lawson explained the events at the safe house to the investigator, finishing his caf in the process. With his cup empty, the captain got up to leave, and Ruhl demanded he stay and answer questions about Fraxmoor. Lawson assured him they were looking for him and suggested the investigator do the same. Ruhl requested access to Two-Boots' surveillance data, but the captain stated the evidence for the active case was privileged for the time being. As Ruhl continued protesting, Lawson turned and threatened the investigator with a rough time if they ever got in his way again.^[5]

Spying on Deemis[]

"What are you thinking, Two-Boots?"
"I think, Captain Lawson, that we should report this to Chief Klyce."
"Negative."

―Lawson declines to heed Two-Boots' recommendation to notify Klyce^[13]

Lawson and Two-Boots spy on Deemis through a recon droid.

At night some time later, Lawson missed his son playing botekin to spy on Deemis. While the captain—while in a Tactical Defense Force cruiser with Two-Boots—watched Deemis in the crime boss's headquarters on a datapad through a recon droid, he recalled how earlier a server at a high-end restaurant approached the crime boss and whispered in his ear, causing him to excuse himself from a table full of political and business leaders. Lawson noted that Deemis left food on his plate and some beverage in his drink, which was unusual, indicating whatever pulled him away from his meal was important. As they continued watching, a droid approached Deemis at his desk, and Lawson concluded the droid represented someone with the influence to call an emergency meeting with Deemis.^[13]

Lawson asked Two-Boots for his thoughts, and the droid partner suggested informing Chief Klyce, which Lawson declined to do, stating they could not risk losing their lead due to the mole in the department. The captain moved the recon droid closer to get better audio, capturing portions of the droid representative's conversation with Deemis regarding a deal for 20 million Imperial credits. As the droid finalized a deal and left, Lawson commanded Two-Boots to follow the droid in their cruiser while he kept the recon droid on Deemis. The officer shadowed the droid representative, concerned that 20 million credits would tilt the balance of power in the Janix underworld too heavily toward Deemis. Afraid such a transaction would attract the attention of the Empire, Lawson wanted the money off-planet.^[13]

Playing the long game[]

"Captain Lawson...I don't think you should board that train. You'll risk exposing yourself. And I could lose you."
"You losing me is less important than me losing the droid."

―Two-Boots warns Lawson against boarding the train^[13]

Lawson is pinned to the ground by the droid representative of Nico Deemis.

As the captain followed the droid, the target seemed to notice him, causing Lawson to order caf from a vendor to appear inconspicuous, as pulling back any further would have resulted in him losing the trail. Lawson followed the droid to one of Janix city's train stations, where Two-Boots cautioned him not to board the train to avoid exposing himself. Lawson boarded anyway and was ambushed by the droid, who asked the captain what he knew and who he worked for as he kicked and punched him. While pinned to the ground, Lawson managed to get a shot off, hitting the droid on its head. The droid stumbled back, realizing Lawson was with law enforcement and claiming they were told the Janix Civil Defense Force was irrelevant. Two-Boots arrived in the cruiser and shot the droid through a train window, incapacitating it.^[13]

Lawson and Two-Boots transport the droid.

Despite the successful capture of the droid, Deemis's deal proceeded an hour later, but the transaction went south when Deemis's client accused him of keeping his droid as insurance. As the two argued, Looti Vario arrived to make a counteroffer, unintentionally aiding in Lawson's ploy to pit the various crime lords against each other in a fashion similar to how his son's favorite botekin player, Marka Weitz, scored during matches by tossing the ball into a scrum, causing his opponents to get penalties, injuries, or ejections as they piled onto each other. The captain and his partner continued on in the police cruiser with the droid representative in the back.^[13]

Things go upside down[]

"If I was smart, I'd probably try to protect myself. But I'm not feeling smart. So to hell with that and to hell with them."

―Brander Lawson^[6]

Lawson spots Fraxmoor's reflection in a vendor's visor.

While ordering from a stall in Mayak Market, Lawson suspected he was being followed. Spotting an assailant aiming a blaster at him in the reflection on the visor of the Ugnaught vendor, the captain turned and hurled a purple food item, striking the would-be assassin in the face and causing them to miss their shot. After throwing more food at them, Lawson realized the attacker was Fraxmoor, and he offered to take his former squadmate back to the station to talk. Fraxmoor fled, however, and Lawson shot him in the back—not intending to kill him, as he wanted to learn whose orders he was following—and Fraxmoor stumbled into a street where he was struck by a driver in a speeder and killed.^[6]

Lawson is attacked by Vario while assisting Ruhl's team.

After filing a report on the incident, the captain returned to his residence with food, hoping to watch a game with his son, but his won was not in the apartment. As Lawson sat in Rylee's room holding a ball, Ruhl pounded on the apartment door, demanding Lawson open it. Ruhl stated they had questions about the three officers who had died under the captain's supervision, along with another officer, Spinson Taryk, who had gone missing. Lawson claimed he did not know a person by that name, and Ruhk ordered his agents to shoot down the door if it was not opened before he finished counting down from five. However, the group was attacked with a canister that emitted a gas that caused them to lose consciousness. Calling Two-Boots to keep track of his location, Lawson agreed to come outside after leaving a note for his son, and upon opening the door, realized what had happened to Ruhl and his agents. While attempting to assist Ruhl, Lawson was attacked by Vario, who knocked him out with his droid suit.^[6]

Vario assures Lawson of his son's safety.

Chained upside down in a warehouse filled with crates, Lawson asked Vario about Rylee, and the crimelord assured him the kid had returned home from a night out with friends and was asleep. He hoped his knowledge of Rylee's whereabouts would worry the captain, and Lawson threatened to kill Vario if he touched Rylee. The Aleen revealed to Lawson that he had dragged Ruhl and his agents to a cantina booth and placed empty bottles in front of them to trick them into thinking they had passed out from overconsumption, and that embarrassing images of the group would make their way to the head of Internal Affairs. Vario admitted somebody wanted Lawson dead, but that it was not him, and he had not sent Fraxmoor. He also revealed that he knew Lawson was the one who had tipped him off about Deemis trying to score the Imperial payload, and offered him a piece of advice: do his job well, but not too well. The crime boss left the warehouse with the captain still hanging.^[6]

Two-Boots arrived, having tracked Lawson's location, and freed him from the chains. The captain expressed suspicion that Internal Affairs and the syndicates were one and the same, as both were after him, and he committed to figuring out just how deep the corruption was in the city before he was arrested or killed, to which Two-Boots showed distress.^[6]

The Shadow Lord[]

"Laser sword? Haven't seen one of those since the Clone Wars. Run a recognition scan."
[Two-Boots runs the scan]
"Imperial?"
"File is classified by the ISB. We're instructed to report any sightings of the suspect immediately."
"Hold off on that."

―Lawson and Two-Boots^[10]

Sometime between 17 BBY and circa 13 BBY,^[14] a group of criminals following the Mandalorian Rook Kast committed a heist and a bank tower that was owned by Deemis, capturing a bank supervisor droid and fleeing aboard the^[10] Kom'rk-class fighter/transport^[15] Hex.^[16] After a short pursuit, the band was caught by the local police on a rooftop, but the former Sith Maul exited the Hex and dispatched the officers. The following day, Lawson arrived at the scene of the heist and requested a full scan of the criminals' escape route, and Two-Boots informed him that the bank supervisor droid was missing. Two-Boots hypothesized that Vario, being Deemis's chief rival, could be behind the attack, but Lawson was not convinced, as an attack such as the heist would be considered an all-out declaration of war between the two crime lords. The captain also observed that the thieves left a lot of credit bricks behind and only took the bank droid, and he suggested the style of the robbery was cleaner than that of the local syndicates, and thus the crime was likely committed by a foreign entity.^[10]

Back at HQ, Lawson was talking with members of his squad when a young Twi'lek girl named Devon Izara, secretly a Jedi Padawan in hiding, was brought in for attempted robbery, lack of identification, and failure to cooperate while stealing food from a local vendor. Lawson took her back to his desk and asked for identification, but she inquired about his family after seeing a family photo on his desk instead. The captain informed her that her two options were to produce identification or spend the night in a cell. Two-Boots interrupted their conversation with a report on the robbery, and Lawson sent Izara to be processed. Two-Boots showed the captain footage from a destroyed police droid of Maul exiting the ship and projected an image of Maul via hologram, and the captain was surprised to see a lightsaber, as he had not seen one since the Clone Wars^[10] of 22 BBY to 19 BBY.^[17] Lawson had Two-Boots run an recognition scan, but Maul's report came up as classified by the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB), leading the droid to remind the captain that they were required to report any sightings of the suspect to the Empire immediately. Despite the droid's protests, Lawson told his partner to keep the situation on the down-low to avoid Imperial involvement.^[10]

Vario takes cover with police officers Lawson and Two-Boots.

That evening, Deemis invited Vario to a meal at the city's port to interrogate him as to the reasoning behind the attack on the bank tower, with the former believing the latter was behind the raid. The conversation soured, and the two gangs began fighting. Simultaneously, Two-Boots joined Lawson for caf at his desk in HQ as officers ran by exclaiming that there had been an incident at the port. Lawson, Two-Boots, and several officers left to investigate. Vario bested Deemis, killing the Gran, but was subsequently hunted by Maul's crew in a bank transport through the city streets. As law enforcement arrived on the scene of the skirmish, Two-Boots reported to Lawson that scanners had detected two vehicles leaving the area while a dispatcher requested Z-59 for backup. Just as Maul's forces were about to capture Vario, Lawson and the other police units arrived, and the Aleena took cover behind the captain's police cruiser while Maul's crew escaped. The police proceeded to detain Vario.^[10]

Lawson questions Vario after arresting him and learning of the Shadow Collective.

After the skirmish, Vario was taken into Janix Civil Defense custody and brought to their headquarters, where Lawson learned from reading his datapad that Vario killed Deemis and informed Vario that he was capable of putting him in prison for a long time, which Vario pointed out that the kill Deemis was in self-defense and he was set up. Upon hearing this, Lawson questioned Vario on who had set him up, causing Vario to inquire about the security and safety at the police headquarters. Upon Lawson pushing further, however, Vario inquired if the captain had heard of the Shadow Collective, which Lawson had not. Following the conversation, Vario was brought to a prison cell at the headquarters, positioned across from the cell in which Izara was being held in. After closing Vario's prison doors, both Two Boots tells Lawson that he has been unable to identify the two Zabraks, which Lawson notes both have different markings from the hooded one captured in the holocam footage. When Two Boots suggests alerting the Empire, Lawson disagrees and orders Two Boots to keep an eye on Vario.^[10]

Personality and traits[]

"Two-Boots is right, of course. My muscles are cramping. I can feel my pulse in my fingertips. My throat's hot and tight and my tongue is a swollen slug. But I don't want to call for backup. Because even when my hands are shaking and my vision's gone wobbly, I don't trust anyone's aim but my own. Maybe that'll be the end of me. But I go my own way."

―Brander Lawson^[5]

Lawson was a human male who had tanned skin, green eyes, and black hair that was graying^[2] by between 17 BBY and around 13 BBY.^[14] He stood 1.75 meters tall.^[1] He did not trust anyone else's aim but his own, refusing to call for backup even as his hands were shaking and his vision blurred, intent on going his own way even if it meant his end.^[5]

Equipment[]

Lawson wore the blue and yellow uniform of the Tactical Defense Force and carried a blaster pistol, standard among the police droids and officers, in a holster on his belt with the handle facing forward. His blaster packed a punch to kill a TK pilot through the cockpit of a LAAT/is gunship.^[8] He also carried a handheld comlink and drove in a Tactical Defense Force cruiser, an airspeeder common among the Janix's Tactical Defense Force.^[5]

Behind the scenes[]

"The thing that really caught my attention when I read the scripts was the fact that he's dealing with his son [Rylee]. And it's common to many — it's a thing in my life — how to balance your work and what you do with the attention that you have to give to your family."

―Wagner Moura^[18]

Brander Lawson was created for^[19] the 2026^[18] animated television series Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord,^[19] the first episode of which—"Chapter 1: The Dark Revenge"^[10]—premiered on Disney+ on April 6 of that year.^[20] Lawson's voice was provided by actor Wagner Moura.^[18]

Lawson first appeared in the first issue of the Star Wars: Shadow of Maul comic-book miniseries. The issue was written by Benjamin Percy, illustrated by Madibek Musabekov,^[5] and published by Marvel Comics on March 4, 2026. Prior to the comic's release, Lawson was first introduced on an article on Marvel's website announcing Star Wars: Shadow of Maul on January 22, 2026.^[19]