Tradition Indentured servitude

[Nor'baal]

"What's meant by 'servitude' anyway? Do you think that it’s a polite code for 'slavery'? It could be; ultimately, it can be whatever the Hutts want it to mean.”
- Mav Masken, Sector Ranger​

Indentured servitude is a form of contract, in which an individual agrees to work without a salary for a specific and set period of time, bartering away their labour and freedom of movement for that same time period. Normally ranging from six months to thirty years the practice is common in the Outer Rim, where the participants in such a contract are often mistaken for slaves. Members of the infamous Hutt species are highly prolific practitioners in this trade, having built entire industries off of the back of it.

On a huge number of Outer Rim worlds, this practice is considered entirely legal, provided that the contracts relating to it are considered to operate within the required parameters of service. These parameters vary from world to world, but common stipulations include a time limitation on the service, that must be less than half of the average life expectancy for the participant, a clear stipulation on the type of labour expected, and an early release clause, normally linked to a credit payment.

A time-honoured tradition within Hutt society, the availability of vast amounts of cheap labour was a staple of their way of doing things. In some cases, Hutts viewed large-scale slave labour as economical impractical, due to a lack of discipline, motivation and the ever-persistent risk of uprisings. These, and the other associated costs of slavery, led to many Hutts seeing a decrease in their profit margins, and as a result, indenture was a far more popular practice.

Often used as a way out of going through other methods of punitive action the Hutt species like (such as pit fighting, torture of interment), indentured servitude was often a popular choice for those down on their luck. As a result, every year, thousands upon thousands of beings entered into contracts with the Hutts under a condition of indenture. These beings had their personal rights suspended, their freedom of movement and assembly limited, and their choice of occupation made for them, for a set period of time.

Once created, a contract was then ‘owned’ by the Hutt Clan who had signed it, and assigned a credit value. The contract could then be sold, moving the indentured servant to another owner, or even purchased by a third party (which could be the servant themselves) for an agreed sum of credits.

It was exceedingly common to implant a tracking devise into the body of an indentured servant, often with a small explosive device installed, to terminate the servant if they attempted to break their contract prematurely. These devices were removed once the contract ended.

Unsurprisingly, this practice was considered barbaric, and illegal, in much of the galaxy.

Intent

To provide a greater deal of detail around a reasonably commonplace practice in existing Star Wars Canon, and to bring it over to our forums canon.

 

[Logan]

Approved.