Once a promising son of a eminent Bothan clan, Tarkan was to be trained in intrigue and subterfuge like most members of Bothan society. His studies included a comprehensive knowledge of alien anatomy and medicine, but Tarkan decided to apply this knowledge to healing instead of assassination. Leaving the safety of his family and clan behind, Tarkan lived among the fringes of Imperial society, providing medical care to the poor and downtrodden, those who needed it most. It was inevitable that he would one day encounter the seedier elements of the galaxy and encounter he did. On Canto Bight, a notable Hutt crimelord, Delgo the Disintegrator (named for his preferred method of execution), was in need of a street doctor who would ask no questions. As Tarkan locked up his clinic one night, he felt himself grabbed from behind and dragged away to the Hutt's palatial home. The crimelord's need was dire; his only son had been gravely wounded in a shootout with a rival organization. Tarkan was to save the life of his son or else. Back against the wall, Tarkan prepped himself for surgery. As the operation began, Tarkan felt a nagging feeling at the back of his mind. Elbows deep in a Hutt's chest cavity, he realized he recognized the patient whose life he was expected to save. While Delgo the Disintegrator was undeniably evil, he paled in comparison to his son, a sadist to his core. The son was infamous for the torment he would inflict on the impoverished denizens of Canto Bight, many of whom would end up in Tarkan's clinic getting treated after an ill-fated encounter with the young Hutt menace. As Tarkan groped through the Hutt's three lungs, he thought about how easy it would be to bring an end to the villain. Whether intentional or unintentional, a single slip of the scalpel was all it took to finish the Hutt's story. Delgo's rage over the death of his son was legendary, his shouts shook the building and even went so far to disturb some of the guests at the glamorous Canto Casino. Tarkan was imprisoned in the secret dungeon below Delgo's home, where he awaited a very painful execution. As Tarkan came to terms with his fate, a voice called out to him. One of Delgo's slaves, an invisible presence within the halls of Delgo's estate, stood outside his cell. Tarkan recognized the slave by the burn scars left on their arms, a permanent mark from the now deceased son of Delgo and treated by Tarkan at his clinic. Though Tarkan would deny that it had been intentional, word of what he did had spread quickly amongst the slaves who had all been subject to the son's cruelty at one point or another. At great risk to themselves, they freed Tarkan from his cell and dressed him in their rags, smuggling him to the spaceport where they had pooled their meager saving to buy Tarkan one way passage on a freighter headed far from Canto Bight. Now, Tarkan drifts from place to place, arriving and doing what good he can, then whether he finds trouble or trouble finds him, he is forced to move on.