Template:KZD Profile
Physical Appearance[]
With a skeletal, wiry frame and a hunched back, the Professor makes for an enigmatic character to rouse caution in the eyes of the beholder even when viewed from a distance. At close proximity, a pair of almost always bloodshot (from a lack of sleep), green eyes can be viewed behind a pair of glasses, an outdated technology; for those who believe that eyes are windows to the soul, gazing into this pair would reveal a genius on the brink of madness. The rest of his facial features could be described as plain and unassuming for any caucasian human male; an imperfect, hook-like nose, aging skin, and a scruffy salt-and pepper beard which clearly receives as little attention as his messily kempt head of hair, which is the same color as its facial counterpart. As peculiar as the rest of his appearance, the Professor is known to wear the same outfit of clothing each day - Simple black leather dress shoes, a pair of khaki slacks, a white button-up shirt with a black tie, and his white labcoat. Whether he wears the same set of clothing or owns multiple sets of the same outfit is unknown.
Despite his lack of attention to personal appearance, the Professor isn't completely devoid of hygienic practices, and keeps himself surprisingly clean, bearing no stench nor the damp shine of accumulating body oil and grime characteristic to unbathed humans.
Personality[]
The Professor's personality in social situations varies greatly, depending upon the time which he is spoken to. When he has encountered success (or at least a lack of problems) in his research, the scientist can be polite and amiable enough so as to not have an unpleasant meeting with new or old acquaintances. However, in times of recent complication or failure in his experimentations, Mengol will take on a rude, authoritative demeanor in which he treats anyone he comes across as if they were his personal slave to be trodden upon as a medium through which he can release his anger.
General characteristics which can always be observed in his personality are a superiority complex, a playful fascination with acquired knowledge, disregard for the emotions and pains of those who would suffer at the expense of his research, and a raw hatred for all whom he feels impede the advancement of science and technology. He is also known to have a distaste for those who possess the ability to wield the Force, and a hatred of races apart from humanity, due to his belief that these races are inferior to humanity and would be non-existant apart from use as slave labor in a perfected universe.
History[]
Born to an unknown family on an unknown world, Professor Joseph Mengol mysteriously surfaced in the galaxy during the Clone Wars. All attempts to trace his history to a period before this time have ended in failure. Rising from seemingly nowhere, a brilliant young scientist approached the Republic's lead scientists at the time with a fully-functioning prototype design of a module which could be implemented into starfighter designs to graft a pilot's body into the chassis as an additional component, resulting in far greater control over the craft than could ever be achieved through simple piloting controls. The young man introduced himself as Professor Joseph Mengol, and although he had no credentials to certify his professorship or identity, he went unquestioned and was swiftly ushered into a high position within the Republic military scientific community; although his introductory design was deemed too inhumane to be put into use (subjects could never leave the chassis of the vessel once implemented into it), the invention was a modern marvel, nonetheless.
Mengol was given his own laboratory and cadre of scientists to conduct research on whatever he pleased for the remainder of the war. During this period, there is no official record of even one single product of his research, though curiously enough, the Professor was allowed to continue with whatever sort of experimentations he was conducting despite the fact that he'd apparently failed to meet any and all deadlines and quotas.
At the conclusion of the wars during the brief period of political instability in which the Republic transitioned into the Galactic Empire, Mengol's laboratory on an Outer Rim naval base met with an unfortunate accident during, cited from Mengol's research reports, "...tests being performed on the effects of volatile materials upon the biological shells of varying intelligent sentient races..." With the loss of the lives of several non-clone military personnel and a sizeable chunk of Imperial military resources, the public and the still-active Senate were outraged. Mengol, having somehow miraculously survived the explosions unscathed, was offered as a scapegoat by his superiors, along with a public release of reports regarding some of his more inhumane research practices. There was little delay in his conviction and sentencing of execution.
Due to the publicity which the case had received, the scientist's work had caught the eye of the newly christened Emperor Palpatine, who, rather than waste this potential gain with execution for his crimes, pressed Mengol into service, the only payment Mengol requiring being a suitable research facility and all of the specimens he required. This, he was most happily granted in the form of the Citadel, a self-sufficient mobile research facility in the form of a modified Imperial-II class Star Destroyer.
Mengol dutifully served the occasional research requests of his Emperor in secrecy, quickly churning out marvelous advancements before returning to his own private researches. It was only when a Rebellion informant in a high-level position sliced through secure data systems that Mengol's existance was discovered and once again made public. This information leak even gave rise to the unconfirmed rumor that Mengol had developed plans for a superweapon even more devastating than the Death Star itself, though the project had been rejected by even Palpatine due to its inhumane power; when questioned on the matter, Mengol merely laughs, and so the tale remains yet a rumor, and nothing more.
Upon the death of Palpatine and the decline of the Empire, the Citadel and its crew simply continued life as usual, adding on modules to hold equipment which they might use for gathering their own specimens since specimens would no longer be regularly delivered. As an amount of Imperial remnant forces began to gather under the leadership of High Admiral Disra, Mengol was reluctant to pledge allegiance to an Empire which might easily be destroyed. However, as Disra and his forces began to rise in number and have victory-after-victory, the mad scientist and his cadre, with much hesitation, opted to once again enter service under the reign of the Galactic Empire.
Since his return to the Empire, Mengol had gained profound reknown and influence, having brought with him a myriad of amazing data and creations. With his newfound position, Mengol had instituted a number of changes to the Empire, including the creation of an official Imperial Research Division and a sub-branch of this Division, based on psychological research he conducted as a result of the Empire's more recent problems with loyalty in its ranks.
Imperial Research Division was led by Mengol and the Citadel, though there were soon several research laboratories scattered throughout the galaxy where scientific studies could take place. When research which would require extreme skill or secrecy took place, however, it was reserved for the Citadel, where all of the most important studies were conducted. Imperial Research Division contained no ranking system, as it consisted only of the various scientists that composed its numbers. Each facility, however, was designated a leading scientist chosen by Mengol.
The newly instituted systems brought great success in the fields of research and social control to the Empire for a brief period, though as several transitions took place within the fledgling government, there came both political and military upheaval. By the end of this period, the Empire had seen the loss of several leaders including its Supreme Command Disra, Grand General Dorlas, and Admiral Pollard, some of its most inspiring and rallying figures. As the dust began to settle and the embers began to smolder, Mengol and his Citadel abruptly disappeared without warning or trace.
Now, years later, there have been several unconfirmed sightings of the Citadel in the orbit of Coruscant, and Mengol's most prized research specimen, the former Yuuzhan Vong Dread Lord Artemis Obauldi has surfaced once more, giving rise to the rumor that the Professor has returned...