Cooper Smith was a Human who was abducted by Skagarans in the 19th century and taken to a Skagaran colony on a planet in the Delphic Expanse for slave labor. Soon after being captured, Smith led a rebellion against the Skagarans and the Humans eventually overthrew their alien masters.
By 2153, the Humans who lived on the Skagaran colony world were taught that Smith was a folk hero and liberator. However, the Skagarans called Smith "Rokdar", which means "butcher". According to the Skagarans, Smith and his men had burned the interstellar craft that the Skagarans had used to carry the Humans to their colony. The Skagarans also believed that Smith had ordered the destruction of their weapons. He and his men had murdered most of the Skagarans, including entire families of the alien species. In an effort to keep the Skagarans from reclaiming power, Smith wrote the first laws that kept the Skagarans from going to school, owning property or marrying. Cooper Smith claimed that the Skagarans could move through thin air from one place to another.