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Revan
RevanTOR
Biographical information
Homeworld

Deralia (re-programmed identity)[1]

Born

3,994 BBY[2]

Physical description
Species

Human[2]

Gender

Male[2]

Hair color

Brown[3]

Eye color

Brown[3]

Chronological and political information
Affiliation
Known masters
  • Kreia (Jedi Master)[4]
  • Zhar Lestin (Jedi Master)[1]
  • Dorak (Jedi Master)[1]
  • Arren Kae (Jedi Master)[4]
  • Yuthura Ban (Sith trainer)[4]
Known apprentices
Real-world information
Timeline

Old Republic era[1]

Portrayed by
"You will have gone from being the Sith Lord himself, to the savior of our galaxy."
Bastila Shan[src]

Revan was a Jedi Knight during the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War; during the first years of the Jedi Civil War, he was known as Darth Revan, the Dark Lord of the Sith in the Revanchist Empire. Before his fall to the dark side, Revan was one of a number of Jedi who disobeyed the Jedi High Council's orders and fought in the Mandalorian Wars for the Galactic Republic. The Republic hailed him as a hero, as he was one of the individuals responsible for the Republic's victory over the Mandalorian Clans.[1]

When the war ended, Revan—along with his friend, Malak—disappeared into the Unknown Regions. Revan and Malak encountered the Emperor of the True Sith Empire on Dromund Kaas, completing a fall to the dark side that had begun during the final days of the Mandalorian Wars.[3] Revan and Malak located the Star Forge, an ancient super weapon, and used it to fuel a war effort that they launched upon their return into Republic space.[1]

Revan and Malak brought the Republic near the brink of defeat. However, a last-ditch effort by the Jedi, led by Jedi Padawan Bastila Shan, allowed the Jedi to capture Revan and alter his memories. He became a Republic soldier and later traveled to the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, where the Council began retraining him as a Jedi.[1]

Revan, with help from Shan, Republic soldier Carth Onasi, and a number of others, set out to locate the Star Forge and destroy it. It was on this journey that Revan learned of his true identity. During the final battle of the Jedi Civil War, Revan confronted his old apprentice, Darth Malak, and killed him; the Star Forge was destroyed soon thereafter. Revan was once more hailed as a hero of the Republic.[1] Following the war's end, he disappeared into the Unknown Regions in search of the True Sith Empire.[4]

Biography[]

Early life and training[]

"Some said that Revan was born in the Outer Regions, beyond the Rim, and that’s what called to him during the Mandalorian Wars...and after. It was the call of home."
Kreia[src]

Revan’s origins were unknown to most of the galaxy. It was speculated that the was born somewhere beyond the Outer Rim Territories, but this was never confirmed.[4] What was known, however, was that the Jedi Order discovered he was sensitive to the powers of the Force and brought him into the Order to train as a Jedi.[1] Once in the Jedi Order, Revan was trained by Jedi Master Kreia and became close friends with a fellow Padawan named Malak.[4] Together, they trained in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.[1]

Throughout his training, Revan and Malak also sought the teachings of other elder Jedi, including the Twi'lek Jedi Master Zhar Lestin. Lestin observed that Revan had a strong thirst for knowledge, but the Jedi Master did not find it to be a concern. Both Lestin and fellow Jedi Master Vandar Tokare saw Revan as a future example of a true Jedi, but Master Vrook Lamar felt that Revan was too interested in learning more about the Force. The elder Jedi Master suspected that Revan sought knowledge of the dark side of the Force in addition to his Jedi teachings.[1]

As his training went on, Revan moved on from Kreia’s teachings and continued learning under additional Masters. Revan traveled to Dantooine where he learned from Dorak, the chronicler of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, as well as Arren Kae.[1] He eventually returned to Kreia, however, not because he felt there was more to learn from the Jedi, but he sought to learn how to leave the Jedi entirely.[4] It was during this time that Revan unknowingly dismissed the temptations of the dark side and began to fall prey to them.[1]

The Mandalorian Wars[]

"When the Mandalorian threat first arose, Revan and Malak were eager to defeat the enemy of the Republic. But the Council thought it best if we moved with care and caution. The true threat, the Council feared, had not yet revealed itself. But Revan would not be dissuaded."
—Zhar Lestin[src]

In 3,963 BBY, after the Mandalorian Clans invaded the Galactic Republic following years of conflicts in the Outer Rim, the Jedi High Council declined to have the Order become involved in the conflict. The Council believed that the Mandalorian Wars signaled a greater threat and that it would be foolish to become involved in the war without knowing the full extent of the conflict. Revan, however, disagreed with the Council’s decision, and he led Malak and a number of other Jedi into battle on the side of the Republic.[1]

Revan Jedi Council

In defiance of the High Council, Revan chooses to fight in the Mandalorian Wars.

In spite of Revan’s defiance, the Council continued to denounce him and attempted to influence the rest of the Jedi from joining him. The brutality the Mandalorians unleashed, however, led to thousands of Jedi joining Revan, who officially took over command of the Republic forces. This marked a turning point in the war, as Revan’s military tactics, combined with Malak’s relentless pursuit of victory, allowed the Republic to begin beating back the Mandalorian invaders. Revan and Malak became heroes to the Republic and continued to claim numerous victories.[1]

Throughout the war, Revan and Malak led the liberation of Taris, fought Cassus Fett at Jaga’s Cluster, and defeated a significant force of the Mandalorians at Althir.[1] Despite these victories, however, Revan and Malak began displaying behavior that concerned his followers. They lost the optimism that led them to set out on what they saw as their noble crusade and began acting similar to the Mandalorians, despising weakness and indecisiveness amongst their followers.[4]

Unmasked Revan

After amassing a number of victories, Revan and Malak took command of the Republic forces.

In 3,961 BBY, after two years of war, Revan discovered a Star Map on Kashyyyk that had been placed there by the ancient Infinite Empire. Soon thereafter, he discovered the ancient Sith world of Malachor V, a world that the Mandalorians avoided. Once on Malachor, he discovered the Trayus Academy, a Sith temple housed on its surface. It was there that Revan learned the location and significance of Korriban, the ancient Sith homeworld. Kreia later believed that Revan discovered the existence of the True Sith Empire, the hidden remnants of the First Sith Empire, in the academy, causing him to swear himself to the dark side of the Force in order to help him defeat the True Sith threat.[4]

Revan returned from Malachor to the front of the war effort, where he planned for one final confrontation with the enemy forces over Malachor V. Revan planned to use the Mass Shadow Generator, a weapon constructed by one of his most trusted friends and Generals, Meetra Surik, in order to destroy the Mandalorian forces. Once the plan was in motion, Revan confronted the Mandalorian leader, Mandalore the Ultimate, intent on killing him. Surik, meanwhile, was tasked with activating the weapon.[4]

With the Battle of Malachor V underway, Revan mortally wounded Mandalore in combat. As Mandalore was dying, he told Revan that he had attacked the Republic only after being approached by a Sith Lord. The Sith Lord manipulated him into launching the Mandalorian Wars under the pretense that the Mandalorians would triumph in battle. In the end, however, the Sith had never intended the Mandalorians to win, but only planned on using the war as a means to weaken the Republic, thus proving the Council’s worry about a greater threat true. In order to prove to Revan that it was true, Mandalore provided the coordinates of Rekkiad, a planet where Revan would be able to locate the Sith.[2]

MtheUvsRevan

Revan confronts Mandalore the Ultimate in combat, killing the Mandalorian leader.

As Mandalore died, the remainder of the Mandalorian forces continued to fight against those of the Republic. Most of the Mandalorians moved in range of the Mass Shadow Generator, which Surik activated. The resulting devastation laid waste to Malachor V and everyone on the surface and within range of the weapon, including Mandalorians, Jedi, and Republic soldiers, were instantly killed.[5]

Despite the significant losses it sustained in the battle, the Republic celebrated their victory over the Mandalorians, while Revan was hailed a hero. Even the Jedi Council rethought its previous position on the war, but ultimately they concluded that they had been correct. The Mandalorians were nearly extinct, which Revan had intended; he took the mask of Mandalore for himself, denying the Mandalorians the ability to choose a successor. Revan hid the mask on Rekkiad, where Revan and Malak travelled and found the proof of the True Sith threat that Mandalore had spoken of.[2] The loss of their ancestral mask caused the Mandalorian Clans to scatter, with most of the remaining forces becoming bounty hunters and mercenaries.[1]

Birth Darth Revan Darth Malak

Corrupted by the dark side, Revan and Malak left the Republic in search of the True Sith.

After their discovery on Rekkiad, Revan and Malak chose not to return to the Republic. Together, they left known space with their remaining forces and embarked on a search for the True Sith in the Unknown Regions. Even the Republic soldiers who served under Revan followed him, having developed a hatred of the Jedi Order for their inaction and renouncing their allegiance to the Republic. The Jedi who fought with Revan also fled into the Unknown Regions, save for Surik who, in order to survive the effects of the Mass Shadow Generator, severed her connection to the Force and returned to face the judgment of the High Council.[4]

The Sith Emperor[]

"We know nothing of what transpired when Revan and Malak met the Sith Emperor. One thing is certain: when they returned, they did so on behalf of their new dark master."
Gnost-Dural[src]

Having found a lead on Rekkiad, Revan and Malak traveled to Nathema. The planet, devoid of the Force, contained records that told them the location of a planet called Dromund Kaas. When Revan and Malak arrived, they discovered it was the capital planet of the True Sith Empire, so they took on the appearance of mercenaries and spied on the Sith for several months. While doing so, they discovered that the True Sith were led by a Dark Lord of the Sith called the Sith Emperor, and the two Jedi began plotting to kill him. They met with one of the Emperor’s guards a number of time, unaware that the guard was reporting their plot to the Emperor.[2]

Revan Malak Sith Emperor

Revan and Malak confront the Sith Emperor in his throne room.

When they arrived in the Emperor’s throne room, Revan and Malak readied themselves to attack him, but he was prepared for their assault and enslaved their minds to his will. Having already sworn themselves to the dark side at the Trayus Academy, the Emperor’s influence led Revan and Malak to agree to fight for the True Sith Empire, not against it. In order to speed up his war effort and to learn about the defenses of the Republic, the Emperor sent Revan and Malak back to the known galaxy and find and utilize the ancient Infinite Empire Star Maps in order to discover the Star Forge, a lost foundry built by the Infinite Empire that would make any fleet nearly invincible.[6]

Carrying out the Emperor’s will, Revan and Malak—now Sith Lords under the names Darth Revan and Darth Malak—secretly returned to Republic space in order to locate the remainder of the Star Maps. Having already discovered the Star Map on Kashyyyk, they traveled to Dantooine, where they located a Star Map in ancient ruins near the Jedi Enclave. Malak warned Revan that, if they entered the temple, they would never be able to return to the Jedi, but they pressed forward and discovered the Star Map.[1]

Revanfindsmap1

Revan and Malak discover a Star Map on Dantooine.

One step closer to finding the Star Forge, Revan and Malak began having ambitions of becoming Dark Lords of the Sith in their own right and forging their own empire with the Star Forge. Just as they had done to the Jedi, the two Sith Lords turned against the Sith Emperor and planned to use the Star Forge for their own purposes. With this decision, the Revanchist Empire was forged.[6] Revan and Malak continued their discovery of further Star Maps, locating the remainder of the devices on Tatooine, Manaan, and Korriban.[1]

Discovery of the Star Forge[]

"All you ever saw was an enormous factory, all you ever imagined was an infinite fleet rolling forth to crush the Republic."
—Darth Malak[src]

With the coordinates to the Star Forge discovered, Revan and Malak traveled to Lehon, a lost planet that had been under the dominion of the Infinite Empire. When they arrived, their vessel crashed on the planet’s surface, and they were attacked by the Black Rakata, a tribe of Rakatans that lived on Lehon. The Black Rakata attempted to take them prisoner, but Revan and Malak defeated them. Needing to communicate with the Rakatans, Revan used the Force to rip their language from their minds and into his, while putting his own language into their own minds. This led to the tribal warriors taking Revan and Malak to their leader, The One.[1]

When speaking to The One, Revan explained that he was seeking the Star Forge and that he would need access to the nearby Temple of the Ancients, which would give him access to the Star Forge. Revan came to realize that they did not have any technological understanding of the Temple, nor did they understand their Infinite Empire past, but The One promised Revan entrance if he slaughtered the Elders, an enemy tribe on the planet.[1]

StarForge

The Star Forge.

Rather than destroy the Elders, Revan sought them out on the assumption that they would be able to grant him access to the Temple, whereas the Black Rakata would not. Through the Elders, Revan learned about the ancient Infinite Empire, as well as the disrupter field that forced his ship to the surface. Revan realized that the Elders opposed their violent past and claimed to be a follower of the light side who wanted to destroy the Star Forge once and for all. The Elders trusted him and gave Revan and Malak access to the temple. Revan promised he would destroy the factory and return to Lehon, but, instead, he took control over the Star Forge and prepared to send out an army as Dark Lord of the Sith.[1]

The Dark Lord led his army of former Jedi and Republic soldiers, also corrupted from the light to the dark side, to the Lehon system and began to use the Star Forge to create an even larger armada than he previously had. Despite the power granted to those who embraced all of the station’s abilities, Revan chose to avoid constant exposure to the Star Forge and instead used it only to construct a fleet to conquer the Republic. Malak strongly disagreed with the decision, but Revan had learned of the Infinite Empire’s history and recognized that over-exposure to its dark energies drove the Rakatans to civil war.[1]

Once his armada was completed and he had strength enough to dominate the Republic and the Jedi, the Revanchist Empire was officially born. Revan led his fleet back into Republic space and revealed himself as a Sith Lord, throwing the galaxy into the chaotic Jedi Civil War.[1]

The war begins[]

"Revan understood one thing—the real battle was going to be fought between the Jedi on both sides. That was the only battle that mattered."
Atton Rand[src]
MalakRevanSithtroops

Once heroes of the Republic, Revan and Malak returned from the unknown to conquer it.

The Jedi Civil War began in 3,959 BBY. When the conflict underway, Revan led his empire to Korriban, where they took control of the planet and established an academy to train new Sith recruits in the ways of the dark side. As Revan’s followers did so, he personally led his fleets throughout the galaxy.[1] While he aimed to overthrow the Republic, he purposefully avoided targeting military planets and other areas of infrastructure that would be needed to defend against the True Sith Empire. It was Revan’s goal to leave the Republic mostly intact in order to quicken the rebuilding process once the war ended. Even if he lost the war, Revan recognized that it would result in a stronger Republic that could defend itself against the inevitable threat.[4]

After one year of conflict, the Sith carried out an attack at Foerost, where they captured most of the Republic forces. Under Revan’s orders, they also carried out bombardment of Telos IV. Revan intended the planet to be conquered by the Sith, but Malak beckoned Admiral Saul Karath, a former Republic soldier and follower of Revan, to destroy the planet to prove his loyalty to the Sith. Karath complied and devastated the planet.[1]

Revan recognized that, as the war went on, the Jedi participation in the conflict would result in victory belonging to whoever had the strongest Force users. Forsaking the training methods of the old Sith, Revan focused his empire’s training on covert action rather than direct force. He sent out assassins throughout the Republic, using them to kill or corrupt Jedi. Revan converted even his own forces into becoming Dark Jedi and also used assassin droids, such as HK-47 whom Revan had personally built, to eliminate threats to the Revanchist Empire.[4]

The war effort also necessitated alliances with other entities throughout the galaxy in order to aid the Imperial war machine. One of the alliances Revan made was with the Czerka Corporation, one of the galaxy’s most powerful companies. The company was able to aid in amassing resources crucial to fighting the war against the Republic. Revan also attained diplomatic relations with Manaan, where the vital healing substance kolto was located.[1]

Downfall as Dark Lord[]

"I betrayed you when I realized my own strength was greater than yours."
—Darth Malak[src]

As the war continued, Malak began seeing Revan in an increasingly negative light, believing his master was too soft and weak. This tension resulted in a lightsaber duel between the two. Revan bested Malak, cutting off his apprentice’s entire jaw with his blade. Malak required a cybernetic jaw guard, allowing him to speak but with an electronic tone. It was during this time that Malak asked HK-47 what he thought of him, and HK-47 told Malak that he thought Malak was a “meatbag.” Amused, Revan programmed the droid to call all organic lifeforms as such.[1]

Revan’s forces began facing minor setbacks after Bastila Shan, a Jedi able to use the power of battle meditation in order to affect the will power of entire armies, entered the conflict. Despite her ability to decrease the Sith’s will to win, the Republic recognized that it would not be able to rely on her for complete victory over the Sith Empire. The Republic and Jedi chose to use Shan to their advantage in another way and, in 3,957 BBY, set a trap for Revan and Malak by luring them into a battle against a minor Republic fleet.[1]

Revanconfronted

Revan is confronted by Bastila Shan and her Jedi strike team.

During the battle, Shan led a Jedi team onto Revan’s flagship and confronted him on the command deck. Revan prepared to battle the Jedi attackers, but Malak, knowing that the team was on the bridge, attacked his master’s vessel, hoping to destroy Revan and the Jedi strike team in order to take control of the Sith and eliminate their strongest adversary. Malak believed he was successful in killing Revan and crowned himself Dark Lord of the Sith, but Revan survived, albeit in a comatose state. Shan, who also survived, chose to save the weakening Revan and bring him back to the Jedi Order. By sustaining him through the Force, she unknowingly created a bond within the Force between them.

Shan fled the scene of the battle as the Sith retreated, and she brought the critically injured Revan to the Jedi Council. The Jedi Masters debated what to do with the amnesic, comatose Sith Lord, ultimately deciding to use Shan’s Force bond with Revan to learn how he had constructed a nearly invincible fleet. The Jedi reprogrammed Revan’s mind to hide the identity of the Dark Lord, and Shan was tasked with keeping his true identity hidden while also trying to learn about his buried memories.[1]

Trapped on Taris[]

"I believe Bastila was on one of the escape pods that crashed down here on Taris. For the sake of the Republic war effort, we have to try and find her."
Carth Onasi[src]

One year later, Revan, under a false name with no memories of his true past as the Dark Lord, enlisted in the Republic military as a soldier. He was placed under Shan’s command aboard the Republic vessel Endar Spire. At the planet Taris, the ship fell under attack from Darth Malak’s flagship Leviathan, as Malak had been hunting Shan and used the ambush as a means of attempting to kill her. With the aid of a fellow soldier, Trask Ulgo, Revan began making his way through the ship in an attempt to help Shan. Revan and Ulgo were confronted by Darth Bandon, Malak’s apprentice, and Ulgo sacrificed his own life to save Revan from Bandon. Revan continued through the ship after speaking via commlink Carth Onasi, a Republic captain and a survivor of the Sith assault on Telos IV, and the two were able to escape the ship in the last escape pod just before the Endar Spire was destroyed.[1]

The escape pod crashed on Taris and Onasi dragged Revan, who was knocked unconscious, to an apartment in the planet’s Upper City. While unconscious, he had a vision from the Force about the Jedi attack on his flagship, but Revan was unaware that he was the Dark Lord. Revan remained unconscious while Onasi inspected the surrounding area, and, when Revan awoke, Onasi told him that the Endar Spire’s escape pods had crashed into the Undercity. He believed that because they had survived, a powerful Jedi like Bastila could have as well. Knowing her importance to the Republic’s war effort, Revan and Onasi set out to find her.[1]

Return to the Jedi[]

Quest for the Star Forge[]

Kashyyyk[]

Manaan[]

Tatooine[]

Learning the truth[]

Infiltrating Korriban[]

Return to Lehon[]

Battle of the Star Forge[]

Aftermath of war[]

Seeking Meetra Surik[]

Retracing his steps[]

Confronting the Emperor[]

The Emperor's prisoner[]

Release and disappearance[]

"And in the end, as the darkness takes me, I am nothing. Now I know how you felt, my friend."
—Revan recounts the last words of Darth Malak before his own disappearance[src]

Legacy[]

Personality and traits[]

Powers and abilities[]

Behind the scenes[]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

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