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    Darth Revan, KOTOR’s greatest Sith Lord, explained

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    By on THENEXUS
    Darth Revan, KOTOR’s greatest Sith Lord, explained

    Darth Revan is best known as the Sith Lord of Star Wars: Knights of the Old RepublicBut he’s also one of the world’s greatest heroes. Star Wars franchise. Featured as the first customizable character KOTOR game, Revan’s story can remain on the positive side or border on the dark side, depending on the player’s choices. In the course of time, Star Wars the sourcebooks confirmed more definitive details about Revan’s character, while the spin-off comics explored his past more. This created a complete narrative of Revan’s rise, fall, rebirth, and actions as hero and villain.

    When the original Star Wars Expanded Universe was renamed “Legends” in 2014, Revan’s story became non-canon. Many fans expected Revan to be adapted into a canon story, similar to other EU characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn, but that didn’t happen. Although Revan is set to return in the KOTOR remake, few details about this project have been revealed since its initial announcement in 2021. These delays make this the perfect time to learn about Revan’s continuity in Legends and how his original story compares to his current status in the Star Wars timeline.

    Revan’s origin in KOTOR

    The talented Jedi prodigy who craved knowledge


    Revan on the cover of Star Wars: The Old Republic - Revan.

    Revan was taken in by the Jedi Order as a child and trained in the ways of the Force, with many of his teachers believing he would become an extraordinary Jedi. His first instructor was supposedly Jedi Master Kreia, the woman who would eventually become Darth Traya. Alongside his best friend Alek, Revan was trained at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. Although Revan and Alek became great and respected Jedi Knights, some of their masters were concerned about Revan’s seemingly never-ending desire for new knowledge about the Force.

    Revan and the Mandalorian Wars

    The conflict that divided the Jedi Order


    Darth Revan wearing Sith robes and holding a purple lightsaber in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

    When the Republic was plunged into war with the invading Mandalorians, the Jedi Order was divided into two camps. The Jedi Council believed the Order should stay out of the conflict, while Revan felt it was the Jedi’s duty to intervene. Against the Council’s wishes, Revan and Alek led their Jedi followers and Republic forces in a campaign against the Mandalorians. Revan finally defeated Mandalore, leader of the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders, and took his mask. However, shortly before he died, Mandalore revealed that a Sith had manipulated him into waging war against the Republic.

    Although Revan successfully repelled the Mandalorians, his victory came at a great cost, with many on both sides dying when a superweapon called the Mass Shadow Generator was used during the Battle of Malachor V. Revan and Alek, now known as Malak, were ordered to return and face the judgment of the Jedi Council. Only Meetra Surik, one of Revan’s top generals, responded to the call out of guilt for activating the Mass Shadow Generator, and she was exiled from the Jedi Order. Meanwhile, Revan and Malak took their remaining forces on a mission into the Unknown Regions.

    How Revan Became a Sith Lord

    Darth Revan and Darth Malak tried to destroy the Republic

    Revan and Malak eventually reached the Sith World of Dromund Kaas, where they confronted the Sith Emperor. Before the two could face him, the Emperor took control of their minds with the Force, turning them to the dark side and anointing them as Sith Lords. Darth Revan and Darth Malak were sent back to wage war against the Republic before the Emperor’s planned invasion, and the two searched for an ancient space station called Star Forge. This weapon, built by the Rakatan Infinite Empire, allowed them to build the ships needed for a Sith fleet.

    Instead of letting Revan die, the Jedi saved him and used the Force to wipe his memory, freeing him from the dark side.

    In an effort to stop the Sith, a Jedi strike team led by Bastilla Shan sneaked onto Revan’s flagship and engaged him in a lightsaber duel. Malak, seizing the opportunity to overthrow his master, ordered his ships to fire on Revan’s bridge. Instead of letting Revan die, the Jedi saved him and used the Force to wipe his memory, freeing him from the dark side. Malak took full control of the Sith army and continued his war against the Republic, unaware that his master was alive and in the hands of the Jedi Order.

    Revan’s Redemption and the Star Forge

    The former Sith returned to the light and saved the galaxy


    An older Revan looks at a hologram of his wife, Bastila Shan, holding their son, Vaner Shan, in Star Wars Legends.

    Despite having no memory, Revan was convinced by a Republic officer that he was a soldier in the war against the Sith. This led him to rescue Bastilla, who took him to the Jedi Enclave as his Force sensitivity began to emerge. Although the Jedi were reluctant to train Revan, they knew he had the best chance of defeating Malak, so he was retrained as a Jedi. Alongside Bastilla and a crew they gained along the way, Revan retraced the Sith’s footsteps to find a map to the Star Forge, unaware that he and Malak’s master were the same person.

    Unfortunately, Revan was confronted by Malak, who revealed the truth about Revan’s past. Malak then kidnapped Bastilla and tried to turn her to the dark side, managing to make her his apprentice. Despite having lied, Revan was determined to save the Bastille and stop Malak from destroying the Republic. His crew eventually located the Star Forge, and Revan entered as Republic forces engaged the Sith fleet. Revan defeated Malak and saved Bastilla from the dark side, and together they returned to their friends as heroes of the Republic.

    Revan and Bastilla later married, something the Jedi Council did not approve of but tolerated because of Revan’s status. As soon as Revan learned that Bastilla was pregnant, he discovered the threat of the Sith Empire and was determined to find them as he had done before. Retracing his steps, Revan made his way to Dromund Kass, but was captured and imprisoned by the Sith. Years later, he was rescued by his former general, Meetra Surik, and the two formed a temporary alliance with a Sith named Scourge to defeat the Emperor. However, Scourge betrayed the Jedi, capturing Revan and killing Surik.

    The Emperor placed Revan in stasis, allowing him to harness the Jedi’s strength and look into his mind. Despite being trapped, Revan used this to his advantage, using his mental link to the Emperor to prevent the Sith from attacking the Republic too soon. Surik’s Force ghost also remained by Ravan’s side, offering him strength in his mental battle with the Emperor. Revan was kept alive for hundreds of years, and his actions gave the Republic and the Jedi time to rebuild and prepare for the inevitable invasion of the Sith Empire.

    The Order of Revan explained

    A cult dedicated to Revan’s legacy


    Revan's spirit in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

    During Revan’s centuries of captivity, a secret society formed within the Sith Empire called the Order of Revan, based on his teachings. The Revanites believed in balancing the light and dark sides of the Force, reflecting Revan’s time as a Jedi and Sith, and sought to change the Empire from within. They were considered heretics by the rest of Sith society and targeted by the ruling council, but things changed when Revan himself was revealed to be alive. He took control of the organization that bears his name, but was no longer the man he was before his captivity.

    Years of mental anguish divided Revan’s mind, with his light side becoming a Force ghost and his dark half controlling his physical body. His followers infiltrated the Republic and the Sith Empire, all working toward Revan’s goal of destroying both societies and killing the man who imprisoned him. In a twist of fate, the Republic and the Sith Empire were forced to work together to defeat Revan, taking him to Yavin 4. After Revan’s defeat, his light counterpart convinced him to merge back into one being, causing him to for his physical body to disappear.

    Everything we know about Revan in the Star Wars Canon

    Not much is known about Revan except his existence


    Star Wars image with Old Republic Darth Revan holding his red lightsaber in front of him.

    Revan’s story may have been developed in the Legends timeline, but not much is known about him in canon. He was mentioned in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – The Visual Dictionary by Pablo Hidalgo, who identified the 3rd Legion of the Eternal Sith army as the “Revan” legion. Revan almost became canon in 2011 as a Sith spirit in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3, Episode 17 “Ghosts of Mortis”, but this scene was later cut. Until a new story returns to the era of the Old Republic, Revan’s fate in Star Wars Canon will likely remain a mystery.

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