Zaalbar

"He was fleeing some kind of trouble back on Kashyyyk. That's all I know, really. Big Z doesn't like to talk about it. In case you didn't notice he's the strong, silent type."

- Mission Vao

Zaalbar, also nicknamed "Big Z", was a male Wookiee who aided former Sith Lord Revan in his quest throughout the galaxy to find and destroy the superweapon named the Star Forge. Originating from the Mid Rim Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, Zaalbar was the son of Wookiee Chieftain Freyyr, but had been exiled from his homeworld. Zaalbar was considered in Wookiee culture to be a madclaw, a title of dishonor, as he had turned on another Wookiee with his bare hands and violated a Wookiee code of conduct by doing so. Leaving Kashyyyk, Zaalbar traveled to the planet Taris where he encountered the Twi'lek orphan Mission Vao, and befriended her. Zaalbar and Vao traveled everywhere on Taris together, protecting one another in the absence of any other companions, forging a close bond between the two of them.

When the amnesiac Revan traveled to the planet alongside Republic soldier Carth Onasi in their search for the Jedi Knight Bastila Shan, they encountered Vao and Zaalbar when they were affiliated with the Hidden Beks. After being captured by Gamorrean slavers, and held prisoner in the sewers of the undercity, Vao turned to Revan and his companions for help in rescuing and freeing Zaalbar. With their combined abilities, they were able to do so. Escaping Taris with Revan and his companions after the orbital bombardment of the planet, Zaalbar agreed to travel around the galaxy with Revan and his companions, to search for the Star Maps which would lead them to the superweapon called the Star Forge. With one of the Star Maps being located on Zaalbar's homeworld of Kashyyyk, Zaalbar returned to his homeworld with Revan. With Revan's help he cleared his name and liberated Kashyyyk from the slaving operations of the pan-galactic Czerka Corporation. He parted ways with Revan after the defeat and death of Sith Lord Darth Malak.

Early life
A son of the Wookiee Chieftain Freyyr, Zaalbar was born on the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk during the Old Republic era. Wookiees, being inherently strong and powerful as a species, came under the attention of numerous slaving organizations across the galaxy, such as the galaxy spanning wide organization Czerka Corporation. After discovering that his brother, Chuundar, was making deals with slavers to sell Wookiees to them, Zaalbar went mad with rage and attacked Chuundar. With Wookiees being prone to bouts of rage, Zaalbar, during the fight, broke an important Wookiee code and used his claws as weapons. This meant that he was consequently exiled from Kashyyyk and branded as a madclaw.

In his exile, Zaalbar traveled to the planet Taris. Upon arrival, Zaalbar got into trouble in the Lower City, the lower part of the main city of Taris. A few gang members of the Black Vulkars, a swoop gang of Taris, began trying to fight the lone Wookiee. Although Zaalbar did not allow himself to be goaded into fighting, a young Twi’lek orphan, Mission Vao, was looking on and felt Zaalbar was threatened by the gang members. She attacked one of the Vulkars, but he knocked Vao down. Zaalbar grabbed the Vulkar who had done so by the throat, and this show of anger was enough to scare the others off. After that, Zaalbar and Vao became inseparable from one another, traveling everywhere together. Zaalbar's strength allowed Vao to gain physical protection against swoop gangs or local thugs, whilst Mission's abilities to break open locks, as taught to her by her brother Griff, were able to benefit Zaalbar. Zaalbar and Vao affiliated themselves with the Hidden Beks, a gang based around the swoop racing sport popular on Taris at the time.

Revan
"Keep your pet on a leash or you'll be wearing him."

- A Czerka Corporation guard on Zaalbar to Revan.

When the amnesiac Jedi Knight and former Sith Lord Revan served on the Republic ship Endar Spire, the ship came under attack by the Sith forces of Sith Lord Darth Malak. After the Sith forces overpowered the Endar Spire, and the Republic were forced to call an evacuation order, a multitude of Republic escape pods fled to the planet's surface. Zaalbar encountered Revan and his companion, Republic soldier Carth Onasi, when he was part of the Hidden Beks. Zaalbar and Vao first saw Revan in Javyar's Cantina. In the Cantina, Zaalbar was scaring off a group of Black Vulkars who were harassing Vao.

Zaalbar and Vao ignored Revan, upon first meeting him and his companion. Later, however, Zaalbar was captured by Gamorrean slavers, and taken to the Undercity sewers on his way to be sold on as a slave. Vao enlisted Revan's help in helping to rescue him from the Undercity sewers where he was being held. Reven proceeded to enter the sewers and subsequently attack and kill a number of the Gamorrean slavers, liberating Zaalbar from his confines. Zaalbar, during his imprisonment, had not been fed, and the only nutrition had received was when he had bitten a piece out of one of the arms of one of his Gamorrean oppressors. In the wake of his rescue by Revan, Zaalbar swore a life debt to the former Sith Lord, a Wookiee vow which meant he pledged his life to the protection of Revan. As a result, Zaalbar became a member of Revan's crew and joined him in his quest across the galaxy. Wherever he went Vao vowed she would follow, so she joined Revan's party as well.



Return to Kashyyyk
When Revan and his companions arrived on Kashyyyk–where Zaalbar's brother Chuundar had seized power from their father–Zaalbar was imprisoned by his brother for not honoring his exile as a madclaw. Revan learned that Chuundar had sold a number of his fellow Wookiees as slaves to Czerka Corporation, but only a few in the tribe knew this fact; the rest saw Chuundar as a great hero. Chuundar asked Revan to kill another madclaw Wookiee exile who had taken up residence in the Shadowlands, the dangerous area beneath the planet's trees, in order for them to be allowed to leave with Zaalbar. Revan, having seen in a vision the location of the Star Map being on the forest floor, agreed, as he felt he would be able to search for the Star Map at the same time. After journeying to the Shadowlands, Revan and his companions discovered that the exile was Freyyr, father of Zaalbar and Chuundar.

Instead of killing Freyyr, Revan helped the old Wookiee retrieve Bacca's Ceremonial Blade, a vibrosword of great importance to the Wookiees. Freyyr then led a revolt against Chuundar and Czerka Corporation, resulting with Chuundar being killed. In the wake of Chuundar's death, Freyyr resumed his position as chieftain of the tribe, giving Bacca's Ceremonial Blade to his son, Zaalbar. This indicated, in Wookiee culture, that his son would succeed him as chieftain. Zaalbar accepted this gift, but told his father that he had to honor his life debt to Revan, and follow him on his quest around the galaxy. Zaalbar told his father that he would return to Kashyyyk when their quest to find the Star Maps was complete, and the Star Forge destroyed.

After reaching the uncharted planet Lehon, the planet to which the Maps that would lead to the Star Forge had so far led them, Carth Onasi was able to give the location of the Star Forge to Republic Admiral Forn Dodonna. Dodonna brought her ships to Lehon triggering the Battle of Rakata Prime. Zaalbar, Revan and the rest of Revan's companions had been led to Lehon after finding Star Maps on the planets of Dantooine, Tattooine, Manaan, Korriban and Kashyyyk, the Maps directing them towards Lehon in order to find the Star Forge. During the battle, Forn Dodonna and Jedi Master Vandar Tokare commanded the Republic forces. A team of Jedi alongside Revan and his companions, including Zaalbar, boarded the Star Forge. Under Sith resistance including that of the captured Bastila Shan, who had turned to the dark side and aided Malak, Revan's party eventually reached Bastila and redeemed her. Subsequently, Revan defeated and killed Malak, destroying the Star Forge. After the destruction of the Star Forge, Zaalbar was given a medal, the Cross of Glory, by Admiral Dodonna, along with the rest of Revan's crew. Afterwards, when Revan left the galaxy for the unknown regions, leaving Zaalbar behind with the rest of his former party.

Personality and traits
"I keep telling Zaalbar to brush those choppers of his, but he never listens. Just stay upwind when he's speaking and you'll be fine."

- Mission Vao to Revan

Zaalbar was a shy Wookiee of few words, preferring to let the street-smart Mission Vao do most of the talking. He was very protective of the young Twi'lek, and would sacrifice himself for her without hesitation. Still, even as he trusted her, and trusted Revan, he found it difficult to express certain aspects of himself and of his culture, feeling they were private and not for outsiders to know. An important trait of Zaalbar’s was his loyalty, and a strong sense of Wookiee honor and tradition, as shown by his dedication to his life debt. Zaalbar also maintained keeping his past life secret from even those he trusted most, as he found it painful to discuss and share it.

Zaalbar also appeared to have a low opinion of himself, most likely a result of his exile and the shame of being a madclaw. When asked by Revan if he could help him with a problem, Zaalbar expressed his belief that he would be of little use unless, of course, he needed something to be bashed open.

Zaalbar also took care of his appetite. During his capture on Taris, he was so hungry that he even tried to bite off a Gamorrean guard's arm. When the Ebon Hawk' ' s food supply started getting low, he was the first one to notice it. Revan might have suspected him at first, of stealing and eating the supplies, but it turned out to be a young girl who had sneaked onboard. Vao was also constantly teasing Zaalbar about his bad breath and appearance.

Talents and abilities
Zaalbar's obvious skills lay in physical combat skills, and a strong constitution. Zaalbar was a dedicated warrior and fighter, able to wield a number of weapons including melee weapons, such as vibroblades, to the weapon called the Bowcaster, well favored by Wookiees. Dangerous when angered, this was demonstrated by Zaalbar’s choice to tear a chunk out of the arm of a Gamorrean slaver who was keeping him prisoner with his bare teeth. Zaalbar was also a strong guardian, protecting the young Mission Vao in the Undercity of Taris.

In terms of abilities of construction, Zaalbar was capable of making grenades for Revan and his party, doing so on numerous occasions. His personal possessions included a custom-crafted bowcaster and later, the sacred Bacca's Ceremonial Blade after the Wookiee rebellion on Kashyyyk. In terms of linguistic skills, Zaalbar was able to understand the languages of basic, ryl, huttese and shyriiwook, being able to speak the latter.

Zaalbar's strength was also evident from his ability to easily pick up foes, as he did with those who were attacking him when he first met Mission. He was also able to do this on Tattooine, where he was able to pick up Tusken Raiders.

Behind the scenes


An alternate dark side choice allows the player to side with Chuundar and kill Freyyr, thus making Zaalbar become coldhearted and darker in character. He will then tell Revan that he will side with him, but only because his brother Chuundar has taught him about using outsiders for their own advantage. This leaves Kashyyyk under the control of Czerka Corporation.

Another dark side option is available on Lehon. The player can persuade Zaalbar to kill Mission Vao as a payment of the life debt he has sworn. The player can also decide to kill Zaalbar at this point in the game. If the player has him kill Vao and chooses him as a party member on the Star Forge, he will remember his act and attack Revan for forcing him to kill his best friend.

Zaalbar is frequently referred to as "young" by the other Wookiees when Revan's party visits Kashyyyk. This, coupled with his friendship with Vao and reactions to her teasing, may mean that Zaalbar is only an adolescent himself.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords

Notes and references
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