Keyan Farlander

Keyan Farlander was a male Human pilot who flew with the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War. Later he trained as a Jedi Knight, combining the life of a Jedi to his life as a military commander.

Biography
Farlander grew up in Tondatha, a small town on Agamar, an agricultural world in the Outer Rim. Farlander never had any objections to Imperial rule until the Empire, alleging that the residents of Tondatha had been plotting against the Emperor, destroyed the town with an orbital bombardment. Although Farlander survived with only minor burns, his parents were killed and his sister, Kitha, was badly burned.

Farlander sent his sister to live with their aunt and uncle on Oorn Tchis, where she might receive treatment. Meanwhile he moved to Calna Muun and became involved in the Agamar Resistance. Three months after the attack, Farlander attended a secret rally held by Mon Mothma to encourage the Agamar Resistance to become part of the Rebel Alliance.

Inspired by Mon Mothma's speech, Farlander decided to join the Rebellion as a starfighter pilot. He did his initial training, along with fellow Agamarian recruits 'Ndranth Poussan, Sunnar Jan-lo and Breth Gart, onboard the Mon Calamari cruiser Independence with Lieutenant Hamo Blastwell assigned as his liaison and Commander Wex "TIE-Die" Dafid as his tactical training officer. During his training, Farlander met the legendary Rebel pilot Halley Kadorto.

Farlander was still undergoing combat training when he was picked for his first mission. A shortage of pilots forced the Alliance to make use of the rookie in a mission to retrieve information stored on the Imperial corvette Talon. Farlander would fly a T-65 X-wing starfighter as part of Red Squadron, assisting the Nebulon-B frigate Liberator in engaging TIE Fighter escorts while Y-wings from Gold Squadron would disable Talon. Storm Unit would then board the ship and retrieve the information. The strike force would then retreat into hyperspace before Imperial reinforcements could arrive.

Red Squadron emerged from hyperspace and began engaging TIE Fighter escorts. However, a call from Storm Unit needing an R2 unit caused Farlander to break off and dock with Talon. While Storm Unit fought against defending stormtroopers, Farlander and his R2 unit worked their way to the bridge where they deactivated any remaining turbolaser batteries and began downloading data from the ship's computer. He also relieved an Imperial officer of some disks which he was attempting to destroy before returning to Independence.

Farlander's actions made earned him a promotion to lieutenant. The mission was later entered into the historical missions database for training of new pilots. Impressed by Farlander's performance in his first mission and his near perfect scores in the simulators, General Dodonna requested that he enter active duty as soon as possible.

Farlander was important in the Rebellion actions over the coming months. The Rebels had learned of a massive Imperial offensive, Operation Strike Fear, and defeating it was the first priority. The campaign saw Farlander in action several times, playing an important role in the Battle of Brigia and capturing an Imperial explosive device which the Rebels then used to destroy the Star Destroyer Invincible, putting an end to Operation Strike Fear. Farlander's actions during his first tour of duty saw him promoted to captain. He also started to develop a romantic interest in Lynia Delline during this time although she was frequently off-ship and the two found it hard to find time together.

Shortly after the end of Operation Strike Fear the Alliance began to hear rumours that the Empire was developing a new superweapon and began to search for information regarding the nature of the threat. Farlander would be involved in several missions during this period including the attack on the Star Destroyer Intrepid and helping to rescue Biggs Darklighter whose X-wing had broken down and come under attack from Imperial forces. The two pilots became friends after the mission.

During an attack on an Imperial weapons convoy near Orron III, Farlander made a mistake which resulted in the loss of two wingmen and his briefing officer, Commander Lagrane suspended him from operations pending an official inquest regarding the incident. He was eventually returned to active duty with a warning and a compulsory visit to the flight simulators for some brushing up. However, the pressure of battle combined with losing so many friends was starting to have an affect on him. Also, although he was not yet aware of it, Farlander was Force-sensitive which started to manifest itself in his dreams and was affecting his concentration.

The Empire's secret weapon turned out to be the Death Star. The Alliance was able to acquire plans for the battle station which were to be transported to Alderaan by Leia Organa. Farlander flew protection for the transfer of the plans to her ship, Tantive IV, and was called on again when the ship came under attack from the Star Destroyer Immortal.

Farlander became a liaison Breth Gart, recently accepted as a pilot. On a temporary assignment to the Mon Calamari Cruiser Defiance, Farlander and Gart defended it from the Star Destroyer Immortal. Gart was killed flying with Farlander during an attack on the Imperial base at Kalla VII.

Farlander found it difficult to cope with Gart's death but when his dreams returned he heard voices telling him that Gart was weak and that only power would defeat the Empire and end the war. His superior's concerned about his mental state planned to ground him, but Farlander used the Force to persuade them to let him stay active. Farlander's first experiences with the Force were untrained, and he was influenced by spirits from both the dark and light sides of the Force, leading him dangerously close to the dark side before he finally discovered that the Force was more than just a source of power. At first, he took on a group of young pilots to instruct, promoting aggression and a sense of invulnerability in them. This resulted in the death of Casal Marskan and Farlander was held responsible by the other pilots. Eventually, the light side spirits won out, and he turned his back on the other darker voices.

He was one of the few pilots to survive the attack on the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin. After the battle Lynia promised to spend more time with him.

Keyan worked on experimental projects such as the B-wing starfighter with Slayn & Korpil, a Verpine starfighter manufacturer operating in the Roche asteroids. He earned the respect of Luke Skywalker, and eventually became a Jedi Knight; often working as a Jedi pilot instructor. He later became a general during the Yuuzhan Vong War. He juggled his life as a Jedi with his life as a military commander, playing a pivotal role in several battles against the Yuuzhan Vong, including the Fall of Coruscant, the Second Battle of Obroa-skai, the Battle of Ebaq 9, and the Liberation of Coruscant.

Behind the scenes

 * As stated in X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide, Luke Skywalker flew in Keyan's X-wing, while Keyan borrowed a Y-wing and flew with Gold Squadron. Since then, it is believed that the only Y-wing shown in A New Hope leaving the battle is Keyan.
 * Keyan is the player character in the game Star Wars: X-wing, although reconciling his story in The Farlander Papers and X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide results in some inconsistencies with the game storyline (like the player ranks).
 * In the downloadable e-book Ylesia, Farlander is referred to as "general." When Ylesia was reprinted as a bonus included with The Joiner King, his rank was changed to "commodore." He was named as a general in Destiny's Way, The Unifying Force, and The New Essential Chronology. The reason for this inconsistency is unclear.
 * In the article Who's Who in the New Jedi Order, Keyan was identified as a Jedi. However, when Walter Jon Williams wrote him into his novel Destiny's Way, he was not aware Keyan was a Jedi and his characterisation reflected this, with Keyan ignorant of how the Jedi meld worked.

Appearances

 * The Farlander Papers
 * Star Wars: X-wing
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Dark Tide I: Onslaught
 * Destiny's Way
 * Ylesia
 * The Unifying Force