Gelesi

"You look like an offworlder. My name's Gelesi. I'm a checkpoint Captain in the Merchant Quarter."

- Gelesi

Gelesi was a Human male who lived in the planet of Onderon's walled city of Iziz with his wife and daughter. In 3,951 BBY, during the Dark Wars, after his superior officer and good friend, Sullio, was murdered outside a cantina, he inherited her rank as Captain of the Guard and her former post. An officer in the Onderonian military, his duties included verifying starport visas that allowed passage to and from the planet at the entrance to the Iziz Starport. At the time, the entire planet was enmeshed in a political struggle between loyalists to Queen Talia and her faction, who wanted Onderon to stay with the Galactic Republic, and the secessionists loyal to her cousin, General Vaklu. Gelesi was ambivalent, due to his loyalty to the Queen and his simultaneous disillusionment with the Republic, sympathizing with the separatist view that Onderonian membership had resulted in being drawn into too many conflicts. After the onset of a militaristic coup perpetrated by Vaklu, Gelesi chose to support Talia's faction and fought to protect the Queen during a final push by separatist forces into the Royal Palace.

Biography
"Sullio was captain of the checkpoint for years. I never knew why she came here every night until I got her job."

- Gelesi

By 3,951 BBY, during the Dark Wars, Gelesi, a Human male, had a wife and a young daughter. That year, he lived in the planet Onderon's walled city of Iziz and served in the Onderonian military, inheriting a position as one of three Captains of the Guard when his predecessor and good friend, Sullio, was murdered outside an Iziz cantina. Gelesi was shaken by the murder of Captain Sullio not only because of their friendship but because he had also unwillingly been given her post at Iziz Starport, verifying individuals wishing to disembark from the planet had the required starport visas. Faced with these circumstances, Gelesi became increasingly paranoid, fearing that he would suffer the same fate and leave his family without a father. He dealt with the stress by adopting one of Sullio's habits, visiting a cantina in Iziz's Merchant Quarter for a drink after each of his shifts.

The city of Iziz was locked in controversy surrounding the political views of Onderon's Queen Talia and her unwavering support of the Galactic Republic. Those who opposed the Queen's devotion believed that it was in Onderon's best interest to secede from the Republic, primarily because the planet had been obliged to engage in several wars as a member. Those people rallied behind Talia's cousin, General Vaklu, who led the separatist movement. The Queen's supporters, denoted the Royalists, believed that the trade benefits and protection of the Republic outweighed the conflicts. Gelesi was torn between the two groups due to his loyalty to the Queen and his distrust of the Republic, as well as sympathy for the separatist view that Onderon had been drawn into too many battles.

Gelesi was one of the soldiers who verified a starport visa owned by the Jedi Exile as that former Jedi Knight was departing the world. After this, Onderon fell into full-scale civil war between the separatist faction and the Royalists, whom Gelesi decided to fight for. He would meet the Exile, who was asked to take a military command of the Royalists upon returning, during an assault on the Iziz Royal Palace perpetrated by Vaklu's militarized allies. There he fought alongside the Exile to defeat the insurgents. With his army beaten, Vaklu was taken into custody and put on trial for inciting his rebellion, ending the war.

Personality and traits
"I have a wife and daughter to look after. And I feel like a target now. I'm tempted to just grab my family and take the first shuttle out of here."

- Gelesi

Gelesi, a fair-skinned Human male, was a member of the Onderon Military and an overall neutral officer, divided by his support for Queen Talia and his sympathy for some beliefs of Vaklu's faction that coupled with his distrust of the Republic. Following Sullio's murder, Gelesi was unwillingly assigned to her post at Iziz Starport, scanning starport visas.

While Sullio was alive, Gelesi had wondered why his predecessor went to a cantina after all her shifts&mdash;until he got her job and started doing the same because he feared for the lives of himself and his family. In his own opinion, the stress of the job and the perception that he could share Sullio's fate made him increasingly paranoid. He constantly felt like he was being targeted by some force. This anxiety festered inside Gelesi to the point where he considered abandoning his post and fleeing the planet with his family; however, he decided against such action.

Behind the scenes
Gelesi was created for the Obsidian Entertainment Xbox and PC video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords in 2005. He also later received an entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia published in 2008.

Aside from supporting Taila's faction, which is considered the canonical flow of events, there are other paths the player can take in the game. At the request of a Vaklu supporter named Anda, the Exile can remove the three Captains of the Guard in order to weaken the Royalist military in preparation for the attack on the Royal Palace. Anda is willing to pay the Exile undefined2,500 for each one she removes. If the Exile supports Vaklu during her initial visit to Onderon, she meets Gelesi in the cantina in the Merchant Quarter of Iziz, persuading him to leave the city to protect his family. Another way to remove him is to have Panar, a Beast Rider who frequents the Beast Rider's Den in the cantina, threaten to kidnap and marry Gelesi's daughter. If persuasion fails, there is a group of thugs outside the cantina that can be hired to attack Gelesi, after which he leaves the planet, fearing for his family's safety. If the latter option is chosen, Anda becomes angry because she wanted the captains removed quietly; however, she will still pay the Exile. This side quest is only available if the Exile supports Vaklu during her initial visit to Iziz and this can either impact her stance in the Force in a dark way or not at all. Should the Exile complete this path and support Talia during her second visit to the planet, Gelesi will either be dead or leaving the planet, so he will not aid the Royalists in the final battle.

Appearances

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