Zelka Forn

"I have extensive medical training, and even with the lack of resources I can treat most injuries or ailments right here in the center."

- Zelka Forn

Zelka Forn was an elderly Human male doctor who was running a clinic in a part of the Upper City on the planet of Taris by the year 3,956 BBY. Forn would not refuse help to anyone, regardless of social or xenophobic reasons that would cause others to turn them away. When Revan, a soldier in service to the Galactic Republic, arrived on Taris after his ship, the Endar Spire, was destroyed following a Sith attack, Forn asked him for assistance in procuring a serum for the Rakghoul plague, a disease that transformed those infected into Rakghouls&mdash;violent, deformed mutants. Revan journeyed into the Undercity of Taris and found the corpse of a Sith soldier that was carrying the Rakghoul serum. Despite a large offer of credits from Gurney, Forn's own assistant, if Revan gave the serum to the crime lord Davik Kang, Revan chose to give the antidote to Forn instead, who proceeded to try and make it readily available to those infected by the plague. Forn's serum would be recovered over three centuries after the bombardment of the planet only hours later, and his work helped Republic scientists make progress against the rakghoul virus that continued to plague Taris.

Life on Taris
"Do you require healing or medical supplies? I can treat almost any injury or ailment right here at the medical facility."

- Zelka Forn

A Human male, Zelka Forn lived on the planet of Taris. He was the founder and owner of a medical facility that was used to heal those that were sick and wounded, and had a single assistant named Gurney. Forn possessed a desire to help anyone who was hurt or injured, regardless of their species, homeworld, or political affliction, which could have caused other doctors to refuse service to them. In 3,956 BBY, when the Galactic Republic warship Endar Spire was destroyed over Taris by the Sith Empire, a few Republic soldiers managed to escape. As the Sith occupied the planet, Forn received all the proper permits to keep his facility running from the newly appointed Sith Governor. Forn recovered and took care of some of the Republic soldiers, putting them in kolto tanks in a back room of his facility, even with the possibility of being arrested by the Sith for giving care to soldiers affiliated with the Empire's enemy. Forn knew that they would never fully recover, as their wounds were too extensive, but he did what he could to make their last few days comfortable.

Finding a cure
"Hmmm.... let me see&hellip; yes, this is it! A cure for the rakghoul disease! With this sample I can make enough serum for everyone! The people of Taris owe you a debt they can never repay. Please, take this small reward. It isn't much, but it's all I can afford: a few credits and two spare medpacs."'' "Keep your reward, Zelka. You need it more than I do." "''You truly have a noble and generous spirit, but you deserve something for your effort. Tell you what, I'll give you a discount whenever you shop at my store. It's the least I can do."

- Zelka Forn and Revan discuss the rakghoul serum

Forn was also upset about not being able to heal those stricken with the Rakghoul disease, which transformed those it infected into deformed mutants known as rakghouls. This plague caused a great deal of trouble to some on Taris, due to the fact that the Sith, after overrunning a Tarisian military base which contained the only samples of an antidote, reserved it for their own soldiers patrolling in the rakghoul-populated Undercity of Taris. Forn grieved for the Outcasts, people who lived in the Undercity who had been&mdash;or whose ancestors had been&mdash;cast out of the Upper City and were forced to encounter and experience the disease's effects on a daily basis. Forn spent a great deal of time researching the cause of the rakghoul infection. During the battle above Taris, Revan, a soldier serving aboard the Endar Spire, reached an evacuation pod with fellow Republic soldier Carth Onasi and fled to the surface of Taris to search for Jedi Knight Bastila Shan, whom the Republic considered a valuable asset. Shan had evacuated with a number of other Republic personnel from the Endar Spire and reached the planet.

On Taris, Revan arrived at Forn's facility and discovered the Republic soldiers in his back room. Revan was impressed by the doctor's compassion and agreed not to disclose the location of the Republic soldiers to the Sith. Forn felt the soldiers would die from the plague or be captured, and he did not want that to happen. From Forn, Revan learned about the serum and where it was kept. As Revan was leaving to retrieve the antidote from the Sith base, Gurney, Forn's assistant, drew Revan aside and told him about Davik Kang, the local leader of the galactic criminal group Exchange, who also wanted the serum. Gurney promised that Kang would pay a much higher price for the serum than Forn would ever be able to. When Revan and his companions traveled to the Undercity, Revan found a Sith trooper corpse that was carrying the Rakghoul serum. Taking the serum, Revan spurned Kang’s offer and instead gave it to Forn, who offered him fifty credits and two medpacs for it. Revan refused, however, believing Forn needed the credits more than he and his companions did. Forn synthesized the serum to sell it cheaply to those infected, and he also gave Revan a discount on all of his stock, saying it was the least he could do.

Legacy
"The last breakthrough was three centuries ago. HoloNet archives say a Doctor Forn developed a "rakghoul serum" vaccine just hours before the bombardment."

- Doctor Ianna Cel

Only hours after Forn began to synthesize the serum, the planet Taris was bombarded by the Sith Lord Darth Malak in an attempt to kill Shan. Over three centuries after the bombardment, Forn's achievement had been recorded in the archives of the HoloNet, and a supply of the serum survived in the ruins of the Sepanik Memorial Hospital. During the Cold War between the Republic and a reconstituted Sith Empire, pirates from the Death's Claw gang recovered the serum from the remains of the hospital, though they found that it was not entirely effective on account of the rakghoul virus' mutation. Doctor Ianna Cel, with the Taris resettlement initiative, hired a Republic operative to retrieve the serum from Sepanik, and the individual was able to recover some of the serum from the Death's Claw after learning that the pirates had taken all of the serum. Though Forn's serum was not enough to protect against present-day rakghouls, Cel was optimistic about synthesizing a cure by learning from Forn's work.

Personality and traits
"Still, you are welcome here. I'll not have it said that Zelka Forn refused to help somebody just because they weren't a citizen of Taris."

- Zelka Forn, to Revan

Forn was an elderly man who had dark skin, graying black hair, and brown eyes. He had extensive medical training and was able to cure many injuries despite a shortage of resources in his medical facility. He had an extreme concern for others, evident by his wish to medically help all those ill. He would not refuse help to anyone, even if they were an off-worlder or alien, or even if he hated the person. This differed from the mentality of most of the Human population of Taris, who were xenophobic and considered themselves superior to aliens. Forn feared the Sith because he believed that they might one day close his clinic and he preferred not to have any trouble with them. When Revan gave him the serum and declined his reward, Forn considered Revan to be very noble, but still believed that Revan deserved something for his efforts.

Behind the scenes
Zelka Forn first appeared as a non-playable character in the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, developed by BioWare. He was voiced by Daran Norris. Forn also gained an entry in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. Although the player has multiple choices in regards to how he or she acts and treats Zelka Forn, the light side choices are those that are canonical. The game can also be played without Revan's visit to the medical facility, meaning Forn is never met. If the player follows the dark side, they can threaten to tell the Sith about the Republic soldiers unless Forn hands over credits to keep them quiet. If the soldier Carth Onasi or Bastila Shan are in the party, they will protest against such an action. When trying to gain entry to the room of Forn's facility where the Republic soldiers are, Revan can either bash down the door or bypass the locks. If the player declares allegiance to the Republic, Forn can also simply show the soldiers to the player.

The player can also sell the Rakghoul serum to the Hutt criminal Zax and earn one thousand credits. If the player has a high enough persuade skill, they persuade Zax into paying one thousand five hundred credits for the serum. Both options result in the player gaining dark side points. The player can still buy a copy of the serum from Forn, albeit at a higher price, and Forn will also hold resentment toward the player. Should the player approach Forn while wearing Sith trooper armor, Forn will maintain that he has the correct permits and will ask the player to leave, saying he doesn't want any trouble. If, however, the player angers or harasses Forn too much, the option to give the serum to Forn is lost, although he will still offer supplies and healing to the player. However, the 2011 video game Star Wars: The Old Republic revealed that Revan had in fact given the serum to Forn, as Forn's serum played a major part in the quest "Pirate Medicine".

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic