Galen Besk

"Some Jedi boldly save worlds. Others fight empires. And some put their lightsabers aside and help in smaller ways."

- Galen Besk

Galen Besk was a former Jedi who lived during the Cold War between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. A male Miraluka, Galen put aside his lightsaber after the Great Galactic War and settled on Tatooine, where he believed he could make a better difference by helping settlers.

Biography
A male Miraluka, Galen Besk was originally a member of the Jedi Order who served during the Great Galactic War between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. After the Treaty of Coruscant ended the fighting, Galen decided to hang up his lightsaber and leave the Order.

Galen made his home on the Outer Rim planet of Tatooine, where he lived in the city of Anchorhead. His training allowed him to quickly assume a leadership role among his fellow settlers. His power in the Force&mdash;and likely his natural Miralukan Force sense&mdash;allowed him to remain aware of major events on the planet.

When he warned a Republic-allied individual about a sandstorm, the individual offered to help get people inside. After the sandstorm, Galen revealed that he knew about the individual's exploits on the planet. He asked them to stay and help a little longer, or else the Empire would simply conquer the planet soon.

Galen had learned of the Empire's plans to destroy a trading post of Espelar, a nearby settlement. He believed that if the individual helped solve the problems afflicting many of the Republic settlements on the planet, the planet would be able to better stand up against the Sand People, pirates, warlords, and even the Empire. The sandstorm had broke down the trading post's defenses, prompting the Empire to send in a team of saboteurs to eliminate it. Galen asked the individual to stop the saboteurs, using the individual's feelings of responsibility to guilt them into helping.

The individual would succeed in defeating the saboteurs, and would go on to help a great number of settlers across the Jundland Wastes. These jobs would include training militia recruits, recovering stolen water, and rescuing militia members from the Geonosian-overrun Manister Base. When the individual returned to Galen, he thanked them and urged them to continue on their journey, warning them that their enemies were still working against them. When asked how he knew so much, Besk revealed that he was a former Jedi, and thanked them again for their help.

Personality and traits
A dark-skinned Miraluka male, Galen Besk lacked eyes like the rest of his species. Also like the rest of his species, Galen made up for this physical weakness by perceiving the environment around him through Force sight. Like many of his species, he was strong enough in the Force to become a member of the Jedi Order.

But after the bloodshed of the Great Galactic War, Galen believed that he could make a bigger difference on a smaller scale, and left the Order to settle on Tatooine. Besk assumed a leadership role there, working to help the settlers survive in the harsh environment. While Galen appeared to be gruff, abrupt, and even mysterious at times, he was a true Jedi at heart. He deeply cared for those he protected, even after he left the Order, and he would do everything in his power to protect them. He convinced the Republic-allied individual to help out by playing on their responsibilities, knowing that they would help out because of the threat of the Empire.

Behind the scenes
Galen Besk was created for Star Wars: The Old Republic, the [wikipedia:Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|massively multiplayer online role-playing game] (MMORPG) released by BioWare on December 20, 2011. He gives Republic players the Tatooine Bonus Series of missions, using his knowledge of the player's Tatooine class storyline to convince them to help. The events he discusses will vary depending upon the character's class. Upon completion of the Bonus Series, Galen Besk can reveal that he was a former Jedi if asked. The quests of the Bonus Series each have their own light and dark side options, but the overall interactions with Besk remain the same.