Ma'kis'shaalas/Legends

"[Killing the Sith is] difficult to do at best, I think. Many guards this new Emperor has. Can it be done? I don't know. Should it be tried? Yes!"

- Ma'kis'shaalas

Ma'kis'shaalas, nicknamed Ma'kis, was a Kajain'sa'Nikto who became a famed Morgukai warrior and later a Jedi Knight during the waning days of the Galactic Republic. A fierce and brutal warrior, Ma'kis became a decorated hero among the Morgukai, though after a decade of wearing the traditional armor of the order of warriors, he walked away, realizing that his destiny was elsewhere. To his fellow Niktos' anger and dismay, he left their order; the only way to do so, in accordance of the order's laws, was to walk through the Burning Moon Range, something which none had lived to tell the tale of before. Although he was presumed dead on his homeworld of Kintan, Ma'kis had in fact survived, and joined the Jedi Order.

Ma'kis'shaalas proved himself to be a martial Jedi, often acting in ways others might have perceived as rash. He hated the bureaucracy of the Republic, and had no qualms about following what he felt was the right course of action without the permission of his superiors. During the Separatist Crisis, Ma'kis returned to Kintan in his capacity as a Jedi on a peacekeeping mission, intending to acquaint himself with an old friend named Tsyr. The sight of his brother-in-arms wearing the robes of a Jedi overwhelmed Ma'kis's friend, and the two clashed blades. They both survived, though each of them bore scars from the vicious encounter. During the Clone Wars, Ma'kis served as a Jedi General and managed to survive Order 66 at the war's close in 19 BBY. He was one of the eight Jedi who met with Jedi Master Shadday Potkin on Kessel shortly after the foundation of the Galactic Empire to plan their next course of action. He advocated attacking the Sith, but Darth Vader's arrival on Kessel hastened this plan. The Jedi fought with Vader, though Ma'kis'shaalas was quickly struck down and killed by the Sith Lord. Vader managed to kill the rest of Ma'kis's companions soon thereafter with the aid of the 501st Legion.

Morgukai
Ma'kis'shaalas was born on the planet Kintan during the time of the Old Republic and eventually joined the Morgukai, a Nikto order of warriors who lived with strict adherence to their code of honor. By Ma'kis's time, however, the Morgukai were dying out, with many believing them extinct&mdash;additionally, they were disliked by the non-Morgukai Nikto on Kintan. Ma'kis became a skilled warrior and hunter, and he was granted the right to wear the traditional cortosis armor of the Morgukai. After wearing the armor for twelve standard years, he was among the most revered members of the order, proving himself to be a keen and resilient fighter. He also made many friends in this role, including Tsyr, who often fought alongside him in combat.

While his exploits in combat made him more and more respected as a soldier, Ma'kis was having doubts about the path he had chosen in life; he disagreed with much of the Morgukai's teaching and decided to leave the order after discovering his Force-sensitivity. This was not common practice, and his decision was met with much disdain and anger. Ma'kis kept his resolve, however, leaving his armor in the hands of his friend, Tsyr. According to the edicts of the brotherhood, the only way to leave was to stride into the Burning Moon Range&mdash;an area of Kintan covered in volcanoes and rivers of magma&mdash;an action which was thought to mean certain death. Despite the inherent risk, Ma'kis entered the Range; he was assumed dead by all on his homeworld, even Tsyr.

Jedi Knight
Ma'kis'shaalas had somehow survived his journey through the volcanic area and managed to find his way to Coruscant at least thirty years before the Battle of Yavin. He was discovered to be strong in the Force and was initiated into the Jedi Order despite being well above the average age of new Jedi&mdash;the Jedi High Council decided that his prior training, experience and expertise would make up for the lessons he had missed. They also knew his dedication and hard-working nature would ensure he never fell behind in his studies. He showed himself to be competent and capable, particularly in lightsaber combat. However, he was something of an outsider, partly because of his late start, and partly because he had chosen to keep his Morgukai past secret, telling only senior Council members Yoda and Mace Windu of his time on Kintan. Like the Morgukai, the Jedi had an important and complex code that Ma'kis kept strict adherence to, likely influenced by his time in the Morgukai.

Several years after ascending to the rank of Jedi Knight, Ma'kis'shaalas returned to his homeworld on a peacekeeping mission, hoping to meet with his friend Tsyr, who had become a leader among his people. However, his arrival was not met with welcome and the Morgukai, especially Tsyr, were overwhelmed by the sight of Ma'kis wearing Jedi robes and carrying a lightsaber. Tsyr was furious at Ma'kis'shaalas for leaving the Morgukai, and the two began to duel each other. They battled viciously for a time&mdash;Ma'kis's lightsaber against Tsyr's cortosis staff. However, when their battle took them to the precarious Daggersland Ridges, Tsyr lost his footing and plummeted down into the ravine below. They both survived the encounter, though they left each other with physical scars; Ma'kis's arms were covered in burn marks left by his former friend's staff, while he had retaliated by slashing at Tsyr's face, leaving two deep scars. However, these scars mattered little to the two Niktos who had been left with far worse emotional scars after the encounter. They never spoke again, and Ma'kis's reluctance to tell others of his background was further intensified. The encounter also soured Tsyr, and he became a mercenary alongside his son, Bok. Tsyr was killed in 30 BBY by Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos after kidnapping a young Twi'lek dignitary.

Quashing cultists
Ma'kis'shaalas served the Republic during the Clone Wars. During this period, he had a Hiitian Padawan, often taking his apprentice with him on missions. Early in the Clone Wars, prior to the First Battle of Kamino, Ma'kis and his Padawan were dispatched to Kintan, to investigate "disturbances" in the area. A group of Nikto, part of the resurgent Cult of M'dweshuu, had been raiding ships along the Sisar Run. Upon arriving on Kintan, the two Jedi encountered a group of mercenaries, hired by the Hutts to quell the latest incarnation of the ancient cult. Having joined forces, the two groups witnessed several of the cult's freighters take off and leave Kintan, assuming the ships to be part of a Nikto "war pack."

Ma'kis, the Hiitian, and the mercenaries then made their way to the nearby Sriluur, where agents of the Cult of M'dweshuu had murdered a group of Republic-sanctioned Vaathkree traders. The latest attacks prompted the Jedi Council to send another task force, led by Master Kossex, to help Ma'kis in his investigation. Eventually, the group, consisting of Ma'kis and his Padawan, the mercenaries, and Kossex's task force, tracked the cultists to Sriluur's deserts. They combated the cultists in slick, volcanic canyons, eventually neutralizing them. Though they were successful, the affair garnered a great deal of media attention, with various news agencies and "investigative holojournalists" pressing members of the group for information.

Death
He was at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant during the final days of the Clone Wars, and attended a briefing given by Obi-Wan Kenobi on the situation on the planets Boz Pity and Saleucami, where Tsyr's son Bok had allied with the Separatists and led an army of Morgukai clones against a team of Jedi. Ma'kis was relocated from the Temple almost immediately after the briefing; he was stationed offworld when the members of the Grand Army of the Republic were ordered to kill him and the other Jedi Generals posted around the galaxy. The Nikto Jedi managed to survive, however, and rendezvoused with several other Jedi survivors soon thereafter in the spice mines of the planet Kessel. Jedi Master Shadday Potkin had called the Jedi to a convocation on Kessel, hoping to discuss how they would deal with the new Sith who had re-formed the Republic into the first Galactic Empire, installing Sith Lord Darth Sidious as Galactic Emperor. Many of the Jedi who had gathered, Ma'kis'shaalas among them, wanted to attack the Sith, but one, Master Tsui Choi, told them that what they were planning was revenge, which was against the way of the Jedi. Nevertheless, Ma'kis felt that an attempt to defeat the Sith should be made, despite knowing that it would likely fail.

Ma'kis's view was shared by another Jedi, their host Shadday Potkin, who had already taken drastic measures before taking counsel with her fellow survivors: she had invited Darth Vader, the Emperor's new enforcer, to the meeting, hoping to use the sheer number of Jedi to kill him. Ma'kis quickly took to arms, lunging at Vader with his lightsaber after the Sith had dispatched Sia-Lan Wezz. Vader, however, was a far more advanced combatant than the Nikto Jedi, who had left himself unshielded; the armored dark sider took advantage of this and killed Ma'kis'shaalas with his lightsaber. Vader killed the remainder of the Jedi, though only with the help of stormtroopers from the 501st Legion. Official reports compiled by the Empire stated that Ma'kis and fifty of his fellow Jedi had been traitors, singlehandedly dealt with by Darth Vader.

Personality and traits
Ma'kis'shaalas was a being of action, and he was extremely contemptuous of the fact that the members of the Senate discussed petty matters such as territory and trade while people died by the millions in the far reaches of the galaxy. While he stayed true to the Jedi way of non-violence, Ma'kis had no qualms about killing people if it was for the greater good. Ma'kis did not let tradition or even rules stand in the way of what he perceived was his destiny, becoming one of an extremely few Morgukai to leave the order and explore the galaxy. He did not forget his heritage, though, and tried to make amends with his fellow Nikto after attaining the rank of Jedi Knight.

Ma'kis'shaalas was a deep believer in the core ideas and concepts behind the Republic, believing it to be the best chance for peace and order in the galaxy. However, he loathed the bureaucracy and corruption that was commonplace in the Senate and hated the fact that while slavery was rife in the Outer Rim Territories, the representatives did nothing to prevent this in the Senate. Ma'kis was the polar opposite of the bureaucrats he hated, earning a reputation as one who made quick and decisive decisions, which many saw as rash and reckless. Those who truly knew Ma'kis knew that these immediate choices were nearly always correct and knew he was acting as he deemed necessary and just. The Nikto Jedi Knight spent much of his time meditating on the Force, though when action was needed more than anything else, he never hesitated in making important decisions without discussion or deliberation.

Powers and abilities
Ma'kis'shaalas was a talented lightsaber duelist, though his ability with a blade first manifested during his time on Kintan, where Ma'kis proved to be one of the most talented of the Morgukai. Like his former brethren, he was also ambidextrous. However, his skills later proved no match for Darth Vader, who cut down Ma'kis with ease on Kessel.

Behind the scenes
Ma'kis'shaalas was created for a Wizards of the Coast sourcebook titled Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds. An unnamed Nikto Jedi appeared briefly in the background of Revenge of the Sith, which Leland Chee later retconned to be Ma'kis'shaalas. He again appeared in the one-shot comic book Purge, which reveals how he met his demise.

Artist UDON designed a cover for Star Wars Insider 87 that featured Obi-Wan Kenobi in front of a wanted poster, an image that was intended as an homage to John Byrne's cover of the 1981 comic Uncanny X-Men #141. The image originally featured Ma'kis'shaalas among the wanted Jedi; however, the final cover that went to print saw the poster's pictures rearranged and much of the image obscured, and Ma'kis'shaalas's picture was replaced by Ki-Adi-Mundi.

The 2010 episode "Grievous Intrigue" of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series utilized the character model of a Nikto Jedi that was labeled as Makis Shaalas in design documents. However, this appearance has yet to be verified as one canonically attributable to Ma'kis'shaalas himself. A blog entry by Keeper of the Holocron continuity database Leland Chee erroneously lists his death date as 18 BBY, when Purge takes place only one month after Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.

In an early version of The Clone Wars episode "Nightsisters," Ma'kis was involved in the Battle of Sullust, in which Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress kills him in a duel aboard the Separatist flagship. However, this version did not make it past the 3D story stage of production for the episode, being removed from the final version of the episode and avoiding potential continuity problems with his original death in Purge.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Purge