Atton Rand

Atton Rand, nicknamed "Jaq," was a pilot who helped the Jedi Exile defeat the Sith Triumvirate. He joined the Republic military and fought loyally under Revan in the Mandalorian Wars. He defected to Revan's side when the Jedi Knight became the Dark Lord of the Sith. While under Revan, he was put through intense combat training to make him an effective Jedi hunter. His job was to capture Jedi so that Revan and his acolytes could attempt to convert them into loyal Sith by means of torture, manipulation, and on pain of death. However, when a female Jedi prisoner revealed that he was Force-sensitive and that he would likely be subjected to such treatment himself, he went into hiding.

While working as a smuggler, he met up and fell in love with the Jedi Exile. He traveled with her and aided her in her search for the lost Jedi Masters, albeit begrudgingly. She likely freed him from his past and trained him as a Jedi.

Fighting in the wars
"I'm a deserter. It's what I do."

- Atton Rand.

Atton fought in the Mandalorian Wars as well as the Jedi Civil War. He originally served the Republic, but when Revan defeated the Mandalorians and assumed the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith, Atton defected to his side, along with a great number of the Republic forces that had served the Jedi in the war. During the start of the Jedi Civil War, Atton was part of an elite special forces unit, trained to hide their presence and thoughts from Force-users. He and others like him who were not trained to feel the Force, were sent on missions to kill or capture Jedi that would then be broken and converted to the Sith. It was here that he learned Echani combat methods and how to hide and keep himself from being probed by Jedi.

The ruthless Atton seemed to have a natural talent for it, and his superiors recognized his passion for wanting to make Jedi suffer in any way he could, but most of all by making them fall to the dark side. However, near the closing days of the war, Atton was eventually confronted by a female Jedi who informed him of his Force-sensitive nature, warning him that the Sith would undoubtedly come after him and break him into a Dark Jedi if they found out. Atton believed her since he had already heard rumors of disappearances of those who were found to be Force-sensitive in the ranks, but his hatred of the Jedi wouldn't allow him to see reason, and in retaliation he captured her and tortured her nearly to death.

Then just when he thought she would die, she awakened the Force inside him, and allowed him to see life, to see what he was doing to it all around him by harming others. In response, he killed her. Atton may of later revealed to the Jedi Exile that at first, he thought he would love to kill her, but at the end he killed her because he loved her&mdash;this could mean that he hastened her death to end her suffering, or to spare her from being broken by the dark side, or both. Disillusioned and pained with self-loathing, he deserted the Sith and went into hiding until the end of the war.

After fleeing the Sith, Atton hid in the refugee sector of Nar Shaddaa, blending in with tens of thousands of refugees who had been displaced in both wars. It was here that he became a smuggler, transporting slaves, refugees, spice and other kinds of vice to and from the Smuggler's Moon. In the year 3,951 BBY, Atton made his way to the mining facility near the destroyed planet Peragus, likely while making a smuggling run. Unfortunately, he was caught by the station security and left imprisoned within a force field. Ironically this predicament actually saved Atton's life. Shortly after being imprisoned, the mining droids and ventilation systems became corrupted and they effectively cleansed the facility of all life while Atton remained safe within his Force cage.

The Exile
"I don't know how you became such a manipulative witch – but why a vicious old scow like you would even bother with me is a bigger mystery."

- Atton Rand to Kreia.

As luck (or the Force) would have it, he was soon discovered by the awakened Jedi Exile and, after a brief introduction, was rescued, with the help of another Force-sensitive named Kreia who had been brought to Peragus with the Exile. They agreed to work together until they could escape from the station, with him helping the Exile's as she searched for a way to reach the Ebon Hawk. As they were working, the Harbinger, bearing Sith Lord Darth Sion, docked at the station. Fortunately, thanks to Kreia's distraction, they were able to reach the Ebon Hawk and escape the facility, the Harbinger's weapons fire started a chain reaction that destroyed the fuel laden asteroid field and mining facility.

This forced the three of them to stay together as they fled for Telos, where they were imprisoned for suspicion concerning the explosion at Peragus. Annoyed at once more ending up in a cell, Atton spoke of soon being able to leave the trouble-making Jedi. However, when they were given free roam of the station after being cleared of the crime, they found that the Hawk had been stolen. This led to an investigation that ended up on Telos's ravaged surface, where they met the mechanic, Bao-Dur. After fighting their way to a transport, they tracked the thief to an old, abandoned irrigation system near the planet's north pole. Shortly after landing there, they were imprisoned by Atris, a Jedi historian. Calling herself "the last of the Jedi," Atris imprisoned Atton, Kreia, and Bao-Dur, much to Atton's disgust and annoyance.

During their incarceration, Kreia became suspicious of Atton's lingering fear of the Jedi, and used the Force to probe his mind involuntarily. Despite his skills for shielding his thoughts, he was unable to prevent her from unearthing his entire sordid past. She then used this knowledge to blackmail him into staying with the Exile, for, despite his uncaring demeanor, he didn't want her to know what he had done, or who he really was, for fear that she would think less of him. Thus, when the Exile returned and offered to let him go his own way, he refused. However, as the Exile had been speaking with some of the Handmaiden Sisters, she discovered and asked about his Echani training. Loathe to delve into his past, Atton covered it up, saying that he had faked it. However, the Exile could see that he knew the combat form, and considered him an asset. When she told him so, he was pleased with the compliment, and his attraction to her grew.



Atton accompanied the Exile throughout her mission to find the remaining Jedi Masters so she could discover truly why she had been banished, and why she'd lost the Force. They traveled to several planets on this quest, such as Nar Shaddaa, Onderon and its moon Dxun, Dantooine, and Korriban. Due to his knowledge of Nar Shaddaa, the Exile frequently consulted Atton while there, and he was happy to give advice. However, Atton was not pleased when the Exile gave the Ebon Hawk to a man named Ratrin Vhek, who claimed to be the real owner of the vessel. This, however, proved fortuitous, when a group of slavers named the Red Eclipse murdered him, believing him to be the one who had claimed their pre-arranged landing pad. The Exile slowly proved her loyalty to Atton as her friend whilst there, which greatly pleased him, as his attraction to her was blossoming; something that she was beginning to return, calling him an expert at slicing when he asked to help her with a slicing project. She also challenged his twisted views of the Jedi Code, showing that not all Jedi were arrogant and ignored the weak.

However, Atton's carefully weaved web of lies eventually came crashing down; while on Nar Shaddaa the Exile was approached by two shady Twi'leks who told her that they had seen Atton when he was first in hiding there, and that he wasn't a mere smuggler, but a murderer. She confronted Atton about this, and while angry at her persistent questions, she had earned enough of his trust at this point that he told her the whole truth about his past. She forgave him for what he had done and welcomed him to stay with her on her journey to stop the Sith, and at his request she awakened him to the Force once again, and trained him to become a Jedi Sentinel. In this he became more and more loyal to her, starting to care deeply for her safety and welfare.

During their trip to Dantooine in their search for Jedi Master Vrook, they encountered a man named Mical, who had once been a hopeful for apprenticeship to the Exile. He joined her in her search for the Jedi Masters, something Atton hated, as he was very jealous of him and his prior friendship with the Exile. The Exile, however, treated them both in the friendly manner despite their differences, but the two would continue to rub each other the wrong way during their travels.

From that point on Atton traveled with her as part of her entourage to the other key worlds, Onderon, Dxun, and Korriban, until the Destruction of Malachor V. Afterwards, the Exile left to follow Revan into the Unknown Regions, presumably leaving those she cared about behind. It is worth noting that in one of the uncut game endings, Atton leaves with the Exile into the Unknown Regions.

Personality and traits
"I've hunted a lot of people in my line of work, but I never met someone who wants to get lost more than you do."

- Mira

Atton faced the galaxy with dismissive apathy and sarcasm. His laid-back attitude and unwillingness to take a position of responsibility often jarred with Kreia's grimness as the two traveled together. He also had an irrational hatred of droids&mdash;on Peragus, he asked the Exile if she had destroyed the HK-50 because "droids can't be trusted," referred to T3-M4 as a "trash compactor" and even suspected T3 of stealing the Ebon Hawk on Telos, saying "He's probably joyriding around the system right now, laughing at us&mdash;laughing at me!" Where this dislike for droids stems from is unknown, as it appears to pre-date the droid rampage on Peragus. However, there is a theory that he had heard about Revan's HK-47 assassin droid, and became bitterly jealous that a droid could be just as good at breaking Jedi as he was, especially given that the techniques both he and HK-47 used, and described to the Exile later, are the same.

Having been betrayed and tricked numerous times, Atton was slow to trust others, yet appreciated when others trusted him. He also liked to impress people he respected, not wanting them to think badly of him. He was naturally cocky, giving the appearance that he breezed through life without a care, though after his encounter with the female Jedi who showed him the Force, his emotions were in almost constant turmoil. He hated the Jedi that would not fight in the war, and had some doubts about the Jedi that did, and despised arrogance. He also hated being used, which became evident at his reluctance at and subsequent loathing toward Kreia's blackmail.

Atton was also a fighter who refused to give up, often standing to rejoin a fight even when seriously wounded. He furthermore relied on his gut instincts to see him through. These instincts turned out to be surprisingly reliable, though this could well be attributed to his Force sensitivity.

Talents and abilities
Atton was skilled in combat, being an expert in the handling of pistols and a practitioner of Echani combat methods. He was also a competent slicer, able to use loopholes in programming to attain his own ends. One example of this was when he used the standard transmission hail for freighters landing on the Peragus Mining Facility to gain access to the communications system by bouncing it back to the main console. He was also a fair pilot, managing to escape General Vaklu's fighters and land on Dxun, where he proved he had some mechanical skill by repairing the damage done to the Ebon Hawk.

The most remarkable aspect of Atton's nature was his resistance to Jedi mind techniques. He originally taught these to himself so that he would make an effective assassin, as they would prevent him being detected and give him some resistance to Force powers. The defense was so effective that even Kreia had to make a concerted effort to probe his mind. He later taught the Exile one of the techniques he used; it involved keeping the mind occupied, for example, by imagining playing pazaak or counting sounds made by the Ebon Hawk's propulsion.

Another technique he used was concentrating certain base emotions (e.g., lust) to keep force wielder's off-balance when trying to affect his mind. He could also mask his presence from the Jedi (and even some of the Sith he was working for) that relied on the force to sense people's presence.

Atton proved a formidable Jedi hunter, using his skill at discovering a Jedi's weak points and exploiting them. For instance, he usually refrained from attacking Jedi directly, choosing instead to kill or maim their allies, especially their Padawans. Because of the Force bond between the two, this would ruin much of the target's concentration and focus, allowing for an easier kill.

Romances
"So, uh, how long have you been a Jedi? Must be tough, you know... no family, no husband..."

- Atton to the Exile.

Atton's first encounter with the Jedi Exile, who walked into his holding cell area in her underwear, left him instantly attracted to her. After she helped him escape, Atton commented that it must be tough considering how she was not allowed have a family or husband. Though he planned to separate from her and her entourage the minute he got the chance, Kreia's blackmail forced him to stay with her, using his respect for her as a tool. Slowly, his attraction to her grew, and was pleased when she considered him an asset because of his Echani training and also as an expert at slicing. His attraction for her went so far as to ask Bao-Dur if he had any chance with the Exile, though the Zabrak offered no comment. He became concerned for her safety, warning her about what could happen in the Jekk'Jekk Tarr, even giving her some health packs and continuing to keep an eye on her and her welfare.

Things became complicated for Atton when the crew landed on Dantooine and the Exile found her prospective Padawan from years before, Mical. Their relationship, though completely friendly, filled Atton with jealousy, causing Atton to lash out at Mical whenever he simply offered to help. When the bounty hunter Mira joined the crew of the Ebon Hawk, she first noticed Atton's close attention of the Exile and Mical, and even coming close to figuring out his secret.

Behind the scenes
Atton Rand makes his first appearance in the computer and video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, in which he is a non-player character was voiced by Nicky Katt. Like other characters in the game, Atton's character develops in different ways depending on the player's actions and choices.

It can be assumed that Atton is one of the "Lost Jedi" Darth Traya mentions in her last moments, the Jedi who would re-build the order after its near total destruction. Traya was evasive about Atton's role in the future, as she had a long running animosity towards him, and considered him nothing but a fool, but a fool that the Force looks out for.

Atton is the game character who repeats the classic line "I have a bad feeling about this" as a reference to the movies. He follows in the footsteps of the previous game's character Mission Vao, in this respect. Atton's "bad feeling" is also used as a small in-game feature: The game notes that when Atton is in your party and expresses his "bad feeling," then it is a good idea to save the game.

Atton Rand was originally supposed to be the name of the main character of the early production version of Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, but was cut out of it. The player character was eventually named Jaden Korr. If the player beats the game at least twice and gets both "light side" and "dark side" endings, the next play through Atton will break the fourth wall and introduce himself by mentioning this very fact. His first name, like many other names in the game, Atton's name suggests a word – atone, or atonement. Also, reporter Kella Rand may be a distant descendant of Atton's family line due to their common last name. Interestingly, the name "Jaq" is seen inserted between Atton's first and last names, but it is most likely in fact his original name, as both Kreia and he himself allude that "Atton" is not his true identity.

To train Atton as a Jedi Sentinel, the player must first obtain sufficient influence points, and then speak to a pair of Twi'leks in Nar Shaddaa's refugee sector. Atton will then divulge his past, and ask to be trained. If Atton falls to the dark side and becomes a Dark Jedi Sentinel, Darth Traya predicts that Atton will go back to being a murderer and will hunt down and kill Jedi at every opportunity, until he too is consumed by his hate. As he falls to the dark side, he begins to look much older, with the sides of his hair growing gray.

One fluke in the game is that, despite the fact that he asked the Exile how she could understand droidspeak, or "garbage," he later understood what T3-M4 was saying when T3 returned after stealing a ship ID signature from Vogga the Hutt.

According to Chris Avellone, Atton was patterned after a developer called Darren Monahan.

Cut content
Atton was featured in many major plot scenarios that were eventually cut from the final game.
 * He and the other companions of the Jedi Exile would group together on Malachor V, and attempt to kill Darth Traya before the Exile arrived. Their plan failed, and like the others Atton was quickly defeated and imprisoned.
 * If the Jedi Exile had more influence with Mical than himself, Kreia twists his jealousy until he falls to the dark side, and travels to Malachor V where he awaited and challenged Mical to fight to the death.
 * Atton duels with Darth Sion, and if he loses, he is severely tortured and mutilated before being left for dead. If this happens, he would not be included in the companion confrontation with Kreia.
 * After being left for dead, the Jedi Exile would find him and stay until his final moments. He poured his heart out to Exile, and if the player was female, finally confessed his love for her before dying in her arms.
 * Alternatively, if Atton wins the duel with Sion, he survives and rejoins the Exile after Darth Traya is defeated. In his usual cocky tone he asks where they're going, as the two leave Malachor V behind them forever.

Appearances

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

Notes and references
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