Yuthura Ban

"Sometimes anger and hatred are deserved and right. Sometimes things change because of it."

- Yuthura Ban

Yuthura Ban was a female Twi'lek who escaped the clutches of the Hutts on Sleheyron and sought solace from the Jedi Order. Once there, she became a Padawan, but that did not last long.

As Darths Revan and Malak rose a Sith Empire, Yuthura left the Jedi and became an apprentice of the Sith Master Uthar Wynn, the Headmaster of the Sith Academy on Korriban during the Jedi Civil War.

For years, Yuthura had planned to be rid of her master and had, of course, succeeded, with the help of the amnesiac Revan. However, the former Dark Lord of the Sith had been redeemed back to the light side of the Force and persuaded her to take the Jedi path once more.

Biography
"Is there something you need, Jedi? Make it good, for I have little patience."

- Yuthura Ban to Revan

Leashed by the Hutts
Originally from Sleheyron, a planet in the Outer Rim, Yuthura was a slave to Omeesh the Hutt, a Hutt Master who tortured his slaves regularly. Angered by such a life and so subsequently craving vengeance and determined not to simply be "nothing," Yuthura made plans to strike back at her master, stabbing the Hutt she described as a "drunken worm" while in his bedchamber. Having killed her master, she fled Sleheyron by stowing aboard a cargo ship. She considered it inevitable that she would be discovered by the crew and, indeed, was. Upon discovering her, they abandoned her on a desolate planetoid.

In the Jedi Order
Despite the lone conditions which would generally have killed someone, Yuthura survived and, by the will of the Force, she was discovered relatively quickly by a passing Jedi. The Jedi, seeing her Force potential, decided that she should be trained in the ways of the Force. Despite her somewhat advanced age, higher than that of most Padawans, the Jedi took her to the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine to be trained in the ways of the Jedi Order.

Though considered to possess exceptional skills, she was unable to let go of her anger towards her former oppressors and all others who would practice slavery, having been brought up in such conditions and so being able to empathize with their position. She saw the apparent Jedi inaction over the matter as intolerable. Unable to resolve her differences with the Jedi, she abandoned her master, the Order and their teachings, swearing to find a new means to achieve the power necessary to combat what she considered to be the wickedness of slavery throughout the galaxy.

Uthar's apprentice
Eventually ending up on the planet Korriban, Yuthura decided on the Sith, the opposite of the Jedi, as a new Order into which she would join and so act upon slavery. On Korriban, Yuthura tried for entrance to the Sith Academy, near the city of Dreshdae.

Once initiated, what was considered to be her natural talent and ability, coupled with her anger towards the Jedi and hatred of slavery, saw her quickly rise through the ranks, eventually leading to Yuthura becoming the apprentice of Uthar Wynn, Headmaster of the academy. In this position, Yuthura’s authority was great enough that she could give the final word on whether a hopeful would be admitted into the academy or not.

Redemption
Eventually, Yuthura’s wish for power led her to devise a plot to overthrow her master, a plot involving a promising new recruit to the Sith, within whom the Force bristled with startling intensity. Though sensing something odd about the young Human, Yuthura didn’t suspect that she had, in truth, enlisted the services of Revan, the deposed Dark Lord of the Sith, on his journey around the galaxy searching for the Star Maps. Together they formed a loose bond; Yuthura opened her heart to him, meaning Revan was able to know more about her past life and experiences which led her to joining the Sith.

With Revan's help, Yuthura was able to defeat her master, taking the title of Sith Lord and Uthar's position as Headmaster of the Sith Academy in the wake of his death. Then, in a calculated&mdash;if not entirely desired&mdash;act of betrayal, she turned on the former Dark Lord. Despite her power, she was no match for Revan and yielded to him, after it was clear he’d overpowered her. Revan was able to convince Yuthura that she was in error of her ways and, instead of killing her, so convinced her to return to the light side of the Force. She then renounced her position as Headmaster and departed the Sith Academy for the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine.

It is unknown whether Yuthura, upon reaching the Jedi academy on Dantooine, was to be retrained before the attack on Dantooine by the Leviathan. It was possible that she may have been killed during the bombardment; if she was not, it is possible that she fell victim to the First Jedi Purge that followed a few years later. If she never reached the academy at all, she may have found some other Jedi Masters to teach her, or she may have given up on her quest altogether.

Personality and traits
Even though she herself was still an apprentice, Yuthura was also a lead instructor and mentor at the Sith Academy. She respected initiative and cunning in her students and was not considered short of either herself. Like most of the Force-sensitives at the academy, she wore the uniform of a Sith officer as opposed to robes.

Behind the scenes
"Those words never held such resonance for me until I returned. I'd... like some serenity, some harmony. Wouldn't you?"

- Yuthura Ban, having returned to the light side of the Force

Yuthura was voiced by Tamara Phillips. Different from most characters, Yuthura wielded a shoto as her weapon instead of a regular lightsaber.

Development
Yuthura's home planet Sleheyron was originally planned to have appeared in Knights of the Old Republic&mdash;after it was scrapped; however, it was written into Yuthura's background as a tribute to the effort that had been put into planning it.

Gameplay
"I hear he was a very powerful man. Very charismatic."

- Yuthura Ban, regarding Revan. If Revan plays through Korriban after being imprisoned on the Leviathan, he or she can question Yuthura about what the Sith Lord used to be like. If the player mentions that he/she is Revan, Yuthura will laugh at him; alternatively, after the attempted coup, if Uthar is favored and so Yuthura defeated, he will recognize Revan and devote the Academy to him.

When Yuthura asks who Revan's "companions" are the player has the option of saying "they are just my slaves." Despite her past, this doesn't seem to bother her much even though she hates slavers. Most members of your party will play along, although some may question.

There are many choices for the player to make in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic regarding Yuthura's fate. The most extreme light side choice is outlined above, with the other options detailed below.



Options
On Korriban, various options in the Sith Academy are present to the player, who plays as Revan. Revan can tell Uthar about Yuthura's plans to betray him and, after doing so, Uthar instructs Revan to perform a small task that will ensure Yuthura is weakened via poison by the time of the final trial—making her considerably easier to defeat. It is up to the player whether or not to do as Uthar asks.

A second choice is that, after informing Uthar of Yuthura's plot, Revan can then go on to tell Yuthura about Uthar's plotting against her. It is up to the player whether or not to inform Yuthura about the poison; if so, then she takes precautions against it. In response to this news, Yuthura tells Revan to poison Uthar's bed and provides the poison and access to his room. Revan can again choose whether or not to do this. If the player doesn't tell Yuthura about the poison, there is the option of poisoning them both.

After Revan passes the prestige trials to enter the tomb with Yuthura's help and completes the assignment therein, Uthar tells Revan to fight Yuthura to pass the final trial and show no mercy. Depending on the player's previous choices, the player will obtain different reactions from Yuthura and Uthar throughout this section of the game, for example Yuthura won't be surprised by Uthar's attempt to turn Revan on her if you've informed her of his plot and Uthar won't be poisoned if you didn't undertake Yuthura's task.

Sample light side choices
Sample light side choices after the duel in the tomb of Naga Sadow, deceased Sith Lord, include Revan siding with Yuthura and the two of them killing Uthar. Yuthura then turns on Revan and is defeated. If the player befriended Yuthura earlier, and after the Jedi enclave is destroyed, Revan then reveals his real identity and tells Yuthura to abandon the Sith, which leads the Sith to attack Revan after Yuthura left.

An alternate light side choice is that Revan destroys Uthar for Yuthura. Once done, Yuthura battles Revan and is defeated. If the player learned about Yuthura's former life, it is possible to convince her to return to the light side. If succeeded, the player can meet her in the courtyard on Dantooine where she describes being accepted there and even brought her old master to tears upon her return, this is only possible of course if the player locates the Korriban Star Map before at least two others, or else Revan will not be able to even go to Dantooine to see her there.

A third alternate light side choice is that Revan sides with Yuthura and they kill Uthar. Once done, Yuthura battles Revan and is defeated. She pleads for mercy and Revan spares her life but does not return her to the path of the light. She leaves unharmed and takes up mastery of the Academy, in Uthar’s place. It is also possible, as a Jedi, that Revan sides with neither Sith and kills both.

The player can also choose to side with the Republic and kill both of them.

Sample dark side choices
Sample choices which take the player to the dark side of the Force include Revan siding with Yuthura and the two of them killing Uthar. Once done, Yuthura battles Revan and is defeated. She pleads for mercy but Revan strikes her down, killing her.

Another alternate dark side choice is that Revan sides with Uthar and kills Yuthura. Depending on the actions taken while on Korriban, Uthar may attack. If not, Revan may choose whether or not to kill Uthar, or to allow him to live and keep mastery of the Academy when Revan leaves.

The third and final dark side choice is that, as the only "true Sith," Revan sides with neither Yuthura nor Uthar and instead kills both.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic