Satele Shan

"She does have the gift, Master Zym, just like Bastila did. I'm sure of it."

- Dar'Nala, regarding Shan's lineage

Satele Shan was a Human female who served as a Jedi during the Great Galactic War between the Galactic Republic and the resurgent Sith Empire. Shan participated in several major battles on behalf of the Republic during the war, and studied under a number of Jedi Masters, including the Togruta Dar'Nala. As a Padawan, she had fought with and lost her first Master, Kao Cen Darach, during the Fall of Korriban. After achieving Knighthood, Shan played a pivotal role in the struggle for the Core World of Alderaan, which had come under a devastating attack from the Sith Lord Darth Malgus. In a confrontation in the forests of Alderaan, Shan engaged Darth Malgus and was defeated by the Sith Lord, but with the assistance of the Commander Jace Malcom she was able to dispatch him.

In 3,653 BBY, Shan was selected by the Jedi High Council to accompany Master Dar'Nala back to Alderaan, where peace negotiations were being held between delegations from the Republic and Empire. During the conference, it was revealed that the Sith were only entertaining the idea of peace so as to distract the Republic from their true goal: the capture of their enemy's capital world of Coruscant. Imperial forces sacked Coruscant during the peace negotiations, and held the world hostage in an attempt to gain leverage over the Republic delegates.

Although Shan attempted to kill the Sith negotiator, she was stopped by Dar'Nala and Republic senator Paran Am-Ris. Am-Ris was eventually forced to sign the Treaty of Coruscant, which declared the war to be at an end and the Sith to be its victors. In the aftermath of the Sacking of Coruscant and the debacle on Alderaan, Shan and Dar'Nala were assigned to tour the former flashpoints in the war and ensure that Republic forces were complying with the mandates of the Treaty. During this time, Shan discovered that Dar'Nala was undermining both Republic and Imperial interests by instigating acts of terrorism, and so was forced to act against her former Master&mdash;a decision that ultimately resulted in Dar'Nala's death.

Satele Shan was later promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight in light of her heroics both during the war and after. She cemented her position as a major actor within the Jedi Order when she rediscovered the lost Jedi homeworld of Tython and helped to establish a new Jedi Temple on the planet. Shan became a mother at some point in her life, giving birth to Theron Shan, who eventually became a spy for the Republic. During the period of tension that characterized the post-war years, Shan was selected to be the Jedi Order's leader in the capacity of Grand Master, and took the Kiffar Shigar Konshi as her Padawan. Around 3,643 BBY, full-scale war was very nearly reignited between the Republic and Empire when rogue droids and a Mandalorian warrior began initiating conflicts between the two governments. Due to the work of Shan, her Padawan, and their short-lived alliance with members of the Empire, war was avoided, but the tensions remained.

Early life and Jedi training
Satele Shan, a Human female, was born during the decades leading up to the Great Galactic War. Descended from the Jedi Knight Bastila Shan &mdash;who fought against Darth Revan and Darth Malak's Sith Empire during the Jedi Civil War &mdash;Shan hailed from the planet Brentaal IV. She was deemed suitable for Jedi training, becoming the Padawan of the Zabrak Jedi Master Kao Cen Darach. During this time, the resurgent Sith Empire attacked the Galactic Republic, initiating the Great Galactic War.

Return of the Sith
"Go, Satele. You must walk a different path."

- The Jedi Master, to Satele Shan

In 3,681 BBY Shan was stationed on a space station with her master over Korriban. While escorting a smuggler to a holding cell, she sensed a great darkness in the Force. Moments later a Sith fleet appeared over Korriban and began attacking the Republic forces. Realizing that Korriban was lost and the Republic had to be warned, Shan, her master, Corporal Jace Malcom, and the smuggler began fighting through Sith boarding parties in an effort to reach the hangar bay. Upon reaching the hangar, the group was confronted by two Sith, Malgus and his master, the Sith Lord Vindican who attempted to stop the Jedi.

In order to buy time for the smuggler to prepare his ship, Shan engaged Malgus, wielding a blue-bladed saberstaff and after a period of fierce combat was nearly slain before her Master intervened. As the duel went on, Shan took the full force of a Force lightning attack from the Sith Lord, but the Jedi had succeeded in allowing the smuggler sufficient time to get his ship ready. Master Darach urged her to get to the ship and leave while he remained to handle the Sith. Shan obeyed and tossed her lightsaber to her Master before jumping aboard the ship and leaving. Shan then manned one of the turrets aboard the smuggler's ship in order to hold off the Sith fighters until they could escape into hyperspace. Shortly thereafter, Shan sensed her Master being slain by Malgus through the Force, but maintained her focus and continued with the task at hand until they were able to escape.

After the death of her first master on Korriban, Shan completed her apprenticeship under the tutelage of Master Dar'Nala, eventually achieved the rank of Jedi Knight. Early in the war, Shan rediscovered the world of Tython.

Battle of Alderaan
During the height of the Great Galactic War, Shan was present on Alderaan shortly after the surprise Imperial assault on the planet led by the Sith Lord Darth Malgus. The Sith invasion force quickly devastated the Republic defenders and took the royal family hostage. Along with a special forces unit of the Republic Army, she joined in the counterattack to halt the Sith advance. As Darth Malgus led his forces through the forests surrounding Alderaan's capital, the Republic forces sprang their ambush.

The commander of Havoc Squad, Jace Malcom, led the initial attack, which inflicted numerous casualties on the Sith and managed to slightly injure Darth Malgus. The Sith soon recovered, however, and Malgus began to systematically execute the Republic troopers. At that point Shan joined the fray, narrowly saving Malcom from execution by slaying his captors. She quickly turned the tide of the battle, eliminating multiple Sith combatants before engaging Malgus in combat. Her timely arrival gave the remaining Republic forces a chance to regroup and renew their effort against the Sith.

Shan once again found her self dueling Malgus, and utilizing her skill in various Force powers, she was able to duel the Sith Lord evenly for a time, employing her double-bladed weapon and aggressive attacks to great effect against the Sith Lord's single lightsaber. When Malgus proved once again to be physically stronger than the Jedi and began to press his assault, she used a variety of acrobatics and even brought a tree down with the Force in an attempt to keep the Sith Lord off-balance. Despite her fast-paced assault and improvised tactics, Malgus eventually gained the advantage and pushed her against a tree. She narrowly escaped the next attack by jumping behind Malgus, but he predicted her move and destroyed her weapon by cutting it in half, disarming her. Weaponless, Shan saved herself by using her ability to absorb energy by stopping Darth Malgus' lightsaber with her bare hands. Malcom came to her aid, knocking the Sith Lord away and setting off a grenade, causing significant injury both to himself and Malgus. Seizing the opportunity, Shan pinned Malgus to a boulder with the Force and dispatched him with a powerful Force Wave. By that point the other Sith forces had also been defeated by Havoc Squad, and Shan observed as the squad commander set off a flare signaling the Republic victory.

In the final months of the war, Shan fought at the Battle of Rhen Var alongside many powerful Jedi, including Jedi Master Jaric Kaedan and the Jedi Knights Bela Kiwiiks and Syo Bakarn.

The Treaty of Coruscant
"I can feel your tension, Satele. You must learn patience if you are to become a Jedi Master."'' "''I know, Master Dar'Nala. I spent all morning in meditation&hellip; I just can't shake the sense that there's something more to these peace talks than the Jedi Council is aware of&hellip;"

- Shan to Dar'Nala

In 3,653 BBY, the Galactic Senate was presented with a peace proposal from the Sith Empire's Dark Council. The Senate was reluctant to accept the offer and was advised by the Jedi Order to approach with caution. However, the Senate accepted, and plans were made for a peace summit to be held on the Core World of Alderaan. The Jedi Council dispatched Shan and Dar'nala to travel with the Cerean Senator Paran Am-Ris to Alderaan in order to discuss a possible cessation of hostilities with the Sith delegation, led by the Sith Lord Darth Baras. Before the meeting began, Shan voiced her concerns regarding the summit to Dar'Nala, believing that the Sith had other intentions that the Council was not aware of.

However, during the conference, Sith forces led by Darth Angral attacked the Republic capital of Coruscant. The Supreme Chancellor contacted Am-Ris and informed him of the Sith betrayal before being killed by Angral. As Am-Ris asked Baras what was going on, Shan attacked the Sith Lord, remarking that the Sith deceived them. Baras, having crossed lightsabers with the Jedi Knight, asked Shan to restrain herself, stating that the Republic had no choice but to accept the Sith's terms for peace. Shan ceased her actions when asked by Dar'Nala, who instructed her to remain on guard while she and Am-Ris conferred with Jedi Grand Master Zym. After consulting with Zym, Dar'nala asked Shan to apologize to Baras for her actions against him. Shan agreed, and the Treaty of Coruscant was eventually signed by the Republic.

A New Order
Shortly after the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant, Shan and Dar'Nala were instructed by Zym to travel to the Outer Rim and oversee Republic troop withdrawals in accordance with the treaty. Shan and Dar'Nala traveled aboard the Republic transport Envoy. As the ship passed through the Kuat sector of the Core Worlds, Dar'Nala was angered by their situation, believing that Zym was trying to keep them out of the way. Dar'Nala opined to Shan that Zym should seek Shan's guidance, since the Knight had sensed that the Sith would betray them. As Shan was responding to Dar'Nala's comments, the Jedi Master caught the Sith-constructed droid SP-99 listening in on their conversation. As the droid explained his actions to Dar'Nala, Shan defended SP-99, and Dar'Nala remarked that they could continue their discussion later. Shan apologized to the droid for Dar'Nala's aggressive attitude towards him, stating that she was acting like that because the Sith had built him.

Shortly after this, their ship came under attack by a Sith warship. Imperial commandos immediately boarded the Republic ship, and Shan dispatched her attackers, earning a reminder from SP-99 that she was violating the treaty by doing so. Shan witnessed Dar'Nala being captured by Sith forces, and the Jedi Master instructed Shan to flee and inform the Jedi Council of what had transpired. Shan fled the ship, with SP-99 in tow, aboard an escape pod, vowing to rescue her former Master. However, SP-99 remarked that it would take approximately 500,000 years for anyone to locate their pod in that sector, and Shan sarcastically remarked that she would be learning patience after all. Shan's escape pod was eventually found by Mandalorian slavers bound for the planet Geonosis.

However, a Republic shuttle arrived and destroyed the Mandalorian's vessel. Shan and SP-99 were brought aboard the shuttle by Republic Lieutenant Harron Tavus and Jedi Master Orgus Din. She informed the two men about the Imperial's attack on the Envoy, and argued for rescuing Dar'Nala after they informed the Senate of their situation. When Tavus remarked that he and Din were headed to the planet Balmorra on a diplomatic mission, Shan was incensed. SP-99 tried to discredit Shan, but Din disregarded the droid and said that they would investigate the matter after he consulted Master Zym.

Shan thanked Din and told Tavus that she was not being dramatic in her assessment of their situation. Later aboard the ship, Shan, Din, and Tavus contacted Zym, who informed the three that many senators wanted the war to be restarted due to the Sith's attack on the Envoy. Tavus asked if they could pursue the Imperial transport which captured Dar'Nala and rescue the Jedi Master, and Zym informed them of Dar'Nala's death. After the meeting, Shan spoke with Tavus, who tried to comfort the Jedi by telling her that he had also lost his loved ones during the war. Shan apologized for the way that she treated him before.

Shan, Tavus, and Din later arrived on Balmorra, where Din prevented Jedi Knight Fortris Gall from furthering the battle between the Republic forces and the Imperials. Shan asked Din to place her in charge of the withdrawal efforts at Dantooine, reasoning that this task was originally assigned to her and Dar'Nala. Din, however, placed Tavus in command of the mission. Shan asked Gall whether he was accompanying her and Tavus, but the Mirialan stated that he would take his own ship. Shan, Tavus, and SP-99 left Balmorra and headed to the Raioballo sector, where Dantooine was located. During the trip, Shan had a conversation with Tavus, in which he suggested that they take a vacation together after the mission to Dantooine. Although she liked the idea, she refused due to the fact that she was a Jedi. Before he headed back for the cockpit, Tavus told Shan that he could tell that she had feelings for him and asked her to think about his proposal.

Shan and Tavus landed at the Republic Base D-55 on Dantooine and met with Republic Major Dael, who told them that Senator Am-Ris wished to speak with them over the holocomm. The Cerean informed Shan and Tavus of Zym's and Commander Gin Lesl's deaths and the bombing in the Senate building's tower; after Am-Ris ceased communications, Dael refused to participate in the withdrawal efforts. Shan was surprised when Tavus expressed his reluctance to urge Dael to withdraw his troops, and Tavus reasoned that the Senate would overturn the Treaty due to the Imperials' attack on the Envoy and their persecution of Coruscant. As Tavus left to contact Din, Shan suggested that a discussion was necessary when Gall arrived on the planet. She was informed that Gall was already on Dantooine on a reconnaissance mission.

Discovery on Dantooine
"Your friends can go, Satele, but you should stay. If Darth Revan's blood flows through your veins, you belong with us."

- Baras to Shan

Shan later greeted Master Din when he arrived on Dantooine with Braden, the bounty hunter who had killed Zym. Braden remembered that Dar'Nala wanted her to know what was really going on, and told her that Baras was behind the attempts to destroy the peace. This revelation shocked Shan, because she sensed that Baras was even more peaceful than Dar'Nala. She later found SP-99 destroyed. After examining the wreckage, the destroyed droid managed to tell her of Tavus talking to Gall, and of the latter asking Tavus to come with him to the ruins of the Jedi Enclave. Din then contacted her and told her that Braden had escaped. He told her to stay where she was while he recaptured the bounty hunter. Impatient, Shan decided to head to the Enclave to investigate Gall's actions for herself.

Shan eventually made her way to the crystal caves, where she walked into a brewing skirmish between the Sith and some Jedi. To her surprise, she discovered her "deceased" Master among the combatants: Dar'Nala invited her former Padawan to join her in the fight against the Sith, stating her conviction that the treaty was setting the Republic up for a final strike from the Empire. Shan joined her former Master in the fight, attacking Baras. During the fight, Baras revealed to Shan that it had been her former Master who had been responsible for the recent disruptions of the treaty, including the initial attack on the Envoy. Dar'Nala's confirmation of Baras' accusations so devastated Shan that she collapsed to the ground. Baras then put his plan into action: accusing the Jedi of hypocrisy, even to the Jedi Code, he called on Shan to join him, telling her that the age of the Jedi was passing and that her rightful place was with the Sith.

Shan refused to submit to Baras, but also refused to side with Dar'Nala when the latter shouted at her to finish Baras off. This enraged Dar'Nala, who interpreted her former Padawan's refusal as a betrayal. She then called upon Tavus to execute Darth Angral, with whom he had been doing battle. Tavus was about to do so when Shan stopped him, making the observation that the Sith wanted to be attacked; and that if Tavus, a soldier of the Republic, killed Angral, he would be playing directly into their hands. Thoroughly infuriated, Dar'Nala made an attempt on Tavus' life, stating that as Shan had broken her heart, she would break Shan's in return. Gall realized that Dar'Nala had gone too far, and blocked the strike. Using the Force, Dar'Nala overpowered Gall and ordered the Wookiee bounty hunter Dalborra to kill him. However, Dalborra instead punched Dar'Nala with a massive paw, finally killing her.

As Dalborra fled, Shan gathered Tavus and Gall together and prepared to leave. Angral recovered at this time, and tried to stop them. Baras told Angral to stand down and said they could go. However, Baras said Shan should join them, saying that if Darth Revan's blood was in her veins, she belonged with the Sith. Shan refused, and acknowledged that even if she couldn't defeat the Sith, there would be others who could. The trio returned to the Republic base, where they were informed by Master Din that the Major was finally seeing sense and agreeing to pull out. Without going into too much detail, they reported that a dissident group within the Republic had been behind the disruptions of the treaty and that they had been stopped. The Treaty of Coruscant would hold through.

Grand Master
In the years after the signing of the Treaty, Shan helped establish a new Jedi Temple on Tython. By 3,643 BBY, she had become the youngest individual to assume the position of the Jedi Order's Grand Master. Shan worked to prevent war from reigniting, successfully averting numerous attempts. However, she knew that another war between the Jedi and Sith was inevitable, and that the Jedi had to win when this occurred. During the events of the Cold War between the Republic remnants and the Sith Empire, the Sith issued a bounty of 100 million credits on her, whether she was dead or alive.

The Battle of Sebaddon
During her time as Grand Master, Shan trained the Kiffar Jedi Shigar Konshi as her Padawan. In the early days of his training she began to telepathically communicate with Konshi and used this as a method of training for his telepathic abilities. Shan gave Konshi a considerable amount of combat training, including advice for confrontations with both Sith and Mandalorians, and also emphasized self control and discipline. She advised Konshi to never use his abilities out of anger or rage, which she believed would always lead to the dark side. When the time came for Konshi to be judged on whether or not he was ready for the trials, the Jedi High Council deemed him unfit at that stage of his Jedi training. Although Shan could have defended her Padawan as Grand Master of the Jedi Order, she chose not to, and rather sent her Padawan on a mission to Nal Hutta to investigate a mysterious artifact from a destroyed ship that the Hutt Tassaa Bareesh was auctioning off.

Konshi discovered that one of the items being auctioned off at Nal Hutta was a navicomp that led to an unaffiliated resource rich world, and Shan participated in the subsequent invasion of world, Sebaddon. After receiving the coordinates from her Padawan, she assembled a fleet of fifteen ships and took command of the largest cruiser, the Corellia. Her command ship was later destroyed by the intelligent robotic species inhabiting the planet, nicknamed the "hexes", but she was able to maintain a force shield in a sealed compartment of the Corellia's forward command center and therefore was able to survive in the vacuum of space before being rescued. Shan later helped coordinate the battle with the Sith Lord Darth Chratis with an unwavering air of diplomacy during the temporary Republic/Empire alliance. She worked with the Sith apprentice Eldon Ax to destroy the hexes' central computer to prevent them from spreading across the galaxy. During this incursion, Shan exhibited an unbreakable serenity, a silent swiftness, and a battle prowess that made Eldon Ax, a Sith apprentice, silently acknowledge that perhaps Jedi had the power to stand up to the Sith.

At an unknown time, she had a son named Theron Shan but she gave up his custody to Ngani Zho in order to comply with the Jedi rules on attachment. Not force-sensitive, her adult son later served the Republic as a spy during the Cold War.

Personality and traits
"Patience just isn't my greatest strength."

- Satele Shan

The Human female Satele Shan typically wore a set of brown Jedi robes as well as another skintight outfit during combat on Alderaan. During her tenure as a Jedi Knight, Shan was known to be impulsive and quick to act, as demonstrated when she attacked Baras immediately after discovering the Sith's treachery in the peace talks. However, she was willing to admit that she was weak in certain character traits, such as her patience. When the ship transporting her and Dar'nala to the Outer Rim came under attack, Shan would make sarcastic comments to SD-99, who had been assigned by the Sith to watch over the two Jedi. Despite her flaws, Shan was firm in her beliefs and stood by them, as demonstrated when she refused to help Dar'nala sabotage the Treaty of Coruscant while refusing to join the Sith at the same time.

During the Battle of Alderaan, Shan demonstrated significant bravery and boldness over the course of the skirmish, leaping directly into combat despite being at a numerical disadvantage. Her initiative enabled her to take out multiple Sith combatants before challenging Darth Malgus himself, further displaying her courage in her willingness to duel a Sith Lord. She also exhibited a sense of awareness of her surroundings and utilized the environment to her advantage in combat, at one point felling a tree.

Shan later tempered her impatience and aggressive tendencies in her later years, and possessed a warm demeanor and an approachable personality. Even after reaching the rank of Grand Master, Shan preferred to be addressed by her first name rather than her surname and was always calm and respectful, regardless of who she was dealing with. In contrast with her earlier aggression towards Baras, Shan was later able to calmly speak to and even work with the Sith during the conflict on Sebaddon. However, this belied her real strength and determination. She was respected for her wisdom and her strong connection with the Force.

Powers and abilities
Shan was skilled at lightsaber combat, engaging the Sith Lord Baras on Alderaan and on Dantooine. Shan's combat abilities were significant enough that she nearly single-handedly was able to turn the tide of a skirmish during the Battle of Alderaan, where she also dueled Darth Malgus. She was able to hold her own and eventually defeat Malgus with assistance from a Republic trooper, despite the Sith Lord's greater strength and experience. Shan utilized a blue-bladed saberstaff during the Fall of Korriban and the Battle of Alderaan, which featured a spiraling design on the hilt. The saberstaff was left with her master at Korriban upon his death, and Shan presumably reclaimed it or built an identical replacement before it was destroyed during her second duel with Malgus. Shan subsequently began using a green lightsaber of standard design. She was capable of utilizing telekinetic Force powers, demonstrating these against two Imperial commandos when her ship came under attack shortly after the Treaty of Coruscant. In addition, Shan demonstrated she was capable of utilizing her telekinesis seamlessly during lightsaber combat and displayed a level of power capable of shattering wood and stone. In addition, Shan displayed the uncommon ability of absorbing energy, and was able to stop a lightsaber blade with her bare hands. By the time she ascended to the position of Grand Master, Shan was revered as a veteran warrior, having fought and survived numerous occasions against the power of the dark side. The Sith apprentice Eldon Ax marveled at the Grand Master's telekinetic power when they fought together against a powerful new droid model on Sebbadon, where Shan was able to dismantle the droids with a mere gesture, an impressive feat as the droids had previously been successful in combating other Sith and Jedi.

Shan's apprentice; Shigar Konshi, mentioned that she had incredible powers of foresight, and that her abilities with this regard far outstripped those of any other Jedi, such that it came to be said that she possessed the ability to change future events simply by predicting an action. She demonstrated this ability even as a Padawan, where she was able to sense the impending arrival of Sith forces even before her Master could. Additionally, Shan's Force empathy ability was so powerful that she was able to feel her Padawan's emotional state and know exactly what troubled him while communicating with him through a holographic transmission, halfway across the galaxy. Dar'nala also told the Jedi Grand Master Zym that Shan had inherited her ancestor Bastila Shan's powerful affinity for Battle meditation.

Behind the scenes
Satele Shan was created by Robert Chestney for the webcomic Star Wars: The Old Republic, Threat of Peace, which was created as a prelude to the upcoming PC video game Star Wars: The Old Republic. The comic was initially released exclusively online through the Star Wars: The Old Republic official website, but is currently in re-release as comic book issues published by Dark Horse. In the comics, Shan was drawn by Alex Sanchez. Shan's biographical entry in the official site's Holonet feature revealed that she was a direct descendant of Bastila Shan, a character from the 2003 Xbox and PC video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which was developed by BioWare, which is currently developing Star Wars: The Old Republic. Shan will play a role in the game, appearing as the Jedi Order's Grand Master. The game takes place ten years after the events in the Treaty of Coruscant webcomic. Previously, due to misstated dates, it was believed that the game took place about three decades after the Treaty of Coruscant. Shan also appeared in the Hope cinematic trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic video game, although she has no spoken lines and was initially thought to be a separate character. Shan appeared in the Return cinematic trailer and also narrated it.

In Star Wars: The Old Republic, Threat of Peace Act 3: Uncertain Surrender, Sith Lord Baras states that he believes Satele is also a descendant of Revan. Also, on Satele Shan's biography page on The Old Republic website, there is an Aurebesh phrase that says "blood of Revan." Although these do not confirm Revan is the ancestor of Satele Shan, they have heightened fan speculation that Revan is the father of Bastila's child, and therefore Satele's ancestor.

Satele Shan's biography page on the official website has several Aurebesh phrases. They translate as "Jedi exiled her mother," "blood of Revan," and "a secret son."

Although it was initially disputed as to whether the Jedi featured in the Hope trailer was Satele Shan or another unnamed Jedi, a post made by Alexander Freed, writer for Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Lost Suns, on SWTOR.com confirmed that Shan was indeed the Jedi featured in the trailer. He also commented on her drastic change in appearance, saying that when the Threat of Peace webcomic was released, her appearance wasn't yet finalized in-game and that we would be seeing more consistent portrayals in the future.

Appearances

 * Return
 * Hope
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic, Threat of Peace
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Lost Suns
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic