Mission to Yavin 4

"Over the years, the pair became more and more ambitious, eventually undertaking a daunting mission. They set out to explore the ancient Sith temples on Yavin-Four. Their goal was to investigate the final resting place of Naga Sadow&mdash;one of the most powerful Sith Lords who ever lived."

- Gnost-Dural

In 3,756 BBY, the Human Jedi Master Barel Ovair and his Nautolan Padawan, Eison Gynt, set out on a mission to the fourth moon of the planet Yavin. The two had spent much time together exploring locations throughout the galaxy that were strong in the Force, and planned to search the Massassi Temples on Yavin 4 and delve into the tomb of the ancient Sith Lord Naga Sadow. Ovair, however, was in actuality a servant of the exiled Sith Empire, on a mission to destroy the spirits of long-dead Sith who might potentially challenge the power of the Sith Emperor upon his return to known space.

After arriving on the moon, Ovair and Gynt were attacked by Sadow's surviving Massassi warriors. Defeated, they were forced into the heart of Sadow's tomb, where they were overcome by the Sith Lord's still-lingering dark energies. Ovair was unable to accomplish his objective, and so abandoned Gynt there. Weeks later he returned to the Jedi Temple, claiming Gynt had been killed. The young Nautolan had in fact survived, only to be possessed by Sadow's spirit and killed years later by Ovair.

Prelude
"I have long suspected that during this extended period, the Sith spent generations infiltrating Republic political circles, and even the Jedi Order."

- Gnost-Dural, on the centuries leading up to the Great War

Following the defeat of the Sith Empire at the conclusion of the Great Hyperspace War in 5,000 BBY, Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow fled the forces of the Jedi Order and Galactic Republic and sought refuge on the fourth moon of the Outer Rim world of Yavin. On the moon, Sadow's Massassi servants constructed massive temples in the Dark Lord's honor, one of which eventually served as his tomb. Meanwhile, other remnants of Sadow's defeated Empire committed themselves to self-imposed exile in the Unknown Regions, where they worked to forge a new Imperial regime led by one of the final living Dark Lords.

This Dark Lord, known only as the Sith Emperor, began preparing his Sith for a renewed conflict against the Republic in retribution for the defeat they suffered during the Great Hyperspace War. To that end, the Emperor dispatched spies throughout the galaxy to infiltrate the Republic and weaken it from within. Several of these spies were members of the Ovair family&mdash;Sith who were assigned to masquerade as Jedi and use their position to gain access to the burial grounds of dead Sith Lords. The Ovairs' mission was to destroy the spirits of these Sith, so as to prevent them from challenging the Sith Emperor's power upon his return to the known galaxy.

Barel Ovair, a third generation Sith infiltrator, took up the work of his father and grandfather under the guise of a Jedi Master and scholar. Alongside his Padawan, the Nautolan Eison Gynt, Ovair traveled the cosmos in search of Sith spirits. Gynt was unaware of his Master's mission, as Ovair had told both his apprentice and the Jedi Council that the purpose of their travels was to investigate locations strong in the Force. The two undertook increasingly daring missions until 3,756 BBY, when the elder Jedi decided to take his apprentice to Yavin 4 to explore the Massassi Temples. In reality, however, his plan was to infiltrate the ancient crypt of Naga Sadow and destroy the residual traces of the Dark Lord's spirit.

The mission
"Gynt and Master Ovair fought bravely against the Massassi, but they were defeated and forced to flee deep into the temple. There, they encountered the dark energies still lingering in Naga Sadow's tomb."

- Gnost-Dural, on the mission to Yavin 4

Upon reaching the moon, the two Jedi made their way to the massive temple that housed the Dark Lord's body. Before entering the great structure, they were set upon by hoards of Massassi warriors emerging from the jungle. These Massassi had survived the centuries since Sadow's death and remained to guard their master's tomb, but were twisted by Sadow's experimentation on them many years before, and were now mutated wielders of the dark side of the Force. Ovair and Gynt battled into the temple, where they were attacked by even more of the alien guards.

Although the two fought determinedly against the Massassi, they were eventually defeated and forced to retreat into the heart of the temple, where Sadow's sarcophagus was kept. There, they experienced the power of the dark side that still emanated from the Dark Lord's body. Ovair failed to destroy Sadow's spirit, however, and so fled the moon, abandoning his apprentice within the tomb.

Aftermath
"Weeks later, Master Ovair returned to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, alone, wounded, and half-insane from the tortures he had endured."

- Gnost-Dural

Several weeks after the mission, Master Ovair reappeared at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The Jedi Master was heavily wounded and apparently insane as a result of the ordeal, and so received intensive care. His recovery process dragged on for an extended period of time, but Ovair eventually found himself able to make a report of the incident on Yavin 4. In an address to the Galactic Senate of the Republic, Ovair explained the horrors he had faced on the moon, and claimed that Eison Gynt had been killed during their captivity within the tomb. Ovair resumed his post as a Jedi, but several years later, Eison Gynt reappeared on Coruscant, possessed by the spirit of Naga Sadow. He intended to kill Ovair in retribution for his attempt at destroying the Dark Lord's spirit on Yavin 4.

Gynt attacked his former Master, but Ovair prevailed in the ensuing duel, killing the Padawan and neutralizing Sadow's specter, thereby fulfilling the edict given to him by the Sith Emperor. Around one-hundred years later, in the aftermath of the Sith's successful campaign against the Republic and the Jedi, Jedi Historian Gnost-Dural investigated the events surrounding the mission to Yavin 4. Gnost-Dural's research revealed Master Ovair's true allegiances and the purposes for his travels, as well as his family heritage and their contribution to the Empire's war against the Republic.

Behind the scenes
The mission to Yavin 4 was first seen in the seventh entry of the Galactic Timeline, an online video series created to elaborate upon the background for the upcoming LucasArts video game Star Wars: The Old Republic. The entry, titled Peace for the Republic?, is available on The Old Republic official website and is narrated by actor Lance Henriksen in his vocal portrayal of Jedi Master Gnost-Dural.

Peace for the Republic? presents an inconsistency in Star Wars canon in regards to the destruction of Naga Sadow's spirit. Although The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia had previously claimed that the Dark Lord Freedon Nadd destroyed Sadow's spirit in 4,400 BBY, the Timeline indicates that Sadow's spirit was still lingering on Yavin 4 around 644 years later.

Appearances

 * Timeline 7: Peace for the Republic