Revan/Legends

"You will have gone from being the Sith Lord himself, to the savior of our galaxy."

- Bastila Shan

Revan, renowned as "The Revanchist" and dreaded as Darth Revan, was an eminent Jedi Knight turned conquering Dark Lord of the Sith until, stripped of his true persona, he returned to the crumbling Jedi Order and helped defeat the Sith Empire he had established. A Human of unknown origins, he was trained as a Padawan by Kreia and a number of other Jedi Masters, both on Coruscant and at the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. Acknowledged as a very gifted pupil, by 3,964 BBY he was a Jedi Knight respected enough to amass a notable following that argued for Jedi intervention in the Mandalorian Wars. Though opposed in this by the Jedi Council itself, Revan could not be dissuaded. Revealing the horror of the Mandalorians' genocide of the Cathar, Revan bolstered his support base and then quickly circumvented the Council, exploiting a technicality that forced it to begrudgingly "sanction" the intervention he desired. With the Council sidelined, the charismatic young Jedi and his closest friend, Malak, were able to recruit and lead a faction of Jedi Order to war without fear of reprisal. A talented military tactician and strategist, Revan directed the Galactic Republic to victory after assuming command of its forces in 3,961 BBY, finally ending the conflict the following year with the defeat and execution of Mandalore the Ultimate, the destruction of Malachor V and the disarmament of the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. Yet in the wake of this triumph, Revan, his loyal Jedi followers, and the third of the Republic fleet that remained under his direct control ventured into the Unknown Regions&mdash;ostensibily in pursuance of Mandalorian stragglers&mdash;and ceased all communications with the known galaxy.

In those unknown regions of space, on Dromund Kaas, Revan and Malak came face to face with the long hidden Sith Empire and its Emperor. Thus, having already embraced the seductive Sith teachings he encountered at the Trayus Academy on Malachor V, Revan's induction into their traditions was finally completed. Bid by his newfound master to acquire the Star Forge&mdash;a superweapon of the Infinite Empire&mdash;on his behalf, Revan successfully tracked down the last Rakatan Star Maps required to reveal its location. Upon securing the ancient space station, however, he returned to the civilization he had left behind openly as Darth Revan, proclaiming himself to be the Dark Lord of the Sith. Commanding the continued obedience of many veterans of the Mandalorian Wars, and alongside the man who was now his Sith apprentice, Darth Malak, Revan betrayed the Jedi, turned against the Republic, and plunged the known galaxy into the Jedi Civil War. Utilizing the Star Forge to spawn an immense armada, Revan cut a carefully calculated path of conquest through the Outer Rim, building his own powerful Sith Empire to which new converts regularly flocked. Though the Republic staved off total defeat for two years, thanks to the extraordinary battle meditation of the gifted Jedi Bastila Shan, Revan's ultimate triumph seemed inevitable until he and Malak were ensnared by a Jedi trap. As a Republic fleet engaged that of the two ruling Sith, a strike team led by Shan boarded Revan's flagship and battled its way to the Dark Lord. Moments before the Jedi engaged Revan in combat, however, Malak&mdash;sensing an opportunity to be rid of both the Jedi and the Master whose power he coveted&mdash;had his own vessel open fire on the distracted Sith Lord's bridge. Caught by surprise, Revan was incapacitated by Malak's attack and then captured by the strike team while his traitorous apprentice, believing his Master destroyed, seized control of his Empire.

His mind shattered, his memories scattered, and soon thought dead by the galaxy–at–large, Revan's life was preserved by none other than Shan, an act that forged a Force bond between them. Either unable or unwilling to restore their prisoner's true self, but requiring the knowledge buried within his mind, the Jedi Council used the Force to rebuild Revan with a new identity loyal to the Republic. Almost one year later, after Revan, still oblivious to his true past, rescued the captive Shan alongside Commander Carth Onasi and an eclectic band of allies on Taris, the Jedi Council on Dantooine opted to retrain him. Reawakening to his former skills and charged with unearthing the source of Malak's colossal fleet, Revan and his loyal comrades thwarted all obstacles and adversaries as he and Shan were guided by shared "visions"&mdash;in truth Revan's own memories&mdash;to the Star Maps on Tatooine, Kashyyyk, Manaan, and Korriban. In the midst of this odyssey, the group was ensnared by Admiral Saul Karath, commander of the Sith fleet, and imprisoned aboard the Leviathan. Though Revan and his friends escaped, killing Karath along the way, Darth Malak confronted his former Master, revealed his true identity and ultimately recaptured Shan, the woman Revan had come to love. Continuing in the face of this loss, Revan and his allies successfully discovered the final Star Map and the location of the Star Forge. There, in the Rakata System, Revan rejected the darkness of his past, turned Shan&mdash;whom Malak had broken to his will&mdash;back to the light and vanquished the reigning Dark Lord, playing his part in the battle that brought the war he had instigated to a close. A year onward, having driven the warring Sith factions from Korriban, Revan&mdash;with more memories returning&mdash;left the known galaxy behind on a solitary quest against the true Sith Empire. As of 3,623 BBY, he was thought to have never returned.

Early life
"Some said that Revan was born in the Outer Regions, beyond the Rim, and that's what called to him during the Mandalorian Wars&hellip; and after. It was the call of home."

- Kreia

The exact details of Revan's early life cannot be ascertained. Though there were some that claimed he had been born beyond the Outer Rim Territories, his parentage and homeworld remain unknown. Regardless, he was eventually deemed suitable for instruction in the ways of the Force by the Jedi Order.

Jedi training


"Revan had many Masters, Zhar, Dorak, Master Kae before Kae left for the Wars. Towards the end of his training, he sought out many to learn techniques. It is said that he returned to his first Master at the end of his training, in order to learn how he might best leave the order."

- Mical

By the Jedi Master Kreia's account, it was she who undertook Revan's initial instruction in the Jedi Arts and, along with his closest friend Alek, Revan was trained both on Coruscant and at the Jedi Academy on Dantooine. Though both Revan and Alek would visit Twi'lek Jedi Master Zhar Lestin for additional training, the elder Jedi noted Revan's "insatiable" desire for knowledge in particular. At the time, he dismissed it as mere exuberance and eagerness, believing the youth to be a future champion of the Jedi Order. Master Vrook Lamar, on the other hand, later claimed that Revan was perhaps too eager to learn more about the Force, and had sought knowledge of ancient "Sith magics."

Revan was said to have left his first Master's tutelage entirely, going on to study beneath numerous Jedi Masters, including the aforementioned Lestin, as well as Master Dorak, the Jedi chronicler of the Dantooine Jedi Enclave, and Arren Kae. Some years later, the former Jedi Mical would claim that Revan had deeply studied the process of Force bonding, among other techniques, during this period. Eventually, however, it was said that Revan returned to his first Master Kreia when "he realized there was nothing more to be learned from the Jedi&mdash;except how one could leave them forever." By 3,956 BBY, the general consensus amongst the Jedi Masters on Dantooine was that, though a very promising Padawan, Revan had been headstrong, proud and far too quick to dismiss the dangerous lure of the dark side.

Some time before 3,963 BBY, Revan, along with Alek, attained the rank of Jedi Knight.

The Revanchist
"Who I am is not important&mdash;my message is."

- Revan



During the early Outer Rim skirmishes between the Republic and Mandalorians, Revan&mdash;by this time a well known, powerful and charismatic Jedi Knight&mdash;moved throughout the Jedi Order, arguing his case for Jedi intervention. Though at first a lone voice among the Jedi, considered the "Jedi's own crusader" by the Republic media, Revan gradually gathered something of a following. The first to be drawn to Revan's cause was his closest friend Alek Squinquargesimus, who then aided him in further recruitment. Late into 3,964 BBY Revan, now considered the honorary "Master" of those who followed him&mdash;specifically Squinquargesimus, made the decision to journey to the Mandalorian front against the Jedi Council's wishes, so as to scout out the enemy lines. On the way, he and his followers briefly stopped by Taris. An acquaintance of the Jedi Master Lucien Draay, Revan hoped to recruit more Jedi to his cause from the academy on the world, yet neither Draay or any of the other Jedi on the planet were willing, or allowed, to oblige.

Sometime after leaving Taris, Revan left the majority of his followers on the planet Suurja while he investigated events on Onderon and Dxun. Though he reported his "disturbing" findings to the Jedi High Council shortly after the onset of the Mandalorian Wars proper, the Council told him yet again that there was "no place" for the Jedi Order in the war and sent him on a mission to rescue those of his followers that had been captured during the Fourth Battle of Suurja. As he departed the Council chambers, Revan encountered Lucien Draay once more and, after a brief conversation about an undefined "truth," he left to complete his task.



Ultimately, however, Revan's captive "learners" were saved from the experiments of the sadistic Demagol by the fugitive Jedi Padawan Zayne Carrick, who was framed by his former Master Lucien Draay for the Padawan Massacre of Taris, and the rogue Mandalorian Rohlan Dyre. Once reunited with his disciples, Revan's campaign for Jedi intervention in the war against the Mandalorians continued, albeit somewhat differently than before. Whereas his efforts had previously been considered a curiosity at best, in the context of a larger Mandalorian War he suddenly found himself a celebrity. As the Revanchist movement behind him grew, the Republic media cast Revan in the role of crusading savior, wrongfully ignored by the aloof High Council. Though first referred to as "the Revanchist Leader" in reports, it was not long before the young Jedi Knight was given a new, "snappier" moniker: the Revanchist.

Revan continued to travel the galaxy during this time, taking his message of Jedi intervention to all who would listen. During the Battle of Serroco, while on the planet Cathar alongside Squinquargesimus, he&mdash;along with many other Jedi across the galaxy&mdash;felt the deaths of thousands on Serroco as the Mandalorians rained nuclear warheads onto the surface. Doubled over in empathic pain, the most he could say to his best friend was: "I feel it!" A short time later, Revan was invited to bid on the exogorth superweapons that the leader of Adascorp, Arkoh Adasca, was selling on behalf of his increasingly large faction within the Jedi. Unable to attend due to pressing business elsewhere, Revan sent Squinquargesimus in his place. Several Jedi had visions concerning Adasca's exogorths and the role they could play in the war, so Revan instructed Squinquargesimus to ensure that the danger they presented was taken "out of the mix."

Shortly after the Adasca affair, the siege of Taris, and the bombardment of Jebble, Lucien Draay was appointed to the Jedi Council. He reported to the Council that Republic intelligence reports indicated that there was a blow to the Mandalorian's plans of conquest, reportedly by an insurrection within their own ranks, and stated that the "interventionist path" sought by Revan was wrong for both the Republic and the Jedi. The Council approved his motion, which ordered the recall, or if necessary, detention, of the "prowar renegades." The Jedi Council sent Squinquargesimus back to Revan and his followers with a final warning. after Squinquargesimus, now going under the guise of "Captain Malak", testified to the Jedi Council against the secret cabal known as the Jedi Covenant.

The Mandalorian Wars
"When the Mandalorian threat first arose, Revan and Malak were eager to defeat the enemy of the Republic. But the council thought it best if we moved with care and caution. The true threat, the council feared, had not yet revealed itself. But Revan would not be dissuaded. Charismatic and powerful, it was inevitable many of the Order would flock to Revan's seemingly noble cause. Malak was the first to join his closest friend. Others followed, many of our youngest and brightest, intent on saving the galaxy from the Mandalorian threat."

- Zhar Lestin



As the Mandalorian Wars continued, the desperate Republic military petitioned the Jedi Council for aid. Unwilling to charge into another conflict so soon since the last with Exar Kun and fearing a greater threat, the Council refused. Revan and his followers, however, did not. With the devastating details of the Battle of Cathar having become widely known&mdash;several years after the fact&mdash;Revan used them to his advantage. In an act of rebellion above and beyond anything he had ever done before, he refused to acknowledge the authority of the High Council and sent out a full call to arms to the Order. No longer was he arguing for Jedi intervention, he was going to intervene. As always, Squinquargesimus was the first to join his closest friend, but soon hundreds of Jedi answered Revan's call. An arrest order was issued for those Jedi Knights who joined Revan, and Squinquargesimus adopted the alias of "Malak" to avoid it.

When Malak returned from Coruscant to Cathar, Revan, Malak, and their Jedi were confronted by Vrook Lamar and a large group of Jedi, who surrounded Revan and his followers. It seemed as if their efforts would be for naught, as they would not be taken into custody. Revan, however, discovered something in the dirt - a Mandalorian mask. Suddenly, the group was beset by Cathar fleeing toward the ocean, followed by a swarm of Mandalorians. The Jedi ignited their lightsabers and tried to help the Cathar, only to discover that both the refugees and their pursuers were only visions of the past. This attack had happened years earlier, under the command of Cassus Fett. The Jedi watched helplessly as the Cathar were herded into the ocean and Cassus prepared to murder them all. One Mandalorian, however, flew to the Cathar and told Cassus that they had been defeated, and the genocide was unnecessary. Cassus declared that the Cathar must pay for dishonoring the Mandalorians during the Sith Wars, but if the warrior wished to speak for them, then so be it. Cassus saluted her efforts, then had the warships fire anyway, killing her and all the Cathar. It was this woman's mask that Revan had found, and after seeing this vision, he placed the mask on his head and vowed to wear it until the Mandalorians had been defeated once and for all.

The entrance of Revan and his Jedi into the war marked its turning point. Revan's clever military strategies and tactics coupled with Malak's courage and fiery determination saw the pair becoming the foremost heroes of the conflict. Claiming victory time after time, they were propelled through the ranks of the Republic military and were eventually given direct control of a full third of the Republic's fleet. With his newfound authority, Revan spearheaded the Republic war effort and began to steadily push the Mandalorians back. Together, Revan and Malak liberated Taris, fought Cassus Fett&mdash;Mandalore the Ultimate's primary strategist&mdash;at Jaga's Cluster, and defeated much of the Mandalorian army at Althir. Yet, despite such victories, there were concerns raised over the Jedi's behavior. Though Revan's tactics were near flawless and Malak's righteous fury unmatched, the pair began to adopt very similar characteristics to the Mandalorians they were fighting, growing to despise weakness and indecisiveness in all its forms. Unfortunately for the galaxy, the growing darkness surrounding Revan did not just stem from his experiences with the Mandalorians.

At some point in the year 3,961 BBY, Revan found a Rakatan Star Map on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. He then discovered the ancient Sith world of Malachor V, which was considered taboo to the Mandalorians. On its surface, Revan was quickly assaulted by the destructive dark side energies that permeated the world, yet through the strength of his will, he was able to feed on the evil power without being consumed by it. Soon thereafter, he stumbled upon the Trayus Academy, a Sith Temple on the surface of Malachor. While unearthing the planet's buried secrets, Revan learned the exact location and immense significance of the planet Korriban, the homeworld of the Sith species. Though further details of what transpired in that ancient Sith bastion remain unknown, Kreia would later imply that it was there that Revan discovered the continued existence of the "true" Sith and, "to prevent a greater evil," embraced the Sith teachings himself.

Returning to the wars, Revan forced a final confrontation with the Mandalorians over Malachor V. His plan was to unleash the recently constructed Mass Shadow Generator on the planet, wiping out the majority of the Mandalorian fleet, as well as those Republic forces and Jedi who were not fervently loyal to him. Trusting the device's activation to a capable Jedi General who would later become known as the Jedi Exile, Revan battled and killed Mandalore the Ultimate himself.

The battle resulted in catastrophic losses on both sides. In the end, many Jedi were twisted to the dark side, and the once proud Mandalorian clans were crippled, just as Revan had intended. After the battle, Revan denied the vanquished force their leader's ancestral mask, and with it their ability to choose a true successor. Ordering his forces to strip them of their weapons and armor, and to dismantle their Basilisk war droids, Revan condemned the Mandalorians to perpetual exile, where many became bounty hunters, bodyguards, and mercenaries. Such a total victory over their adversaries, despite the Republic casualties, saw Revan hailed as a savior. Yet unbeknownst to those praising him, the Sith teachings were already sweeping through the ranks of those who had followed him to war. Instead of returning to the Republic, Revan and Malak took the remainder of their fleet and disappeared from the known galaxy. They claimed to be searching for the remnants of the Mandalorian fleet; those who had fled the final, devastating battle. In reality, they were pursuing the power of the Star Forge and a deeper understanding of Sith dogma.

Mantle of the Sith
"We know nothing of what transpired when Revan and Malak met the Sith Emperor. One thing is certain: when they returned, they did so on behalf of their new dark Master"

- Gnost-Dural

During their expedition into the unknown regions of deep space, Revan and Malak verified the existence of the long hidden Sith Empire. And there, descending to the world of Dromund Kaas, Revan and his disciple entered into the presence of the venerable Sith Emperor. Having already utilized the Sith teachings of the Trayus Academy during the Mandalorian Wars, Revan&mdash;and by extension, Malak&mdash; agreed to serve the ancient Dark Lord of the Sith.

Desiring the immense power of the Star Forge to accelerate his machinations, the Emperor commanded his new acolytes to seek out the final Star Maps that would reveal its secret location. By doing so they would begin the preparations for a full scale Sith invasion, enabling the Emperor to exact his vengeance against the Jedi and Republic, centuries earlier than he had anticipated. Yet both Revan and his apprentice harbored ambitions far beyond mere servitude... ambitions that would put them at odds with their new-found sovereign.

Recovery of the Star Maps
"If we pass beyond this door, we can never go back. The Order will surely banish us."

- Malak

Revan's recovery of the ancient Rakatan Star Maps, though eventually co-opted by the Sith Emperor, spanned both the waning years of the Mandalorian Wars as well as their immediate aftermath. Though Revan may have discovered the Star Map on Kashyyyk alone, the first he and Malak discovered as a duo was on Dantooine. Avoiding detection by the Jedi, the pair entered the old burial mounds located near the Jedi Enclave and, after successfully completing the "trials" set for them by the guardian that had been left behind by the so called "builders", they were given access to the Star Map.

Moments before they went beyond the door that led to the dark side artifact, however, Malak&mdash;still new to the dark side&mdash;warned Revan that stepping beyond such a threshold would mean that they could never return to the Jedi Order. Whether or not Revan considered this, or even cared, as he paced in front of the sealed door is unknown; but if he had any doubts, he swiftly cast them aside. After examining the Star Map on Dantooine, Revan and Malak would go on to uncover Star Maps on Tatooine, Kashyyyk, Manaan, and Korriban. Though the order in which they did so is unknown, Bastila Shan was aware that the pair had visited Korriban "at least once" when they were known as Jedi, suggesting that they may have gone to this planet during&mdash;rather than following&mdash;the Mandalorian Wars.

Revan and Malak traveled to the previously unknown Lehon system; yet upon their arrival, the pair immediately crashed on Lehon. Shortly after, they were attacked by the primitive Black Rakata, who attempted to take them prisoner. The Dark Lord and his apprentice bested them easily, and though Revan could not understand the Rakatan language, he was able to use a Force technique to rip it from their minds, driving Basic into their skulls in turn through a unique Force power. Having been cowed into submission by the Sith Lords' Force powers, the Black Rakata took them to meet their leader, The One. After "teaching" the Rakatan leader Basic, Revan explained that he was pursuing the power of the Star Forge, and that he would require access to the Temple of the Ancients. Yet, from the superstitious, primitive ramblings he received in response, it soon became clear that neither the One nor his followers had any true comprehension of their species' past, nor the technological might that they had once commanded. Nevertheless, the One promised to help Revan enter the Temple, providing he used his "strange magics" to slaughter the Elders&mdash;a competing Rakatan tribe that had so far resisted his might. Revan swore he would do so.

Revan soon realized that these "Elders" were likely in possession of the answers he sought and, rather than destroy them, he instead approached them in peace. This proved wise, as from the Elders, Revan learned much of the Rakata and their old empire&mdash;and of the disruptor-field that had caused his and Malak's ship to crash. Sensing the Elders' abhorrence for their species' violent past, Revan proclaimed himself to be a servant of the light, searching for a way to destroy the Star Forge. Trusting him entirely, the Elders gave Revan and Malak access to the temple, and thanking them, the pair promised to destroy the Star Forge and return. Instead, both Revan and Malak would use the Star Forge for their own ends as Dark Lords of the Sith.

The Star Forge
"All you saw was an enormous factory, all you ever imagined was an infinite fleet rolling forth to crush the Republic."

- Darth Malak

Leading his hidden forces to the Lehon system, Revan began to realize his plans. Though the Star Forge was capable of granting vast power to those who fully embraced its dark nature, Revan minimized his exposure to the ancient spacestation, using it purely to construct an enormous fleet with which to conquer the Republic. Darth Malak, horrified that his Master would reject such strength, would later balk at what he perceived to be Revan's stupidity, yet the truth was that Revan was far from ignorant.

Revan, unlike his apprentice, understood the dangerous consequences of drawing upon the Star Forge too heavily. The artifact had led the Infinite Empire to its doom: fueling the Rakatan species' hate, driving them to civil war. Revan had no intention of letting over-reliance on the Star Forge disrupt the order he planned to bring to the galaxy. As with everything else, he would use it for as long as he needed it, then discard it.

Once ready, Revan led his powerful new Sith armada back into known space, finally revealing himself as a Sith Lord and plunging the galaxy into war once again. As his old teacher Dorak would later say: "The hero had become a conqueror."

The Jedi Civil War
"Revan understood one thing–the real battle was going to be fought between the Jedi on both sides. That was the only battle that mattered. [&hellip;] Whoever had the most, the strongest Jedi were going to win the Civil War. If Revan couldn't convert Jedi, then Revan would kill them."

- Atton Rand



In the year 3,959 BBY, Revan began a campaign to end the "tyranny" of the Jedi Council once and for all. They returned to Korriban, and seized control of the planet, establishing a new Sith academy. The war, while bloody, was orchestrated to topple the Republic while doing little damage to its underlying industrial infrastructure. Under his leadership, Sith forces bypassed militarily vital planets that would be required for the defense of the galaxy against the threat of the "True Sith." Revan's plan was to keep the Republic largely intact for the purposes of post-war rebuilding. He even took out a number of political figureheads, such as Yusanis of the Echani, Senator Mimas Yoon of Corellia and Lelin-Dor of Serroco. As such, he could begin his rule with a relatively functional military and economy rather than starting from scratch. Also, had he failed in conquering the galaxy, he believed the end result would be much the same: a stronger Republic, more capable of defending itself.

A year after they returned to the Republic, Revan and his Sith carried out a successful attack at Foerost, capturing a majority of the Republic fleet; they also carried a successful attack on the world of Telos IV. Revan had intended for Telos to be conquered, but his apprentice Darth Malak ordered the former Republic admiral Saul Karath to prove his loyalty to the Sith by destroying Telos. Karath complied, earning the wrath of surviving Telosians such as the Republic captain Carth Onasi, whose wife died after the attack.

Revan knew that, with Jedi in the war, this contest would come down to whoever had the most and strongest Jedi. He pioneered new Sith tactics relying on secrecy rather than brute force. His Sith assassins quietly flooded into the Republic to kill and/or abduct Jedi throughout known space. Revan reestablished strongholds and academies upon worlds of ancient power such as Lehon, Dxun, and Korriban. On these particular planets, his most faithful servants broke captured Jedi and converted them to the dark side. Revan also kidnapped some of his own Force-sensitive troops and converted them into Dark Jedi. Utilizing assassin droids&mdash;such as HK-47, whom Revan created after the Battle of Malachor V&mdash;Revan eliminated threats to the stability of his fledgling Sith Empire.

With Revan at the helm and Malak as his head general, the Sith forged vital alliances to expedite the support and deployment of their forces. They conspired with the Czerka Corporation, one of the richest and most powerful galaxy-spanning companies of the time, to amass much needed resources, and they secured diplomatic relations with the ocean planet of Manaan so that they were able to export the healing agent kolto. At some point during the war, Malak saw Revan as being too soft, resulting in a tension that culminated in a lightsaber duel in which Revan removed Malak's entire jaw with a single stroke from his lightsaber. Malak's injury neccessitated a cybernetic jaw guard, which allowed Malak to speak, albeit with a gruff electronic tone which created an intimidating effect. During this time, Malak had asked Revan's assassin droid HK-47 what he thought of him. When Malak was informed by the droid of his "meatbag" status, Revan found the term amusing and programmed HK to call all organics such.

The apprentice betrays the Master
"I betrayed you when I realized my own strength was greater than yours."

- Darth Malak

The reinvigorated Sith won battle after battle, until a young Jedi Knight named Bastila Shan entered the fray with her battle meditation, a powerful Force ability that increased the combat effectiveness of the Republic's forces and sapped the will of enemy combatants. Yet, even with Shan's aid, the Republic forces knew that they could not hold out forever against the Sith. In 3,957 BBY, in a desperate attempt to end the war, the Republic and the Jedi set a trap for Revan and Malak, luring them into battle against a small fleet. During the space battle, Shan led a team of Jedi that boarded Revan's flagship and managed to corner the Dark Lord on the bridge. Revan, however, seemed unfazed by the strike team, as he quickly eliminated all the Republic soldiers while the Jedi took down the Sith Lord's Dark Jedi.



As the Dark Lord prepared to battle with the Jedi, Darth Malak, in the hopes of destroying both Revan, Shan, and the Jedi, betrayed his Master, ordering the ships under his command to fire on the bridge of Revan's flagship. Although Malak believed himself to have been successful in killing the man who had been his best friend, this was not the case. Revan survived the turbolaser blasts that had rocked through the bridge, although rendered comatose. Shan also survived, and was faced with a choice. Upon regaining her wits, she was confronted with the broken, comatose body of Darth Revan. The Dark Lord was nearly dead&mdash;by Shan's own admission, just a tiny spark of the Force remained alive within him.

For whatever reason&mdash;perhaps a sense of duty to the Republic, pity, or a simple urge to save his life&mdash;young Shan made the decision to grab a hold of that waning spark and keep Revan alive. Through that act, she somehow tied Revan's life to her own, unwittingly forging a powerful Force bond. Shan took Revan and escaped the cruiser, while the Sith, believing their Master dead, retreated from the battle. Shan had stabilized Revan, but the Sith Lord was still in critical condition and his mind remained heavily damaged. Shan brought him to the Jedi, and a huge debate enveloped on what to do. Eventually, the Jedi Council decided that in order to find out how Revan had made a practically unbeatable fleet, they had to rely on Shan's bond with the former Jedi Knight to draw out Revan's memories and find the answers. To do this, Revan's broken mind was reprogrammed by the Council to conceal the Dark Lord's old identity. Shan was charged with keeping Revan's identity hidden and drawing out the former Dark Lord's memories.

Crash-Landing on Taris
"Taris? The planet's all one big city..."

- Carth Onasi

A year later, Revan, who was under an implanted name and with no recollection of his real history or of his former mastery of the Force, was enlisted as a common soldier in the Republic army, and placed under Shan's command on the Republic warship Endar Spire. Darth Malak, thinking his Master dead, had devoted all his forces to the hunt for Shan, and in orbit above the world of Taris, his fleet ambushed the Endar Spire. Revan awoke in the middle of the battle and proceeded to fight his way off the ship with the aid of fellow Republic soldier Trask Ulgo, who sacrificed himself to save Revan from a "Dark Jedi"&mdash;none other than Darth Malak's apprentice, a former Jedi named Darth Bandon. Along with the Republic captain Carth Onasi, he managed to escape in the last escape pod on the Endar Spire just moments before it exploded.

The search for Bastila


After crash-landing on the surface of Taris, Revan was knocked unconscious. Onasi dragged Revan from the crash site, where Revan began experiencing flashbacks through the Force of his buried past. The two men discovered that Shan had been captured by the Black Vulkars swoop gang and was being offered as a prize to the winner of a swoop race tournament called the Tarisian Season Opener.

With help from the Vulkars' rival, the Hidden Beks, as well as a young Twi'lek female by the name of Mission Vao and her Wookiee friend Zaalbar, Revan entered the tournament himself and was able to win Shan's freedom. These accomplishments were enough to attract the attention of the Mandalorian mercenary Canderous Ordo, who gave Revan an offer to escape Taris: stealing the Ebon Hawk, an extraordinarily fast freighter from the Exchange crime lord Davik Kang.

Escape
After Revan and his companions were able to steal the bypass codes to the Sith blockade overhead from the Sith base, with the help of their new droid companion T3-M4, Ordo introduced Revan to Kang as someone wanting to join the Exchange. While Kang ran a background check, Revan and his newfound crew broke into the hangar in an attempt to steal the Ebon Hawk. There they were confronted by Kang and the infamous bounty hunter Calo Nord. During the short firefight that ensued, Malak ordered the Sith admiral Saul Karath to bombard the planet saying “Wipe this pathetic planet from the face of the galaxy!” The resulting bombardment resulted in Kang's death, and allowed Revan and his crew to make their getaway.

Return to the Jedi Enclave
"I have not heard of any new apprentices being accepted for training recently. What brings you to this place, may I ask?"

- Deesra to Revan upon arrival on Dantooine

Deciding that they needed to regroup, Revan and his companions fled to the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. Shan spoke to the Jedi Council of “recent developments”, and once being informed of Revan, the Council requested an audience with him. Onasi found that the invitation was unusual for someone who was apparently not even a Jedi yet, and the Twi'lek Jedi Deesra Luur Jada remarked that he had not seen anyone accepted for training recently. Normally, the Council would not accept an adult for training, but Revan was a “special case”.

Shan presented Revan to the Jedi Council. Jedi Master Zhar Lestin, a member of the Council, told Revan that they had been discussing him, and that Shan had told them that he was strong in the Force. However, contrary to the other Masters, Vrook Lamar said that they needed indisputable proof of his strong connection to the Force before they could even consider training him. Shan argued that surely all of them could feel the strength of the Force within Revan. Lestin said that they could indeed, though the power was wild and untamed, and that they could not ignore it. Knowing Revan’s former identity, Lamar further argued that if they trained him, perhaps the Dark Lord–Revan himself–would return. Not wanting to reveal Revan’s identity to him, Master Vandar Tokare declared that they would discuss the matter in private.



While the Council debated, Revan and Bastila shared a vision of himself and Malak, as Jedi, visiting Dantooine's ruins when they found the first Star Map. After Shan and Revan told the Council of the event, Master Dorak claimed that the ruins had long been known to them, but they believed them to be merely burial mounds. Revan learned from the Masters that he and Shan shared a Force bond, and the Council believed that together, they would both be able to defeat Malak. The Council decided to send them to the ruins in their vision, where they believed they would find some clue as to why he and Malak had been corrupted by the dark side.

Jedi training and disputes on Dantooine
"What greater weapon is there than to turn an enemy to your cause? To use their own knowledge against them?"

- Bastila Shan

Before Revan was to be sent, he was trained in the ways of the Force–unknown to him to be the second time. Revan’s progress was amazing, and Zhar Lestin, his teacher, said that he had never seen anyone who had mastered the initial training so quickly. He was soon welcomed fully into the Jedi Order. Before ending his apprenticeship and becoming a Padawan, he was to complete three tests. First, his knowledge of the Jedi Code was tested; second, to build a lightsaber. After succeeding in both the trials, he was told by Lestin of his third trial: to cleanse a meditation grove of its dark taint.

There, he found the source of the dark taint: a Cathar female Dark Jedi named Juhani, who, before his mind was destroyed, he had encouraged to become a Jedi after rescuing her from the Exchange on Taris. After Revan dueled and defeated her, Juhani, realizing that he was stronger, explained who she was. Revan spared her life and persuaded her ask the Jedi Council for mercy. The Jedi Council was pleased with his success, and his decision to redeem her. He had passed the final test, and therefore became a Padawan. Meanwhile, during his stay at the Enclave, he learned of the history of the Mandalorian Wars and of his turn to the dark side, as well as Malak's.

Revan also helped the farmers and settlers of Dantooine. He met a farmer named Jon, who demanded justice for the Mandalorian’s murder of his daughter. While Revan did not initially rebuke Jon, he was not one for wanton violence, and so continued on his set tasks. Inadvertently, Revan was forced to kill several Mandalorians in combat, due to their ambushing him on the fields around the Enclave. Returning to Jon with the news, Revan inquired deeper into the situation.



Jon told him that the carnage would not stop until the ringleader, Sherruk, had been killed. Despite Revan's constant avoidance of the lure of the dark side, he set out after Sherruk, with the justification that he would be helping the farmers. On the grassy plains of Dantooine, he confronted Sherruk, and urged him to refrain from his actions. When Sherruk refused and attacked him, Revan killed him and his cronies in combat. Revan returned to Jon with the news, which calmed the volatile farmer down. Jon insisted that Revan take his reward of a hundred Republic credits.

Another situation he influenced involved the Matale and Sandral families. The Matales had a long running feud with the Sandrals, and even with assistance from the Jedi Enclave, no compromise could be reached to settle the arguing. Later, Shen Matale was kidnapped by Nurik Sandral, who believed his son Casus was killed by the Matales. When Revan arrived at the Sandral estate, Rahasia Sandral, Nurik's daughter, told Revan about Shen's kidnapping. Due to Revan's interference, Shen escaped with Rahasia, but both were ambushed by their parents outside the estate. Revan was able to convince the fathers to allow their children to live their own lives, and the two agreed to purchase a new house for their children.

The ancient ruins
"You're a neophyte Padawan who's been saddled with the responsibility of tracking down these Star Maps. Why? That's not normal!"

- Carth Onasi

After this, he and Shan went to investigate the ruins that they had seen in their vision of Revan and Malak. Once inside, they were confronted by a droid speaking the language of the Rakata, which were, at this time, completely unknown to the rest of the galaxy. It switched to a language resembling that spoken by the Tusken Raiders, but finally changed to something Revan understood. The language happened to be an archaic and ancient dialect of the Selkath language. The droid said that it had been programmed to serve the “builders” if they sought knowledge of the “Star Forge”. When asked whether he knew of Revan and Malak, the droid replied that they were neither builders nor slaves, like him, but they had proven themselves worthy, and that they themselves must now do the same.



After passing the tests, they gained access to the room which contained a Star Map, which would help lead them to the Star Forge. Though the Map was not complete, it pointed the way to the worlds of Tatooine, Kashyyyk, Manaan, and Korriban, on which it was suspected more Star Maps could be found. Only with the combined information of these five worlds would Revan be able to rediscover the location of the mysterious Rakatan artifact. Revan and Shan reported their findings to the Council immediately after, and the Jedi Masters agreed that the Star Forge must be found. The Council still wanted Shan to continue drawing out Revan's memories to find the Star Maps. They were also curious to see if Revan could complete this mission without falling prey to the dark side, and reclaiming his former title as Dark Lord. Juhani requested that she join Revan’s party in their search for the Star Forge. Onasi expressed confusion over the Council's choice of sending Revan on an assignment that could be the deciding point of the war.

The second search for the Star Forge
"Who do you bring before me, Yuthura? A young human, bristling with the Force?"

- Uthar Wynn on Revan

Revan, Shan, and their companions journeyed to these worlds, tracing the steps Malak and his Master had taken years before. During these travels they gained two new companions; on Tatooine, Revan purchased the assassin droid that he created as a Sith Lord, HK-47, and on Kashyyyk, the self-exiled Jedi named Jolee Bindo joined his party on the search for the Star Forge. On each planet, the powerful dark side aura of the Star Maps created perilous conditions that made accessing the Maps difficult.

Additionally, the crew of the Ebon Hawk found themselves hunted by Sith and bounty hunters, such as Calo Nord on his last stand on Tatooine, and confronted with the problems of the local populace at every turn. One of their greatest challenges was Darth Bandon, Malak's apprentice, who met his end in a duel at the hands of Revan after he had found the fourth Star Map on Manaan. Throughout their journey, Revan and Bastila grew closer due to the feelings created by their Force bond. However, Bastila feared their love, thinking it would only lead to the dark side. In truth, she was afraid to face her feelings, out of fear of who Revan once was. She attempted to resist the feelings, yet their love for each other was undeniably strong.

Revelation on the Leviathan
"You cannot hide from what you once were, Revan! Recognize that you were once the Dark Lord - and know that I have taken your place!"

- Darth Malak to his old Master

As the crew was searching for the fifth and final Star Map, Revan and his allies were captured by the Sith flagship Leviathan which was under the command of Admiral Saul Karath, Onasi's former mentor. As the Ebon Hawk was being brought in via tractor beam, its crew discussed their escape, and Revan chose a member of his party to escape the Sith and save them from capture.

Revan, Shan, and Onasi were put into Force cages and interrogated by Admiral Karath. After Onasi argued with him and insulted him for the deaths on Telos, Saul said that he was insignificant part of events anyway, and that Darth Malak was far more interested in the two Jedi, who both said that they would never turn to the dark side. From Revan's words, Saul found, unexpectedly, that he did not know of his former identity. He, however, said that he would not be the one to deprive Malak of the pleasure of telling him himself. Karath suspected that he would not succeed in the interrogation, and said that the Dark Lord would no doubt torture them for information and for his own twisted pleasure. He knew, however, that at the time Malak was in another sector and that it may be some time before he would arrive, and so he began torturing them himself.



Knowing that Revan cared for Shan, Karath made her suffer each time when Revan refused to answer his questions. He used this to test Revan's loyalty when he asked him where the Jedi base was. Revan's will weakened, but still gave no answer to the former Republic Admiral. Karath revealed that the question was only a test, for Malak, of course, being a former Jedi, knew the location of the Jedi Enclave and had destroyed it. Karath then left the three alone until Malak would arrive, leaving Shan greatly upset by the Academy's destruction, and hoping that the Jedi had managed to escape. Both Jedi soon felt a disturbance in the Force, and they knew that Karath had sent a message to the Dark Lord of their current location. Meanwhile, the party member Revan had chosen to free them found them and deactivated their force cages. Feeling Malak's dark presence approaching, the Jedi devised a plan to escape; go to the bridge, in secrecy, and disable the tractor beam. Onasi was also included in the plan, for he wanted to kill Karath, who would be on the bridge, in revenge. Revan also sent Canderous Ordo and the rest of his crew to the docking bay so that they could deal with the guards.

They fought their way to the bridge and confronted Karath and his guards. The Admiral said that if they lay down their weapons, he would ask Darth Malak to be merciful when he arrived–he could have arrived at any minute–but Onasi said that he had seen enough of Sith mercy and attacked him. Revan, Shan, and Onasi slew the Sith troopers and left Karath mortally wounded. His dying words to Onasi were the revelation of Revan's identity. Furious, Onasi accused Shan of keeping the secret from him, and Shan pleaded with Onasi to not let Revan know at the time, and said that she would explain everything to both of them when they had escaped the flagship. Just before they would be able to arrive in the docking bay which held the Ebon Hawk, they were confronted by Darth Malak, the Dark Lord of the Sith. After discovering that Revan still had no knowledge of his time as the Dark Lord, Malak was amused and told him his true identity, which had been wiped by the Jedi. Stunned and bewildered, Revan refused to believe that he was the former Dark Lord of the Sith, the infamous Darth Revan, until Malak's assertion was reluctantly confirmed by Shan, who said that she had been part of the Jedi strike team sent to capture him. Darth Malak took advantage of Revan's shock and made every effort to sow discord between his former Master and the Jedi who had manipulated him, yet Revan refused to turn upon his allies.



Following their brief discussion, Malak created a stasis field around both Shan and Onasi and prepared to end his former Master. Revan fought valiantly, proving himself a capable swordsman. Malak had always regretted betraying his Master from afar, for because of it others claimed that he was a coward, but now he had been given a second chance to prove himself. Shan ultimately sacrificed herself so that Revan and Onasi could escape. Reluctantly, Revan and Onasi left, and they and the rest of the crew escaped the ship. Revan was forced to deal with Malak's revelation and the loss of his beloved Shan. When he told his companions of her sacrifice, Jolee Bindo suspected that Malak was planning to turn her to the dark side and use her Battle Meditation against the Republic. Revan then revealed the shocking revelation to the crew. Onasi, who had been told by Karath on the bridge of the Leviathan, was furious but said he would try to accept it. This made no difference to Mission Vao, who said that he was a different person than he was before, and Zaalbar said that he was still bound by his life-debt to the man Revan was, not the Dark Lord. Bindo claimed that he had known his identity all along but that he would still follow him, and Canderous Ordo was simply glad to battle alongside his people's conqueror. HK-47's deleted memory core was restored, and he revealed that Revan was his creator. He also recalled once calling Malak a meatbag, which Revan had found humorous, and programmed the droid to call all organics a meatbag.

Confrontation on Lehon and the Battle of the Star Forge
"Well done, Revan. I was certain that the defenses of the Star Forge would destroy you, but I see now that there is more of your old self in you than I expected."

- Malak to Revan

After finding the fifth and final Star Map, Revan and the crew discovered the Star Forge in the home system of the ancient Rakata. Upon arriving, the Ebon Hawk was forced to crash on the unknown planet because of its disruptor field. Revan was assaulted by warriors of the Rakatan tribe, but after seeing Revan's power, he and his crew were granted an audience with the One. The One told Revan about his original promise to kill the Elders and gain their secrets to enter the Temple of the Ancients, so Revan sought out the Elder tribe. When the Elder Council revealed how brutal and warlike the One and his tribe were, Revan and his crew decided to help the Elders. The Elder Council was very reluctant to trust Revan again due to his betrayal the last time they had met.



They tasked Revan with rescuing an Elder scout from the One's enclave in order to regain their trust. Upon arriving at the One's enclave, the One and his tribe turned on Revan and his crew. The entire tribe fell under Revan's strength, and Revan freed the scout. After gaining the support of the Elders, Revan, Jolee Bindo, and Juhani entered the Temple of the Ancients and defeated the hordes of Dark Jedi that Malak had left in the temple. At the top of the temple, Revan was forced to confront a fallen Shan. Following a week of torture at Malak's hand, she had at last given in to her hate and had embraced the dark side. She was now, she claimed, the Dark Lord's new apprentice, replacing the slain Bandon. After a short duel, Shan realized Revan was still powerful in the Force, despite what the Council had done. She attempted to entice Revan to reclaim his former identity as the Dark Lord of the Sith with her as his apprentice. Revan was faced with a decision that could alter the course of the galaxy.

Revan chose the path of a Jedi, and rejected Shan's temptation and ultimately chose the light side. Enraged, she retreated to the Star Forge. Revan and the crew repaired the Ebon Hawk and pursued Shan as a Republic fleet that had arrived commenced an assault on the Star Forge. Surviving Jedi from Dantooine's destroyed enclave boarded the Star Forge in hopes of disrupting Bastila's battle meditation so the Republic capital ships could close in to destroy the Star Forge. Aboard the Star Forge, Revan displayed his restored affinity for the Force and mastery of lightsaber combat by nearly single-handedly confronting and defeating Malak's army of Star Forge battle droids and Dark Jedi. In the Star Forge's war room, Revan faced off against Shan once again, this time, alone. Though Shan was able to draw on the Star Forge to renew her strength, Revan still bested her. She begged Revan to kill her after all she had done, but Revan attempted to convince her to return to the light side by drawing on the powerful bond of love they shared. He succeeded, and Shan used her battle meditation to aid the Republic, turning the tide of the climactic battle.

The Final Confrontation
"Once again, we shall face each other in single combat, and the victor will decide the fate of the galaxy."

- Malak to Revan

Revan then confronted Malak who, upon his arrival, used the Force to choke two Jedi prisoners, and threw his lightsaber into one and blasted the other with Force lightning, killing both. The former Dark Lord told Malak that if he surrendered the Jedi might show him mercy, but Malak replied that the wiping one of one’s identity was no act of mercy, and that he would rather die. He then unleashed the unlimited army of Star Forge battle droids upon Revan and escaped to the Star Forge's observation tower. Revan, however, managed to stop the droids from attacking and followed Malak to the observation tower. Realizing that Revan had become stronger than he ever was as the Dark Lord, Darth Malak said that he could break his former Master's will and bind him to him as his apprentice, but he continued that perhaps Revan was too powerful to be his apprentice, and perhaps that when and if Revan became stronger than him, he would betray him, as he himself had betrayed Revan. The former Dark Lord said that he would never turn to the dark side again, which Malak said were "foolish words."

They then began a lightsaber duel, whose victor, unlike in their previous duels, would decide the fate of the galaxy. Revan proved himself to be a better lightsaber duelist, almost defeating Malak, but Malak withdrew from battle, explaining to Revan that he could not be defeated. He told Revan that he had brought the bodies of Jedi from the Jedi Academy on Dantooine to the Star Forge, but instead of letting them become one with the Force, he drained the life from them, transferring it to himself. Revan, instead, freed as many of the Jedi as he could and allowed them to become one with the Force, successfully shortening Malak's supply of energy. At last, Malak was brought to his knees, mortally wounded.

Before he died, Malak wondered and asked Revan what would have happened had their roles been reversed, or if Revan had never led him down the dark path. Revan apologized for starting him down the dark path, but reminded Malak that he had continued down it willingly. Malak accepted his apology, realizing that he had no one to blame for his fate save himself. Thus, the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Malak's life ended in darkness and regret immediately prior to the Star Forge's destruction. Revan and his crew were given a hero's escort back to Lehon. There, they were each rewarded with the Cross of Glory, the Republic's highest award. Vandar also thanked Revan, re-bestowing his rank of Jedi Knight, and proclaiming him the Prodigal Knight, and his friends as the heroes of the era and galaxy.

Into the unknown
"He left a lot of people who cared about him behind. But I think he did it because he thought it was the right thing to do. But whatever he set out to do, I… I don't think he succeeded."

- Carth Onasi

Following the Battle of Rakata Prime, it was rumored that Revan intended to return to the warring Korriban so as to subdue the threat of any potential Sith insurgents. Thousands of years later, Revan was indeed credited with having "driven the Sith from Korriban".

Since defeating Malak, Revan regained more and more of his memory, including his knowledge of the Trayus Academy on Malachor V, and the Sith teachings he had harnessed there. According to Kreia, Revan's first and last Jedi Master, Revan rediscovered the threat posed by an ancient Sith faction known only as the "True Sith" that lurked within the Unknown Regions and resolved to battle against them. She would later say to her last student that she did not believe the Jedi Council had changed Revan as they claimed, but that they had merely stripped away the surface and allowed his true self to emerge once again. During Revan's final duel with Malak, Malak said to him that the balance was tipped one way, but that it could easily be tipped again.

He entrusted Carth Onasi with the Republic's safety, and left instructions to Canderous Ordo to unite the scattered clans of the Neo-Crusaders by reclaiming Mandalore's helmet, which Revan took for his own after the execution of Mandalore the Ultimate. He said goodbye to Bastila Shan, and traveled to the shattered remains of Malachor V with T3-M4 and HK-47, then he left the Ebon Hawk and his droid companions behind, and disappeared from known galaxy. "It would have helped," Kreia would later remark, "had he made her understand. But she was always strong-willed, that one, and did not understand war as Revan did."

Unknown to Revan, however, T3 was ordered by Shan, who had learned a few things through their bond, to return to the Republic and find her if something went wrong, her or whatever help could be found. In time, the small astromech droid set out to find assistance aboard the Ebon Hawk and found the last known Jedi Knight in 3,951 BBY, the Jedi Exile, who also happened to be sought by another of Revan's acquaintances, his first Jedi Master Kreia. The Exile came under Kreia's tutelage and took ownership of T3 and the freighter, and Ordo, known by now as Mandalore the Preserver, later joined her against the Sith. She also met Onasi following the Battle of Telos IV and eventually learned of Revan's ties to her companions. When the former Jedi General asked T3 if he had gotten to the Ebon Hawk with Kreia, the droid had little to say on the matter, and since T3 had the only means of accessing the Ebon Hawk voice-locked navicomputer, the Exile had no way of knowing whence the ship came either. Following the destruction of Malachor V and the remnants of the Sith Triumvirate, the Jedi Exile left to join Revan again as she did in the Mandalorian Wars. About 300 years later, the galaxy believed that Revan never returned from unknown space.

Legacy
"My time here is ended. Take what I have taught you and use it well."

- Darth Revan to Darth Bane

Though he eventually rejected the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith and returned to the light side, Revan's legacy as a powerful Sith Lord would live on thousands of years after his death in a holocron that he had constructed during his reign. Hidden away on the planet Lehon, within the Temple of the Ancients, it would remain undisturbed for nearly three thousand years. Having become obsessed with the knowledge and prowess of the ancient Sith, Revan in particular, Darth Bane traveled to Lehon in search of power enough to topple the existing Sith regime, the Brotherhood of Darkness. Despite Revan's turn to the light side, Bane regarded him as one of the greatest Sith Lords in history.

Once there, he discovered Revan's holocron and from it received training and instruction that, he felt, surpassed the entirety of the Korriban Academy's archives. After obtaining all the trainings from Darth Revan's holocron, Bane destroyed it as was the way of the Sith to eliminate things that were of no further use. Partially through the wisdom and Sith philosophy imparted to him by Revan, Bane would acquire the strength, power, and knowledge necessary to reshape the Sith as he saw fit, destroying the Brotherhood of Darkness and establishing the Rule of Two, thus birthing a new incarnation of the Sith Order; one that would go on to topple the Galactic Republic and all but destroy the Jedi Order.

During the New Sith Wars, the Zelosian Sith Lord Darth Rivan would choose his name from a corrupted Sith manuscript that misidentified Revan as "Darth Rivan, the most powerful Dark Lord of the Jedi Civil War."

Personality and traits
Before turning to the dark side, Revan was a very gifted Jedi who was eager for knowledge. Vrook Lamar felt that he was a little too eager and believed that he was interested in "Sith magic". Revan was charismatic and an excellent leader, able to pursuade many people to join the Revanchist movement. He was also very intelligent, and was known for using ingenious battle strategies.

As time went on however, Revan grew more ruthless and grew to hate weakness and indecisiveness becoming very similar to the Mandolorians he was fighting. Ultimately he turned to the dark side becoming a feared Sith Lord. It was believed that he may have turned because he knew about the "true" Sith and because he wanted to prevent a greater evil from being unleashed he embraced the Sith ways himself.

Revan's best friend was Alek Squinquargesimus who joined him on many of his travels. Like Revan, Alek ultimately turned to the dark side, taking the name Darth Malak and becoming Revan's right hand man. However Revan's trust in Malak proved to be misplaced as he was betrayed by the man who had once been his closest friend and he would have died if not for Bastila Shan.

After being saved by Shan, Revan's mind was reprogrammed by the Jedi Council, in an attempt to make him forget about his past as a Sith Lord. However Revan still remembered parts of his dark past. Nevertheless he did not turn back to the dark side, even when his lover Bastila Shan attempted to pursuade him to, and was dedicated to defeating Darth Malak. When Revan faced Malak, for the final time, he expressed regret at leading Malak to the dark side but claimed that it was Malak's own choice to continue down that path.

Revan eventually fell in love with Bastila Shan, who had formed a Force bond with him after saving his life, and it was this love that stopped him from killing her and allowed him to turn her away from the dark side. Shan was cautious about falling in love but eventually began to return Revan's feelings.

Powers and abilities
"...Your potential is unlimited..."

- Zhar Lestin

Lightsaber training
"You, Revan, are the single greatest warrior of this age, and any battle we fight will bring me honor."

- Canderous Ordo

Revan was known as a highly skilled warrior, having defeated some of the greatest and most accomplished fighters of his time during the Mandalorian Wars and the subsequent Jedi Civil War, including the former Echani general and senator Yusanis, Mandalore the Ultimate, and Darth Malak, who was counted among the skilled swordsmen of the era.

While he was stuck on Taris, he participated in the dueling ring to earn some credits. Under the alias of "The Mysterious Stranger", Revan defeated the top five duelists, Deadeye Duncan, Gerlon Two-Fingers, Marl, Ice, and Twitch, to become the champion. His dueling sparked the interest of the former Mandalorian Bendak Starkiller, who only fought in death matches, but it is unknown if these two met in the ring. Perhaps one of Revan's more impressive feats was his single-handed slaying of a pair of terentatek in the depths of the ancient Sith Lord Naga Sadow's tomb on Korriban. Finally, Revan was able to fight his way through the entire compliment of battle droids, Sith troopers, and Dark Jedi stationed on the Star Forge, and was able to defeat both Bastila and Malak despite their powers being augmented by the strong Dark Side alignment of the Star Forge itself.

Force powers
"Revan was power. It was like staring into the heart of the Force."

- Kreia



Revan was an incredibly talented and diligent student of the Force&mdash; the most gifted of his time&mdash;and eventually, by all accounts, became a very powerful Force practitioner. As one of the few individuals in galactic history to reach the heights of Sith power and return to the Jedi, he proved himself highly skilled in the use of both the light and dark sides of the Force.

As a Sith Lord, Revan used a variety of Force powers. He could use the Force to create a whirlwind of Force energy that would encircle his opponent. He also used the Force to grip and choke his enemies, and was proficient in the use of Force storm, and was able to use the dark side of the Force to tap into his innermost fears, pain and hate, and convert them into intense anger, channeling it to increase his speed, strength, and ferocity. Revan also used powers that were able to afflict his opponents, and was capable of using the Mind trick. He also used the Jedi healing technique. Though the full extent of Revan's abilities is unknown, before his and Revan's final duel, Darth Malak stated that Revan was stronger in the Force than he ever was as the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Other abilities
"His strategies and tactics defeated the best of us. Even Mandalore himself was taken aback by the ferocity of his attacks, the tenacity of his defenses and the subtlety of his plans."

- Canderous Ordo

Revan was an exceptionally brilliant strategist and tactician. Certain individuals, such as Canderous Ordo, went as far as to place almost the entirety of the Republic's victory in the Mandalorian Wars on his success. Likewise, before his capture during the Jedi Civil War, there were those that believed that it was only a matter of time before he conquered the entire galaxy.

Revan's ingenuity as a battlefield commander would earn him the undying respect of both the Mandalorian and Echani warrior cultures as according to the former, Revan represented a supremely worthy foe&mdash;one that both embodied their philosophies and showed them their weaknesses. The Echani, on the other hand, believed that Revan represented the epitome of what one could achieve in the arts of war, and that his skill was born out of a highly advanced battle precognition.

"What can I say? I'm a talented individual."

- Revan

In addition to his combat prowess, Force mastery, and clever battle strategies, Revan spoke and comprehended a variety of languages, including Basic, Mando'a, Binary, Huttese, Shyriiwook, and the Selkath and Rakatan languages. It is unknown whether this was an intuitive understanding born of his Force sensitivity or the result of his previous application of Force techniques, but the The One, the leader of the Black Rakata, stated that during his time as a Dark Lord of the Sith, Revan ripped the language from the mind of one of the Rakata. Interestingly, he was unable to understand the language of the Sand People, requiring the use of HK-47 as an interpreter.

Like Anakin Skywalker millennia later, Revan was a skilled mechanic. According to Kreia, the first of his Jedi Masters, Revan exhibited a natural talent and interest in machinery, particularly droids. While Kreia held a great deal of pride for her Padawan's unique abilities with the Force, she was nevertheless confounded by Revan's preference of droids as she herself could find little to no interest in "all things dead to the Force." Years later, Kreia stated to the Exile that she believed Revan's talent for building droids stemmed from his desire for followers that obey orders without question. With that in mind, Revan would come to succeed in creating his ideal droid not long after recreating himself into the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Shortly after the Battle of Malachor V, he built the sophisticated "protocol droid," HK-47. He also displayed this skill during his time searching for the Star Forge, when he was able to repair HK-47 enough to regain many of his old memories and combat programs. However, HK's memories of his previous service with Revan would remain locked deep in his memory core and untouchable until Malak revealed to the re-programmed Revan his true identity. He proved adept at repairing abandoned, decommissioned, or rusted droids encountered on his journey and could program them to fight for him. Furthermore, Revan proved himself adept at racing swoop bikes. His first known taste of the sport was on Taris, where he defeated the veteran Black Vulkar racer Redros, taking the Sector Championship to win Bastila Shan's freedom. He continued to compete professionally, eventually winning both the Tatooine and Manaan sector championships.

Behind the scenes
Most of Revan's story, as dictated above, is the plot of the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Though there are numerous possibilities to change on the details of the events above and Revan may end up as a redeemed Jedi or a renewed Sith Lord, the canonical ending features his return to the light side. This follows the usual practice of LucasArts. While Revan's gender is specified by the player, the canonical Revan is confirmed by Leland Chee to be male. Also, The New Essential Chronology and the Chronicles of the Old Republic, published prior to the release of The Sith Lords, both refer to Revan as male. However, this has proven a controversial point among some fans of the series.

Revan was voiced by Rino Romano. While his main dialogue is never voiced, when his game sprite is selected, poisoned, achieving a critical hit, etc., his voice can be heard.



As second place runner-up in the ToyFare magazine Fan's Choice Figure Poll, an action figure of Darth Revan was released in the third quarter of 2007 in the 30th Anniversary Collection: Expanded Universe Wave 5. Originally a Quinlan Vos figure was to be made, but Hasbro was already creating one in a special two-pack series. The figure is wearing a mask that does not match the one seen in the game.

Continuity
Because of the interactive nature of the game vs. the set format of continuity, many canonical aspects of Revan's life may contradict player choice, such as order in which the Star Maps are found, lightsaber color/style, etc. Due to his appearance with two lightsabers in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, some have argued that Revan employed Jar'Kai as his combat style. In all Knights of the Old Republic cutscenes and other canonical source material, Revan wields but one blade. It is not known which form Revan favors, and no retcon has yet been developed to assign one to him.

Amnesia
"Even the combined power of the Jedi Council couldn't keep your identity buried forever, could it? The Jedi strike team captured you and the Council used the Force to reprogram your mind: they wiped away your identity and turned you against your own followers."

- Darth Malak

Some uncertainties remain concerning the sequence of events that caused Revan's amnesia. Within the primary source material, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, two seemingly contradictory explanations are provided. Bastila Shan told Revan, "When Malak fired on the ship you were badly injured. We thought you were dead. Your mind was destroyed"; however, all other sources in the game and all later sources, including the Chronicles of the Old Republic, The New Essential Chronology , and the StarWars.com Databank, clearly report that the Jedi Council erased Revan's memory.

The New Essential Chronology explicitly states that the "Jedi Council chose not to imprison or execute Revan. Instead they Force-scoured the memories from the fallen Jedi's brain, placing Shan in charge of a powerful warrior who was now little more than a blank slate." In any case, Revan had recovered the memories taken from him by the Jedi Council by the time he and his party infiltrated the Star Forge; the New Essential Chronology states, "Aided by the full Republic fleet, Revan&mdash;now in possession of the memories the Council had erased&mdash;killed Darth Malak and destroyed the Star Forge above Rakata Prime." However, according to Bastila Shan, Revan's full memory could never be restored to him: "Your mind was too badly damaged to ever fully restore your memories, Revan. But your power, your strength of will, the essence of who and what you are: these things remain!"

Fall to the dark side
Little is known about exactly when Revan fell to the dark side. During a conversation in Knights of the Old Republic, Vrook Lamar stated that "Revan was once a promising Padawan. But ever eager to learn more about the Force, Revan sought knowledge of Sith magics, foolishly ignoring the dangerous lure of the dark side." Lamar also expressed the opinion that Revan and Malak had fallen under the sway of the dark side even before the Mandalorian Wars. Later in the game, Bastila Shan and members of the Enclave Council opined that Revan and Malak took their first steps towards the dark side when they investigated a complex of ruins on Dantooine. Inside, they found the first of five Star Maps which, when combined, would ultimately lead them to the Star Forge. Shan stated that, "this must be what Revan and Malak found when they entered this temple. This must be where their journey down the dark side began."

The Chronicles of the Old Republic state that, in the year 3,963 BBY, Revan was already influenced by the dark side when he began to develop "an evil but brilliant plan: Using the dark power of Malachor V, he will seduce an army of Jedi, completely loyal to him alone." In the years following that event, the Chronicles assert that Revan was further corrupted while studying Sith artifacts, relics, and holocrons which he had discovered within vast tombs and cities buried beneath the surface of Malachor V. According to Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, Revan became the Dark Lord of the Sith two years after discovering Malachor, in the year 3,961 BBY. However, the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide states that Revan assumed the position of the Dark Lord of the Sith after he and Malak found the Star Forge in the year 3,960 BBY.

The available evidence concerning Revan's motivations for embracing the dark side is equally conjectural. In The Sith Lords Kreia stated that, "perhaps Revan never fell. The difference between a fall and a sacrifice is sometimes difficult, but I feel that Revan understood that difference, more than anyone knew. The galaxy would have fallen if Revan had not gone to war. Perhaps he became the dark lord out of necessity, to prevent a greater evil." Yet, whatever his original intentions may have been, Revan eventually embraced the dark side completely. His holocron would later advise Darth Bane that the "dark side offers power for power's sake. You must crave it. Covet it. You must seek power above all else, with no reservation or hesitation."

Daniel Erickson, SW: The Old Republic lead writer, wrote that Revan and Malak went into deep space and met the Sith Emperor where they were turned and sent back to prepare the way for the return of the true Sith; however when they started to conquer the Republic, they started doing things by their own will. It is not certain if both were already fallen Jedi turned by the Emperor into Sith or just strongly tainted by the dark side when they met him.

Name
"The importance you put in a name is misleading, young one. You of all people should remember that."

- Nemo

In Star Wars continuity, there has been some ambiguity concerning whether or not "Revan" is the character's original name or merely an alias. Abel G. Peña comments on his starwars.com blog that he believes that Revan and Malak used their true names, thus making them the first Sith to take up the "Darth" title without also adopting a Sith moniker. However, in the guide Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, Alek Squinquargesimus, a Jedi from the Knights of the Old Republic comics, was confirmed to have been Darth Malak. John Jackson Miller has hinted that Revan might not be his original name, although the Knights of the Old Republic comics have not taken a stance on Revan's identity as of yet. Similar inquiries were answered in Star Wars Insider with a reminder that Revan was mainly referred to as such by people talking about him well after he took up the name Darth Revan, although some logs left over from the Mandalorian Wars on Dxun in Knights of the Old Republic II refer to him as "Revan." In the Q&A section of the twenty-ninth issue of the comic series, Miller promised that the comics would "speak to the matter of Revan and Malak–perhaps sooner than you may think." However, it is known that for a time, he was known as the "Revanchist" by the public. While his real name has not been revealed, his discovery of his signature Mandalorian mask led him to take on the shortened name of "Revan". Therefore, it seems likely that Revan is not his real name, and rather a moniker that allowed others to identify with him, and also a symbol of what he wished to accomplish.

Dark side ending
"Malak is dead&mdash;all hail the return of Darth Revan, the true Lord of the Sith!"

- Bastila Shan (from the non-canon ending)



Accepting Bastila Shan's offer, Revan struck down the Jedi Jolee Bindo and Juhani (only Jolee if Juhani had been killed on Dantooine), the stain of their blood on the temple stone symbolizing Revan's return to power. He returned to the Ebon Hawk and explained the absence of Bindo and Juhani to his stunned party. Shocked by his return to the dark side, Carth Onasi fled, leaving Mission Vao to be mercilessly struck down by Revan. Alternatively, Revan used his mind-dominating Force powers to convince Zaalbar to kill Mission, or Revan will have to kill them both. Flying to the Star Forge, Shan used her battle meditation to thwart the Republic fleet, allowing Revan to penetrate the depths of the Star Forge to fight Darth Malak. Striking Malak down, Revan regained his rightful place as Dark Lord of the Sith.

Using the resources he now commanded as Master of the Star Forge, Revan created an infinite fleet that rolled forth to crush the Republic. Surprisingly, however, Revan soon halted his offensive. It was noted as odd that Revan deliberately avoided striking the Republic's manufacturing facilities in his previous war, and again that he seemingly ended the Star Forge's production of vessels early. Shan, in a holocron discovered on Korriban, reported that Revan mysteriously vanished one day and told her to wait for him. Bereft of a strong dark side user to guide it, the Star Forge atrophied and was destroyed by the Republic. It is assumed that Darth Revan visited all his former strongholds searching for something that is not yet readily apparent. It is known, however, that he headed for the Unknown Regions with the intent of stopping something menacingly powerful, something that was apparently responsible for initially coercing the Mandalorians to invade. Revan's former Master, Kreia, suggested that Revan was searching for the original Sith Empire.

Cut alternate ending
"No, it's too late for that. And it's too late for you to turn back&hellip; but you can end this here. There's still time for one final act of redemption."

- Carth Onasi (from cut non-canon ending)



Should the player have chosen to play as a female Revan and successfully completed the romance sub-plot with Carth Onasi, if they then choose to join the dark side on Lehon, Onasi flees, declaring that she is not the woman he loves. After Revan defeated Darth Malak on the Star Forge, she was confronted by Onasi again. At this point, Revan was forced to either kill him or have Bastila murder him. Five years later, the Exile would discover a message in T3-M4 from Onasi, which he left as a back up plan in case the increasingly dark-sided Revan eventually betrayed them.

In a cut ending for the first game, it is possible for a dark-sided female Revan to change her mind, kill Bastila, and die with Carth as the Republic destroys the Star Forge. However, the final game only includes the options for Revan or Bastila to kill Carth due to time constraints in making the final movie.

Relationships
"Love doesn't lead to the dark side. Passion can lead to rage and fear, and can be controlled, but passion is not the same thing as love. Controlling your passions while being in love, that's what they should teach you to beware, but love itself will save you, not condemn you."

- Jolee Bindo

Bastila Shan
"I love you too, with all my heart.''" "You aren't afraid to love anymore?" "''After this? No. Nothing could make me feel safer than to be loved by you."

- Bastila Shan and Revan

During their search for the Star Forge, Revan entered into a relationship with Bastila Shan, although she was reluctant since the Jedi forbade love. However, after resisting for a period of time, she opened up to Revan, but after that, she insisted that it was for the best that they stay on their mission and ignore the feelings they shared.

After Malak captured Shan and made her his Sith apprentice, Revan redeemed and persuaded her to return from the dark side. When Shan asked Revan to strike her down after he defeated her on the Star Forge, he refused and told her that he loved her. She replied by saying that there was a time when she had yearned for, yet also dreaded to hear those words. Because she loved him too, but she could never face who he was. In the end however, Shan told Revan that she loved him too, and was no longer afraid to love. Afterward, Revan went off to face Malak, and Shan used her Battle meditation to aid the Republic fleet against the Sith fleet. Both of them played a key role in the destruction of the Star Forge, and the victory of the Republic.

Carth Onasi
"I love you. Even now. Even after&hellip; after&hellip; after all you have done. I love you like I haven't loved anyone or anything since my wife died. And I didn't even think that was possible."

- Carth Onasi

Although not considered canon, if the player chooses to make a female Revan, she and Carth Onasi could flirt and tease each other through the entire game. Because of Onasi's growing affection for Revan, he began to think less about the death of his wife and his desire to kill Saul Karath, the man responsible for her death and the loss of his son, Dustil Onasi. Onasi eventually promised to protect Revan from what was to come. When he discovered that the woman he is falling in love with was Darth Revan, he remained isolated from her, unsure what to do with this information since he believed that Revan's betrayal of the Republic destroyed his life. Onasi eventually came around and confessed that he couldn't hate her no matter how hard he tried. When Revan declined Shan's request to join the dark side, Onasi confessed that he loved Revan in front of the rest of the party members on the beach of Lehon. Although the scene is open for interpretation, fans have assumed this to be the place of Revan and Onasi's kiss, since Mission Vao makes the comment, "Sheesh, get a room, will ya?"



Onasi and Revan remained together as he advanced through the Republic military up to the rank of admiral. But Revan began to remember things she had done as the Dark Lord and used it as a wall between them. She eventually told him that she had to go beyond the Outer Rim to find the other threat beyond the Mandalorians, the True Sith and their empire, though she did not specify exactly what the threat was to Onasi and she left without warning. However, he had anticipated this, at least to some extent, and left hidden programming in T3-M4. Onasi was desperate to find some sign of her, and eventually met up with the Jedi Exile and hoped to hear some word of Revan. Unfortunately for him, the Exile had no news to offer him, but he asked the Exile that if she ever found Revan, to tell her that he was still waiting for her.

Juhani
"I&hellip; I&hellip; I care for you. I do not know why. I do not know if anything will be possible or if you even return what I feel, but I do know it is there."

- Juhani

A second non-canon romance was available to female players. If a female Revan turned Juhani back to the light side and continued to build her trust and friendship along their journey, Juhani slowly developed feelings towards Revan. After Revan rejects the dark side and former identity on the Rakatan temple, Juhani will shyly admit her feelings. This is all that happened between them for the remainder of the game, and what happened for them, regardless if Revan rejects or returns her feelings.

In the original pressing of the first game, there was a bug in the game that allowed a male romance option in certain copies of the game. This bug has been fixed in subsequent versions of the game, and a male romance is not possible without hacking the game.

Appearances

 * Shadows and Light
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 0: Crossroads
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 9: Flashpoint Interlude: Homecoming
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 15: Days of Fear, Part 3
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 18: Nights of Anger, Part 3
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 19: Daze of Hate, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 21: Daze of Hate, Part 3
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 23: Knights of Suffering, Part 2
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 29: Exalted, Part 1
 * Galactic Republic Defense Ministry Daily Brief KD0092
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 42: Masks
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 49: Demon, Part 3
 * The Betrayal of Darth Revan
 * Knights of the Old Republic: Opportunities
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic, Threat of Peace Act 3: Uncertain Surrender
 * Timeline 8: The Jedi Civil War
 * Timeline 9: The Mandalorian Wars
 * Timeline 10: The Exar Kun War
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic
 * Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
 * Echoes of the Jedi
 * Echoes of the Jedi