Quest of the Hero of Tatooine

"You have done great things in the name of the light. I am honored to be in your presence. Take my Mark of the Hero and let it remind you of your cause. Do not forget why you fight. Good luck, young warrior."

- A Rodian hermit Hero of Tatooine was a title bestowed upon a spacer during the Galactic Civil War in 1.5 ABY by an old Rodian hermit living in a squill-infested cave on the planet Tatooine.

The star-hopper met the Rodian while exploring the Squill Cave and struck up a conversation with the old man. The hermit made his opposition of the Galactic Empire clear within the first few minutes of the conversation, a view the spacer shared. The hermit wondered if the spacer was worthy of being named a hero, which the spacer proudly claimed they were. The reclusive Rodian balked at this, but nonetheless was willing to let the planet-jumper prove their worth as a hero. He first required of the spacer a show of good faith. He requested the spacer find a squill skull he had misplaced, and after the mariner has completed this task, the hermit deemed them ready to perform the tasks that would show them as a true hero.

The solitary man told the spacer that there were four qualities, or marks, a hero must posses: Intellect, Honor, Courage, and Altruism. These qualities would show not only the hermit, but the world at large, to see that the spacer was a true hero. The star-rover asked for information on each task, which the hermit gave freely. He told them of the first task, that they should seek out a problem in need of solving to prove his intellect and wisdom. The spacer found a bounty hunter in one of the settlements on Tatooine and assisted her in discovering who her target was amongst a group of smugglers.

Returning to the old man, the spacer requested information on the task of honor. The hermit informed the mariner that they should seek out a married couple of ranchers who were besieged by a group of dangerous pirates. The spacer discovered that the ranchers had captured some of the pirates, and their leader was attempting to free them. The spacer arrived at the rancher's home and helped the wife in guarding the pirates, and even thwarted their escape attempt. The pirates were soon arrested and the ranchers thanked them for their honorable actions.

The hermit's final two tasks for the spacer were ones of courage and altruism. The spacer showed their courage by destroying a wild bladeback boar that had terrorized the settlement of Mos Espa. In addition to this, the spacer showed true altruism by assisting a poor moisture farmer in rescuing his family from a criminal group known as the Sennex. Upon returning to the surprised hermit, the spacer was declared a true Hero of Tatooine and was rewarded with the Mark of the Hero.

A strange hermit


In 1.5 ABY, during the height of the Galactic Civil War, a lone spacer was exploring the Squill Cave on Tatooine. They ventured deep into the underground structure, only to find an old Rodian hermit at the bottom. The star-hopper greeted the old man and they began to chat, the spacer initially wondering what someone was doing living in the bottom of a cave filled with such ferocious creatures. The hermit explained that he had lived there for so long, the squills no longer bothered him. The conversation quickly turned to the sad state the galaxy was in. The hermit bemoaned the fact that criminals and pirates traveled freely, that the Old Republic had been shattered, that the Jedi had been hunted to extinction, and that over all this, the shadow of the Galactic Empire loomed overhead.

The spacer agreed wholeheartedly with the hermit's assessment. The solitary old man was most pleased to hear this, and explained how the galaxy was in dire need of heroes, individuals who demonstrated their devout path through the light. The hermit called the spacer brash and young, but told them that perhaps one day they might become such a hero. The mariner made their intent clear, that they wanted to become such a hero. The hermit was pleased with such noble intentions, but declared them only just that, intentions. He told the spacer that if they truly wished to become a hero, it must be through actions. The spacer asked the hermit just how they might prove their worth as a hero. The Rodian told them they must travel the wastes of Tatooine, performing acts that demonstrate their selflessness and heroism. He laid down the qualities a hero must have: intelligence, courage, honor, and altruism. The hermit told the spacer that if they were to perform acts which championed these characteristics, he would bestow upon them the Mark of the Hero.

The spacer questioned the hermit on what the Mark of the Hero was. The hermit explained that he wasn't always an old man living in a dirty cave in the deserts of Tatooine. He explained that in his youth, he had won many battles against the forces of darkness, and wore the Mark around his neck, as a reminder of his cause. He told the spacer that if they proved themselves a hero, if they showed that they wished to carry on the hermit's history of heroic acts, then he would pass the Mark of the Hero onto them. The spacer agreed to take up the hermit's life long crusade, but the old Rodian required a simple test before he would send the spacer onto his heroic test. The hermit had lost a squill skull he had obtained, which he was using for some kind of research He told the spacer that the squills within the cave had stolen it, and if the spacer returned it, he would set them upon the path proper to becoming the Hero of Tatooine. The spacer searched on through the very rear of the cave, in the nest of a squill and found the skull. They returned it to the hermit, which pleased him enough to declare the spacer worthy to undergo his challenge. He told them that they would have to obtain four different marks, each related to the qualities required in a hero: The Mark of Intellect, the Mark of Honor, the Mark of Courage, and the Mark of Altruism.

The Mark of Intellect
"Perhaps a bounty hunter needs assistance...or a puzzle needs to be solved somewhere in the galaxy."

- A hermit

The spacer first requested information on the task related to the Mark of Intellect. The old hermit informed the spacer that in order to obtain the Mark of Intellect, they must find one in need of their wisdom. He suggested a bounty hunter in need of assistance, or perhaps even a puzzle that needed to be solved. He told the spacer that they should travel the cities of Tatooine, for they would find what they were looking for within one of them.

The spacer did just that, and searched the many settlements of Tatooine, until they found a bounty hunter surrounded by five smugglers and their captain. The spacer greeted the bounty hunter and asked if they could be of assistance. The bounty hunter did indeed need help, and informed the spacer that she had been tracking her target for some time, and knew that they were among the band of smugglers around her, but didn't know which one. She explained that the one she was after had stolen a crate of equipment, but that no one got a good look at them. She also stated that the crate they stole had a transponder attached to it. Unfortunately, she explained, shortly after arriving on Tatooine, the signal from the transponder went dead. She assumed the thief had discovered it and destroyed it.

She explained further that after she landed, she rounded up all the known smugglers within the city, and questioned them about the crate. None of them were forthcoming about it, however. She explained that the only one she didn't suspect was the smuggler captain, as she knew him and trusted him, but all the others were simply blaming each other. She asked the spacer to find out who the culprit was. After some thorough detective work, the spacer had determined who was lying. The spacer informed the bounty hunter, who immediately took the guilty party into custody. She thanked the spacer, and then left for the starport, her query in tow. The spacer later discovered a odd sculpture within their pack, which was noted as the Mark of Intellect.

The Mark of Honor
"Somewhere on this desert planet, strife between ranchers and pirates rages on."

- A hermit

The spacer returned to the hermit's desert dwelling and asked him about the Mark of Honor. The hermit explained that somewhere out in the dunes, a band of pirates were making trouble for two simple ranchers. He told them to seek these two besieged people out, and choose the correct path. The hermit provided the spacer with the coordinates of the pirate's base, and set them on their way.

The spacer arrived at the small desert bunker, and immediately set about infiltrating it, defeating any and all pirates who opposed their entrance. The star-hopper found their way to the bottom level of the bunker and discovered the pirate's leader. After a short battle, the defeated freebooter pleaded for his life, and the spacer relented, but demanded to know why he was terrorizing the ranchers. The pirate leader explained that the only reason he was attacking the rancher's now was because they had managed to capture some of his crew during an earlier raid. The leader asked the spacer to free his crew and provided the spacer with the location to the rancher's house, which was outside of Mos Eisley.

The spacer made their way to the house, and after looking around for a bit, entered the abode. The spacer noted that the house was sensibly decorated and that they could smell baked goods. The spacer also heard faint murmuring in the distance. The spacer was greeted by a startled woman, who demanded to know why they were in her house and whether or not they were another thug. She threatened to lock the spacer up like the rest of them. The spacer was successful in quickly convincing the woman that they were there to help her. After calming down, she explained that her husband had gone to warn the authorities about both the pirates in their home and the corsair group's presence nearby. The rancher's wife asked the spacer if they would look after the captive pirates in the basement while she went outside to calm down some more. The spacer agreed.

The spacer proceeded downstairs to stand guard by the basement door, but suddenly heard a voice from the nearby intercom. The captive raiders tried to persuade the spacer to let them out, but the spacer refused to do so. After making sure the pirates could not escape on their own, the spacer then went back upstairs to inform the rancher's wife of the pirate's intent to escape. The woman was relieved at the spacer's honorable actions, but at that moment, she heard her husband finally returning. He entered the house with two Imperial dark troopers who proceeded to arrest the pirates. The spacer was graciously thanked by the ranchers and the spacer decided it was time to leave. On their way back to the hermit, the spacer discovered yet another sculpture piece within their pack, this time etched with "Mark of Honor". The spacer had completed their second test.

The Mark of Courage
"You will gain the Mark of Courage by defeating a ferocious beast bent on terrorizing the world."

- A hermit

The spacer returned yet again to the hermit's cave home and requested information on their next task: the Mark of Courage. The hermit explained that Tatooine was home to a ferocious beast, who was bent on terrorizing an already terrorized world. The hermit instructed the spacer to speak to the citizen's of Tatooine, for they would provide the information they needed.

The spacer decided to start in Mos Espa. They asked the local citizenry about the creature, and was eventually told that the creature must be a local wild bladeback boar that had been terrorizing the town. The spacer began searching the outskirts of the city, and eventually found the boar's home. After a ferocious battle, the boar was slain. The spacer noticed that an object on the boar's corpse was glittering, and after further inspection, discovered the third mark within it's entrails: the Mark of Courage. The spacer stuffed it into their pack and made their way back to the Squill Cave.

The Mark of Altruism
"Somewhere, in the harsh desert heat, a farmer desperately cries out....in need of a hero."

- A hermit

The spacer returned to the hermit for a fourth time and asked about the final mark, the Mark of Altruism. He instructed the spacer that in order to obtain the Mark of Altruism, they must selflessly help a soul in need. Rather cryptically, he added that somewhere out in the dry desert heat, a farmer desperately cries out in need of a hero.

The spacer started by asking around in the Tatooine settlement of Mos Taike. One of the people they talked to mentioned that a moisture farmer had been in town recently, asking for help in rescuing his family from the Sennex, but that he had left recently. The spacer traveled out into the wastes and found the farmer southeast of Mos Taike. The farmer told the spacer this his wife and child were being held for ransom by the Sennex. The spacer tried to calm the farmer, but to no avail. The farmer pleaded with the spacer to help him by freeing his family, even noting that he knew where they were being held. The spacer agreed to help the poor man and the farmer transferred the coordinates to the spacer's datapad. The spacer quickly rushed off to the cave where the Sennex had set up. The spacer quickly fought his way through the pirate's nest, finally discovering where the farmer's family was being kept. However, they were trapped behind a large boulder, unable to get free.

Searching nearby, the spacer found an old crate filled with explosives. The spacer used the explosives the destroy the boulder and free the wife and child. The spacer spoke to the mother, assuring her that they were here to rescue her. They convinced her and her child to follow them out, fending off the remaining Sennex along the way. When they finally reached the mouth of the cave, the woman thanked her rescuer, and set off with her child to find her husband. The spacer suddenly felt their pack become heavier, and looked inside to find yet another weird sculpture piece, which was marked with the words "Mark of Altruism". The spacer had passed the final test.

The Mark of the Hero


After having soundly completed all tasks set before them, the spacer returned to the hermit's underground abode. The spacer informed the hermit that they had returned from their journeys and completed all the tasks he had set upon them. The hermit was at first skeptical, asking the spacer if they were truly the hero he had long sought. The spacer boastfully declared, that yes, they were the hero he sought. The hermit congratulated the spacer on all the good work they had accomplished. He rewarded the spacer, as promised, with the Mark of the Hero, instructing them to let it remind them of their cause, and all the good things they were fighting for. The hermit wished the young warrior luck. The spacer left the cave, confident that they had done something to make Tatooine a little bit safer for its inhabitants.

Behind the scenes
The Hero of Tatooine was a series of quests added to Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided in 2004. In its original incarnation, it required the help of the Ranger profession to scan the wilds for the various people and creatures needed to complete it. Its reward was a ring with fifty charges that would return you to life if you had died. It could only be used once every twenty-three hours. In addition to the ring, each of the four "Mark" sculptures received during the quest could be dropped in ones in-game house to form a unique, spherical sculpture. In 2005, after the New Game Enhancements were brought into the game, the quest was broken until 2007 when it was reintroduced, although in a much more simple form. While the player is free to perform any of the four different Mark tasks in any order, this article puts them in a strict order for the sake of consistency. If the player is a supporter of the Galactic Empire and tells the hermit such when you initially talk to him, the hermit will refuse to offer the quest.