Bao-Dur

"I'll take the stupid one, who decided to threaten us rather than shoot us when he had the chance."

- Bao-Dur, after being confronted by the Zhug brothers

Bao-Dur was a Zabrak Jedi and engineer from Iridonia who served under the Revanchist Jedi general Meetra Surik during the Mandalorian Wars, and again toward the end of the Dark Wars. He was a skilled inventor and was responsible for the design, construction and activation of the Mass Shadow Generator. Years after the war he helped Surik in stopping the echo in the Force caused by the Mass Shadow Generator. Wherever he went he was always accompanied by a small, spherical remote which he had built as a child.

Biography
"Can you build me one?''" "''I would, but then I wouldn't be the only one with a floating sphere following him around, and I kind of like that."

- Meetra Surik and Bao-Dur, about Bao-Dur's remote

War's start
When the Mandalorian Wars began, many Iridonian colonies were attacked and destroyed first. When Bao-Dur heard of the attacks, he leapt at the opportunity to join the war when the Republic began to fight back. However, it was not because he wanted to stop the Mandalorians, but because he wished to get revenge on the beings who had slaughtered so many of his people. He was the only Iridonian Zabrak who served in his unit.

Bao-Dur specialized as a technician during the war, eventually coming to serve under the Jedi General Meetra Surik. He was the inventor of many new weapons, shields, and other accessories. His most infamous weapon was the Mass Shadow Generator, which he designed and built after getting a Republic military commission as a lieutenant.

Malachor V
During the Battle of Malachor V, Surik, who later befriended Bao-Dur, gave the command to activate the weapon with a wordless nod, thereby killing almost everyone fighting in the battle above Malachor V, Mandalorian and Republic alike. The devastation created, as the Jedi Council perceived it, a massive wound in the Force which cast echoes throughout the the galaxy. During the battle, Bao-Dur lost his arm, which he replaced with a new mechanical arm. .



Later Years
During the Jedi Civil War Bao-Dur's homeworld colony in the Mid Rim was bombed out of commission by Darth Malak.

After the war's end, Bao-Dur decided to use his mechanical genius to help people rather than design weapons. Originally he intended to design planetary shield generators, but most governments were unable to afford them. Instead, he joined the Republic-sponsored Ithorian herd that was aiding the Restoration Project on Telos IV, a world whose surface had been obliterated by a Sith fleet during the Jedi Civil War. He was in charge of the shield system that cordoned off areas on the Telosian surface and provided protection for any animals introduced there. He worked there so that he might help to add back into the galaxy some of the life he took away at Malachor V.

Atris and her Handmaidens generally thought highly of Bao-Dur's skill with machinery and technology, with Brianna saying that his skills with shields were greater than some Echani shieldsmiths. During his time on Telos, Bao-Dur came to hate the Czerka Corporation, and when the Telosian government was ineffective at stopping their depredations, he traveled to the planet's surface to stop them himself. However, the numerous mercenaries garrisoned by Czerka on Telos' surface forced him into hiding. Shortly afterward, a shuttle crashed not far from his hiding place.

Travels with Surik
When Bao-Dur went to investigate he found a burning wreckage and went in to save the crew of three. Among them was Meetra Surik, now branded the Jedi Exile. Although she did not recognize him at first, Bao-Dur still insisted on referring to her as "General." Bao-Dur traveled with Surik throughout the galaxy, helping her at Nar Shaddaa, Dantooine, and Onderon. During the travels, he found that he was Force-sensitive, so he agreed to let Surik train him in the ways of the Force as a Jedi Guardian.

Eventually, Kreia betrayed the group and revealed her true identity as Darth Traya. After the Battle of Telos IV, Surik and her group went to Malachor V to track Traya. On the descent, the Ebon Hawk crashed, and the entire crew save Surik and Mira were incapacitated. However, Bao-Dur had previously programed his remote to reactivate the Mass Shadow Generator for a final time if Surik should give the order. The remote managed to follow through, and though it activated the generator, it was destroyed along with Malachor.

Traya could not read either his future or those of the droids T3-M4, HK-47, and G0-T0. However, Traya did reveal that the Force-sensitive crew of the Hawk had been the Lost Jedi; therefore it is likely that Bao-Dur had a part in rebuilding the Jedi Order, while Surik left known space to search for Revan.

Personality and traits
"Yes, General?"

- Bao-Dur, to Meetra Surik

Although he joined the Republic military for the sake of revenge, Bao-Dur was known to have a deeper conscience after the events of Malachor V. Wracked with guilt over creating the Mass Shadow Generator, he wandered into exile, hopping from planet to planet, before he went to Telos IV and dedicated his life to helping others. The war took an obvious emotional toll on him and although he was generally amiable, he held a deep prejudice against Mandalorians for their actions in the wars and frequently clashed with Canderous Ordo over matters concerning honor.

He was, for the most part, a mild-mannered person of few words with an appreciation for the small things in life, and a blithely sarcastic sense of humor. Although he trusted Surik and felt as though she was one of the few people who could understand the effect that the Mandalorian Wars had on those who had fought in them, he did not often speak except on matters at hand. He enjoyed the natural beauty of the restored areas of Telos and liked to see acts of kindness. However, he hated seeing the malicious or greedy harming others and did not hesitate in stepping forward to stop them, even to the extent of trying to stand alone against Czerka.

Aside from Basic he could speak Zabraki, Bocce, Ithorese and Binary languages.

Behind the scenes
"How'd you lose your arm anyway?''" "I got tired of it - kept dropping my hydrospanner. Figured I'd get a new one." "''Yeah, I'll bet that was fun."

- Meetra Surik and Bao-Dur, talking about his arm

Bao-Dur is voiced by Roger G. Smith.

While referred to as "Bao-Dur" throughout most of the game, he is credited as "Bao Dur," without the hyphen. This form also appears at some points in the game, mainly in rushed conversations like his hologram's final order to his remote. His concept art was realized by Brian Menze, based on a description by Dave Maldonado. Maldonado was the one who first described Bao-Dur's mechanical arm.

Bao-Dur's character class, Tech Specialist, did not appear in the first KotOR game and is unique to him in the sequel, although it does exist in the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. If Surik chooses to train him in the ways of the Force, he becomes a Jedi Guardian. If he is seduced by the dark side due to Surik's influence, he begins to display Sith tattoos similar to those of Darth Maul, who shares his species; it is impossible for the player, however, to gain influence with Bao-Dur while dark-side without taking an "alignment hit" since he respects light-side acts and despises dark-side acts.

In the cut material from the game's ending, no mention of Bao-Dur was made at all. Despite the fact that Canderous Ordo can be seen with Visas on the Malachor surface loading screen, some fans speculate that Bao-Dur and Canderous Ordo did not join Surik on the trip to Malachor V since they were not to appear to attack Kreia at the end of the game. It is rumored that he was to be killed, since he only appears as a hologram on Malachor, and his place in the party selection screen is filled with an image of his remote. It is also possible that Kreia's inability to predict his fate was meant to leave room for his character to reappear along with the droids in a possible third installment in the series. In an interview, Chris Avellone stated that Bao-Dur was intended to die during the Battle of Telos IV, while helping HK-47 reach and shut down the HK Manufacturing Plant.

Additionally, in cut content, Bao-Dur reveals that he and the Sullustan mechanic, Tien Tubb, worked together in a hangar bay during the Mandalorian Wars. This also reveals that Bao-Dur was part of the 12th Engineering Division out of Iridonia.

Appearances

 * The Old Republic: Revan
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel