Xendor

"It seems too easy to blame everything on Xendor and the dark side. Maybe we&hellip; maybe the Jedi were partly to blame, too."

- Danzigorro Potts

Xendor was the general of the Legions of Lettow, a group of Force-sensitives who studied and wielded the dark side of the Force. A Kashi Mer Dynasty exile, he spoke out against the teachings of the Jedi and decided to wage war against the Jedi Order. With his lover Arden Lyn at his side, he fought in the First Great Schism and was eventually killed on the day of the Legions' defeat at Columus.

Lyn survived, but was placed in a deep trance following a confrontation with Jedi Master Awdrysta Pina. As the New Sith Wars raged, rumors abounded of Xendor's return in the form of the enigmatic Dark Underlord. By the time of the Imperial era, Xendor took on new life as a popular curse uttered by smugglers. During this time, Lyn was awoken from her preserving trance, and she made several attempts to resurrect Xendor. She was eventually slain by Emperor Palpatine, a Sith Lord.

The First Great Schism
"They called themselves the Legions of Lettow, and they were led by General Xendor, a powerful Force-using humanoid whose origins remain unknown."

- Tionne Solusar

Xendor, a Kashi Mer Dynasty exile, was a humanoid of unknown origins. He took on Follower of Palawa Arden Lyn as a lover at some stage in his life. A Force-sensitive and a Jedi Knight, he embraced and followed Bogan, or the dark side of the Force. Taking the rank of general, he formed the Legions of Lettow &mdash;a group of Jedi Knights who decided to rebel against the Jedi Order. The renegade Knights renounced the teachings of the ancient Jedi Masters and, like Xendor, began to experiment in unexplored areas of the Force.

The Legions waged war on the Order, which had only been in existence for several centuries. The Order responded in kind, with the Jedi Council officially declaring war on Xendor's faction. Together with Lyn, Xendor caused carnage and destruction during the First Great Schism, causing many Jedi, such as Jook-jook H'broozin, Blendri, and Cuthallox, to join their cause. Those who defected were generally tired of having to adhere to the rules of the Jedi and had grown to despise the rigid lifestyle that a Knight was forced to lead. The Jedi Order eventually prevailed over the Legions of Lettow; Xendor was slain, and his spirit plunged into Chaos. News of this was transmitted to even Jedi Padawans on far-flung worlds, signifying what was thought by some to be the immediate end to the war.

Legacy
"Minions of Xendor!"

- Han Solo

On the day that Xendor died, the Legions lost the Battle of Columus, with the sole survivor being Jedi Padawan Danzigorro Potts. Before dying of his own mortal wounds sustained in the battle, Potts made a recording on a datacard that would become and remain famous for thousands of years after the First Great Schism. In it, the Padawan speculated on just how and why Xendor had been able to sway so many to his cause. In the wake of Columus and Xendor's death, Arden Lyn led the defeated Legions of Lettow. In the aftermath of the schism, she was hunted down by Jedi Master Awdrysta Pina, forcing Lyn to destroy her assailant with a Kashi Mer talisman. Prior to perishing, Pina used the technique of mortichro to stop Lyn's heart, and as a result, the Follower of Palawa fell into a deep and long trance that preserved her.

The First Great Schism would prove to be the first of several conflicts between the light and dark sides of the Force. Over the centuries, various wars stemming from the dispute between the two schools of thought would be waged, at a tremendous loss of life. During the New Sith Wars instigated by Darth Ruin in 2000 BBY, an enigmatic figure known only as the Dark Underlord rose to power. Speculation abounded as to his origins, with one theory suggesting that he was in fact the returned spirit of Xendor. The Dark Underlord was eventually destroyed by the Jedi Master Murrtaggh.

Around two dozen millennia after the First Great Schism, Arden Lyn was woken by Imperial Inquisitors&mdash;Dark Jedi in the service of the Sith Lord Palpatine. Instead of being annihilated, Lyn was converted to Palpatine's cause and served him as one of the Emperor's Hands. In turn, he promised her that he would summon Xendor's spirit back from Chaos. Lyn soon realized that Palpatine did not intend to make good on his promise and participated in an attempted coup against him led by Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin in 3 ABY. When that failed, she scoured the galaxy for the Kashi Mer talisman that she had possessed in her earlier life, hoping to regain the influence she had enjoyed during the Schism. She also intended to resurrect Xendor herself with the power of the talisman. Lyn was later personally slain by Palpatine.

During Palpatine's reign, Xendor's name would be frequently taken in vain by smugglers such as Han Solo and Lando Calrissian. The phrase "Minions of Xendor" became a popular curse during this time, particularly with Solo. In 36 ABY, Xendor found his way into the writings of New Republic historian Voren Na'al, and four years later, into the writings of Jedi historian Tionne Solusar. The contents of Danzigorro Potts' data card, known popularly as the Columus Data Card, were collected in Solusar's writings. The card had been the inspiration for at least three operas on Coruscant, but had been decried by Ingo Wavlud as mere Jedi propaganda. Even by this stage, Xendor's origins remained a mystery, at least to the New Jedi Order.

Personality and traits
A courageous and powerful man, Xendor posed the first true threat to the Jedi Order. By highlighting and emphasizing the routine and, in the view of his followers, stifling nature of the Jedi way, he was able to sway legions of Jedi to his cause&mdash;even experienced Jedi Masters. He simply told the Jedi that he did not have to follow orders, and in doing so secured his place in galactic history.

Behind the scenes
Xendor was first mentioned in A. C. Crispin's The Paradise Snare, where the name was used repeatedly in various curses uttered by characters. The name was mentioned in much the same capacity in the two other books in that series, The Hutt Gambit and Rebel Dawn. The character of Xendor was greatly embellished upon by Abel G. Peña in his article The Emperor's Pawns, which was published in Star Wars Gamer 4. Further, fleeting mentions were made by Daniel Wallace in The New Essential Chronology, as well as by Drew Karpyshyn in the article Heritage of the Sith, published in Star Wars Insider 88. Peña once again used the character briefly in Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties, and Ryder Windham would, in 2007, expand upon the character once more in Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force.

Appearances

 * The Paradise Snare
 * The Hutt Gambit
 * Rebel Dawn

Notes and references
Xendor Xendor