Riiken

"Stay out of trouble..."

- Riiken to the Jedi Exile

Captain Riiken was a Human male from Onderon who served as an officer in that world's military, prior to and during General Vaklu's secessionist rebellion in 3,951 BBY. He was one of the the captains placed in charge of maintaining order within the Merchant Quarter in the walled city of Iziz. A royalist, he was imprisoned during the attempted coup and later freed by the Jedi Exile. After the resolution of the brief war, he was promoted and sent to command reinforcements during a Sith attack on Telos IV's Citadel Station.

Biography
Riiken had served in the Onderonian military for some time prior to Vaklu's efforts to overthrow Queen Talia Kira. Despite his troops' sympathy for the general and former resistance fighter against the Mandalorian occupation, Riiken remained loyal to Talia's regime. During his service he learned that long-term service required one to do their job and not question the system. When the Jedi Exile visited Onderon, accompanied by Mandalore, she met with Riiken, who informed her of the arrest of Dhagon Ghent as well as giving her general information on his homeworld in addition to snippets of its history. When she, along with Nikko, was able to gather the evidence needed to vindicate Ghent, who was being held on suspicion of murdering Captain Sullio, it was Riiken to whom they spoke, as he was the officer put in charge of the case. He was interrupted in the exchange, however, when a major, presumably loyal to Vaklu, attempted to remove him from the case; the Exile then turned to the newcomer, who agreed to release the doctor.

In the wake of this incident and a number of fights in the western part of the Merchant Quarter, Riiken chose to relocate his post, intent on patrolling the sector more effectively, hoping to prevent further violence; as it happened, this was Sullio's former posting. Though he was loyal to the current monarch, many of the troops under his command were Vaklu supporters; this loyalty to Talia, who embraced the Galactic Republic and urged peaceful co-operation, would lead directly to his imprisonment during the Second Battle of Onderon. Riiken was freed by the Exile when she penetrated the Iziz Royal Palace in an effort to forestall Vaklu's attempt at a Sith-aided coup d'etat and took a decisive role in the battle by giving her the security code needed to open the door leading to the Queen's throne room.

After the battle ended he was promoted to the rank of major. Some time later, Riiken was sent to Telos IV in command of an emergency relief force, which consisted of a platoon of Onderonian troops. During the Sith invasion of the planet's Citadel Station, he would again encounter the Exile, who would lead the charge to repel the invading Sith Troopers from the station.

Personality and traits
"Question a superior officer, and they call that 'disrespecting the rank'. Do that too many times and it's not long before you're a civilian."

- Riiken on the strict hierarchy of the Onderonian military

A competent soldier and leader, Riiken was a good-natured pragmatist who took his duty seriously. Though he often harbored doubts about the basic ability of higher-ups within the military, he was careful to keep them to himself or, in the case of the Jedi Exile, anyone whom he thought trustworthy. Riiken was devoted to his homeworld and its people, and thus did not shy away from danger to ensure that the peace was kept; this included his loyalty to Talia, who was seen by many as the sort of leader one could trust. He was also a skilled investigator, as he was put in charge of the investigation into the death of Sullio, a fellow military officer. Beyond his duties as a soldier, Riiken loved to collect stories about Onderon's history, including the Beast Wars and how they came to happen, as well as pointing out interesting tidbits of information to curious tourists. It wasn't often that he got the chance to relate his tales, and he was always happy to do so when the opportunity presented itself.

Behind the scenes
Riiken's appearance overlaps with one of the possible choices for the Exile (the player character). Therefore, if the player chooses the Exile to look like him, Riiken's appearance will change.

If one is playing on the dark path of the game, the player also has the option to have Riiken dishonorably discharged for being disloyal to his commanding officer. He can also be killed while he is patrolling the Merchant Quadrant alone.

Riiken was voiced by Phil LaMarr.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords