Kenth Hamner

"Kenth Hamner? Was he chosen because he's the dullest Jedi ever? He says two sentences and it puts Kowakian monkey-lizards to sleep."

- Han Solo

Kenth Hamner was a Human male Jedi Master in the New Jedi Order, and later its acting Grand Master. He was a member of the Jedi High Council and in 43 ABY was installed as the acting Grand Master of the Jedi Order, replacing the exiled Luke Skywalker.

Hamner's tenure as Grand Master was short and the members of the Council, as well as other senior Jedi, were dissatisfied with his leadership during the period of unrest between the Order and the government of Natasi Daala. Ultimately, the Council removed him from his position, and he was killed during a duel with Jedi Master Saba Sebatyne after attacking her to prevent the launch of StealthX's, an act he believed to be treasonous.

Early life
Kenth Hamner was born into a wealthy family on Corellia. He served in the Combined Defense Forces of the New Republic, reaching the military rank of colonel before resigning his commission to accept Jedi training from Luke Skywalker. Sometime after he completed his training, Hamner served a salted nerfloaf to his Arcona student Izal Waz. By doing so, he unwittingly sent his apprentice into a salt addiction that threw him off his Jedi path.

Multiple wars
"Jedi are bound by a great many duties, often contradictory."

- Kenth Hamner

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Hamner was the official liaison officer between the New Republic military and the Jedi. Hamner was often left in charge of Jedi affairs whenever Luke Skywalker was otherwise occupied. As the war neared its second year, his status as a liaison with the New Republic alerted him to an arrest warrant placed by Borsk Fey'lya, which was aimed at keeping Skywalker and his wife, Mara, under house arrest. Hamner told Skywalker that Fey’lya believed that the Jedi had become a liability to the tenuous cease-fire agreement between the New Republic and the Yuuzhan Vong.

Some four years into the war, Master Hamner was appointed to the Galactic Alliance High Council, and later was part of the New Jedi Order's Masters' Council. His opinion was highly respected.

During the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar, Hamner was one of six Jedi strike team members sent to the surface to rally the Shamed Ones and help to overthrow Supreme Overlord Shimrra Jamaane once and for all.

After the war had ended, Hamner was one of many Jedi who believed that the Order was answerable to the Galactic Alliance government, and should serve its interests before any others. Hamner was concerned with the actions of the Jedi Knights in the border wars between the Chiss and Killiks. Hamner later led a Jedi squadron on the attack on the Gorog nest ship.

Second Galactic Civil War
Hamner was one of the many Jedi present at Mara Jade's funeral on Coruscant and along with Corran Horn, believed that it was a necessary step in Skywalker's mending process. After Han and Leia Organa Solo had been forced to flee the Jedi Temple, Hamner and Horn approached fellow Master Saba Sebatyne to give the eulogy, since she had been Mara Skywalker's friend, and had known her better than the other masters. Hamner, along with fellow Master Kyle Katarn, expressed overt disapproval of Jacen Solo's presence at the funeral. After the eulogy, Hamner thanked everyone for helping the Jedi Order to celebrate Mara Skywalker's life, and asked them to keep her example in mind during the difficult days ahead. During the Battle of Kuat, Hamner commanded Dark Sword squadron until the Jedi Order left the battle to go to Kashyyyk. After the Attack on Ossus, Hamner most likely traveled with all of the other Jedi to Endor, and later to Shedu Maad. After the Jedi opted to remove Darth Caedus from power, Hamner, along with the rest of the Council, agreed that Jaina Solo was best suited to take down her brother.

Acting Grand Master of the Order
Following the death of Caedus and the rise of the new Chief of State Natasi Daala, relations between the Alliance and the Jedi Order reached a breaking point. Chief Daala began to doubt Master Skywalker's ability to lead the Jedi and resented their policy for self-policing; something she felt that Caedus' brief but destructive reign proved they were unable to do. As such, Daala had Skywalker arrested for dereliction of duty; in exchange for his freedom, Skywalker was forced into exile and forbidden to involve himself in Jedi affairs.

With Skywalker exiled, a new head of the Order was required and Master Hamner was appointed to the position of acting Grand Master of the Jedi Order and leader of the Jedi High Council. Hamner proved somewhat willing to appease Chief Daala and agreed to her demands that each active Jedi be assigned an observer, handpicked by the Chief of State's office, who would accompany them on operational duty. However, this law was stopped thanks to legal action taken by the New Jedi Order's lawyer, Nawara Ven.

While Hamner's politics were to appease Daala's government, he unofficially sanctioned Jaina Solo's creation of a covert organization to undermine Daala's attempts to take control of the Jedi Order. It was named Darkmeld. Solo and Hamner did not inform the other Masters of Darkmeld's existence however. When Seff Hellin was captured by the resisting Jedi, Daala sent Captain Oric Harfard of Galactic Alliance Security to arrest Hellin whom they believed was at the Jedi Temple. Hamner truthfully denied knowing where Hellin was as Solo hadn't kept him in the loop.



After Jysella Horn came down with the same madness as her brother and Hellin, and Natua Wan's capture by Darkmeld, journalist Javis Tyrr found the location of Hellin and Wan's prison within the Jedi Temple. Daala and a group of GAS officers arrived at the Temple to confront Hamner. The Acting Grand Master confirmed that they were holding Hellin and Wan and that given the Jedi's policy of self-policing, they were in their rights. Daala agreed to leave the two mad Jedi in Hamner's jurisdiction, however, Hamner, Solo, Cilghal and Tekli (who were working for Darkmeld) were forced to publicly apologize for their actions and turn over all the Jedi working for Darkmeld.

Standing up to Daala
"That's wonderful, wonderful news, Cilghal. News we sorely needed. News...I sorely needed. Thank you."

- Kenth Hamner to Master Cilghal

When Cilghal refused to turn over mad Jedi Bazel Warv and Yaqeel Saav'etu to GAS officers, despite their warrant, Hamner tried to convince her to honor the warrant. Cilghal refused and brought the affair before the Council. There, Jaina Solo informed them that the GA was using Mandalorians to try and rival the Jedi. Hamner, who learned that Jagged Fel, an ally of the Jedi, had withheld this information, barred him from coming into the Temple. The Council, with Hamner's reluctant approval, sanctioned a massive media coup against Daala and decided not to honor the warrant for the arrest of the mad Jedi.

Hamner assigned Han and Leia Solo to evacuating Hellin, Wan, Warv and Saav'etu to the Jedi Academy on Shedu Maad which was out of Daala's jurisdiction. After a short battle with Mandalorians, they succeeded. The media strike was totally successful and Daala was publicly humiliated. Many started to view the Jedi more sympathetically and a wave of public discontent followed.

Shortly thereafter, Hamner presided over a meeting of the Jedi that dealt with several galactic problems, such as slavery and a possible resurgence of Black Sun.

In retaliation for her humiliation, Daala sent Mandalorians to attack the Jedi Temple, and stopped the secret Jedi expedition that was to be investigating the events at the Maw Cluster. In the aftermath of the attack, several high-profile Jedi had warrants issued for their arrest, including Master Hamner.

When the Jedi refused to turn over the psychotic Knights Sothais Saar and Turi Altamik, Daala ordered a Mandalorian siege of the Temple. After debating with the rest of the Jedi Council on what to do, Hamner sent out his assistant and apprentice, Kani Asari, to negotiate. However, Mandalorian commander Belok Rhal simply noted that she was neither Saar nor Altamik and shot her from point-blank range, killing her.

Hamner was contacted by Galactic Alliance Supreme Commander Nek Bwua'tu, who maintained that he valued the Jedi and that he hoped the situation would end well. He also asked Hamner about a tip he had received saying that the Jedi were mobolizing a strike team of StealthXs. Hamner confirmed it and also informed Bwua'tu of the foe that the Skywalkers had discovered in their exile, revealing that the foe was a mutual one for both the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi. Convinced, Bwua'tu offered the full cooperation of the Galactic Alliance Navy with the Jedi.

Death
"No! You will not lead the Jedi Order into treason! I forbid it!"

- Kenth Hamner to Masters Saba Sebatyne, Kyp Durron, Kyle Katarn, and Octa Ramis

After the Mandalorian siege was lifted, the Jedi Council put a great amount of pressure on Hamner to strike back against Daala. Kenth refused to act in the hope that Admiral Bwua'tu would awaken from his coma and thus alleviate the tension between both the Order and the Chief of State. However, when the secret deal between Hamner and Bwua'tu was revealed by Han Solo to the rest of the Council, the Masters lost their confidence in his leadership and confined him to his quarters. When he discovered that the Jedi were launching their StealthXs to aid Luke and Ben against the Sith, he believed the act to be high treason. In order to prevent this, he escaped from his quarters, incapacitating the two Jedi Knights standing guard there, and made his way to the Operations Hangar, where he was confronted by two more Jedi Knights, Yantahar Bwua'tu and Vaala Razelle. After failing to convince them to let him enter, he knocked them unconscious and entered the hangar. There, he confronted Saba Sebatyne, who had led the vote in no confidence against him, as well as the other Masters preparing for launch.

Being unable to convince them to stop the launch, Hamner decided to try and prevent the launch by disabling the controls of the hangar doors, but Sebatyne confronted him and the two dueled. Hamner pierced Sebatyne in the abdomen with his lightsaber, but the Barabel managed to shove Hamner off of the catwalk. She then caught Hamner with the Force as he floated in mid-air dozens of meters above the flight deck. Hamner still did not give up in his mission, and used the Force to hurl his lightsaber at the hangar door controls. As the Barabel Jedi Master fought Hamner for control of the lightsaber in the Force, she lost her grip on him, and he fell to the hangar floor, dying on impact. Sebatyne managed then to halt the lightsaber, and the StealthXs launched. The Jedi fighters arrived on Pydyr in time to help the Skywalkers escape the Sith, and Sebatyne was voted by the Council&mdash;against her own wishes&mdash;to take Hamner's place as acting Grand Master.

Appearances

 * Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
 * Balance Point
 * Recovery
 * Edge of Victory II: Rebirth
 * Star by Star
 * Destiny's Way
 * Force Heretic I: Remnant
 * Force Heretic III: Reunion
 * The Final Prophecy
 * The Unifying Force
 * Dark Nest I: The Joiner King
 * Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
 * Dark Nest III: The Swarm War
 * Inferno
 * Invincible
 * Outcast
 * ''Omen
 * Abyss
 * Backlash
 * Allies
 * Vortex

Notes and references
Kenth Hamner