Valenthyne Farfalla

"Jedi is as Jedi does, Lord! And if he has taste&hellip;"

- Farfalla

Valenthyne Farfalla was a noted Jedi Master and Jedi Lord during the New Sith Wars. A male Equine, Farfalla had a reputation for being foppish and vain. He aided Lord Hoth and the Army of Light in the Ruusan campaign, in the final years of the New Sith Wars. In the last year of the battle, Farfalla left Ruusan to gather three hundred Jedi Knights to aid in the struggle for the world.

Farfalla was often at odds with Hoth, and when the latter's good friend Pernicar was killed by the Sith, he blamed Farfalla and the two men had a falling out. However, they eventually repaired their relationship and rallied the Jedi for a final assault on the Sith stronghold. When Hoth and many other Jedi were killed by Lord Kaan's thought bomb, Farfalla was left as the highest-ranking Jedi to survive Ruusan.

Farfalla continued to serve the Jedi for a decade, until he was killed by Darth Bane in a lightsaber battle on Tython.

Early years
"He is one of the truest Knights I have ever met but I would not want to anger him!"

- Kiel Charny

Farfalla's father was a noble lord who was convinced to ally with the Old Republic by Pernicar. Farfalla followed in his footsteps, becoming a Jedi and serving with Kopecz. He eventually became a Jedi Lord in the Army of Light. Because of his well-manicured appearance and his wooden-hulled battleship, Lord Farfalla could often be underestimated as a military threat, particularly by Lord Hoth, with whom, due to their widely differing personalities, he was often at odds. But despite his reputation amongst some, it was Farfalla who warned General Kiel Charny of Githany's impending defection to the dark side, saving the Jedi Knight from death.

Farfalla was considered for the role of Supreme Chancellor; however, he refused it in order to serve in the Ruusan campaign. As a result, Tarsus Valorum was appointed to that role, as the first non-Jedi in 400 years to serve as such.

Ruusan campaign


Farfalla was one of the champions of the Republic in the later stages of the war, and was one of the first Jedi to join Hoth's campaign against the Brotherhood of Darkness on Ruusan. He fought in nearly every battle on the world, and his skill did not go unnoticed among the Sith. As the campaign ground to a stalemate, Hoth realized he needed the aid of the Jedi who had not chosen to join him. Farfalla believed that Hoth's blunt personality had driven them away, and expected that he could persuade them with more diplomacy and tact. In 1,000 BBY he volunteered to leave Ruusan to request help from Jedi throughout the galaxy and return with 300 Knights.

Farfalla would be gone for several months, in which time he led the 300 Jedi against King Lahzar, then took his forces on to Ruusan. The Sith had established a blockade around the planet, which prevented Farfalla from landing on the planet's surface. In a stroke of fortune for the Jedi, Darth Bane went behind the back of Lord Kaan and ordered the Sith fleet to engage Farfalla's ships, giving Farfalla his opening to break through to Ruusan. There, he once again saved Charny's life, riding his golden warship into battle to defeat the attacking Sith.

Rift with Hoth
His arrival was not welcomed by Lord Hoth, however, who called Farfalla a "mincing coward". That Farfalla had arrived just too late to save Hoth's good friend Pernicar only added to the resentment between the two men, and in a fit of anger, Farfalla returned to his ship, vowing not to help Hoth for what he saw as a grave insult, and also fearing that Hoth's personal conflict with Kaan and the death of Pernicar had pushed the general to the dark side of the Force. However, when an image of Pernicar came to Hoth in a dream suggesting he mend his relationship with Farfalla, the Jedi sent a message via Farfalla's envoy apologizing for his behavior. The two came to a truce and joined forces to launch a final assault against Kaan, who had fled to the safety of the hills and caves. Though both Jedi suspected a trap, they elected to pursue.

Reconciliation and the thought bomb


Farfalla led the advance group of Jedi at the Seventh Battle of Ruusan to engage the Sith forces, while Hoth traveled closely behind, intending to continue on to the caves to apprehend Kaan. The battle was over quickly, with most Sith surrendering to the Army of Light. During the battle, Farfalla captured the Dark Lord Kopecz, who told him that Kaan was planning to detonate a thought bomb, a devastating burst of Force energy that would eradicate any army caught within its blast range. Farfalla fulfilled Kopecz's wish to die by granting him a lightsaber duel, then rushed to inform Hoth. Hoth already knew, as he had felt it in the Force, but decided he had to stop Kaan and took ninety-nine volunteers with him.

Hoth ordered Farfalla and his forces to flee the area, and if possible, leave Ruusan, hoping to give them a chance to escape certain death. While a traumatized soldier later told Darovit that all the Jedi had been killed, Farfalla was well out of range when Kaan detonated the thought bomb, and so survived the Ruusan campaign, rallying the surviving Jedi to defeat the Sith stragglers and finally ending the thousand-year New Sith Wars.

Following the death of Lord Hoth, Farfalla became the last commander of the Republic military before the Ruusan Reformations. He also eventually took a seat on the Jedi High Council.

Aftermath of Ruusan
Farfalla commandeered the rescue missions from the Fairwind, sending teams like those aboard Star-Wake to Ruusan. Later, Farfalla met with Supreme Chancellor Tarsus Valorum on Coruscant, where the two agreed to the Ruusan Reformations. Following the meeting, Farfalla put Johun Othone in charge of Valorum's security detail, and knighted the young Padawan, whom he'd taken as his own following Hoth's death.

For a decade, Farfalla continued to head various operations of the Jedi Order, as a part of the Jedi Council. Although he had dismissed rumors of a surviving Sith Lord from Ruusan over a decade prior, Farfalla eventually was convinced a Sith Lord still existed when Darovit came forward with information. However, before Darovit could speak with them, the disguised Darth Zannah took her cousin with her to Tython, to avoid being revealed and caught by the Jedi.

Farfalla, Othone, Raskta Lsu, Worror, and Sarro Xaj pursued the Loranda aboard the Justice Crusader, where they came to Tython and engaged in a duel with Darth Bane and Darth Zannah. At first, thanks to Worror's battle meditation, the duel was in the favor of the Jedi. However, after Worror lost his concentration, the Sith Lords easily took control of the fight.

Farfalla was killed after Bane disarmed and subsequently decapitated him. Farfalla's lightsaber was taken as a prize for the victory.

Legacy
After the Jedi killed the crazed Darovit, thinking he was the Sith Lord that Caleb had spoken of, they took Farfalla's lightsaber to place it honorably in the Jedi Temple. An asteroid belt in the Ruusan system was named Farfalla's Diamonds in his honor.

Personality
"On Coruscant, appearance matters."

- Lord Valenthyne

Valenthyne Farfalla was deeply concerned with appearance and behavior. He dressed in fine clothes, gold, and precious gems, and adopted many aristocratic mannerisms. Some, including Lord Hoth, saw him as useless or a dandy because of this, while others found Farfalla witty or charming, a fact that he could and did use in persuading them. Farfalla himself believed he was simply showing a sense of taste.

Behind the scenes

 * Farfalla is the Italian word for "butterfly."


 * While it has never been specified, Valenthyne Farfalla may be a praticioner of the second form of lightsaber combat. While dueling Darth Bane, Farfalla's style was described as elegant and clean, and with perfect form.  These characteristics are synonymous with those shared by masters of Makashi.


 * Also, in Jedi vs. Sith, Farfalla's lightsaber is shown as a straight-handled, blue-bladed lightsaber. In Darth Bane: Rule of Two, Farfalla's lightsaber blade is described as being gold in color.  Whether he lost his original lightsaber somehow and created a new one, or this is some sort or continuity error is presently unknown.


 * Farfalla and his species are evocative of several figures in mythology and folklore; in particular, his pointy ears and legs resemble those of fauns and satyrs; his general face and attire resembles that of an elven prince. Furthermore his personal spaceship is anachronistic, resembling an actual historical ship of the past centuries.

Appearances

 * Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
 * Jedi vs. Sith
 * Darth Bane: Rule of Two

Notes and references
Valenthyne Farfalla