Ulic Qel-Droma

"Being a Jedi will involve making such life and death choices. You'll have to face terrible ordeals. It is very easy to become trapped into a corner with nowhere to go."

- Ulic Qel-Droma

Ulic Qel-Droma, a Human male, was a Jedi Knight who fell to the dark side and became the Dark Lord of the Sith alongside Exar Kun, combating the Republic during the Great Sith War. Born on Alderaan to a mother who was a Jedi Master, he was also the brother of Cay Qel-Droma, a fellow Jedi. Ulic was trained by Master Arca Jeth at Jeth's praxeum on Arkania. In 4,000 BBY, Ulic, along with Cay and the Twi'lek Jedi Tott Doneeta were sent to resolve the Beast Wars of Onderon. The Jedi were unexpectedly confronted by Queen Amanoa, who revealed herself to be a dark-sider. With the aid of Master Arca, the Jedi defeated Amanoa, bringing peace to Onderon—or so they thought.

In 3,998 BBY, the Freedon Nadd Uprising broke out. Though Amanoa had been defeated, many Onderonians still followed the ways of Freedon Nadd, the Sith who had brought the dark side to Onderon. The Jedi once again fought to defend Onderon, this time battling King Ommin, who was aided by no one less than Nadd's spirit. Once again, the Jedi were able to defeat the dark-siders, killing Ommin and finally ridding Onderon of the dark side.

Shortly after this incident, the Jedi learned of a coup in the Empress Teta system related to the Naddists. The Krath, a dark side organization created by aristocrats Satal and Aleema Keto had taken control of the system and were threatening to attack other systems. Ulic, along with his new love and fellow Jedi Nomi Sunrider were sent to stop the Krath, but failed. Not long after, the Krath attacked the Jedi in retaliation. Arca Jeth was killed. Distraught, Ulic was driven to the edge. He decided to infiltrate the Krath, pretending to be a fallen Jedi. However, his plan backfired, and over time, Ulic ended up turning to the dark side.

Eventually, Ulic became a Sith apprentice under the fallen Jedi Exar Kun, with both of them sharing the mantle of Dark Lord. The two planned to conquer the galaxy, launching the Great Sith War. The two nearly succeeded in bringing down the galaxy. Near the end of the war, Ulic encountered his brother on Ossus and dueled him, ultimately killing him. However, this act horrified Ulic, and filled with sadness over what he had done, he abandoned the dark side. Furious at her former love, Nomi Sunrider permanently cut Ulic off from the Force. A broken man, Ulic spent the next decade wandering the galaxy, mourning his brothers loss. Finally, he was redeemed by Nomi's daughter Vima. Shortly after this, Ulic was killed by the spacer Hoggon. However, he became one with the Force, as he had finally come to terms with his actions.

Path to Knighthood
"You're right as usual, Master Arca."

- Ulic Qel-Droma

Ulic was born on Alderaan to a mother that was a Jedi Master held in high regard. Unable to remove the emotional attachment that was necessary for the Jedi Order, Ulic's mother chose not to train Ulic and his brother, Cay, to be Jedi (their cousin, Duron Qel-Droma, was also a famous Jedi in this era). Though denied the training to become as powerful in the Force as his mother, Ulic decided to focus his efforts on almost every other form of competition he could. With a boundless ambition, Ulic proved to his critics that he would easily challenge and defeat nearly all who opposed him, in almost any field. Through such mental and physical victories, Qel-Droma became a popular icon on his homeworld, despite being disdained by the Alderaanian royal courtiers.

Due in part to his heritage, Ulic was already naturally gifted in the Force, something his mother could no longer deny. Casting aside her previous reservations, Ulic's mother agreed to send the young hopeful to Jedi Master Arca Jeth's training center on Arkania to begin his path to Jedi Knighthood.

Ulic's apprenticeship was filled with adventure and intrigue, as it was the age where Jedi Masters would take on multiple pupils and send them to numerous worlds for peacekeeping and expansion purposes. Ulic trained with his brother and a Twi'lek named Tott Doneeta. United, the three were sent on their first real assignment for Arca Jeth. Their assignment was to attempt to bring peace to the world of Onderon, in which a centuries-long civil war was being fought between the Beast Riders and the people of Iziz.

Struggles on Onderon
The Jedi entourage, piloting the Nebulon Ranger, touched down in the walled capital of Iziz, after nearly being shot down by a Beast Rider patrol. With King Ommin recuperating from illness, the Jedi were forced to contact Queen Amanoa and her daughter, Princess Galia. In little more than a few hours, the Beast Riders had managed to storm the palace, kidnapping Galia. Leading his fellow Jedi, Ulic orchestrated the attempted rescue of the Princess. The Jedi piloted the Ranger into the wildlands of Onderon, and plunged deep into Beast Rider territory in search of the kidnapped royalty.

Storming the Beast Rider citadel on giant boma beasts after the Ranger was shot down, the Jedi interrupted the ceremonial wedding of Princess Galia to the Beast Rider prince Oron Kira. In a startling realization, the young Jedi discovered that the true perpetuator of the war was Iziz, not the Beast Riders. With Galia professing her love to Kira, the Jedi were told of dark and terrible secrets that occurred in the capital city of Onderon. It was said that Freedon Nadd, an ancient and powerful Dark Lord of the Sith, had brought the allure of the dark side to Onderon&mdash;and that the royalty in power were descendants of Freedon Nadd. Shocked at what they had learned, the Jedi peacekeepers allied themselves with the Beast Riders to launch an attempt to end the corrupted royalty's reign in Iziz.

As they entered the palace, the Jedi demanded that Queen Amanoa step down as ruler of Iziz. She refused, and a bloody battle ensued. To the Beast Riders' rescue, Arca Jeth entered Iziz and used his powerful battle meditation to turn the tide in favor of the Riders and his Jedi apprentices. The battle ended with a Jedi/Beast Rider victory, but while not killed, Cay Qel-Droma was seriously wounded. Arca Jeth temporarily quelled the darkness in Iziz, but was not pleased at his pupils' actions. He expressed disappointment in Ulic's inability to detect the presence of the dark side on Onderon, and contemplated to himself that perhaps his apprentices were not suitable for such a mission. Ulic was not convinced, and displayed defiance in his disagreement with Jeth's conclusions.

Back in Iziz, with Galia married to Oron Kira, Onderon experienced a momentary uniting of its people. Not all would come to recognize Kira and Galia as rightful rulers of Onderon, however. And so began the Naddist Uprising, the opposition to the rule of Galia and her Beast Rider husband. Caught in the middle of a rebellion, Ulic and fellow Jedi (including a future importance in his life, Nomi Sunrider), were forced to act once again. Arca Jeth was seized by the deathly ill King Ommin during the Uprising&mdash;an opportunity Ulic used to gain his master's favor. Qel-Droma struck the frail dark side abomination that was the King down. In an unsettling display, Freedon Nadd claimed the life of the King, and declared to Ulic that he would soon become one of the greatest of the Sith the galaxy had ever seen. Nadd revealed that it was he who brought Force-sensitives from the Empress Teta system to Onderon&mdash;a process that would ensure a new, elite generation of Sith practitioners. And it was thus that Satal Keto and his cousin Aleema began the secret society known as the Krath, and eventually overthrew the rule of their parents in the Empress Teta system. Ulic and his new companion, Nomi Sunrider, were sent to investigate this alarming turn of events.

Krath conflict
"Ulic Qel-Droma: I am only a humble torture droid, while you are a great Jedi Knight. My masters are pleased that you have chosen to join the noble Sith, but claims of loyalty must be tested...and verified."

- Ulic, being tortured by a Krath torture droid

Defending against a Jedi assault on the Empress Teta system, Aleema used her dark side deceptions to hide the Krath's true numbers and disrupt their enemies. In a state of confusion, Ulic's forces were unprepared to handle the Krath counter-attack, and were forced to retreat. In that first attack, Ulic was slightly wounded by a crashing Chaos fighter, and because of Sith Sorcery, the wounds healed only slowly, despite Nomi Sunrider's attempts to quicken his recovery.

Ulic was eventually made Watchman of Teta because of his knowledge of the Krath, and the Jedi assembled en masse on the planet Deneba to attempt to find resolution in this new threat. In the conclave, Ulic suggested to his fellow Jedi a plan that would send him down a dangerous path. He argued that, because the Krath's influence was widespread, one Jedi could infiltrate their ranks and bring the darkness down from the inside. The Jedi Masters scoffed at Ulic's suggestion, pronouncing it to be foolhardy and overly dangerous; the path to the dark side was not one trod lightly. Before they could decide upon a course of action, they were overwhelmed by a Krath surprise attack. In the dire battle between Jedi and Krath war droids, Ulic's respected master, Arca Jeth, was killed.

In despair, the young Jedi blamed himself for the death of his master. Blinded by emotion, Ulic, to the disapproval of Nomi Sunrider, decided to put his plan into action. After studying a Sith holocron held by another Jedi, Ulic Qel-Droma met with his brother. Cay expressed the same concern for his safety that Nomi did. Unable to be convinced otherwise, Ulic saw no alternative&mdash;he would infiltrate the Krath. Before leaving for the Tetan city of Cinnagar, Ulic embraced his love for Nomi Sunrider.

While deep in the city, Ulic caught sight of a public execution being held by Aleema Keto. An imprisoned man broke free from his captors and attacked the Krath leader. In his first chance to display loyalty to the Krath, Ulic struck down the man before any harm could come to Aleema. He did not know that she had planned the whole thing for his sake. Although Aleema appeared grateful for his service, Satal Keto was most distrusting of this mysterious newcomer. Keto sent Ulic to be tortured in a grueling fashion beneath the Iron Citadel and poisoned him with Sith chemicals&mdash;poison that would not easily be removed.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to make contact with Ulic, Nomi, Cay, and Tott Doneeta traveled to Cinnagar, with Nomi infiltrating Cinnagar. Ulic, surviving his torture, ordered Nomi to be imprisoned. In what he believed to be a secret communication to Nomi, Ulic expressed to her that he intended to stay in disguise for a while longer, in an effort to learn more of the Krath's plans. Unfortunately for Ulic, Satal intercepted his conversation with Nomi, and sentenced them both to death.

Ulic, who had by now been seduced by Aleema and become her lover, was attacked by a crazed Krath assassin acting on Satal's orders, and he cut him down in rage. He then went on to confront the Krath leader, and in a fit of rage, Ulic struck Satal Keto down, demanding vengeance for the death of Arca Jeth, as well as the attempt on his own life. Meanwhile, Nomi managed to escape and called Cay and Tott to stage a rescue. Destroying the Krath's defenses, the Jedi managed to pull Nomi from her captivity, but Ulic decided to stay behind. Ulic's hatred continued to flow as Cay pleaded with him to join the other Jedi on their ship, and he warned his brother that he would take his life unless he was left alone. The Jedi then departed from Cinnagar, and Ulic was left to become one with the dark side.

Aleema progressed Qel-Droma further and further down the dark path, giving him an ancient Sith amulet that commanded great power. With a major Jedi invasion on the way, Ulic prepared to denounce his ties to his former friends. Cay, Nomi and some other Jedi were not yet prepared to give up on Ulic, however, and they mounted another rescue expedition. Attacking in advanced starfighters, the Jedi smashed the Krath's antiquated air defenses, and they met Ulic in Cinnagar's Iron Citadel, where they attempted to bring him back to the light. Ulic refused, denouncing his brother and his former love as weak pawns of the Jedi. Convinced that Satal's Sith poison was clouding his judgment, they then tried to apprehend him and return him to the Jedi for deprogramming. Sensing that Ulic was faltering, Aleema lashed out at Nomi, the one person who could still redeem him, trying to kill her with her Sith magic, but Nomi easily defeated her through use of Battle Meditation. Forced into action, Ulic held Cay and Nomi at bay with his newfound Sith relic, and the Jedi, realizing how far he had fallen, finally gave up and left. Cay was reluctant to leave Ulic behind, even as the other Jedi left Cinnagar, but was eventually restrained and forced to leave his brother to the ravages of the dark side.

Exar Kun's apprentice
"You will be one of the great ones, and there is another even greater than you."

- Freedon Nadd

Celebrating their victory over the Jedi, Ulic and Aleema were surprised as a new threat appeared. Entering the Iron Citadel immediately after departure of the Jedi was Exar Kun, a rogue Jedi who had delved deeply into the powers of the dark side and embraced the teachings of the long dead Dark Lord Freedon Nadd. Kun had come to Cinnagar because he sensed that Ulic was the only Sith initiate in the galaxy who could challenge his might, and intended to end that potential threat. In an epic battle, the two Dark Jedi sealed their fates in a violent clash of power. During the battle, the Sith amulets that each combatant was wearing sprung to life and began to display a vision of a former Golden Age Sith Empire that was in place a thousand years in the past. Suddenly, the spirit of the ancient Dark Lord of the Sith, Marka Ragnos, appeared to the two opponents. It was then that the spirit proclaimed the two to be the next rulers of the Sith, the ones who would bring an order of Sith might to the galaxy once again. Ragnos branded the two with Sith tattoos on their foreheads as symbols of their power, and Exar was pronounced Dark Lord of the Sith, while Ulic was deemed to be his first apprentice.

The Great Sith War had begun, and Ulic Qel-Droma was allied with Aleema as the Warlord of the Empress Teta system. One warrior, Mandalore the Indomitable, leader of the Mandalorians, had contested Ulic's ruling of the system. In a duel between the two, Ulic managed to defeat the Mandalorian warrior, who subsequently pledged his allegiance to Ulic's regime. The soldiers under his command were now part of Qel-Droma's ever growing force. With this new addition, the Sith Lord disobeyed his master's orders and took the fight directly to the Republic's capital world of Coruscant. In the raging battle that ensued, Ulic was betrayed by his lover Aleema and captured by a group of Jedi, which included Nomi Sunrider, and was brought before the Senate's Inquisition to answer for his crimes.

Ulic Qel-Droma was as defiant as always, as he refused to apologize for any of his actions. He spoke to the Senate of the coming Golden Age of the Sith, which he and Exar Kun would propagate. With respectful timing, Exar Kun arrived at Ulic's trial to save his ally, alerted by Mandalore, who had seen through Aleema's duplicity. After facing the Jedi in battle once more, slaying the Supreme Chancellor and Kun's old Master, Vodo-Siosk Baas, they left the halls of the Senate and departed from Coruscant.

"You should have just&hellip; LEFT&hellip; ME&hellip; ALONE!"

- Ulic, as he strikes his brother down

After the escape from Coruscant, Ulic and Exar Kun decided to dupe Aleema into detonating the stars of the Cron Cluster, hurtling a path of destruction at the Jedi library on the nearby Ossus. In addition to leaving the Jedi libraries defenseless, this also dealt with her treachery, as she died with the stars from radiation poisoning. With the Jedi on Ossus in dismay, the Sith Lords ventured to the stronghold to steal what artifacts they could from the library world before it was destroyed. On the planet, Ulic confronted his brother. They dueled, and Cay Qel-Droma was struck down by his corrupted sibling. Ulic could not handle the grief involved in the murdering of his brother; the emotion he experienced was one that tore at the very fiber of his being. Nomi Sunrider, unable to comprehend her former love's actions, used a forbidden technique in an effort to stop Ulic's rampages. She used all her power to totally cut Ulic off from the Force. Ulic's spirit was shattered from the effects, and the Force was no longer his to command&mdash;or feel. Returned to the light by the shock of his brother's death, he helped the Jedi defeat Exar Kun, leading them to his headquarters on the Fourth Moon of Yavin.

Ulic's Redemption
"I owe you so much Master Arca. I will do this for you. I live&hellip; but for what?"

- Ulic Qel-Droma

Stripped of his power, Ulic went into exile. For nearly ten years he wandered in search of some understanding of what he was, and what he had become. Ulic sought to settle down on Yavin 4 with the help of a pilot named Hoggon. Memories of the evils that he and Exar Kun had committed on the planet proved to be too haunting for Ulic, and he desired to move to somewhere with more isolation. Hoggon took the broken Jedi to the ice-world of Rhen Var, where he was broken even further by memories of his friends after falling victim to a cave in. His will was still strong, and his lightsaber skills still considerable, despite being cut off from the Force, and he managed to gather enough strength to allow himself to live, though he was not sure if that was truly what he wanted.

Hoggon, who had come into contact with Nomi Sunrider's daughter Vima, was hired to seek out Ulic Qel-Droma. Although Hoggon was shocked to learn he had transported a wanted criminal on his ship, he agreed to help Vima Sunrider find the fallen Jedi who was hiding on Rhen Var.

Vima confronted Ulic on the icy world, and expressed her desire to become a Jedi through his teachings. Ulic promptly rejected her offer, believing his teachings would only cause harm. Though he had refused, Vima had reminded him of his former love, Nomi. He could deny his feelings no longer, and decided to train her to become a Jedi. Together, and although Ulic was without the Force, they crafted lightsabers, sparred with various Forms, and built statues honoring such Jedi as Arca Jeth and Vima's father, Andur Sunrider.

Following Vima's training, Nomi had arrived on Rhen Var to seek out her daughter. Though their meeting was awkward, Nomi had seen the statues Ulic had carved, and was finally discovering that he was beginning to find himself at peace. Unknown to Ulic, however, a Cathar Jedi named Sylvar had arrived at Rhen Var as well; but her mission was one of vengeance. In a feeling of hatred over the death of her master at Ulic's hands years ago, Sylvar began to attack Qel-Droma, and a heated lightsaber duel ensued. Ulic refused to fight, and eventually convinced the Jedi to put down her weapon. What he said to her were to be his last words:

"I cannot change the past. I meant to do good. But the dark side is slippery, as you yourself should know. I tried to hide. I tried to die. And finally, I tried to atone. You are not my judge, Sylvar. You are simply a pawn of your own emotions. I will not fight you."

- Ulic Qel-Droma

Ulic was not any safer, however. At that instant, Hoggon, who had deeply respected the Jedi Order, shot Ulic Qel-Droma in the back. For Hoggon, he was simply disposing of a villain who had murdered many of his admired Jedi; an act that would make him a hero in his own eyes. As Nomi cradled the fallen Qel-Droma's body, Ulic asked his former lover for forgiveness, to which she replied that she already had. He then gave Vima a necklace as a sign of eternal thanks, for she was the reason Ulic had finally been able to make peace with himself.

In a glistening display of energy, Ulic's life force left his body and the former Jedi Knight became one with the Force. This event caused puzzlement to his mourners, as Nomi exclaimed that only Jedi Masters could vanish in such a way. However, as Vima put it, Ulic may not have been able to feel the Force, but he had the heart of a Jedi.

Legacy
Qel-Droma sired at least one child by an unknown woman and one of his distant descendants was a mercenary named Qaga Lok, who became the Dark Side Adept known as Sedriss.

A hologram recording of Ulic Qel-Droma was found by Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars. Skywalker had come to Qel-Droma's burial site on Rhen Var to seek guidance in his quest to destroy the ancient Dark Reaper weapon, which had been reactivated by Count Dooku. Using what he had learned from Qel-Droma, Skywalker successfully destroyed the Reaper. However, Ulic also told Anakin that his knowledge could make him susceptible to the Dark Side, a warning that would later become true.

Nevertheless, despite Ulic's warnings, Anakin pledged himself to the teachings of his master, Darth Sidious, and became the evil Darth Vader.

Personality and traits
"Very well, Qel-Droma. Prove your manhood if you must. If you fail, I will go on without you."

- Exar Kun, to Ulic

Ulic was described as being confident and brash, though others saw him as arrogant and reckless. It was the latter trait, and Ulic's overconfidence, that Arca Jeth counseled Ulic about the most, and which drew concern from even his brother and Doneeta. Through his apprenticeship the young Jedi attempted to rein in his impulses. In his studies as a youth, Ulic pursued all fields of study with a great deal of energy, and though usually successful he would eventually grow bored and move on to another topic.

Ulic also had the power to withstand the effects of the Dark Reaper. Using that power, he destroyed the Dark Reaper. He also taught this power to Anakin Skywalker on Rhen Var, through a holocron, during the Clone Wars, so Anakin could destroy it before Count Dooku used it against the Republic.

Ulic's personality changed after joining the Krath. Severing his former friendships, he fell deeper under the influence of the dark side, despite his confidence that he could control himself. He began to see the Jedi as cowardly and complacent for not fighting the dark side as he saw fit. It was only with the death of Cay that he repented.

In his last years, overcome with guilt at his actions, Ulic sought only solitude. However, training Vima allowed him to free himself of his guilt, and near the end of his life Ulic forgave himself, reflecting on the good he had done.

Portrayal
For the audio adaptations of Tales of the Jedi, Ulic was voiced by David Scott Gordon in Tales of the Jedi and by John Cygan in Dark Lords of the Sith. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he was voiced by Charles Dennis.

Conceptual Origins
Ulic Qel-Droma is the protagonist of most of the Tales of the Jedi comic books. His story is similar in many ways to Anakin Skywalker: a gifted and slightly arrogant Jedi that is corrupted by the ways of the Sith, but eventually redeemed for his actions by those he loves. This was perhaps slightly touched upon by the video game Star Wars: The Clone Wars (video game), which takes place exactly 3,964 years after Tales of the Jedi, in which Ulic's Force ghost speaks to Anakin and advises him never to fall to the dark side. In archive images shown of the deceased Jedi in the game, he even wears an outfit similar to Anakin's own personally-chosen Jedi robes at the time.

In an interview, Tom Veitch told that there is a connection between Ulic and Luke Skywalker, pointing out that "Ulic" is intended to be a kind of anagram of "Luke". He also pointed out the differences between Luke and Ulic: "So the idea is, we take a young idealistic hero, don't make him look like Skywalker, make him a different person, but the definite type&mdash;the impulsive, young warrior who's very sure of himself." Again this is a character trait shared with Anakin Skywalker, who is much more self-confident than Luke.

Originally, in the Dark Empire endnotes, Veitch planned a different version of Qel-Droma's path. Ulic would have remained on Empress Teta for many months, before emerging as a Krath general and engaging in several years of conquest, before joining with the Sith and finally being defeated. The character of Exar Kun was not to be involved, and in the end Ulic would never have been redeemed, and would have remained a dark-sider at the point of his death. This version of events was printed in the endnotes to the original Dark Empire issues.

Similarity with Another "Tragic Hero"
Though Ulic can be perceived as a 'Tragic Hero' of his era, he has a striking resemblance with the character of Karna who had the similar fate with that of Ulic.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Tales of the Jedi audio drama
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith audio drama
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War
 * Shadows and Light
 * Tales of the Jedi: Redemption
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 8: Flashpoint, Part 2
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars
 * Star Wars: Dark Empire (audio)
 * Dark Apprentice
 * Champions of the Force
 * I, Jedi
 * Darksaber