Halagad Ventor

"Could it be? Have I suffered all these years for a sin not so dark as I believed?"

- Halagad Ventor

Halagad Ventor was a Human Jedi Knight who was trained at an unusually late age, due to the fact that he was passed over for training initially during his childhood on Alderaan. Since the nature of his training was unnatural, Ventor's actions as a Jedi were considered unorthodox, and he neglected the more subtle aspects of the Force. During the Clone Wars, Ventor served as a Jedi General, most notably at Bal'demnic.

After Order 66 was executed, he was interrogated by Darth Vader, and named names of several other Jedi in hiding. He escaped Vader and fled to Trinta, where madness and the dark side of the Force consumed him. After many years, a band of Rebels confronted him, and drew him out of the dark side, redeeming him. Ventor would persist in the Force as a Jedi Spirit, and would guide survivors of his betrayal years after his death

Early life
"I'll need to know many things to be a Jedi, and cannot confine myself to but one discipline."

- Halagad Ventor

Despite being strong in the Force, Ventor was passed over for Jedi training by Acquisition Division at an early age. Despite this setback, he aspired to be a scholar, and studied ancient tomes. During his studies, he learnt the history of the Jedi Knights, and aspired to be one. He began self-teaching himself the Jedi ways. As a way of securing friends in high places that might be of use to him in the future, Ventor began to associate with Bail Organa, who would go onto become Senator and Viceroy of Alderaan.

Due to the difficulty of self-teaching, Ventor was unable to truly master any area of Jedi or non-Jedi study. He argued that Jedi should focus on all aspects of the Force, and not specialise in a particular ground. However, these thoughts were likely born of inexperience. Upon becoming an adult, Halagad sought to find a Jedi Master that would train him in the ways of the Jedi. No Master would accept him though, citing that he did not have enough control over his mind, anger, fear and greed. He was not discouraged however, and eventually found a Master that agreed to train him: Everen Ettene. But, in spite of Ettene's code-adherent teachings, Ventor persisted with his personal beliefs, and failed to reach his full potential.

Padawan days
Ventor, as an unusual case in the post-Ruusan Jedi, found it difficult to flourish as a Jedi. He quickly became a great warrior under Ettene, but he failed to grasp the more subtle aspects of Jedi work, such as diplomacy and healing. In some cases, even, he was completely ignorant of these powers.

During the Separatist Crisis, Ventor and Ettene were paired with Ludwin Katarkus and Danyawarra, and dispatched by the Jedi High Council to Virgillia 7, in order to estabish peace talks in the Virgillian Civil War. Upon arrival at Virgillia 7, their transport was attacked by dissenters, and destroyed. Ventor was the only survivor of the attack, and was able to elude capture and death for over three weeks. He, along with his master and the two other Jedi were presumed dead back at Coruscant, and a Jedi funeral was held for the four of them. At a later stage, Ventor was able to return to civilization, and his status was upgraded to "alive".

The Clone Wars
Ventor was not initially given the title of Jedi Knight after the death of his master, and would serve under General Obi-Wan Kenobi in many battles. Under Kenobi, he received the Medallion of Honor from High Command for his efforts. He eventually earned the rank of Knight and was promoted to General himself, ending his collaboration with Kenobi.

As General, Ventor continued to serve. As the war reached its waning months, the Confederacy of Independent Systems launched Operation Durge's Lance, affecting worlds from the Outer Rim to the Core. Ventor, along with Jedi Knight Sha Koon, was sent to an Outer Rim planet, Bal'demnic, to halt the CIS advance. Intercepted CIS transmissions indicated that the Commerce Guild was planning to mine cortosis from the planet. Cortosis, being resistant to lightsabers, were known to be a great asset in anti-Jedi warfare, and it had been used by Wat Tambor in the early stages of the war, so Jedi Master Mace Windu considered Bal'demnic a high priority.

What greeted Ventor and Koon's forces when at the island planet was an extraordinary sight. The Kon'me natives had risen up against the Commerce Guild's tyranny, and launched their own revolution against the droid armies. War profiteers had smuggled in weapons that allowed the Kon'me to fight on equal terms with the droids. Unfortunately for Ventor and Koon, it allowed them to also fight on equal terms with the Grand Army. As soon as the Republic forces touched down on Bal'demnic, the Kon'me started firing on them. Due to the unusual terrain, Ventor and Koon were forced to call a retreat. However, the CIS forces were also driven away, so the mission was at least a partial success.

Fall of a Jedi
"Halagad, old friend. It is a pleasure to see you again. My men say you have been uncharacteristically silent today – a far cry from the boastful braggart who craved medals and acclaim. You are a loud man, Ventor, wielding the Force like a club. The Force was meant to be used like a vibroblade. A slice here, a slice there, and I will carve the information I want out of your mind. Of course, when I am done, you may have a mind no longer. Pity."

- Darth Vader

Ventor was able to evade Galactic Emperor Palpatine's agents during Order 66 and the subsequent destruction of the Jedi Order. He followed the suit of many of his fellow survivors, and attempted to flee the Republic (now the Empire). Before he was able to leave for the Outer Rim Territories, he was stopped by the Stormtroopers of the 501st Legion, Vader's Fist. Imperial Intelligence officers brutally tortured Ventor onboard the Star Destroyer Exactor, but Ventor told them nothing.

Darth Vader, formerly Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight who Ventor had fought alongside in the Clone Wars, was Palpatine's agent of execution for the Great Jedi Purge. He personally interrogated Ventor, and progressively broke down the man's mental shields. As Ventor gave into the dark side, he named the names and locations of all the Jedi he knew who had escaped Order 66. Satisfied, Vader let steal a ship, the Rimrider, and escape the Exactor, knowing that the dark side, or death itself would surely consume him. Vader then hunted down and slew all that he could find of Ventor's blacklisted Jedi Knights.

A Jedi in exile
Halagad ended up on Trinta, a hellish swamp planet home to a dark side nexus that fed off his despair and aged him prematurely, where he became withered and decrepit, losing all his teeth.

For fear of Darth Vader or any other soul finding him again, Halagad used the Force to create illusory beasts to hide and protect himself. The entire planet was subject to his paranoid fantasies and fears manifested by his tortured and maddened soul. He would keep his hiding place from being discovered, at all costs.

Halagad remained alone and forgotten on Trinta for several years, until a Rebel team crash-landed on the planet, in an effort to evade their pursuing hunter, Crutag. The rebels discovered a long abandoned campsite, where they found Halagad's Medallion of Honor. Halagad used the dark side of the Force to steal the ships of both the Rebels and Crutag, thus effectively stranding them there. In his anger, he manifested the illusory Dradan and a rancor to confront the outlanders.

The dark Jedi came to realize that the Rebels could be the key to breaking him out of his lock with the dark side. And yet he did not want to reveal himself for fear that Vader would discover him.

Redemption
When the Rebels finally confronted Halagad, he attempted to lure them to the dark side. In truth, he secretly wished that they would kill him, in order to free him.

The Rebels showed Halagad his old Medallion, forcing him to remember the man he once was. He also learned that Obi-Wan Kenobi and other Jedi survived the Jedi Purge. Halagad was filled with a new hope, and finally escaped the dark side, though the process claimed his life. His Force ghost smiled upon the Rebels and thanked them, before vanishing.

Qu Rahn heard rumor of Halagad's redemption, but dismissed it. Five years after the Battle of Yavin, when Qu Rahn was killed by Jerec, in his final moment Rahn beheld the Force spirits of Anakin Skywalker and Halagad Ventor and realized nobody was beyond redemption.

Behind the scenes

 * "Halagad Ventor", and "Halagad," is also the online alias of Star Wars author Abel G. Peña. Due to Abel's large interest in the character, artist Joe Corroney based his depiction of Ventor in HoloNet News on Peña.
 * Abel G. Peña has stated his interest&mdash;should the opportunity arise&mdash;to involve Halagad Ventor in the Battle of Skye, fighting alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Abel has hinted that this information might become canonical in the upcoming Vader's Legacy article.
 * "Halagad" is an anagram of "Galahad", one of the most famous of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table.

Appearances

 * Republic HoloNet News Special Inaugural Edition 16:5:241
 * Domain of Evil