Guun Han Saresh

Guun Han Saresh was a male Twi'lek Jedi Knight best known for his exploits during the Great Hunt of 3,993 BBY. A native of the planet Taris, Saresh was born into a rich and powerful family with a history of Force-sensitivity. At some point, Saresh was taken in by the Jedi Order, completing his Jedi training and earning the title of Knight. In the aftermath of the Great Sith War, Saresh joined a hunting party of Jedi Knights, including Humans Duron Qel-Droma and Shaela Nuur, that distinguished themselves during the Great Hunt&mdash;a collective Jedi effort to eliminate Sith-created beasts across the galaxy. In 3,993 BBY, one week after the official end of the Hunt, Saresh, Qel-Droma and Nuur were sent to Korriban on a secret mission to eliminate the vicious and highly dangerous terentatek from the Sith homeworld. However, Saresh's disapproval of Qel-Droma and Nuur's budding romance fractured the group, leading to the Twi'lek abandoning them on Korriban and setting off instead to Kashyyyk, to hunt a terentatek that he had heard existed in the world's dark Shadowlands. The beast did exist, and Saresh set a trap for it&mdash;when Saresh attempted to attack the terentatek, however, his Force-imbued blade broke on its thick hide. Without any defense, Saresh was swiftly devoured by the terentatek.

Not-so-humble beginnings
"After all, Duron, Shaela and Guun Han are our greatest hunters&hellip;"

- Aleco Stusea

A male Twi'lek, Guun Han Saresh was born into a rich and powerful family on the planet Taris. Saresh's family, known for its cruelty and arrogance along with its wealth and political sway, had the Force in its bloodline, and many of their number had become members of the Jedi Order. At some point Saresh, the heir to the family fortune, too was discovered to be Force-sensitive, and was taken in for Jedi training. To commemorate Saresh's acceptance by the Order, his father commissioned the creation of a powerful headband known as the Circlet of Saresh. In order to prevent the gift from leading Saresh down a path of arrogance, Saresh's father made certain that the Circlet could only be worn by someone committed to the light. Eventually, Saresh achieved the status of Jedi Knight. Saresh served as a Knight in the immediate aftermath of the galaxy-spanning Great Sith War. Ending in 3,996 BBY, the war pitted the Jedi Order and the Republic against the Sith Empire headed by former Jedi Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma. Although the Sith Lords were defeated, many Sith-created monstrosities were still present on planets across the galaxy, posing a threat to the Jedi and the general populace. In response, the Jedi High Council organized the Great Hunt, a collaborative effort by the Order as a whole to systematically wipe these creatures out.

Over the next few years, Saresh would distinguish himself in the Great Hunt. Although creatures such as Sith wyrms and silan were targeted by the Hunt, Saresh's greatest nemesis proved to be the terentatek. Alchemically created by Exar Kun, the terentatek was about half the size of a rancor beast and fed off of Force-sensitive blood. During the Great Hunt, Saresh joined a group of Jedi that included Duron Qel-Droma&mdash;cousin of the infamous Sith Ulic Qel-Droma&mdash;Shaela Nuur and Cale Berkona, that together traveled to worlds such as Tython, Onderon and Yavin 4 in search of terentateks. The team was extremely successful, and Saresh and the others gained reputations as the very best hunters in the Jedi Order. In 3,993 BBY, Saresh traveled with his compatriots to the desert world of Tatooine. After taking down several terentateks, Saresh and the group tracked the last such beast on Tatooine to a remote cave. Although the terentatek killed one of their number, Qel-Droma was able to confuse the beast with a mental Force power, and Saresh and the others moved in for the kill. After slaying the terentatek, the group burned the corpses of their prey and left the scene, Saresh supporting an injured Berkona as they returned to their starship.

Final mission
"I wish I could have saved them. I truly do. But I must not let the past haunt me. There can be no regret. If my mind is not clear on this hunt&hellip; then I will surely suffer the same fate."

- Guun Han Saresh, before his battle on Kashyyyk

Five days after the ordeal on Tatooine, the Jedi High Council called an official end to the Great Hunt. However, two days later, Saresh, Qel-Droma and Nuur were called in front of the lesser Council that governed the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. There, the three were informed that they had been specifically chosen by the High Council to undertake a secret mission&mdash;to travel to the Sith homeworld of Korriban and rid the planet of terentateks. Needing the operation to be quickly and discreetly, the High Council chose Saresh, Qel-Droma and Nuur, who were believed to be the greatest hunters the Order had to offer. Afterward, Saresh had a discussion about the mission with Berkona, who had been left off the Korriban team. Saresh assured his friend that he was not concerned with the risk of the mission, although he was unsure that the mission could be successful unless Qel-Droma and Nuur were able to control their feelings for one another. The next day, Saresh's group shipped out to Korriban, making their way to the relatively well-populated Dreshdae settlement. Saresh, Qel-Droma and Nuur acquired a safehouse in Dreshdae, using it as a base as they centered their investigation into the whereabouts of terentateks in the town.

During his time on Korriban, Saresh heard many rumors about terentateks, including tales of a "great beast" that lived in the dark Shadowlands of Kashyyyk. Saresh chose not to act on that information at that time, instead focusing on Korriban with Qel-Droma and Nuur. Their efforts led them to a cantina in the heart of Dreshdae, where Saresh set his sights on a young female Twi'lek Sith apprentice that he spied at the bar. Saresh bought the Sith a number of Tarisian ales, and ended up seducing the Twi'lek. After spending the night with her, Saresh woke up early the next morning and stole a datacard that would grant the Jedi hunters access to the Valley of the Dark Lords, where it was suspected that the terentateks lived. When he returned to the safehouse, however, he found Qel-Droma and Nuur locked in a romantic embrace. Furious that they would break the Jedi Code's rules against attachment and passion, Saresh expressed his deep disappointment in his teammates. Telling them that they were walking the path of the dark side, Saresh found himself engaged in a heated argument with Nuur, which was quickly broken up by Qel-Droma. Highly concerned, Saresh asked Qel-Droma whether he and Nuur would be able to control their passion, in order to assure success of the mission&mdash;Qel-Droma responded by telling Saresh that they would not renounce their love. Disappointed in his friend, Saresh gave them the key to the Valley of the Dark Lords, and left them behind.

Saresh left Korriban for good, traveling instead to Kashyyyk to look into the "great beast" he had heard of. Believing it to be a terentatek, Saresh asked many of the local Wookiees about the tales&mdash;the natives told him that the beast had slain many Jedi over the years. One of the Wookiees Saresh encountered was Freyyr, Chieftain of the village of Rwookrrorro, who remembered him decades later as a proud and boastful young man. Three days after abandoning the mission to Korriban, Saresh descended into the Shadowlands, intending to hunt a different terentatek. Using a crossbow, Saresh killed a mykal and strung the corpse up as bait. Afterward, Saresh took out his Force-imbued blade and took up position on some high rocks, waiting for the "great beast" to arrive. Surely enough, the beast, indeed a terentatek, came forth to feast upon the mykal. When the terentatek was in striking range, Saresh jumped from his perch, stabbing the creature with his blade. However, when he withdrew the sword, he found to his horror that the terentatek's tough hide had broken the blade at its hilt. Defenseless, Saresh could do nothing as the terentatek set upon him and devoured him. Saresh's death was felt, light years away, by Nuur and Qel-Droma as they ventured into the Valley of the Dark Lords. Unfortunately, Saresh's former compatriots met the same fate, both killed by terentateks in the dark underbelly of Korriban.

Legacy
"The Council felt it was too dangerous to send anyone else in search of their remains, so their exact fate is not known. But let their deaths serve as a warning to you, Padawan. The terentatek are an abomination, they are ruthless engines of death and destruction. The Council had no choice but to destroy them, for the greater good of the galaxy. There is not much I can tell you other than their names: Duron Qel-Droma, Guun Han Saresh and Shaela Nuur. They disappeared nearly forty years ago, long before my time at the Academy."

- Deesra Luur Jada to Revan, years after Qel-Droma's death

Although the Jedi Council was relatively certain that Saresh, Qel-Droma and Nuur had all died on their final mission, their exact fate remained unknown for years, due to the dangers inherent in searching for their bodies. However, their stories were not forgotten. In 3,956 BBY, a Jedi Knight named Deesra Luur Jada told the story of the Jedi hunters to Revan, a Dark Lord of the Sith-turned-Jedi trainee who would go on to play a huge role in the ongoing Jedi Civil War. While on Kashyyyk searching for an ancient Rakatan Star Map not long after, Revan slew the terentatek that had killed Saresh decades earlier, finding the Circlet of Saresh and the dead Twi'lek's datapad in the process. In addition, the Circlet may have been discovered by the Jedi Knight Meetra Surik during her adventures across the galaxy during the Dark Wars years later. One of Saresh's descendants, Leontyne Saresh, served as Supreme Chancellor of the Republic during the time of the renewed war with a reconstituted Sith Empire, taking the seat in 3,640 BBY.

Personality and traits
"You self-righteous, arrogant&hellip;"

- Shaela Nuur, to Guun Han Saresh

Although Guun Han Saresh saw himself as a faithful servant of the light, others, such as Duron Qel-Droma, Shaela Nuur, and Freyyr, remembered him as prideful, arrogant and boastful. Indeed, Saresh was extremely confident in his skills, believing, erroneously, that he could take down a terentatek singlehandedly. Saresh was a committed hunter, and valued the success of his mission above all else&mdash;and if he felt that he could not be successful in a task, or if too much of a risk was posed to him, he had no qualms with abandoning it. Saresh also placed great emphasis on carrying out the wishes of the Jedi Council, a rationale that he used to justify many of his actions. Saresh believed and trusted in the wisdom of the Jedi Council, but did not see them as omniscient or perfect in their knowledge. Although close friends with Qel-Droma and Nuur, Saresh was adamantly opposed to the romantic nature of their relationship, believing it to be the path of the dark side, and was apt to quote the Jedi Code when rebuking them for their attachment. However, Saresh had no problems with seducing Sith apprentices while on Korriban, although he expressed that he did not enjoy it, only doing so in order to further their investigation. Still, Saresh truly cared for Qel-Droma and Nuur's well-being, and hoped that he could save them from themselves. In the end, however, Saresh was solely focused on the hunt, and eliminating terentateks wherever they tread, by any means necessary. Saresh had green skin and red eyes.

Powers and abilities
"I am a hunter, Cale. This is what I do."

- Guun Han Saresh, to Cale Berkona

As a Jedi Knight, Guun Han Saresh was well-trained in the use of the Force. Unlike the other members of his hunting group, Saresh eschewed the use of a lightsaber in combat, instead preferring to use a Force-imbued sword. Saresh used a very aggressive style in melee fighting, putting his opponent on the offensive with powerful strikes from his blade. Saresh was also adept with a crossbow, with which he was an excellent shot&mdash;Saresh used his bow when hunting lesser creatures such as mykal.

Behind the scenes
Guun Han Saresh was first mentioned in the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Although he does not appear, Saresh's datapad and the Circlet of Saresh can be found on Kashyyyk. In addition, the Circlet may also be found in Knights of the Old Republic sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. Saresh made his first direct appearance in Shadows and Light, one of the stories featured in 2005's Star Wars Tales 23. In the comic, Saresh was illustrated by Dustin Weaver. Saresh was also mentioned in a Codex entry within the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, to go along with a mention in the reference book The New Essential Chronology and an entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

Appearances

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