Bast Castle

Bast Castle was Darth Vader's private fortress on the acid rain-soaked planet of Vjun. It later became the headquarters of the Dark Side Elite.

During Emperor Palpatine's resurgence in a clone body, Palpatine interrogated and tortured inexperienced Ysanna Jedi in Bast Castle under the gaze of a massive statue of Vader that had been erected by Sedriss. When Luke Skywalker and Kam Solusar attacked the castle to rescue the Ysanna, it was heavily damaged in the fighting, and Vader's statue was toppled.



In 14 ABY, Kyle Katarn and Jaden Korr visited Vjun and the castle in search of Tavion Axmis, and it was there that Rosh Penin revealed that he had turned to the dark side. Prior to the encounter with Penin, Korr came across the toppled statue of Vader and jokingly told himself that somebody really didn't like Vader. Korr eventually defeated Penin and killed the Reborn Twins who accompanied Penin and empowered him with the Force.

Later, in 22 ABY, the Jedi historian Tionne Solusar discovered that Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber had been recovered by Vader and stored at Bast Castle. Since an information broker had sold this information to them, she feared that others may have gotten to it first. Thinking it was just a simple trip and time for training, Tionne allowed Anakin Solo, Tahiri Veila, Uldir Lochett, and Ikrit to accompany her. They left on her Jemlaat-class yacht Lore Seeker.



Having arrived at Bast Castle, they discovered another vessel and feared another group had reached it first. Having survived the fortress's automated defense systems and booby traps, they discovered the lightsaber in a protected alcove. Unfortunately, a group of mercenaries and pirates under a cloaked man named Orloc arrived. Orloc wielded a lightsaber and claimed to be a mage who possessed great powers. His henchmen stole Kenobi's lightsaber.

In response, the Jedi pursued Orloc and his henchmen on a chase through Bast Castle. During a confrontation, Orloc easily defeated Ikrit since the Kushiban had no lightsaber at all. He also deceived Uldir by claiming to train him all the Force skills he desired. However, the other Jedi managed to rescue Uldir and escape Bast Castle, along with Kenobi's lightsaber and the holocron of the ancient Jedi Master Asli Krimsan.

The statue of Darth Vader


After the death of Vader, Bast Castle became the stronghold of the Emperor's Dark Jedi. As an homage to the previous owner and Dark Lord of the Sith, the new Military Executor, Sedriss, erected a statue of the Dark Lord in the middle of Bast Castle. Carved from black stone, it stood about 6 meters tall. Palpatine ordered Sedriss to destroy the image of the traitor, but in an act of defiance, Sedriss overlooked the order because of his admiration for Vader's abilities.

Sedriss was eventually killed by Ood Bnar and the ownership of the castle fell to the new Executor, Xecr Nist. Palpatine ordered once again that the statue be removed, and wishing to avoid the fate of his predecessor, Nist promised that he would. However, before the deed could be done, a task force of Jedi including Luke Skywalker, Rayf Ysanna, Kam Solusar, and Empatojayos Brand attacked the stronghold. A vicious fight ensued between the four Jedi and the Dark Side Elite.



In an ironic twist, Skywalker defeated Nist and used the Force to push the enormous statue upon the remaining Dark Side Elite, killing them and winning the day for the Jedi. The statue lay broken in Bast Castle for years and the rubble was still present when Kyle Katarn and his student Jaden Korr visited the planet in an attempt to stop the Disciples of Ragnos from siphoning the Force energy. Anakin Solo and Tahiri also visited the castle during their training at the Jedi Academy and witnessed the remnants of the massive statue. Strangely though, the statue appeared less fragmented, and the head was still attached to the body.

Appearances

 * Dark Empire II
 * Empire's End
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
 * Junior Jedi Knights: Vader's Fortress
 * Junior Jedi Knights: Kenobi's Blade