Jerec (Inquisitor)

"Jerec, the man who murdered your father, is a great evil. He searches for the location of a sacred place, the Valley of the Jedi. The Force of thousands of Jedi is trapped here. If Jerec captures this power, he will be a creature such as the universe has never seen. A supernova of stars in a fleeting thought. The eradication of life from a star system in a whisper will be within his power."

- Qu Rahn to Kyle Katarn

Jerec was a Dark Jedi, Inquisitor, and Emperor's Hand during the Galactic Civil War.

Early life
It was commonly believed that Jerec was a human, blind from birth. In fact, he was a Miraluka, (a race of Force-sensitive humanoids born without eyes, who use the Force to see). Though without conventional sight, he could "see" through the Force. Jerec wore a blindfold-like mask to cover the lidless skin over his empty eye sockets.

At a young age, Jerec came to the attention of Jocasta Nu, who was then working for the Jedi ExplorCorps as an archaeologist. She took the young Miraluka as her Padawan learner, and during their partnership Jerec inherited his Misstress's haughty poise and bearing in addition to her love of knowledge.

After achieving knighthood, Jerec took his own Padawan, Ameesa Darys, and trained her to completion. After achieving the coveted rank of Jedi Master, Jerec believed he had exhausted all the possibilities that the way of the Jedi offered.

During the Clone Wars, Jerec was occupied on a mission in the Unknown Regions where he was searching with other Jedi for lost wisdom of the ancients. Upon returning to the known Galaxy, Jerec found the Jedi Order extinct and the Republic transformed into an oppressive Empire. High Inquisitor Tremayne bent Jerec to the dark side, and soon he was a servant of Emperor Palpatine.

During the early part of the Galactic Civil War, Jerec would lead a task force to the Sullust moon of Sulon, rooting out a Rebel presence there. Interrogating one of the Rebel leaders, Morgan Katarn, Jerec hoped to find the location of his superiors. When Katarn refused to talk, Jerec slew the simple farmer in anger and ordered Maw, one of his minions, to drive Katarn's head on a spike to set an example. He served a short term as governor of Sulon, presumably following the execution of Katarn.

Search for the Valley of the Jedi
Upon learning the importance of finding the legendary Valley of the Jedi from Lord Cronal, Jerec sought out and captured the Jedi Master Qu Rahn, the only living Jedi to know its location. Aboard Jerec's flagship, the Vengeance, Rahn refused to reveal the Valley's location. The Dark Jedi probed Rahn's mind, and found that there was someone else who knew the secret, namely Morgan Katarn, whom he had killed years before.

Refusing to give Jerec the opportunity to seek out the Valley, Rahn stole a lightsaber from Jerec's henchman Yun, and suicidally attacked his seven Dark Jedi acolytes simultaneously. Jerec blasted Rahn down with the Force (possibly using Force Destruction), then decapitated him.

Jerec and his band of fallen Jedi set off in search of a possible map that would lead them to the Valley of the Jedi. A droid named 8t88 would come to supply Jerec with the location of the Valley's map. After deciphering it, Jerec immediately left for Ruusan, the Valley's home. After absorbing a considerable amount of power from the Valley, Jerec dueled Kyle Katarn. The son of Morgan Katarn, Kyle had tracked Jerec to Ruusan to avenge his father's death. After a grueling battle, Kyle managed to bring Jerec, unarmed, to his knees. Rather than strike him down in cold blood, Kyle gave him the chance for an honorable death by tossing the vanquished villain his saber. Humiliated, Jerec attempted one last failed attack, resulting in Kyle's blade cutting him down. The Jedi spirits he had absorbed were freed from his control and released into the air.

Behind the scenes

 * Jerec was played by Christopher Neame in Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II.
 * Jerec's identification as a Miraluka appears to be a controversial retcon from the role playing game, as Jerec originally was described as human in his first appearance (Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, game, followed by the novelle), and his eyeballs were visible in at least one cutscene, beneath the mask. This could be explained away as a simple special effects gaffe, however. Another story was that Jerec lost his eyes in a battle against one of Palpatine's dark side minions.
 * Jerec also appears in a fanfilm, Spirits of the Force, along with Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors, all played by fan actors

Appearances

 * Star Wars Republic 69: The Dreadnaughts of Rendili, Part 1
 * Galaxy of Fear: Spore
 * Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
 * Dark Forces: Rebel Agent
 * Dark Forces: Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast