Kir Kanos

"I'd like to propose a toast honoring a hero of the true Empire, someone whose devotion to the Emperor is legendary. Gentlemen, show your respect to the last surviving member of the Royal Guard -- the living emblem of Palpatine's rule, Kir Kanos."

- Ennix Devian, honoring Kanos' exploits

Kir Kanos was a member of the elite Emperor's Royal Guard during the Galactic Civil War. Kanos, like all the other guards, held an unwavering loyalty to the ideals of Emperor Palpatine. Managing to evade the destruction of the superweapon Death Star II and the planet Byss, where much of the guard was stationed, Kanos was the final loyal member of the unit after their ultimate massacre at Yinchorr, under the orders of fellow guardsman and aspiring Emperor, Carnor Jax. Kanos swore a "blood oath" against the traitor and those who had a hand in Palpatine's ultimate demise. Kanos's actions led him to become the most wanted man in the galaxy; a massive bounty was put on his head by the Imperial Remnant. His efficient skills in combat allowed him to stay alive. Kanos made allies in the New Republic on Phaeda, becoming romantically involved with Republic lieutenant Mirith Sinn. With assistance from his temporary allies in the Republic, Kanos slew the would-be Emperor Jax on Yinchorr in the name of Palpatine. This was at the cost of his alliance with Sinn, who swore her own blood oath against Kanos for the murder of her close friend, Sish Sadeet.

Kanos then swore to eliminate everyone that had helped accelerate Palpatine's ultimate death, namely the Imperial Ruling Council, who were engulfed in an internal power struggle following the death of their leader, Jax. In order to infiltrate the organization, Kanos partnered with Tav Kennede, whose late father was the head of the Royal Guard Academy, and went undercover as bounty hunter "Kenix Kil" with the intention of being hired by the Council to hunt his alter ego, who had a sizable bounty placed on his dead, effectively gaining their trust. However, before Kanos could infiltrate their ranks, an impostor eliminated the Council members one by one, and Kanos unwittingly became entangled in a conspiracy by the criminal organization Black Sun to infiltrate the ranks of the Ruling Council by replacing their members with accelerated clones functioning as political puppets. Kanos opted to temporarily call off his plot in order to save Mirith Sinn, who was captured by Black Sun associate Grappa the Hutt and handed to the Zanibar people. These events culminated in Kanos's assassination of Xandel Carivus, head of the Ruling Council and self-declared Galactic Emperor.

Kanos continued operating as a bounty hunter, taking up assignments in various backwater sectors and hoping to one day take on Luke Skywalker, the primary figure in Palpatine's death. Eventually, Kanos was sought by the Restored Empire, an Imperial splinter group under the command of Ennix Devian, Palpatine's former personal assassin. Devian wished for Kanos to join his cause in bringing back the glory of the Empire as it was under the days of Emperor Palpatine. To this end, the bounty hunter Boba Fett was hired to bring Kanos to the planetoid RZ7-6113-23, the "hard-liner" home base. Kanos saw Devian as a foil to his own sense of honor and devotion; Devian's brutal actions and tactics convinced Kanos to drop his own blood oath against Luke Skywalker and Palpatine's enemies in the pursuit of the greater good. Kanos escaped the planetoid via a captured shuttle and met with Mirith Sinn on Coruscant. However, Kanos was unaware that he was being used by Devian to plant a small but volatile supply of the material zinethium, embedded inside the shuttle, in the galactic capital, with the intent of bringing about the destruction of both the New Republic and the Imperial Remnant. Being framed for the attempted mass murder of millions, Kanos found himself allying with Baron Ragez D'Asta for a final assault on the fleet of the Restored Empire above the Imperial capital Orinda, slaying Devian in combat. Following the battle, Kanos faked his death to retire from the public eye, hoping for a quiet future.

Early life and training
"It's a big galaxy, Carnor Jax. The Squall exists only here on Yinchorr."

- Kir Kanos

"I assure you that I'm no more of royal lineage than yourself."

- Kir Kanos

Nothing is known of Kir Kanos's life before he joined the Galactic Empire, but whatever his experience had been, it served him well during his trials to become a Royal Guard. As with all of the Emperor's Royal Guard, Kanos was a stormtrooper whose exemplary performance caused him to be a standout among his squad. Recognized for his skill, Kanos was removed from his squad to receive special training that would make him a Royal Guard. Alongside forty-three other recruits, Kanos arrived on Yinchorr, the home of the Imperial Royal Guard Academy. On this wasteland of a world, Kanos and his fellow soldiers were exposed to the roughest conditions and forced to fight constantly, in a dangerous arena known as the Squall. It was in the Squall that Kanos first came to know the ambitious soldier known as Carnor Jax. Jax and Kanos were often sparring partners within the Squall, with Jax almost always the victor. Both of them were trained early on by Myn Kyneugh. As their training progressed, Kanos and Jax came to be known as two of the most skilled recruits, surely destined for a place in the Guard.

However, Kanos was soon to discover several more trials before his advancement. Although he and Jax were obvious standouts, another soldier, Burr Danid, was more highly praised as the best among the recruits. When Palpatine visited the academy in a special visit, Danid was presented as the foremost student among Kanos's class. Kanos and Jax watched as Danid was used in a demonstration with the Emperor's favorite disciple, Darth Vader. Vader and Danid dueled within the Squall as the other recruits watched, but it was not a fair fight. Danid was easily outmatched by the Sith Lord's ferocity and skill, and he was easily overpowered. Vader showed no mercy as he brutally slew the young man, throwing his wounded body into the depths of the Squall. Kanos was visibly shocked by the merciless demonstration, but understood the lesson being taught. Only the best could be given the honor to defend the Emperor.

As the training continued, Kanos became among the best in his class. The original class of forty-three was eventually reduced down to only a few. The remaining men were put into pairs so that they would learn to rely on their "brothers" for support, aid, and companionship. Kanos was paired with fellow recruit Lemmet Tauk, and they grew to depend on each other during a year long stint in which they trained and lived together. Kanos and Tauk were overjoyed when they were selected as the final four recruits to survive the training. Alongside Carnor Jax and his partner Alum Frost, Kanos and Tauk came before the Master Instructor of the Academy, Ved Kennede. He informed them that their training was almost complete but for one final test. In pairs, the potential guardsmen were to be brought before Palpatine to complete their training. Jax and Frost went first, while Kanos and Tauk waited outside. Although Tauk was visibly nervous for the test, Kanos steeled his nerves, trying to calm his good friend. When the doors opened, the two men strode forward into the Emperor's chamber, coming face to face with the leader of the galaxy. A spatter of blood decorated the floor, and he could see Carnor Jax peering out at him from behind Palpatine's throne. After being congratulated for their accomplishments, the Emperor ordered that the two men fight for him.

Kanos and Tauk hesitated, but at the demand of Vader, the two men crossed blades. As their training took over, Kanos quickly took the upper hand. Battering aside Tauk's weaker defense, Kanos kicked the man back and drove his blade through Tauk's stomach. As Tauk's slowly dying body fell backwards, Kanos locked eyes with the man one last time, realizing that he had just killed his best friend. With Tauk's corpse lying at the feet of the Emperor, Palpatine congratulated his newest guardsmen and departed the facility.

Kanos quickly ran to the body of Tauk, trying to apologize for his ultimate betrayal. However, Vader was watching and informed Kanos that he should never regret a command from the Emperor. Vader ignited his lightsaber, preparing to teach Kanos a lesson. Although Kanos was able to get his hands on his blade, he was no match for Vader, who cut a large swath through Kanos helmet, giving him a distinguishing scar that he would carry for the rest of his life.

The life of the guard
"You have passed your final test. You will serve your Emperor well."

- Darth Vader

Now formally inducted into the Royal Guard, Kanos served with distinction for several years, but matters outside his control would eventually change his life forever. Kanos was not one of the guard to be assigned to the Death Star II, and so escaped death when the Emperor was killed for the first time during the Battle of Endor. Without an Emperor, Kanos carried on alone for several years, leaving active duty, but still trying to live up to the Emperor's ideals. However, the Emperor was soon to return in a clone body, and Kanos loyally returned to active duty, once again taking up the helm as a respected Royal Guard.

Unfortunately, this service was to be short lived. Due to the efforts of the Jedi Luke Skywalker, Palpatine was finally killed on Onderon while his spirit dissipated into Chaos, leaving no chance for a potential return. Many of the guard perished during the ultimate destruction of the Emperor's throne-world of Byss, and most of the rest were killed serving aboard the Eclipse II. Kanos and approximately twenty others who had lived returned to Yinchorr and the Imperial Royal Guard Academy. Led by Master Kennede, the group lay in mourning for ten full days.

However, on the tenth day, they were interrupted by a lone guardsman, badly injured and strained from his long journey from Onderon. The guardsmen had overheard a confession from the Emperor's physician on Onderon, implicating Carnor Jax in a conspiracy to kill the Emperor. Jax had bribed the physician to tamper with Palpatine's clones, ensuring a quick death and forcing Palpatine to confront Skywalker on Onderon, finalizing his death. Realizing that Jax was not present in the database and had not died in battle, the remaining guard swore death to the traitor. However, just at that moment, the gathering was interrupted by a legion of stormtroopers.

Opening fire on the Emperor's Royal Guard, a battle broke out within the facility, with the guard badly outnumbered. Although the guard succeeded in killing a great number of stormtroopers, they were unable to overcome the superior numbers being thrown against them, and were soon withered down to only two. Alongside Kile Hannad, Kanos was backed against a corner, and the two men soon realized that there would be no one left to exact revenge on Jax. The two men quickly played a game of chance to decide who would be allowed to escape, with Kanos being the one chosen. Kanos evacuated the facility as Hannad covered his retreat. After escaping, the building exploded in a violent fashion, leaving Kanos the only loyal remaining Royal Guard. He quickly found a way offworld and was determined to fulfill the oath he had taken.

Revenge against Carnor Jax
"Carnor Jax, for your part in the assassination of Emperor Palpatine, and for the murder of your fellow guardsmen, I condemn you to death!"

- Kir Kanos

"It seems I have no choice. For now, let our common enemy unite us&mdash;"

- Kir Kanos

Riding in a disguised Skipray blastboat, Kanos remained constantly on the move, briefly staying on Zaddja before leaving a trap for pursuing troops and moving on. Jax had placed an incredibly large bounty on Kanos's head, and he was forced to make his way towards backwater worlds, eventually arriving on Phaeda. After bribing the dock master, Kanos went to take a drink in the local cantina. While there, he tried eavesdropping on several Imperial officers, eventually instigating a confrontation. Kanos killed the men, and then executed an entire squad of stormtroopers that came to their defense. Kanos quickly departed the scene, eventually being helped by New Republic sympathizer Tem Merkon. Merkon brought Kanos back to his hideout and allowed him to stay in his underground room.

Kanos was soon contacted by New Republic agents on Phaeda led by Mirith Sinn, who transported him back to their base. Although he despised the New Republic, he understood that they shared a common enemy and agreed to join them for a time. Sinn was intrigued with Kanos, and tried to engage him in conversation, resulting in a mutual attraction that fostered between the two. However, the romance was cut short, as the location of the base had been betrayed to the Empire by Tem Merkon, and Kanos's livelihood was once again put in jeopardy. Forced to take to the field, Kanos took part in the ensuing battle, routing the Empire's forces under Colonel Xexus Shev and helping win the day for the fledgling New Republic. Although Kanos was safe for the moment, he knew the Empire was closing in on him, and he requested a ship from Sinn to leave the planet. Sinn provided him with a Scimitar assault bomber, and Kanos quickly departed.

Arriving back on Yinchorr, Kanos rigged the bomber as a trap and waited for Jax to arrive to face him. Just as he had expected, the Imperials finally arrived in the system, and Jax and his complement of Blackhole stormtroopers quickly advanced on Kanos's position. Kanos's skill was with him, and he quickly dispatched the Blackhole troopers, setting the stage for a final duel between the two men. Within the Squall, the arena where Jax had always been the victor, Kanos and Jax engaged in their final duel. Kanos's ferocity quickly gave him the upper hand, but he was merciful to his opponent, letting him regain his footing after initially disarming him. This mercy was not returned, however, as Jax took the opportunity to use the Force to smash a boulder into the back of Kanos's head.

With his helmet damaged, Kanos removed the headpiece, returning to the fight with renewed ferocity. Jax almost succeeded in plummeting Kanos into the depths of the Squall, but the timely arrival of Mirith Sinn and her bodyguard Sish Sadeet saved Kanos from a quick death. Realizing that Kanos cared for Sinn, Jax threatened the New Republic agent with a blaster shot, hoping to swing the balance in his favor. Unfortunately for Jax, Kanos did not hesitate, battering aside the weapon and thrusting his blade deep into the would-be Emperor's chest. The NR agents were appalled at the sudden execution, hoping to keep Jax alive as a political prisoner. Sadeet tried to stop the execution, but as Kanos swung around, the Trandoshan was impaled on Kanos's sword, killing him.

Sinn cried out in terror for the death of her friend, but Kanos was remorseless, reminding her that he was only with them because they shared a common enemy and he had no love for the New Republic. Kanos left Sinn to bury her dead friend, declaring that there were others who would pay for their part in the death of the Emperor, the Imperial Interim Ruling Council.

Kenix Kil, bounty hunter
"I know you've had your fingerprints removed and that your helmet filters make a voice identification impossible. You're a man without an identity, without a past."

- Grappa the Hutt

With the death of Jax, the Ruling Council was spurred to offer an even greater bounty for Kanos's head than before. With such a huge amount on his head, Kanos needed an alias, and he began to relegate himself to backwater worlds once again, trying to keep the focus off himself. Back in his Skipray blastboat, Kanos eventually arrived on the planet of Baramorra. After scouting the area, Kanos found that the planet was ruled by Boss Banjeer, the nephew of Admiral Llon Banjeer, a member of the Imperial Interim Ruling Council. Banjeer had several bounty hunters under his employ and hoped to capture Kanos for his uncle.

Kanos realized that the best way to hide was to take up the guise of a bounty hunter himself, and he quickly purchased a unique suit of armor and fashioned himself as Kenix Kil, an anagram of his name in the secret battle language of the Royal Guard. Kanos then contacted the son of his mentor, Tav Kennede, to help him solidify his new persona. He asked Tav to buy him equipment for use in the destruction of the Imperial Council and to meet him on Baramorra in two days. In the meantime, Kanos decided to learn as much as he could from Boss Banjeer while posing as Kenix Kil.

Kanos reported to Boss Banjeer's camp, and after impressing him significantly, he told Banjeer that he knew the location of Kir Kanos. Kanos then led the majority of Banjeer's hunters on a wild goose chase far away from the camp to "capture" the wanted man. After bringing the men far away, Kanos revealed his true persona and killed the bounty hunters, effectively crippling the hunting operation in the sector. Because Boss Banjeer was a member of Admiral Banjeer's family, Kanos saw fit to kill the man, destroyed his base single-handedly, and then personally killed Boss Banjeer.

After Tav arrived, Kanos left the planet in an X-wing, leaving his Skipray to a young mechanic on the world. Kanos had decided to learn how to fly the fighter craft so that he could understand the skills possessed by Luke Skywalker, as he saw him as the true enemy, having believed he killed Palpatine. After making several stops, Kanos decided to use his new persona as Kenix Kil to disappear into the underworld. He had his identity erased to keep anyone from learning of his true identity and took careful precautions that no one would see his face under his helmet. Hearing that a Hutt named Grappa was in need of bounty hunters, Kanos decided to take him up on employment. Kanos flew his X-wing to Grappa's base on Genon, and after meeting with the Hutt, he took up a commission to capture customs officer Tarrant Snil.

Snil was located on the planet G'wenee in the city of Lay Pa-Sidian, and Kanos left immediately to apprehend his quarry. After arriving, he was immediately accosted by men loyal to Snil. Several other hunters had failed to capture the customs officer, and he was confident that Kanos would have the same difficulty. However, Kanos's skill with his double-bladed vibroblade was too much for Snil's men, and he quickly killed the entire band. Kanos took Snil hostage and presented him to Grappa, much to the Hutt's delight. Grappa declared a party in Kanos favor, but it was soon interrupted by a mysterious call over the HoloNet. As Grappa quickly departed the celebration, Kanos got a quick glimpse at the mysterious visage of Nom Anor.

While working for Grappa, Kanos noticed that Mirith Sinn was also under the Hutt's employ. He sent Tav to keep watch on the woman to make sure that she had not discovered his secret. Updates from Tav eventually confirmed that Sinn had probably called off her vendetta against him, as she was certainly not spending her time searching for the killer of her friend. However, Kanos decided that he had overstayed his welcome at Grappa's. Someone familiar with the battle language of the guard had deciphered the anagram of Kenix Kil and traced it to Kanos. As soon as Grappa had received word of the new information, Kanos was long gone.

Payback
At the same time, Mirith Sinn had been turned over to members of the Zanibar race by Grappa. Although Kanos had said that he held no remorse for killing the Rebel commander's friend, he felt that he deserved to repay her for causing her such grief. Commandeering an A-wing from Grappa's base, Kanos set out for Xo, the Zanibar homeworld, to rescue Sinn. Kanos followed the Zanibar transport ship carrying Sinn, and landed on the planet, stashing the ship in the dense underbrush outlying the main Zanibar city. Kanos then infiltrated the city and incapacitated a Zanibar priest, taking his place in one of their archaic ceremonies.

The Zanibar were known to capture organics and submit them to barbaric rituals, which seemed to consist of cutting up the person and flaying them while they were tied to a large metal hoop. As Kanos arrived at the ceremony, the Zanibar were about to cut up Lieutenant Massimo, the man who had betrayed Sinn to Grappa, but had been betrayed in turn. While the Zanibar were busy with Massimo, Kanos made his way deep into the ceremony building, finally finding Sinn and freeing her. However, the Zanibar quickly realized that their other sacrifice had been released, and they raised the alarm. Kanos opened fire on the Zanibar priests, killing one of them, and inadvertently freeing Massimo from the ceremonial hoop in the process.

Sinn and Kanos ran from the Zanibar village and back to the ship, with the Zanibar in hot pursuit. Since the A-wing was only a one-seater ship, Kanos was forced to stand on the wing of the craft while Sinn flew the craft through the atmosphere. Unfortunately the atmospheric flight slowed down the craft, and the Zanibar's own craft quickly caught up with the A-wing, crippling it and forcing Sinn to crash-land the ship into a tree. Although the two remained unharmed, they were trapped in the dangerous Xo wilderness with no means of escape.

Survival and reform
"You were taught what they wanted you to believe. It's time you started seeing the truth. Stop reacting as you were trained to, and start thinking about why you're doing it. Listen to what your heart tells you to do."

- Mirith Sinn

Kanos and Sinn trekked across the dangerous wilderness together. The pair had to constantly work together to keep from being eaten by the hostile wildlife. They were able to survive the day by constantly watching each other's backs, eventually reaching an ancient temple in the center of the wilderness by nightfall. Settling down to spend the night, the attraction that Kanos and Sinn had begun back on Phaeda began to blossom again. Sinn tried to convince Kanos once again that the Empire was evil, telling the story of how her peaceful husband was killed by the Empire. Kanos began to slowly show a change of heart, finally thinking for himself for the first time in many years.

After spending the night together, Kanos and Sinn awoke to see a Zanibar raiding party that had come to recapture the Humans for their ceremony. Trapped and outnumbered, Kanos tried to hold off the Zanibar, using the ancient temple as cover. Luckily for Kanos and Sinn, Tav Kennede arrived in Kanos's X-wing to save the day. Unfortunately, as soon as Sinn had climbed aboard, Kanos was wounded by a stray blaster shot and was unable to get to the ship. Kanos ordered Kennede to leave him and get Sinn away, and despite Sinn's protests, Kennede followed orders. Kanos was taken captive by the closing Zanibar as Kennede took Sinn off-world.

Luckily for Kanos, even the barbaric Zanibar had heard of the massive bounty on the Imperial Guard's head, and decided to turn him in for the reward. The Zanibar brought Kanos back to Grappa and arranged for Grappa to deal with turning over Kanos to the Imperials. Kanos remained in a cell as the Hutt negotiated with the Imperials. However, as Kanos prepared himself in incarceration, a New Republic taskforce led by Mirith Sinn infiltrated Grappa's headquarters and rescued Kanos. The Royal Guard was brought back with the Sinn to New Republic space in time to witness the Battle of Ord Cantrell.

Assassinating the "Emperor"
"There can be no mercy for the enemies of the Emperor!"

- Kir Kanos

Kanos followed Sinn to a meeting with Baron Ragez D'Asta, where she revealed to him that his daughter, Feena D'Asta, had been replaced with a clone. Although D'Asta was shocked with the revelation, Kanos reacted immediately. He declared Feena's clone a traitor to the Empire for being involved on the Imperial Interim Ruling Council and prepared to execute her. However, Sinn convinced Kanos to spare her life, as she had been forced to participate in the plot by Black Sun. Although he decided to spare the woman, Kanos still resolved to execute the rest of the council.

The newly proclaimed Emperor, Xandel Carivus had holed up inside his throne room on Ord Cantrell, and with the help of Sinn, Tav Kennede, and Baron D'Asta, Kanos infiltrated the throne room and engaged Xandel Carivus's Private Guard. They were no match for Kanos's skill, and although they were able to wound Tav, Kanos quickly dispatched all of them. Carivus tried to make an escape out the back door, but Kanos cut him off, smashing his face into a bulkhead before accusing him of betrayal to his Emperor. Although Carivus tried to plead for his life, Kanos would hear nothing of it, and he coldly executed the next would-be Emperor.

Although Carivus was dead, the rest of the Imperial Ruling Council members had been locked in cells by Carivus. Sinn commented on the fact that they would be easy pickings if Kanos wished to have them killed as well. However, Kanos remarked that there had been enough killing for one day, implying that he would leave the judging of the council up to the New Republic. Kanos's change of heart had left him confused, and he prepared to leave New Republic space and Sinn behind. Although Sinn declared her love for him and pleaded with him to stay, Kanos realized that his devotion was still to the Emperor, and he left the scene in his X-wing.

Further exploits
"I'm glad to see that you haven't lost your famous daring. It will make your death that much more entertaining, Kenix Kil&mdash;or, I should say, Kir Kanos!"

- Massimo

Kanos eventually decided to go back to bounty hunting, resuming his alias as Kenix Kil. After capturing a small pointy-eared individual and turning him in for the bounty, Kanos was offered the bounty for a notorious cyborg pirate. The pirate was holed up in a fortress guarded by several advanced droids. After arriving, the robot sentries herded Kanos's X-wing into the fortress, forcing him out of the cockpit. Kanos was confronted by the cyborg pirate, who revealed himself to be none other than Lieutenant Massimo. He had escaped the encounter on Xo but had sustained major injuries following his fall from the ceremonial ring caused by Kir Kanos. Massimo had been forced to get prosthetic replacements for his right arm and right eye.

To get revenge for the hideous state that Kanos had placed him in, Massimo had set himself up as a pirate, with the ultimate goal of destroying Kanos. Discovering the true identity of Kenix Kil, Massimo bribed the bounty commissioner into sending Kanos his way. As Massimo's bots descended on Kanos, however; the Royal Guard quickly caused the two assassins to destroy each other, leaving Massimo defenseless. As with many of his other victims, Massimo pleaded for Kanos to spare his life, but the response was the same as it had ever been, and he left the traitorous lieutenant dead within his own fortress.

After this, during the Orinda campaign, Kanos heard that the scientist Sigit Ranth, who had been responsible for creating sabotaged clones of Palpatine and involved in the conspiracy to kill the Emperor, had surfaced in active duty for the Empire. Ranth was involved with a scientific team on the planet Dathomir researching the Infinity Gate, and Kanos quickly departed there to execute the traitor. However, Ranth departed before Kanos could locate the man, and he became stranded on the planet. Since flying craft were strictly regulated to prevent the escape of the Nightsisters, Kanos had to search for an alternate means of escape. Using the alias of "Burr Danid" after his fallen comrade, Kanos posed as a shuttle pilot in order to secure passage off-world. When Rebel heroes on a mission to rescue witches of the Dreaming River Clan and to apprehend the rogue Jedi Dal Konur arrived on Dathomir with a damaged ship, Kanos offered to help them get the ship repaired and help save the Dreaming River Clan if they would allow him to leave with them off-world. The Rebels agreed, and after a hectic rescue in which Kanos donned his armor several times to cut down Imperial troops, Kanos was eventually able to escape and continue the hunt for Ranth.

Kanos still operated behind the scenes, making sure that plans for a possible recreation of the Guard under Admiral Daala and the clone Major Tierce met with failure. The information Kanos received from this sabotage eventually led him to undermine the four Imperial Royal Guards that were heading the Second Imperium. An eventual reunion with Mirith Sinn was also undocumented, but she had implied that she had fallen in love with him in their last encounter. Kanos also vowed to hunt down and kill Luke Skywalker for his role in the death of the Emperor.

Reform amidst the hardliner crisis
"You had me wear these robes as a symbol in support of your cause. I wear them now to destroy that symbol... as well as your cause. Your personal agenda is wrapped in patriotic terms, but you are nothing more than a thug."

- Kir Kanos to Ennix Devian

Kanos's growing obsession with the Skywalker family led to Mirith Sinn's resignation from her post as the head of security for Skywalker's sister, Leia Organa Solo. Around this time, in 13 ABY, Kanos continued to operate as a bounty hunter under the "Kenix Kil" alias, taking up assignments backwater planets, such as Meenka. During one such assignment, Kanos apprehended the serial killer Lem Krarr, who was wanted for the murder of fourteen younglings. Upon learning the reason for Krarr's arrest warrant, Kanos opted to kill the man and take the six thousand credits posted for his death. Kanos was later ambushed in his own apartment by thugs working for the local constable, who was intent on retrieving the bounty he reluctantly handed to the bounty hunter. In the ensuing violence, Kanos singlehandedly killed three of the constable's thugs. Kanos also inadvertently killed a man working for Boba Fett, who happened upon the ambush by chance. Fett had been hired by an Imperial splinter group who called themselves the Restored Empire to retrieve Kanos and bring him to their home base on the planetoid RZ7-6113-23.

Fett compensated the constable and his police force for their loss and swayed Kanos to join him on the flight to the planetoid. Upon arrival in a storehouse stocked with Clone Wars-era starships, Kanos was eagerly greeted by an officer named General Vota and his aide Bulger. Vota welcomed Kanos to what he considered to be "the true heart" of the Restored Empire. As a token of their hospitality and a symbol of their similar ideals, the renegade Imperials presented Kanos with the standard crimson garbs of the Royal Guard. The leader of the so called "hard-liners", Ennix Devian, allowed Kanos to be acquainted with his cause through a formal banquet dedicated to Kanos's honor. Kanos recognized Devian as a dishonorable thug and a hitman of Palpatine's time, and was wary of working with him, especially after witnessing Devian murder one of his own men as a demonstration of his own fighting skills.

Devian further explained his plot to use the volatile substance zinethium to attack Coruscant in an effort to destroy the heart of the New Republic; Kanos was disgusted at the prospect of murdering innocents in the name of political power. Seeing how blind devotion warped the minds of Devian and his men, Kanos experienced a change of heart in regards to his blood oath against Luke Skywalker. Kanos decided to warn Skywalker of Devian's plot; to this end, he pick-pocketed Devian's blaster as Devian placed him under house arrest. Using the blaster as a makeshift explosive, Kanos destroyed his bedroom door and subdued two stormtroopers who rushed in. Wielding dual blasters stolen from the two stormtroopers, Kanos blasted his way to the main hangar, holding Bulger hostage while stealing an old attack shuttle. However, he was unaware that Devian had embedded the zinethium inside the shuttle, predicting Kanos would travel to the galactic capital.

Kanos made a theatrical arrival on Coruscant, being escorted onto a landing pad of the Imperial Palace escorted by a squadron of A-wings. Despite being ordered to stand down by Republic security, Kanos requested to speak to Mirith Sinn, now Chief of Security of the Imperial Palace. He was shortly arrested by the guards and imprisoned. While in prison, Kanos was able to meet with Sinn, who agreed introduce him to the Chief of State, Leia Organa Solo and her brother, Luke Skywalker after Kanos convinced her he had, in fact, dropped his blood oath against the Skywalker clan. The former Royal Guard revealed to them Devian's plot against the New Republic. Despite their doubts, the Skywalkers decided to trust him, with Skywalker sensing no treachery in Kanos's heart. Still oblivious to the zinethium embedded inside the shuttle, Kanos shed his Royal Guard armor and agreed to assist the New Republic. Shortly after, technicians who inspected the ship reported traces of radiation emitting from the shuttle. Realizing the shuttle was set to detonate, Skywalker assumed Kanos had laid a trap for them. Luke entered the shuttle, flying the ship into orbit. The Jedi managed to evacuate in an escape pod as the zinethium exploded.



Naturally, the blame for the zinethium attack fell upon Kanos, who was accompanying Mirith Sinn to a diplomatic meeting with Feena D'Asta for a possible ceasefire between the Republic and Remnant. While the preliminary discussions for a truce took place, a group of Imperial hardliners interrupted the meeting, engaging Kanos and Sinn in a firefight. Kanos fought off most of the stormtroopers with ease. However, D'Asta was caught in the crossfire. Kanos opted to break the news of Feena's death to her father, Ragez. He explained to Ragez the extent of Devian's plot. The baron understood, and offered an alliance with Kanos to launch an attack on Devian's fleet, which was prepared to launch an attack on Orinda.

Kanos was reintroduced to Feena D'Asta's clone, who became friendly with her faux-father over the years. The baron's plan was to position his fleet behind the moons of Orinda in wait for the imminent hardliner strike, and to convince Devian that Feena survived the assassination "attempt" by bringing him face-to-face with her clone. With the plan set in motion, Kanos traveled with Feena's clone, her "father", and Mirith Sinn to Orinda, narrowly saving Gilad Pellaeon from capture by Devian's forces inside his base. After the reveal of the Feena clone to Devian and the mobilization of the dormant D'Astan fleet hidden in the Orindan system, a massive firefight erupted, killing General Vota and most of Devian's stormtroopers.



Kanos pursued Devian to his shuttle, where he announced his intent to destroy the hardliner cause once and for all. After announcing that he was trained personally in combat by Darth Vader, Devian attacked Kanos. Although Kanos managed to sever the warlord's weapon in the ensuing duel, Devian eventually gained the upper hand, bisecting Kanos's weapon and piercing him in the chest with his vibro-blade. Critically injured, Kanos used whatever strength he had left to overpower Devian and skewer him vertically through the left shoulder, putting an end to the hardliner plot.

Post-"mortem"
Although Kanos was critically injured by Devian's attack, he survived long enough for Mirith Sinn to transport him to one of Baron D'Asta's hidden safehouses in the D'Astan system. Believing Kanos to be dying, Sinn said her goodbyes and returned to the galactic capital, speaking before the Chief of State, Leia Organa, to posthumously pardon Kanos of his charges against the New Republic. She was unaware that Kanos had, in fact, been nursed back to health by D'Asta and his daughter and was living with them for several months. Officially dead to the public (at least temporarily, as D'Asta pointed out, as a man of Kanos's stature was unlikely to remain anonymous for long), Kanos was bought the time needed to recuperate and forge a new life for himself. When the time came for Kanos to go his own way, he left his crimson royal guard robes as a token of his appreciation before departing the planet in a gifted X-wing, saying his only regret was his inability to speak with Sinn. As he left, D'Asta was sure that Kanos would find a new life for himself, leaving the Empire behind for good.

Personality and traits
"I fight for no causes but my own, and what I did, I did for no man but myself."

- Kir Kanos

Kir Kanos was a cold and brutal individual. He was known to kill without mercy, and felt little guilt about this&mdash;if any at all. Kanos had developed these characteristics through a brutal upbringing filled with harsh lessons and images of death from the very start of his career in the Empire. He was also an extremely loyal and dedicated warrior to the point of fanaticism, and mourned for almost ten days following the death of his highly respected Emperor. Kanos felt a unique sense of connection with Palpatine, and his one visit to the Academy at the same time as Kanos's training resulted in the Emperor of the galaxy briefly meeting eyes with Kanos. Due to this, Kanos looked up to the Emperor as a father and was driven by revenge following his death.

Although Kanos seemed uncaring and emotionless to many, he was also known to show brief moments of tenderness, and his self-constructed armor was occasionally broken through to reveal Human emotion. After he had killed Lemmet Tauk, Kanos was genuinely filled with remorse. However, the compassion he tried to show to his fallen brother was met with the harshest punishment by Vader, resulting in his distinguishing scar. While voyaging across the jungle of Xo with Mirith Sinn, Kanos began to have his first traitorous thoughts, and his faith in the Empire was wavered when Sinn confronted him with what she believed to be undeniable proof of their evil and cruel ways. Sinn had a legitimate effect on Kanos, and he seemed to entertain leaving his quest to avenge the Emperor to be with Sinn. However, his devotion to the Emperor was too great, and he eventually parted with her.

Behind the scenes
The character of Kir Kanos first appeared in the 1997 Dark Horse Comics miniseries Crimson Empire. Kanos was roughly based on a character that Randy Stradley planned for an unwritten story of Marvel Star Wars. Like Kanos, the earlier character was an Imperial Guard who was out to avenge Palpatine's death; and like was planned for Kanos in the proposed Crimson Empire III, he would have eventually fought Luke Skywalker.

According to Stradley, when writing Crimson Empire they worked under the idea that all Royal Guards were clones, with the shot of the unmasked Jax supposed to show that he and Kanos were from the same prime clone. However, the establishment of Jax's father, and the fact that other Royal Guardsmen have been developed, seem to have vanquished that concept.

In the audio drama version of Crimson Empire, Kanos was voiced by Patrick Coyle.

Appearances

 * Crimson Empire 0
 * Crimson Empire 1
 * Crimson Empire 2
 * Crimson Empire 3
 * Crimson Empire 4
 * Crimson Empire 5
 * Crimson Empire 6
 * Crimson Empire audio drama
 * The Bounty Hunters: Kenix Kil
 * Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood
 * Hard Currency
 * The Third Time Pays for All
 * Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost
 * Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost