The Temple of the Ancients, also called the Temple of the Elders, was a Rakatan temple on Lehon that contained a computer that provided information about the Star Forge. The temple's doors were blocked by a mysterious force field that only Rakata could bring down by performing a special ritual or by using an ancient tome, and even then, the force field would not stay down for long.
Description[]
- "Only those who can command the Force can enter. Long ago we Rakata had this power."
- ―An Elder councilor, to Revan
The structure itself was twenty meters tall. Located on the top of the Temple of the Ancients was the summit. It contained an elevator to the main floor, as well as a disruptor field that forced starships to land, either controlled or not, on the planet.[3]
A computer containing extensive information about the Rakata species, the history of their Infinite Empire, and the Star Forge, was located in the Temple Catacombs. In 3956 BBY, when Revan visited the Temple for the second time, the computer was still functioning,[3] but in 1000 BBY, when Darth Bane visited the Temple, the computer was broken beyond repair and could no longer be used by anyone.[4]
History[]
Jedi Civil War[]
- "During the collapse of the Rakata Empire, the warlords unleashed weapons of terrible destruction that threatened to drive our species to extinction. In the devastation's aftermath our ancestors locked the knowledge of such technology away in the Temple so it could never be used again."
- ―An Elder councilor, to Revan
When several Mandalorians were stranded on Lehon, they built a camp at the Temple of the Ancients until they were killed by Revan.[3]
During the Jedi Civil War, Revan and crewmembers Zaalbar, Mission Vao, Carth Onasi, Jolee Bindo, Juhani, HK-47, T3-M4, and Canderous Ordo crash-landed on Lehon while on their way to infiltrate the Star Forge. Their crash-landing was caused by the disruptor field installed within the temple. With their ship damaged and in need of repair, Revan set out with his companions to scout out the area for possible replacement parts from the other crashed ships which littered the area and to find a way to shut down the disruptor field.[3]
Revan met with The One, leader of the Black Rakata, who made him a deal. The One would help him enter the Temple of the Ancients if Revan brought back an ancient tome from the Elders, another tribe living on Lehon. Revan, however, sided with the Elders. When Revan helped the Elders free a prisoner from the Black Rakata, the Elders performed a ritual allowing Revan into the temple.[3]
The Elders had only started their ritual when Juhani and Bindo rushed up to them and told them they had sensed great danger in the temple, and they couldn't let Revan face it alone. At first the Elders refused, but after Revan insisted that he could not destroy the Star Forge alone, the Elders agreed to let all three Jedi inside.[3]
In addition to battle droids and a number of Dark Jedi and Sith who had been sent to the temple by Darth Malak, they discovered an ancient computer terminal which taught them about the history of the Rakata, the Infinite Empire, and the Star Forge and told them to go to the summit of the temple to disable the disruptor field. When Revan, Jolee, and Juhani arrived at the summit of the temple, they encountered Bastila Shan, now Malak's new Sith apprentice. After a lightsaber duel, Bastila tried to convince Revan to reclaim his title as the Dark Lord of the Sith, but Revan refused. Bastila fled, and Revan deactivated the disruptor field generated from the summit before proceeding to his final confrontation with Malak. Shortly after, a celebration was held at the Temple Exterior, where Revan and his companions were personally awarded the Cross of Glory by Admiral Forn Dodonna.[3]
After the Jedi Civil War[]
Three centuries later, during the Galactic War, the Temple was occupied by the Order of Revan and repurposed as a factory to create invincible cyborg supersoldiers equipped with Rakata technology for the Order's Infinite Army. When a strike team invaded, the cyborgs were destroyed and the supervising Revanites, Darth Arkous and Rian Darok, were killed rather than be captured. Subsequently, Revan arrived in a Harrower-class dreadnought and opened fire on the Temple in an attempt to kill his enemies but the strike team escaped via shuttle.[2]
In 1000 BBY, Darth Bane would arrive at the Temple to seek its secrets. In the lowest sublevel, he finally found Darth Revan's holocron. Bane studied from it extensively until it lost power and died. The holocron gatekeeper's words would inspire Bane to establish the Rule of Two. Inside the Temple, he was confronted by the Sith Lord Kas'im. Bane and Kas'im engaged in a protracted duel that eventually moved to the steps of the Temple. Bane was then able to kill Kas'im by striking him with a powerful wave of Force energy that brought down the Temple entrance way around him. Bane then departed, and the further history of the Temple is unknown.[4]
Behind the scenes[]
In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the player is given the choice of killing the Elders as he was told by the One instead of siding with them. Doing this allows the player to recover an ancient tome, which Revan could then present to the One, and the Black Rakata then disable the shields.
Later, inside the temple itself, if Revan chooses to follow the dark side, he reclaims his title as Darth Revan, and kills companions Jolee and Juhani. Revan and Bastila return to the Ebon Hawk and tell the crew of Revan's return to the dark side.
Also, the Elders say that only people who are strong in the Force can enter the Temple. But if the player chooses non-Jedi characters from his group after disabling the disruptor field and exiting the Temple, they will also be able to enter.
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (First appearance)
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Shadow of Revan (Mentioned only)
- Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
- Darth Bane: Path of Destruction audiobook
Sources[]
- Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
- The New Essential Chronology (Picture only)
- The Essential Atlas
- Star Forge in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ According to Forums: Dear Story Team, What Year Are We Currently In? on The Old Republic's official website (backup link), Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel takes place from early to mid 3638 BBY, and further Game Updates that were released in 2013 take place in the latter half of that year. The post also states that Game Updates released in 2014 can be placed in early and mid 3637 BBY, Shadow of Revan takes place near the end of that year, and that the events of Game Updates 3.1 through 3.3 can be placed in early and mid 3636 BBY. Therefore, the events of Game Update 2.10: Forged Alliances, which was released in 2014, can be placed in 3637 BBY.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Star Wars: The Old Republic — [TACTICAL] Flashpoint: "Legacy of the Rakata"
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Darth Bane: Path of Destruction