Sunday, August 27, 2006

Image:Plo Koon AA2.jpg
Plo Koon
Biographical information
Homeworld

Dorin

Date of death

19 BBY

Physical description
Species

Kel Dor

Gender

Male

Height

1.88 meters

Hair color

None

Eye color

Black, with silver irises

Chronological and political information
Era(s)

Rise of the Empire

Affiliation

Jedi, Galactic Republic

  [Source]
"He's an expert swordsman and a hard task master."
Qui-Gon Jinn
Contents[hide]

 

 

Native to the planet Dorin, like all Kel Dor, Koon was accustomed to breathing in an atmosphere containing little oxygen. Hence, in order to survive on oxygen-rich worlds, a Kel Dor had to wear protective goggles and an antiox face mask which also supplied him with a trace gas found only on his home world. An adept and skilled warrior, Plo came from a long Kel Dor Jedi dynasty, including an uncle and Plo Koon's own niece, Sha Koon. Plo Koon studied the Jedi way under the tutelage of legendary Wookiee Jedi Master Tyvokka.

Kel Dors had a reputation for making quick and clear distinctions between what is right and wrong. Plo Koon was no exception, often taking swift, decisive action with little or no contemplation for repercussive effects. This attitude, combined with Koon's sarcastic wit, often tried the patience of his Jedi Master. In his career, Plo trained many Padawans, including Bultar Swan and the female Trandoshan Lissarkh, who was Koon's apprentice during the Battle of Naboo. Koon was a close friend of Qui-Gon Jinn, and believed that Qui-Gon deserved a seat on the Jedi High Council. He even suggested the idea to Tyvokka, though the elder Jedi disagreed. However, Koon soon came to realize that due to his rebellious nature, Qui-Gon would never find a place on the Council.

Before he could accept his former master Tyvokka's offer to join the Council, Koon accompanied the Wookiee to Troiken, where the Republic was to negotiate with the pirate Iaco Stark. Stark had been stealing bacta supplies from cargo vessels and selling them at lower prices than the Trade Federation could afford to offer them. Rather than resort to military action, the Republic decided to negotiate, with Master Tyvokka as chief diplomat.

However, some factions in the government wanted more decisive action, and they organized an attack on Stark's forces, which caused the negotiations to degenerate into a firefight. Plo Koon watched in disbelief as Tyvokka was killed in the crossfire. In the wake of his Master's death, Koon rallied the forces of the Republic and led them to a miraculous victory in the ensuing conflict, which came to be known as the Stark Hyperspace War. This triumph made Plo Koon a hero of the Republic. He was made a Jedi Master and would hold a life-time seat on the Jedi Council in honor of his Master's dying wish. During the battle Plo befriended a Republic soldier, Jace Dallin, who later spoke of Koon's bravery and humility.

After the Stark Hyperspace War ended, Plo Koon was made a Jedi Master, and accepted a seat on the Jedi Council, where he served for many years. Plo Koon, ever humble, felt there were many others more qualified than he to serve on the Council. Plo was also a close friend of fellow Council member Micah Giett and went on many adventures with him. Their constant verbal sparring made them appear as rivals, but those close to the two Jedi Masters understood that they were indeed good friends.

Giiett and Koon were responsible for the release of the chef Slabba Drewl from the clutches of Corpo the Hutt on Ord Mantell. In a cooking contest with Corpo's kitchen droid MREM-02, Giiett was able to distract the audience while Koon swapped the droid's ingredients.

When judged, Giiett's Squirmer Stew, though average, was enough to win the competition and release Drewl. It was after this mission that Giiett considered the possibility of using two lightsabers.

A year before the Battle of Naboo, Plo and Micah participated in a mission to quell an uprising on the planet Yinchorr, accompanied by Lilit Twoseas and her apprentice K'Kruhk.

During the fighting, Koon used a Force technique to conjure and manipulate clouds of dust to cloak the Jedi from their Yinchorri attackers. Due to Koon's effective smokescreen, they were rescued by Adi Gallia, Eeth Koth and Tsui Choi, and soon embarked on a mission to rescue the remaining Jedi. Unfortunately during the conflict Giett was mortally wounded and chose to stay behind to distract the enemy. In honor of his fallen friend, Koon took over the training of his Padawan, Bultar Swan.

In most meetings with the Council, Plo Koon was a silent, enigmatic figure who rarely joined in with debates, but his knowledge was valued by the other Councilors. Plo was present when Qui-Gon brought the young Anakin Skywalker before them, asking to be trained as a Jedi. The Council's members were skeptical of the boy's suitability, and Qui-Gon's usual headstrong attitude did nothing to help matters. Before the Council came to a final decision, Qui-Gon was killed on Naboo, and Koon now had to mourn another friend. He, along with the rest of the Council, went to Naboo for Jinn's funeral.

During the years after the Battle of Naboo, Plo used his telepathic abilities to help Aayla Secura regain her memories following an incident with glitteryll on Ryloth. He also traveled with fellow council members to Malastare to negotiate a truce between the terrorist group known as the Red Iaro and the Lannik royals.

Koon remained on the Jedi Council for the next decade, witnessing a growing public discontent with the galactic government and the Jedi. A splinter group known as the Separatists emerged, led by former Jedi who had now taken the name Count Dooku. At the same time, a group calling itself the People's Inquest began enlisting support for a motion that would have forced the Jedi Order to be more accountable to the government. Plo Koon himself used a Jedi mind trick to disperse a crowd of student protesters who had infiltrated the Jedi Temple.

When an assassination attempt on Senator Padmé Amidala's life caused an uproar in the Senate, Chancellor Palpatine held a meeting with the Jedi and the Loyalist Committee— a meeting which Plo and fellow Council members Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Yoda attended. Plo was also present when Obi-Wan Kenobi contacted the Senators when he uncovered Separatist activity on Geonosis.

Plo was one of the 200-strong task force of Jedi who fought at the Battle of Geonosis in 22 BBY, joining with fellow Jedi Ki-Adi-Mundi, amongst others, in a mission to deactivate the Droid Control Ship on Geonosis. Unfortunately, the Separatists had a backup control device, and Koon and Mundi were captured. They were marched to the execution arena where the surviving Jedi awaited imminent death. Just as the surrounding battle droids readied their blasters, the Jedi escaped with the timely intervention of the Republic Army. Plo Koon led a company of clone troopers into battle on Geonosis, and served as a General in the Grand Army during the Clone Wars. He was among the few to survive the battle of Geonosis.

During the war, he coordinated the Battle of Brentaal IV, advising Shaak Ti and joining her in meditating after the battle. Plo and Adi Gallia worked together for a while during the Clone Wars. They helped Anakin Skywalker and Ki-Adi-Mundi locate Obi-Wan-Kenobi and ARC trooper, Alpha, both of whom had been reported missing in action. During the search, the Jedi participated in a space battle against bounty hunters over Varonat. Also the double act rescued Senator Bail Organa when he was attacked by pirates.  

Friday, August 25, 2006

zez-kai ell

Image:zezkaiell.jpg
Zez-Kai Ell
Biographical information
Date of death

3,951 BBY

Physical description
Species

Human

Gender

Male

Hair color

Brown

Eye color

Brown

Chronological and political information
Era(s)

Old Republic era

Affiliation

Jedi, Galactic Republic

  [Source]
"It is easy to cast blame, but it is perhaps time the Order accepted responsibility for their teachings, and their arrogance, and come to recognize that perhaps we are flawed."
— Zez-Kai Ell

Zez-Kai Ell was a Human Jedi Master and member of the Jedi Council during the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War. He wielded a purple double-bladed lightsaber , and fought with a double-bladed variant of Ataru.

Ell was one of the Masters on the Council that banished the Jedi Exile from the Jedi Order. Zez-Kai Ell lost a Padawan during the Mandalorian Wars but did not blame his Padawan for his choice to go to war.

After the Jedi Civil War, he went into a voluntary exile on Nar Shaddaa in an attempt to escape detection by the Sith. When he encountered the Exile, he told her that he believed Revan's redemption had not actually been Revan's choice, despite the fact that Revan had learned of who he was and kept to the way of the Jedi before the destruction of the Star Forge. He believed that the council had commited a crime in erasing Revan's mind, despite the good that came from it. Based on his dialogue, it is possible that Ell was present when Revan's mind was erased. He also told the Exile that she had done the right thing to take action and fight in the Mandalorian Wars, when so few Jedi did.

"Not once did I hear one of the council claim responsibility for Revan, for Exar Kun, for Ulic, for Malak... or for you. Yet... you were the only one who came back to face our judgement. And rather than attempting to understand why you did what you did, we punished you instead. Our one chance to see where we had gone wrong, and we cast it aside. And now that decision has come back to us, and may carry with it, our destruction."
— Zez-Kai Ell

Zez-Kai Ell was more thoughtful and introspected than many of his fellow masters, and was quick to point out that the council's inaction led to Revan's fall, even going as far to say that blame was not solely on the Jedi who left to fight, but the Council as well. He also no longer considered himself a Jedi, claiming to have left the Order in disgust, both because of the Jedi and himself. Indeed, when the Exile met him he appeared to have fallen into a brooding depression, displaying something close to a death wish at times during his conversation with her. Despite this feeling of disillusionment, he remained loyal to the order and continued to trust in Master Kavar’s plan to draw out the Sith by finding the Exile.

Zez-Kai Ell was eventually killed by Darth Traya on Dantooine along with Masters Vrook and Kavar after they tried to sever the Jedi Exile from the Force to seal the breach in the Force she created.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

kreia

Kreia
Biographical information
Date of death

3,951 BBY

Physical description
Species

Human

Gender

Female

Hair color

Gray

Eye color

True color unknown. Milky white (light side/neutral); black (dark side)

Chronological and political information
Era(s)

Old Republic era

Affiliation

Galactic Republic, Jedi, Sith

  [Source]
"Know that there was once a Darth Traya. And that she cast aside that role, was exiled, and found a new purpose. But there must always be a Darth Traya, one that holds the knowledge of betrayal. Who has been betrayed in their heart, and will betray in turn."
— Darth Traya

Kreia was a Jedi Master during the time before the Mandalorian Wars, and later a Sith Lady under the alias Darth Traya. As the guardian and keeper of the Jedi Archives, Kreia was an ardent observer, a patient scholar and a wise master. Later in life, after she turned to the dark side, the traits that she had exhibited in her former profession suited her new role as master schemer and Sith Lady. A woman who felt the bitter sting of betrayal from both the Jedi and the Sith, she dreamt of revenge not toward both or either group but toward the one that had destined her for such an end: the Force itself. Her story reached its climax when she found the Jedi Exile, a unique being who had the potential of bringing her dream of revenge a step closer to fruition.

Contents[hide]
Biography Early life

Much of Kreia's early life is shrouded in mystery. It is known that she worked her way to the rank of Jedi Master and that she trained many students, the most famous of whom was Revan. It is very possible she fought during the Great Sith War and was the guardian of the Jedi Archives before Atris.

Fall to the dark side
"All that talk of hatred, manipulation, and standing on your own two feet—sorry, you don't get any more Sith than that."
Atton Rand

It is unknown when exactly Kreia was cast from the Jedi Order, although certain comments made by masters such as Kavar suggest that it was during, if not before, the Mandalorian Wars. According to Kreia, she had been exiled from the Order for her role in training Revan. The Jedi Council blamed Kreia for the war after several of her apprentices were easily seduced by the call of battle, most notably Revan. Consumed by her guilt and stung by the bitter actions of the Jedi, she questioned the validity of her beliefs in the Grey Philosophy and wondered if this was the reason why Revan had fallen. She followed Revan's footsteps in history, traveling from planet to planet, searching for an answer that he alone could provide. In her travels, she encountered many of Revan's acquaintances and found fragments of a man far from the dreaded image history would eventually paint of him. Her crusade ended on the dark world of Malachor V. As she descended to the lowest levels of the world, the extreme caress of dark side energies encompassed the frail Grey Jedi. From the descent of Jedi Master Kreia into the abyss arose Darth Traya; Sith Lady.

On the surface of Malachor V, she had found her own answers. At the center of Revan's former stronghold was the Trayus Academy, an ancient dark side Praxeum that contained the deepest and most intimate secrets of the Sith. From this mausoleum of ancient Sith knowledge she learned of what her apprentice had discovered: the existence of a more powerful, more dangerous empire far beyond the known borders of Galactic Republic space, where the true Sith Empire was waiting.

Kreia at the time of her second betrayal.
Enlarge
Kreia at the time of her second betrayal.

The august boy whom she had taught; the brave knight who defended the weak when his fellows would not; and the fragments of the dark yet noble figure in history was one man trying to carry the weight of the galaxy and its future on his shoulders. There she found Revan's true intentions. From that moment on, she firmly believed that Revan had never "fallen", that instead a greater cause had come that called for certain actions to be done.

Continuing the legacy of her greatest student, Darth Traya reestablished the Trayus Academy to train, convert, and create the new generation of Sith: men and women who would act as a gadfly to the Republic. After some time, she found similar Sith Lords who were interested in rebuilding the deteriorating Sith Order. Darth Nihilus, the Lord of Hunger, and Darth Sion, the Lord of Pain, joined her in the creation of the first Sith Triumvirate. As time passed and the Jedi ran to hide, the Sith Lords' ideals became divergent. Traya and Revan's legacy fell far from Darth Nihilus' destructive hunger and Sion's bitter crusade against the Jedi. A violent argument eventually arose among the three, and as Traya was the odd one out, she was cast aside, beaten and broken. Once again she had been betrayed.

Lost and disheveled, Traya blamed neither side and instead dreamt of revenge on a far greater scale, revenge against a higher power which had destined her to be betrayed by those whom she had loyally served. She knew now that this conflict between light and dark was never going to end, and that the galaxy was doomed to chaos forever. Firm in her belief, she engineered a master plan to eliminate the Force, once and for all. Kreia had come to regard the Force as an uncaring, insidious god. She noted the tremendous loss of life throughout history -- and far into the future -- during the many battles between the Jedi and the Sith. For this, Kreia blamed neither the Jedi nor the Sith, but rather the Force itself. Stopping the Force from controlling the lives of men and women throughout the galaxy became her crusade.

Kreia and the Jedi Exile
"I am your rescuer, as you are mine."
— Kreia
Kreia while traveling with the Jedi Exile.
Enlarge
Kreia while traveling with the Jedi Exile.

Banished, disbanded or in hiding, the Jedi Order was nearly gone from the galaxy. The Republic, plagued by instability, found false hope in the rumors of the Order's resurrection. One such story is that of the Last Jedi, the one who walked the path of most men and wandered the galaxy. Beneath layers of hearsay and unconfirmed reports, Kreia had found a means to destroy the Force. Bound by hands of death, Kreia intruded upon the company of the wounded Jedi Exile. They subconsciously reached out to each other, both strengthening each other in the knowledge that they had survived the void that had befallen them. That bond formed a connection so powerful that the death echoes of either member would be enough to kill the other.

Shortly after, as Kreia and the Exile attempted to escape the Peragus II asteroid mining facility, Kreia encountered her former protege, Darth Sion. The master and student fought, and Kreia, hardly at her full power, lost her left hand to Sion's lightsaber. The Exile felt the pain of losing the limb as she had done, and the two confirmed that their deep link could well have proven to be fatal.

While slowly regaining her connection to the Force, Kreia began to shape the Exile as a new pupil. Her new student sought answers to the questions of her identity, and Kreia was all too willing to search for them, curious to see if the answers would lead to the end she was planning. She taught the Exile to carefully choose her actions, asking her to view the ethical implications of her quests, and showed her that the galaxy and its inhabitants' morals were far more complicated than the basic tenets of the light and dark sides of the Force.

As the Exile grew in power, Kreia watched as she unknowingly strengthened the struggling Republic through her search. During these adventures, many people found the company of the Exile, most of them sensitive to the Force; and although many of them were wary of Kreia, she was able to manipulate most of them do her bidding. Through the ease of which the Exile had "called" upon her companions, the old master had seen the Exile's ability to transmit extreme echoes to those she was bound with. Using the Exile's power and with the knowledge of Darth Nihilus' condition, Kreia intended to bring her plans into finality.

By the end of her adventures with the Exile, Kreia had devised a method to kill the Force with what she called "echoes:" tragedies that left persistent wounds in the universe, which made the Force difficult and sometimes impossible to hear and to be used. Her discovery of these "echoes" and her avenue of attack on the Force was made possible entirely by the Exile; she provided the first "echo" that she could study through her actions on the planet of Malachor V, and she turned the echoes of her survival from a mere curiosity into being a viable mechanism for destroying the Force. By Kreia's reasoning, people who died of these echoes when they could not bear to voluntarily sever themselves from the Force (as the Exile did to save her life) were not strong enough to deserve to live in the first place. Her hatred of the Force was the overriding goal, for in her mind, if she did not kill it, even more lives would be lost in the future.

Kreia traveled with the Exile on her search for the Jedi Masters,
Darth Traya.
Enlarge
Darth Traya.
manipulating her toward the truth of her existence and her bizarre abilities. When the truth was revealed -- that the Exile was indeed a wound in the Force -- Kreia confronted her and left her unconscious (along with killing the Jedi Masters who tried to strip the Exile of her Force Powers) in the ruins of Dantooine. Journeying to Telos IV, the reborn Darth Traya turned Jedi Master Atris to the dark side of the Force. She became the second Darth Traya, and believed herself to be the heir to Kreia's power, but her duel with the Exile in the Telos academy proved otherwise. In reality, Traya had used Atris as a pawn to lure the Exile to her, so she could break her and use her to end the Force, once and for all.

After the Battle of Telos IV in which the Exile destroyed Darth Nihilus, the Exile journeyed to Malachor V, where Traya and Sion were hidden in the depths of the Trayus Academy. The Exile confronted the Sith Lords, and eroded Sion's will, releasing him from all his pain in the process. By giving up the pain, and therefore the Force, Sion was finally able to die -- but not before warning the Exile that Traya would try to do to her what she had done to Sion himself.

The Exile found Traya in the core of the academy and bested her, slicing her remaining hand off. As her final act, she drew upon the Force that radiated from Malachor V in order to give the Exile one last gift: a prediction of the future of the galaxy and that of her friends. She died from the wounds dealt to her by the Exile, leaving her apprentice to follow Revan to the true Sith Empire. Before her death, she confessed that she truly loved the Exile, as she had finally proven her ideals were correct.

 

 

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Sunday, August 20, 2006

Darth Nihilus
Biographical information
Date of death

3,951 BBY

Physical description
Species

Unknown humanoid

Gender

Male

Height

2.02 meters

Chronological and political information
Era(s)

Old Republic era

Affiliation

Sith

  [Source]
"Power? Do you think so? There is no strength in the hunger he possesses..."
Kreia
"You... you are the darkness in which all life dies, milord."
Visas Marr

Darth Nihilus, the Lord of Hunger, was a Dark Lord of the Sith in the time after the Jedi Civil War. Ally of Darth Traya, he was one of the few survivors of the Battle of Malachor V and a member of the Sith Triumvirate. He was a shadowy figure that wore a red and white mask and was dressed in a black cloak.

Darth Nihilus consumed the Force from Force-sensitives in order to stay alive. He even consumed entire Force-sensitive planets. Besides his terrible hunger, Darth Nihilus wielded a lightsaber, and fought in an aggressive one-handed style.

Contents
Biography
"He is a wound in the Force, more presence than flesh, and in his wake life dies... sacrificing itself to his hunger."
Visas Marr to the Jedi Exile
 
Enlarge
Nihilus walks the surface of Katarr, encountering Visas Marr.
Nihilus walks the surface of Katarr, encountering Visas Marr.

Little is known of the true beginnings of Darth Nihilus, other than the fact that he was a survivor of the Mandalorian Wars. Although his role in the wars is a mystery, it is very likely that he may have been one of the Jedi that defied the Jedi Council to follow Revan. After the war he was found by Darth Traya to be Force-sensitive, and she began training him in the ways of the Sith at the Trayus Academy on Malachor V. Disagreeing with his master's teaching methods, Nihilus, along with fellow apprentice Darth Sion, plotted and turned against their dark mistress. They cast Traya down, stripped her of her power, and expelled her from the Sith. Nihilus and Sion then begun their shadow war against the remnants of the Jedi, hunting Jedi to the brink of extinction.

Darth Nihilus ravaged and consumed numerous beings, several of those who were not consumed to death becoming mindless slaves aboard the bridge of his flagship, the Ravager. Nihilus's nature was all-consuming, which may be related to the thought bomb technique used by Kaan and the Brotherhood of Darkness three thousand years later and/or to Palpatine's consuming Force Storms. His hunger was an insatiable appetite for all things living; indeed, it consumed him to the point where he ceased being a man of flesh. His flesh remained, but only in the form of a shell encasing the dark gaping void that swallowed all life it came into contact with. Nihilus viewed the Galaxy as simply a platter to feed his insatiable appetite.

Nihilus in action.
Enlarge
Nihilus in action.

One servant of Nihilus was Visas Marr, a Miraluka female from Katarr, a planet consumed and destroyed by Nihilus. The Sith Lord sent Visas on a mission to find and bring the last of the Jedi before him, so that he could consume her power and essence. However, this would be the Sith Lord's undoing, for the Jedi Exile broke Visas free from Nihilus's bonds, and she turned against her former master. During theBattle of Telos IV, along with the Exile and Mandalore, Visas defeated him on board the bridge of Ravager. When Nihilus tried to feed on the Exile, he exhausted himself, leaving himself temporarily vulnerable. Since the Exile had previously lost her connection to the Force, she was shielded from the leeching hunger of Nihilus. After a short but brutal fight, the Exile finally slew Darth Nihilus, thus eliminating one of the three reigning Sith Lords. After his death, his body dissolved in an aura of dark side energies.

Behind the scenes
Concept art for Darth Nihilus.
Enlarge
Concept art for Darth Nihilus.
"One cannot hold a power of that magnitude and still perceive the universe as we do."
Kreia
  • Like all Sith Lords, Darth Nihilus's name has some meaning (nihil is Latin for "nothing"). He has no loyalties to anyone but himself, and will consume both Sith and Jedi with his hunger, which notes that his name fits his current personality quite well. Nihilus is also derived from the term "nihilism", or "belief in nothing", most notably concepts of truth and purpose.
  • It maybe due to a time constraint on the part of Obsidian, Darth Nihilus seems to have the same animation as Darth Malak in terms of combat.
  • It should be noted that Nihilus never speaks a clear word in the game, he simply emits patterns of sounds similar to the Sith holocrons found on Telos. It has been theorized that he speaks in the Sith language, for it is stated that Darth Nihilus is so corrupt, when he speaks, it causes death around him (the statement can be found in the Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords strategy guide, under Darth Nihilus).

RC-1262

RC-1262, Scorch
Biographical information
Homeworld

Kamino

Date of birth

32 BBY

Physical description
Species

Human (clone)

Gender

Male

Height

1.83 meters

Hair color

Black

Eye color

Brown

Chronological and political information
Era(s)

Rise of the Empire era

Affiliation

Galactic Republic

  [Source]
"If we're all clones, how come I'm the only one with a sense of humor?"
— RC-1262

RC-1262, or Delta-62, was a clone commando in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. Among the commandos of Delta Squad he was referred to as Scorch.

Six-Two earned the nickname "Scorch" after an ordnance accident during training that left him and Sergeant Walon Vau without eyebrows for a short time. Scorch was one of the most individual clone troopers in the Republic forces. He had an over-developed sense of irony, and was the resident wiseguy of Delta Squad.

Scorch had a love for heavy weapons, and favored the powerful anti-armor attachment of the standard-issue DC-17m weapons system. Scorch carried a large ordnance pack strapped to his back and sported yellow markings on his wrist gauntlets, making him easier to be identified by his squad-mates. During their first mission on Geonosis, it was Scorch's skills that allowed the Deltas to blast through the enemy fortifications, weapon installations, advanced assault units and just about anything else that stood in their way.

"Just get us inside without killing the squad, okay Scorch?"
RC-1138

Scorch and his Delta squad-mates quickly became veteran soldiers in the Clone Wars. At the end of the war, Delta Squad was sent to Kashyyyk, where Scorch fought alongside his brethren against Separatist forces in the battle for Kachirho during the Battle of Kashyyyk.

Behind the scenes

Scorch was voiced by Raphael Sbarge.

carth onasi

Carth Onasi
Biographical information
Homeworld

Telos IV

Date of birth

3,994 BBY

Physical description
Species

Human

Gender

Male

Hair color

Brown

Eye color

Brown

Chronological and political information
Era(s)

Old Republic era

Affiliation

Galactic Republic

  [Source]
"She was aided by Carth Onasi, a decorated war hero of the Republic and a legendary soldier. During the Mandalorian Wars he was honored many times for his bravery."
Saul Karath to Darth Malak

Carth Onasi (3,994 BBY—) was a veteran soldier of the Mandalorian Wars and an expert pilot. He later became an Admiral of the Galactic Republic.

Biography
"I'm not a warrior, I'm a soldier. There's a difference. Warriors attack and conquer, they prey on the weak. Soldiers defend and protect the innocent – usually from warriors."
— Carth to Canderous Ordo

Shortly after the Mandalorian Wars, the former Republic hero Revan returned with a Sith armada to battle the Republic. Amongst the Sith forces were legions of treacherous Republic forces, and one name stood out from the rest; Admiral Saul Karath.

To Carth, Saul was a mentor and hero, and so Carth was devastated when, in a test of his Sith allegiance, Malak, Revan's apprentice, ordered Saul to bomb Carth's home world of Telos, due to its strategic significance to the Republic. Carth lost his wife, and his son disappeared. From then on, Carth refused to trust anybody, lest he suffer the same sting of betrayal again.

Carth eventually found himself aboard the Endar Spire along with Bastila Shan. The ship fell under attack above the Outer Rim world of Taris, and Carth, a single Republic soldier, and Bastila escaped to the planet below. Carth and the soldier co-operated in an attempt to find and rescue Bastila, which they eventually achieved, thanks in no small part to the soldier's growing connection to the Force.

Upon their escape from the Sith bombardment of Taris, Carth became pilot of the newly acquired Ebon Hawk, which the group then used to reach the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. As Bastila discussed the matter of her Force-sensitive companion with the council, Carth expressed his disgruntlement with being 'left out of the loop'. Eventually it was decided to train the Republic soldier, who Carth then accompanied on the search for the Star Forge.

Eventually the ever-growing group was seized by Leviathan, Saul Karath's vessel. Carth soon ended up face to face with the Admiral, yet a force-cage barred his path to revenge. The resourceful team soon escaped imprisonment and confronted the Admiral on the bridge. Carth was finally able to exact his revenge. Saul, in his final moments, revealed a devastating truth to Carth; that the Republic soldier he had befriended was none other than an amnesiac Revan, former Dark Lord of the Sith. Carth's hatred of the Sith welled up, but was soon eased as the party discussed the new revelation, and Revan rejected his former personality as the Dark Lord.

During the quest, Carth also encountered his lost son, Dustil Onasi, on the Sith planet of Korriban. Carth was again confronted with his hatred of the Sith when it was revealed that his son had joined them, blaming his father for failing to protect them. The party was finally able to convince Dustil of the evils of the Sith, and Carth was relieved when his son abandoned the dark side.

Carth went on to participate in the Battle of the Star Forge, eventually becoming an Admiral of the Republic fleet in the aftermath of the Jedi Civil War. As Revan departed for the Unknown Regions, he imparted to Carth the task of keeping the Republic strong.

Carth was forced to later live up to not only his task, but also his past, as the Sith attacked Telos for a second time, this time under the command of Darth Nihilus. Carth swore that he would not see Telos devastated again, as he led the Republic fleet into combat. Soon after the battle, Carth requested an audience with the hero of the battle, the Jedi Exile. He questioned the Exile about the reasons for her exile. Wishing the Exile a safe journey, he asked her to look for Revan in the Unknown Regions and said that, should she find him, tell Revan that Carth is awaiting and following orders.

Behind the scenes

In Knights of the Old Republic, if the player decides to reassume the title of Dark Lord of the Sith via the non-canonical ending of the game, Carth flees away in terror when he is told of the change on Rakata Prime. Consequently, he does not appear in the sequel if the player says that Revan followed the dark side, being replaced by Admiral Cede, because if the player chooses the Dark Side option Revan leaves the planet on the Ebon Hawk, which would be Carths only possible means of leaving the planet.

Just as the male Revan can engage in a romantic sub-plot with Bastila, the female Revan can with Carth. And if the player sets Revan as a light sided female in Knights of the Old Republic II, then Carth will express his feelings for Revan to the Exile. Also, Darth Traya will comment that it would have helped had she made him understand, but a hero of the Republic, no matter how brave, cannot understand war as Revan did.

If the player has both romanced Carth and turned to the dark side, then the player will have the option of killing Carth herself or have Bastila finish it. In a cut-scene that didn't make it to the final game, Revan had a third option to kill Bastila and die aboard the Star Forge with Carth. It was not placed in the final version because the developers did not have enough time for a finishing game.

In Knights of the Old Republic II, if the Exile has enough influence with HK-47, then the droid will make a verbal mockery of Carth, based on Carth's distrust of people in the original game:

"Mockery: Oh Master, I do not trust you! I cannot trust you, or anyone else ever again!"

Carth was voiced by Raphael Sbarge.

Carth's Personal blaster.
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Carth's Personal blaster.

Carth also had his own blaster pistol. It was in close design to the standard Republic Blaster. It's also fully upgradeable.

 

Saturday, August 19, 2006

i have to give special thanks to this man

George Lucas
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George Lucas
"I thought it was too wacky for the general public."
— George Lucas on Star Wars

George Lucas is the creator of Star Wars and the director, writer, and executive producer of various Star Wars films. He also appeared in the final film of the saga, Revenge of the Sith, as the Wroonian N. Papanoida.

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Biography

Lucas was born on May 14, 1944 in Modesto, California, where his father, George Walton Lucas, Sr., ran a stationary store and owned a small walnut orchard. His mother, Dorothy Bomberger Lucas, was a member of a prominent Modesto family (one of her cousins is the mother of former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman) and was in poor health, often bedridden, throughout Lucas's childhood. Lucas himself was short and scrawny as a child; his younger sister reportedly fought with other kids who picked on him.

Lucas attended Thomas Downey High School, where he was an indifferent student at best, He was interested in racecar driving; he dreamed of becoming a professional racecar driver. For better or worse, that dream was abruptly ended in his early adulthood when on June 12, 1962, he crashed his Fiat Bianchina in a car accident. The car was clipped from behind while he tried to make a left turn into his driveway. The car rolled; the racing harness that he had installed snapped, and he was thrown from the car. Had the harness not snapped—and Lucas has said it shouldn't have—he would most likely have been crushed to death by the steering column when the car smashed into a walnut tree. (The force of the impact uprooted the tree.) As it was, emergency personnel had difficulty finding a pulse and at first thought him dead.

During his recovery, Lucas reevaluated his life and decided to go to college. He enrolled at Modesto Junior College, where he earned an AA degree, then transferred to the the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television in Los Angeles. USC was one of the earliest universities to have a school devoted to film studies. There he made a number of short films, including an early version of THX 1138, later to become his first full-length feature film.

After graduating with a bachelor of fine arts in film, he drifted a little, trying to figure out what to do next. He tried joining the Air Force as an officer, but was turned down because of his numerous speeding tickets. He was later drafted by the Army, but tests showed he had diabetes, which killed his paternal grandfather. Lucas was prescribed medication for the disease and does not seem to have required insulin.

Eventually he co-founded the studio American Zoetrope with Francis Ford Coppola, hoping to create a liberating environment for filmmakers to direct outside the perceived oppressive control of the Hollywood studio system. American Zoetrope never really succeeded, but from the financial success of his films American Graffiti (1973) and Star Wars (1977), Lucas was able to set up his own studio, Lucasfilm, in Marin County in his native northern California. Skywalker Sound and Industrial Light and Magic, the sound and visual effects subdivisions of Lucasfilm, respectively, have become among the most respected firms in their fields. Lucasfilm Games, later renamed to LucasArts, is highly regarded in the gaming industry.

Star Wars is considered by some to be the first "high concept" film, although others feel the first was Steven Spielberg's Jaws, released two years prior. In fact, Lucas and Spielberg had been acquaintances for some time and eventually worked together on several films, notably the first Indiana Jones vehicle, Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981. Along with Spielberg, Lucas is credited with (and even blamed for) establishing the blockbuster approach to filmmaking.

On a return on investment basis, Star Wars proved to be one of the most successful films of all time. During the filming of Star Wars, Lucas waived his up front fee as director and negotiated to own the licensing rights— rights which the studio thought were nearly worthless. This decision earned him hundreds of millions of dollars as he was able to directly profit from all the licensed games, toys and collectibles created for the franchise. In 2004, Forbes Magazine estimated Lucas's personal wealth at $3.5 billion. In 2005, Forbes.com estimated the lifetime revenue generated by the Star Wars franchise at nearly $20 billion.

Lucas was fined by the Directors Guild of America for refusing to have a standard title sequence in his Star Wars films. After paying the fine, he quit the guild. This made it hard for him to find a director for some of his later projects. According to some, he wanted his friend Spielberg to direct some of the later Star Wars movies, but as a member of the guild Spielberg may have been unable to do so. Spielberg has repeatedly stated that Lucas consciously did not let him direct any Star Wars films, despite the fact that Spielberg wanted to. Other directors Lucas pursued to aid him were David Lynch and David Cronenberg, both of whom declined.

On October 3, 1994, Lucas started to write the three Star Wars prequels, and on November 1 of that year, he left the day-to-day operations of his filmmaking business and started a sabbatical to finish the prequels.

Promotional poster depicting how George Lucas and Star Wars changed the world
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Promotional poster depicting how George Lucas and Star Wars changed the world

The American Film Institute awarded Lucas its Lifetime Achievement Award for 2005. He received the award on June 9, 2005. [1]

On the June 5, 2005, Lucas was named 100th "Greatest American" by the Discovery Channel.

Lucas married film editor Marcia Lou Griffin, who won an Oscar for her work on the original "Star Wars" film, in 1969; they adopted a daughter, Amanda, in 1981, and divorced in 1983. Lucas has since adopted two more children: Katie, born in 1988, and Jett, born in 1993. All three of his children have appeared in the prequels.

Innovator

Besides his directorial and production work on movies, Lucas is one of the most significant contemporary contributor to modern movie technology. In 1975 Lucas established Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) in Van Nuys, CA, which was responsible for the invention of the special computer assisted camera crane "Dykstraflex" that was used for most of the space fight sequences used in the Star Wars movies (technology which was later adopted by most other visual effects production units, such as those responsible for "Battlestar Galactica" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation"). Through ILM, Lucas spurred the further development of computer graphics, film laser scanners and the earliest use of 3D computer character animation in a film, Young Sherlock Holmes. Lucas sold his early computer development unit to Steve Jobs in 1988, which was renamed Pixar.

Lucas is also responsible for the modern sound systems found in many movie theaters. Though Lucas didn't invent THX, he is responsible for its development.

Now Lucas is spearheading digital photography for movies. Though personal digital photography is now mainstream, most movie studios still use traditional cameras and film for movie production. Lucas departed from this model by filming Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones completely digitally. He showed the result to a select audience of the Hollywood elite, before the movie's general release. For the presentation, Lucas used a special digital projection system. The attendees said the movie had the clearest and sharpest presentation they had ever seen.

Despite the successful demonstration of the technology, movie studios are slow to move to this new model, in part because of the high price of the digital equipment. But digital movie photography has several advantages: