My analysis of Revan is drawn from the following sources: Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2, The Old Republic MMO, Knights of the Old Republic Comic book series, The Book of the Sith, The Essential Atlas, The Old Republic Encyclopedia, The New Essential Chronology, the Journal of Ghnost Dural and finally, the novel Revan, by Drew Karpyshyn.
The individual known as Revan was a human male who played a major role as both a Jedi Knight and Sith Lord in the Mandalorian Wars, the Jedi Civil War, and the Great Galactic War. Born in 3994 B.B.Y, the individual known as Revan was discovered to be Force sensitive and initiated into the Jedi Order. Along with his friend Alek, Revan achieved the rank of Jedi Knight sometime before the year 3964 B.B.Y.; both were considered to be among of the most promising members of the Jedi Order. Revan, however, was considered the more powerful and intelligent of the two.
When the Mandalorian’s began invading Republic Outer Rim territories, Revan was shocked and angered at the Jedi Council’s refusal involve the Jedi Order in the continued Mandalorian War. Going against the council, Revan gathered like-minded Jedi, including Alek, to scout the planet Taris. He reported the disturbing findings to the council, who maintained that there was no need for the Jedi to interfere -- even though the Republic military had officially entered the war.
Revan continued to push for the Jedi involvement to any who would listen. On the Planet Cathar, Revan found a Mandalorian mask that revealed a vision of the Mandalorian invasion led by Cassus Fett. Revan donned the mask and refused to take it off until all of the Mandalorians were defeated.
Two years later, Revan and Alek, now going by Malak, discovered a Star Map. It was located in an ancient ruin of the Rakata species near the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. The star map showed a part of the location of the Rakatan space station, the Star Forge. In 3961 B.B.Y, Revan discovered another star map in the depths of the wookie home world of Kashyyk. Revan and Malak also visited the Sith world Korriban as well. At the Trayus Academy on Malachor V, Revan began being seduced by the dark side of the Force. Revan also introduced Malak to the dark side as well. However, it was on Malachor V that Revan was able to defeat Mandalore the Ultimate, the Mandalorian leader in combat. He ordered the activation of the Mass Shadow Generator superweapon, destroying both armies and the planet but winning the war in the profit.
Revan and Malak were now hailed as the greatest heroes in the galaxy. They soon vanished to the unknown regions to locate a potential Sith threat. The believed that they could defeat the Sith threat and it’s emperor alone. When they confronted the Sith emperor Vitiate, their minds were twisted. Vitiate did not attack them, rather he warped their minds. Anointing his new servants Darth Revan and Darth Malak, the Dark Lords of the Sith, the Emperor sent them back to the Republic vanguard to his own invasion, ordering them to make use og the Rakatan Star Forge and to report back when they had crushed the Republic’s resistance.
After leaving Dromund Kaas, Darth Revan and Darth Malak followed thr Dantooine and Kashyyk Star Maps to locate similar Star Maps on Manaan, Tatooine and Korriban. While on Korriban, Revan delved even deeper in the dark side. The two Sith located a Star Map in the tomb of Naga Sadow. It was during these events that Revan would create his own holocron which contained Revan’s thoughts on the nature of the relationship between a Sith master and apprentice.
Revan and Malak would eventually break away from Vitiate’s mind control and created their own Sith Empire and a fleet of Warships. Intent on unifying the galaxy to destroy the lurking Sith menace, they returned to the galaxy as conquers and fought the Jedi and Republic in the Jedi Civil War. A major part of Revan’s strategy was to capture and corrupt Jedi. Any captured Jedi would be tortured and converted into Dark Jedi and Sith. Revan had special Sith assassins around the galaxy doing just that.
Darth Malak soon began to resent his master, and he openly commented on how Revan was too soft to truly be a Sith Lord. This sparked a duel between the two leaving Malak horribly disfigured as his jaw was removed by Revan’s lightsaber. Malak was forced to wear a prosthesis over his mouth for the rest of his life.
Later that year, the Jedi Council decided to set a trap for Revan sending a small fleet to the Outer Rim as bait. Revan took it, and attacked the fleet, but a Jedi strike team, led by Bastilla Shan, who was capable of battle meditation, a Force ability that strengthened ones allies and weakened ones enemies through the Force, attacked Revan’s flagship. When Revan had encountered the Jedi on the bridge, Malak, on his own vessel, ordered his vessel open fire on his mater’s ship. Revan was critically injured and Bastilla Shan was the only Jedi survivor. She saved Revan’s life with the Force and took him to safety which created a powerful Force bond between the two of them. Revan entered a coma and it was in this state that Shan brought him in when they arrived on Dantooine. The Jedi healed Reavn’s broken body. They also wiped his memories and gave him a new identity as a soldier from the planet Deralia. Shan also secretly kept Revan’s mask in her possession.
Revan picked up companions and he was eventually retrained as a Jedi. Alongside Bastilla and his new companions, Revan was assigned the task of locating the Star Forge, the heart of Darth Malak’s Sith Empire. On his epic journey, Revan picked up more allies. He and Bastilla began to fall in love and their bond deepened more so.
Eventually, the group caught up with Darth Malak on the Leviathan. Malak revealed the truth of Revan’s identity to his former master. Shan revealed to Revan that Malak was speaking the truth. After a lightsaber duel, Malak was able to capture and corrupt Shan to the dark side. Shan attacked, though Revan was able to restore Shan to the light side. Once Shan was free, she reinforce the Republic Fleet with her Battle Meditation.
Revan would engage Malak in a vicious lightsaber duel. He tried to bring his old friend back to the light side, though Malak refused to be a part of the Jedi. He eventually left Malak fatally wounded. As he died, Revan apologized to Malak for leading him down the road of the Sith, but reminded him that he continued to go down the path.
Revan would continue to aid the Republic by serving as a Jedi. Though, that relationship would be strained as he and Shan decided to marry. Revan believed that his experience on both the light and dark sides of the Force had given him much knowledge. He also saw his marriage to Shan as a source of strength. Revan tried to share this information with the council, believing that positive emotions helped one strengthen their connection to the Force with other Jedi. However, this was rejected and many in the Order argued for his banishment. (This mindset, however, would be implemented thousands of years later when Luke Skywalker reformed the Jedi Order.)
Revan wasn’t banished because of his standing as a public hero was too important for him to be banished. He was ordered however, to not share his beliefs with anyone else.
Revan was soon plagued by terrifying nightmares in 3954 B.B.Y. They were of a storm ridden and a shadowy world that Revan could not recognize. The world would ultimately be revealed as Dromund Kaas. He decided to travel and try and find the source of his visions, after learning that Bastilla was pregnant. He insisted to her that he was serving his child, not the galaxy. He left the next day with Canderous Ordo and T3-M4 on the Ebon Hawk. After dealing with Mandalorians on Rekkiad, Revan and T3-M4 depearted for Nathema. Ordo stayed behind and took up the name of Mandalore the Preserver.
Revan was captured by the Sith Lords Darth Nyriss and Scourge, who took Revan back with them to Dromund Kaas. Nyriss wanted to know how Revan overcame the Emperor’s commands having recognized him. She secretly was wanting to overthrow the Emperor and saw such knowledge as useful. Revan remained a captive for over three years. Revan was treated somewhat better. Nyriss lost all interest in Revan but Scourge was fascinated by him. Revan and Scourge gradually opened to one another.
Meetra Serik had followed Revan’s trail onboard the Ebon Hawk with T3_M4, who had repaired the ship and had taken it back to the Republic. The droid had taken a holo-video of Scourge capturing Revan and held his image in her head. Scourge and Surik ended up freeing Revan from his captivity. Surik gave Revan the mask that Shan had kept for tall those years. Revan’s mind ended up going into an overload as all of his memories began to return to him. Shan, through a message T3-M4 had recorded a message which she was able to present to Revan showing him their three-year-old son Vaner.
They three were finally able to confront Emperor Vitiate. Scourge however, betrayed them. He killed Surik and helped Vitiate capture Revan. Revan was kept in stasis on a space station at the heart of the Maelstom Nebula for three hundred years. His mind raged against the Emperor and trying to stall the invasion that the Emperor was planning for as long as possible. However, it destroyed Revan’s psyche in the process.
The Emperor still invaded the Republic thus starting the Great Galactic War. The Empire would sack the planet Coruscant and would force the Republic to sign the Treaty of Coruscant to end the war. However, this was always a false peace.
Revan was finally freed by Republic forces, after being prompted by the ghost of Meetra Surik. He eventually left and located Hk-47 who had waited loyally for his master’s return. Revan also managed to regain his mask from the Revanites. He was disgusted at being worshiped by the Order of Revan and did not want to be looked at as a prophet. Revan began construction of extermination droids against the Empire, but he was stopped and killed by an Imperial strike team.
However, his centuries of being in stasis had splintered his mind with the light side half became one with the Force, his darker side rejected death and continued to try and destroy Vitiate. Although the Emperor’s physical body was destroyed, his spirit still lingered on. Revan planned to full resurrect the Emperor physically so he could finally kill him off. A group of Imperial and Republic Forces, including his descendants, Satele and Theron Shan united with Revan’s light side half to stop the dark side Revan on Yavin IV. They were successful in defeating Revan and his two halves finally merged together and at long last truly became one with the Force.
Revan would still be a prominent historical figure in the galaxy. Three thousand some years later, the Sith Lord Darth Bane would find Revan’s Sith Holocron. Bane would use its teachings to destroy the Brotherhood of Darkness and use Revan’s teachings as a basis for the Rule of Two. Only two Sith would exist at a time. A master, and an apprentice. This would pave the way for Darth Sidious to finally gain control of the Republic and transform it in the First Galactic Empire in 19 B.B.Y.
To see more from Matt, click here!