Kento Marek (Jedi Renaissance)

Kento Marek was a male Human Jedi Master who served the Jedi Order as a Watchman during the Clone Wars. Following the Order's move to Ossus and the academy world of Tython, Marek continued his tenure as the Watchman of the planet, administering the Ranger Academy erected there.

Early life
In accordance with the strict recruiting policy of the Jedi Order, Kento Marek's connection to the |Force was detected by doctors on his homeworld of Corellia when he was a young child. Raised within a small clan and trained within the Jedi Temple on, Marek was taken as a Padawan and traveled the galaxy gaining knowledge on the vast societies which populated the countless worlds. He eventually passed his Trials of Knighthood and ascended to the rank of Jedi Knight. Like many other young Jedi, Marek was extremely confident in his status as a Jedi, but also proud and arrogant to a fault. When the Clone Wars began in Year 13, Marek was eager to pursue the opportunity to prove his skills and abilities in battle, taking up the rank of General with vigor within the, along with the rest of the Order's members. Commanding armies of clone troopers, Marek fought on various battlefields. As a thrill-seeker, he reveled in the fighting and took pride in his accomplishments as a general.

Fighting for thrill; fighting for love
When Marek was assigned to defend the Core world of, he brashly led troops against the droid armies of the Confederacy. During that time, he became acquainted with Empath Mallie Tila, a fellow Jedi and self-styled freedom fighter. Unlike Marek's eagerness for battlefield glory, Tila felt neither excitement or desire to fight in the Clone Wars; sympathizing with all of the innocents suffering because of the corrupt galactic governments. Despite their different perspectives on the fighting, they quickly developed a strong bind, and Tila's empathetic skills soon melted away his youthful lust for thrills and recognition, and reshaped his way of thinking. Falling in love despite the Order's restrictions against emotional attachments, the pair pledge themselves to each other and swore to keep in touch as they wound down the operations on Talus.

Unable to bear the separation they faced due to separate assignments, Marek and Tila sought refuge on Kashyyyk while they decided what to do moving forward. During their time on the jungle world, it became abundantly evident that Tila was pregnant with Marek's child. Gicing birth in Year 15, they named their child Galen and kept him hidden with them within their small family home built in the traditional style of the Wookiees. Maintaining good relations with the natives, the two Jedi were able to avoid detection, even as the war brought fierce fighting to the world. When the fighting increased in intensity, Marek decided to assist in the defense of his adopted homeworld and ignited his lightsaber alongside fellow Jedi Luminara Unduli, Quinlan Vos, and Tsui Choi. When the battle reached its crescendo, the Jedi received an emergency alert from Coruscant, demanding that they withdraw from the battlefield and remain alert for traitors among the clone armies they had commanded for the past three years. Reacting quickly, Marek dispatched a contingent of Wookiee troops to collect Tila and their child and bring them to the Jedi launch point. Regrouping, the Jedi left Kashyyyk in the hands of the clones who swiftly wound down the battle.

Facing judgment
On Coruscant, a Conclave was called and a new High Council announced a new direction for the Order under their new leader, Grand Master Tomac Moorcé. As the Order planned to move back to their fortress world of Ossus, all members were required to face the Council of Judgment for a debriefing and counseling. Appearing before the five-member Council separately, Marek and Tila were presented with several options regarding how they could move forward. While the Council did not approve of their conduct during the war, they were not willing to lose any members who were still capable of serving effectively. Therefore, the Council agreed to recognize their relationship so long as they returned to active service and handed their son over for training at the new Grand Academy on Ossus. While reluctant to say goodbye to their only child, the two Jedi agreed that he would have a better life with the Order then in hiding and agreed to the Council's terms.

Departing Coruscant without their son, Marek was appointed as the new Watchman of Kashyyyk, taking up residence in the academy there as its headmaster.

Personality and traits
Brash and untested, during his early years as a Jedi Knight, Kento Marek was eager to prove himself in the galaxy, reveling in the fighting during the first year of the Clone Wars. Leading from the front and proud of his command, Marek was arrogant and overconfident, a flaw noted by the High Council to me more common in young Jedi. When Marek began working closely with Mallie Tila, his views on war changed and she helped him dispense with his youthful rashness and develop the compassion necessary in a Jedi. Falling in love, the pair found it right to disregard Jedi teachings and go into exile to live out their love together. Wracked with guilt about leaving their comrades, they found a new centering force in their world with the birth of their son Galen.

Powers and abilities
Kento Marek received his initial training at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, ensuring that he possessed a standard understanding of the Force, and its applications. Having achieved the rank of Knight, Marek was also proficient with a lightsaber, amounting to an average skill in the Shii-Cho form and a very rudimentary understanding of the Makashi combat style. His style of attack focused on an offensive barrage of saber strikes against his opponent, thus mirroring the Ataru, yet was also lacking in the more defensive Soresu technique. Having crafted a lightsaber for himself and imbuing it with a green crystal discovered in the caves of Ilum, Marek carried it with distinction and pride. Developing his skills as a Sentinel, Marek was a peaceful man following his marriage to Jedi Tila, and sought eagerly to understand the Wookiees of Kashyyyk and engage with their peaceful society.