Nik Starfall

Major Spoiler warning: Major plot or ending details for Knights of the Old Republic follow.

Lieutenant Nik Starfall was a soldier for the Republic, a crew member of the Endar Spire. When his ship was ambushed by the Sith fleet, Starfall was one of only three survivors, along with Captain Carth Onasi and Jedi Bastila Shan. Soon Nik was discovered to be Force Sensitive, and joined the ranks of the Jedi Order as a Padawan. Because of his Force bond with Bastila, Nik was sent with her to find the Star Forge, a tool of the dark side and the source of Malak's vast fleet.

Soldier for the Republic
"I'm Nik Starfall. I'm here to rescue you." - Nik Starfall

Upon crash-landing in the Upper City of Taris, Nik and Carth began their search for Bastila, eventually discovering that she was taken prisoner by the Black Vulkars, a local swoop gang. Nik made a deal with Gadon Thek, leader of a rival gang, and became the Hidden Bek rider, winning the race and Bastila's freedom. It was then that Nik began to have strange visions, and upon discussing them with Bastila discovered that he was Force Sensitive. With the help of some locals, Nik, Bastila, and Carth stole the Ebon Hawk, an Exchange ship, and ran the Sith blockade.

Jedi Padawan
"The Force flows through you like no student we have ever seen. But you are willful and headstrong… a dangerous combination." - Vrook Lamar

Nik began his training on Dantooine, as an apprentice of Master Zhar Lestin. His progress was amazing, and as Zhar noted, Nik accomplished in weeks what many never can do in years. Nik's final task was to cleanse a local grove from a dark taint, which he soon discovered was caused by Juhani, a rogue Jedi. Believing that killing her would end the taint, Nik slayed the Cathar and returned to Master Zhar, embarrassed to discover he was meant to redeem Juhani and not kill her. Nevertheless, he had learned his final lesson, and was accepted into the Jedi ranks.

Nik then was sent to investigate the ruins that he saw in a vision which he shared with Bastila. There they found an ancient droid that spoke of "the Builders" and a "Star Forge", as well as an incomplete Star Map. Nik and Bastila reported their findings to the Jedi Council, and were tasked with traveling to the planets Kashyyyk, Tatooine, Manaan, and Korriban, in search of similar Star Maps. Along the way, Nik and Bastila's bond transformed into a romantic one, and despite the Order's strict view on emotion, the two confessed their love for each other.

Dark Lord of the Sith
"You cannot deny what you once were, Revan! Recognize that you were once the Dark Lord, and know that I have taken your place!" - Darth Malak

After finding the maps on Kashyyyk, Tatooine, and Manaan, the Hawk was captured by the Leviathan, Malak's flagship, where his dark past caught up with him. Upon escaping, Nik was forced to confront Malak and the presence of the Dark Lord brought back a deluge of memories, a jumble of images: places he could barely recognize, events that he could no longer remember. The one thing Nik could ascertain, however, was that he was Revan, former Dark Lord of the Sith. As master and apprentice fought once again, Bastila sacrificed herself, taking on the Dark Lord alone, so that Nik could escape.

Nik was struck with grief over the loss of Bastila, and knew that he must continue his journey alone, or his friends would suffer the consequences. Nik travelled to Korriban and entered the Sith Academy there, in search of the final Star Map. Although unsure of which path to follow, he knew where it would take him. Nik's friends soon caught up with him on Korriban, and when his identity as a Repbulic soldier was revealed, Nik struck down every Dark Jedi on Korriban, thus bringing an end to the Sith Academy that he himself had founded.

Savior, Conqueror, Hero, Villain
"Savior, conqueror, hero, villain. You are all things, Revan...and yet you are nothing. In the end, you belong to neither the light nor the darkness. You will forever stand alone." - Darth Malak

Nik arrived at the Star Forge to find that his own Republic had betrayed him; a Special Agent named Mikal had stowed abared the Hawk and found the coordinates of the Star Forge in the Leviathan's navcomputer. The Republic fleet had arrived at the Star Forge hours earlier, and were being cut to pieces by the orbiting Sith Fleet and Bastila's Battle Meditation. Even worse, the station itself was protected by an energy field transmitted from the surface of the system's only habitable planet, Lehon. In search of the field's source, on the roof of the Temple of the Ancients Nik confronted Bastila, now turned to the dark side as Malak's new apprentice. After a brief battle, Bastila fled to the Star Forge, and Nik deactivated the energy field.

The Battle of the Star Forge began. A Jedi Strike team led by Master Kavar and Padawan Braynar Kortis fought off the Sith army defending the station as Nik Starfall and his comrades went after Malak. Soon Nik was cut off from his friends, and was forced to face Bastila once again. This time, however, Nik's fears were behind him; he had finally realized that anyone can be redeemed, including himself. Reaching out to her through their bond, he showed Bastila the true meaning of the Force, and the consequences of following the dark path. Bastila used her Battle Meditation to aid the Republic fleet as Nik went to face Malak one last time. Master and apprentice battled once again, and this time Malak was no match for Nik's mastery of the Force. In his dying breath, Malak saw how wrong he had been; while he had sought to conquer the galaxy, he was left in darkness.

Into the Unknown
"In the end, Revan got what he wanted. He always did." - Bastila Shan

The Sith Empire had perished. The Jedi were victorious, and the Civil War had ended. Nik Starfall had gone from being the Sith Lord himself, to savior of the galaxy. But none of this mattered to Nik, as he was outraged at both the Jedi and the Republic for their betrayal. The Jedi Council had sent Nik to in search of the Star Forge, not to destroy it, but to take control of it. The Republic had gone behind Nik's back, sending Secret Agent Mikal and Genoharadan members Hulas and Trask Ulgo to follow him. The Republic had been crippled during the Mandalorian Wars, and its fleet was decimated in the following Jedi Civil War. The Republic sought to use the Star Forge to rebuild their defenses; the Jedi Council knew that only one such as Revan, who had mastered the Force in all aspects, could use its power. But Nik refused. He had seen what could happen if the Star Forge was handed over to a brash master such as Malak, and would not accept anything other than its destruction.

Over the following months, more memories began to resurface, and Nik abandoned his friends again, traveling into the Unknown Regions, in search of a greater threat. Without a strong Force user to guide it, the Star Forge went dormant. Attempts by the Republic to repair the station only resulted in its collapse into the Rakata sun. The last remnants of Revan's empire were gone, and Nik Starfall had vanished.

Personality
"You’d think a Sith this thick-headed would be easy to persuade. If only we had a Jedi on hand." - Nik Starfall

Nik Starfall was loyal to the Republic, above all else. As Revan, he sought not to destroy the Republic but to conquer it, knowing that in its current condition it could never survive an attack from the True Sith Empire. As Nik Starfall he continued his quest to defend the Republic's ideals, even when the Jedi Order no longer followed them.

Nik was considered a Gray Jedi by most, as he never truly fell to the dark side yet he never remained completely on the path of the light. He often used his Force abilities to persuade others to do his bidding, despite objections from more conservative Jedi such as Bastila Shan. He had a tendancy to give in to the lure of the dark side, embracing it as Darth Revan and being tempted by it later as Nik Starfall.

Starfall also had a good sense of humor, twisted as it might be. Humored by Malak's discomfort at being called a "meatbag", Revan programmed HK-47 to call all organics by that name. While on his second search for the Star Forge, as Nik Starfall, he would often crack jokes to relieve the stress of the mission.

Abilities
"What can I say? I'm a very talented individual." - Nik Starfall

As both Nik and Revan, Starfall had a remarkable number of talents. From swoop racing to military tactics to his prowess in battle, Nik was a master of all fields. Revan's master Kreia later told of his ability to manipulate others, a skill he used in the Jedi Civil War to turn many Jedi to the dark side. Vrook Lamar admitted Nik's strong affinity for the Force, one only topped by the Jedi Exile Jade Travis, a living wound in the Force. Revan used Force techniques to understand a variety of languages, ranging from Selkath to Rakatan to the ancient Sith language. He also took advantage of his affinity as a mechanic to program droids such as HK-47 and HK-50, which served Revan as both as interpreters and as assassins.

Relationships
"When I see you helping people, the Jedi inside of me glows with pride. And even when I see you abuse the Force, like you did with that Sith on Manaan, something inside me burns with approval, and my inhibitions fade away." - Bastila Shan

Starfall was a natural leader, as Malak noted, and always inspired confidence among his allies. The street punk Mission Vao and her Wookiee companion Zaalbar followed Nik without question, even in the most dangerous of situations. Even Carth Onasi, untrusting as he was, agreed to stay with Nik even after he learned of Nik's identity. Bastila Shan, a more conservative follower of the Force, eventually gave into her feelings for Nik, confessing her love to him moments before he discovered his true identity. Nik was able to redeem Bastila because of their love.

Combat Style
"You, Revan, are the single greatest warrior of this age, and any battle we fight will bring me honor." - Canderous Ordo

Nik prefered strength over agility, mastering the Jar'Kai style of lightsaber combat as both Revan and later as Nik. On Taris, before rediscovering his Force pontential, he wielded a blaster rifle, preferring its powerful punch. Revan was always a worthy opponent, even in the eyes of Canderous Ordo, an accomplished Mandalorian warrior. As Revan he defeated such greats as Yusanis and Mandalore the Ultimate; as Nik Starfall he took down Calo Nord, Darth Bandon, and Darth Malak.

Behind the Scenes
Nik Starfall is based on the player character of Knights of the Old Republic. However, beyond that he is a completely original character, as since KotOR is a role-playing game, the player character is completely customizable.

Name
Nik Starfall's name was taken from a [| Star Wars Name Generator]. The name Nik was chosen because it is similar to an Earth name, and Starfall is meant to resemble Luke Skywalker's original name, Starkiller.

Appearance
The player's appearance in Knights of the Old Republic is customizable; Nik's appearance is one of the more popular selections, nicknamed "Scarface". This particular head was chosen due to its popularity and because if most fits the character of Nik Starfall, an experienced soldier.

Throughout the comic, Nik wears Environmental Bastion Armor, Echani Fiber Armor, Jedi Robes, Darth Bandon's Armor, and Qel Droma's Robes. These choices were simply favorites of the C8-42 team.