10 Things You Didn't Know About Darth Revan
Revan first appeared in BioWare's 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The character finally became canon when the Revan Legion of the Sith Eternal army appeared in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker. The specific details of his backstory were still Legends, however. The rest of this article will be spoilers for those who have not completed the game, so I would recommend not going any further if you plan on playing the game (and you should play the game!)
Here are 10 things you (probably) didn't know about Revan.
What we already know (if you've played Knights of the Old Republic):
Revan was a Jedi who fought in the Mandalorian Wars. Then, he turned to the Dark Side, and led the Sith empire against the Republic in the Jedi Civil War. After Bastila Shan’s attack on his ship and his apprentice Darth Malak's betrayal, he was taken back to the Jedi Order. The Jedi Council erased his memories, and retrained him. However, he would discover his true identity when he encountered Malak a second time. His bond with his new companions and his deep desire to protect the Republic prevented him from rejoining the Sith.
1.) His iconic mask once belonged to a Mandalorian.
In the beginning of Mandalorian Wars, Revan discovered a Mandalorian mask on the planet Cathar. When he picked it up, he saw a Force vision of the past where a lone Mandalorian warrior flew her ship in front of the Mandalorian warships to plead against the genocide of the Cathar. However, she was destroyed along with all of Cathar. Revan put on the mask and vowed to wear it until all the Mandalorians were brought to justice for their cruelty.
2.) He was married to another legendary Jedi Knight Bastila Shan.
Revan had argued that his and Bastila's love for each other was what brought them back from the edge of the Dark Side. The Jedi Council reluctantly allowed the unorthodox wedding as long as Revan agreed not to spread his new philosophy that positive emotions like love and happiness help strengthen one's connection to the Force.
3.) After the events of the Jedi Civil War, he departed for the Unknown Regions, leaving his wife and unborn child behind.
As his memory slowly but sporadically returned, he kept seeing flashes of a mysterious shadowy world in his nightmares (we would find out later that this was the Sith world Dromund Kaas). He knew he had to fight this unknown threat in order to protect the Republic, and more importantly his child’s future.
4.) He was one of the most powerful Force users.
His unique experience allowed him to deeply understand both sides of the Force. He was specially skilled at Force telekinesis. He was able to use the Force to call down meteors, and even control two additional lightsabers, sending them spinning around the battlefield. As a Sith, he was able to unleash Force lightning storms, used the Force to drain energies from his targets, and developed the infamous thought bomb.
5.) He was a military genius.
His tactical skills led the Republic forces to victory against the Mandalorians, and later the Sith forces against the Republic. He had the foresight to attack strategic military targets while leaving the economic and government infrastructure intact to facilitate post-war rebuilding. Some said that perhaps his subconscious remembered the hidden Sith Empire out in the Unknown Regions, and was preparing the Republic forces to fight it.
6.) Unbeknownst to the Jedi Council, Revan and Malak were corrupted by the Sith Emperor.
"When they left after the Mandalorian Wars ended, they were Jedi. When they returned… they were something else."- Carth Onasi
The Jedi thought the two had fallen to the Dark Side on their own. In reality, the Sith Emperor twisted their minds, and sent them back to the Republic as vanguard for the Sith invasion. However, Revan and Malak broke free of the Emperor’s control and interpreted his commands as their own desire to conquer the galaxy as leaders of a new Sith Empire.
7.) He was very strong-willed.
After the Jedi Civil War, he made his way back to Dromund Kaas, he confronted the Sith Emperor and lost. The Emperor kept him in a state of suspended animation while he continually drained his energy and tried to probe his mind for information about the Jedi and the Republic. Revan was able to resist the Emperor and survive the mental and physical for almost three centuries.
8.) His teachings influenced Darth Bane.
Darth Bane’s Rule of Two might have even been inspired by Darth Revan's words.
"Any master who instructs more than one apprentice in the ways of the dark side is a fool. In time, the apprentices will unite their strengths and overthrow the master. It is inevitable; axiomatic. That is why each Master must have only one student." - Darth Revan
9.) He constructed the infamous assassin droid HK-47 himself.
At the end of the Mandalorian Wars, he was distraught by utter devastation on both sides caused by his use of Mass Shadow Generator to force the Mandalorians to surrender. Instead, he would use HK-47 to assassinate key political targets so that such ruthless method would not be necessary.
10.) Like Mace Windu, he also had a purple lightsaber.
Although he would use many different lightsabers in his lifetime, Revan wielded a violet-bladed lightsaber during the Mandalorian Wars.
Source(s): Wookieepedia