Guun Han Saresh

Guun Han Saresh

Guun Han Saresh was aTwi'lekmaleJedi Knight best known for his exploits during theGreat Hunt of3993 BBY. A native of theplanetTaris, Saresh was born into a rich and powerfulfamily with a history ofForce-sensitivity. At some point, Saresh was taken in by theJedi Order, completing hisJedi training and earning the title of Knight. In the aftermath of theGreat Sith War, Saresh joined a hunting party ofJedi Knights, includingHumansDuron Qel-Droma andShaela Nuur, who distinguished themselves during the Great Hunt—a collective Jedi effort to eliminateSith-created beasts acrossthe galaxy.

In 3993 BBY, oneweek after the official end of the Hunt, Saresh, Qel-Droma and Nuur were sent toKorriban on a secretmission to eliminate the vicious and highly dangerousterentatek from the Sithhomeworld. However, Saresh's disapproval of Qel-Droma's and Nuur's budding romance fractured the group, leading to the Twi'lek abandoning them on Korriban and setting off instead forKashyyyk, to hunt a terentatek that he had heard existed in the world's darkShadowlands. The beast did exist, and Saresh set a trap for it—when Saresh attempted to attack the terentatek, however, hisForce-imbued blade broke on its thick hide. Without any defense, Saresh was swiftly devoured by the terentatek.

Biography[]

Not-so-humble beginnings[]

ATwi'lekmale, Guun Han Saresh was born into a rich and powerfulfamily on theplanetTaris. His family, known for its cruelty and arrogance along with its wealth andpolitical sway, hadthe Force in itsbloodline, and many of their number had becomemembers of theJedi Order. At some point Saresh, the heir to the family fortune, too was discovered to beForce-sensitive, and was taken in forJedi training. To commemorate Saresh's acceptance by the Order, hisfather commissioned the creation of a powerful headband known as theCirclet of Saresh. In order to prevent the gift from leading Saresh down a path of arrogance, Saresh's father made certain that the Circlet could only be worn by someone committed to thelight.^[1] Eventually, Sareshachieved the status ofJedi Knight, serving as a Knight in the immediate aftermath of thegalaxy-spanningGreat Sith War.^[2] Ending in3996 BBY, the war pitted the Jedi Order and theGalactic Republic against theSith Empire headed by former JediExar Kun andUlic Qel-Droma. Although theSith Lords were defeated, manySith-created monstrosities were still present on planets across the galaxy, posing a threat to the Jedi and the general populace. In response, theJedi High Council organized theGreat Hunt, a collaborative effort by the Order as a whole to systematically wipe those creatures out.^[3]

Over the next fewyears, Saresh would distinguish himself in the Great Hunt.^[2] Although creatures such asSith wyrms andsilan were targeted by the Hunt,^[4] Saresh's greatest nemesis proved to be theterentatek.^[2]Alchemically created by Exar Kun, the terentatek was about half the size of arancor beast and fed off Force-sensitive blood. During the Great Hunt, Saresh joined a group of Jedi includingDuron Qel-Droma—cousin of the infamous Sith Lord Ulic Qel-Droma—Shaela Nuur andCale Berkona, who together traveled to worlds such asTython,Onderon andYavin 4 in search of terentateks. The team was extremely successful, and Saresh and the others gained reputations as the very best hunters in the Jedi Order. In3993 BBY, Saresh traveled with his compatriots to thedesert world ofTatooine. After taking down several terentateks, Saresh and the group tracked the last such beast on Tatooine to a remote cave. Although the terentatekkilledone of their number, Qel-Droma was able toconfuse the beast with a mentalForce power, and Saresh and the others moved in for the kill. After slaying the terentatek, the group burned the corpses of their prey and left the scene, Saresh supporting an injured Berkona as they returned to theirstarship.^[2]

Final mission[]

Fivedays after theordeal on Tatooine, theJedi High Council called an official end to the Great Hunt. However, two days later, Saresh, Qel-Droma and Nuur were called in front of thelesser Council that governed theJedi Enclave onDantooine. There, the three were informed that they had been specifically chosen by the High Council to undertake a secret mission—to travel to the Sithhomeworld ofKorriban andrid the planet of terentateks. Needing the operation to be conducted quickly and discreetly, the High Council chose Saresh, Qel-Droma and Nuur, who were believed to be the greatest hunters the Order had to offer. Afterward, Saresh had a discussion about the mission with Berkona, who had been left off the Korriban team. Saresh assured his friend that he was not concerned with the risk of the mission, although he was unsure that their assignment could be successful unless Qel-Droma and Nuur were able to control their feelings for one another. The next day, Saresh's group shipped out to Korriban, making their way to the relatively well-populatedDreshdae settlement. Saresh, Qel-Droma and Nuur acquired a safehouse in Dreshdae, using it as a base as they centered their investigation into the whereabouts of terentateks in the town.^[2]

During histime on Korriban, Saresh heard many rumors about terentateks, including tales of a "great beast" that lived in the darkShadowlands ofKashyyyk. Saresh chose not to act on the information at that time, instead focusing on Korriban with Qel-Droma and Nuur. Their efforts led them to acantina in the heart of Dreshdae, where Saresh set his sights on a young femaleTwi'lekSith apprentice whom he spied at the bar. Saresh bought the Sith a number ofTarisian ales, and ended up seducing the Twi'lek. After spending the night with her, Saresh woke up early the next morning and stole adatacard that would grant the Jedi hunters access to theValley of the Dark Lords, where it was suspected that the terentateks lived. When he returned to the safehouse, however, he found Qel-Droma and Nuur locked in a romantic embrace. Furious that they would break theJedi Code's rules against attachment and passion, Saresh expressed his deep disappointment in his teammates. Telling them that they were walking the path of thedark side, Saresh found himself engaged in a heated argument with Nuur, which was quickly broken up by Qel-Droma. Highly concerned, Saresh asked Qel-Droma whether he and Nuur would be able to control their passion, in order to assure success of the mission—Qel-Droma responded by telling Saresh that they would not renounce their love. Disappointed in his friend, Saresh gave them the key to the Valley of the Dark Lords, and left them behind.^[2]

Saresh left Korriban for good, traveling instead to Kashyyyk to look into the "great beast" he had heard of. Believing it to be a terentatek, Saresh asked many of the localWookiees about the tales—the natives told him that the beast had slain many Jedi over the years. One of the Wookiees Saresh encountered wasFreyyr,Chieftain of the village ofRwookrrorro, who remembered himdecades later as a proud and boastful young man. Three days after abandoning the mission to Korriban, Saresh descended into the Shadowlands, intending to hunt a different terentatek. Using acompound bow, Saresh killed amykal and strung the corpse up as bait. Afterward, Saresh took out hisForce-imbued blade and took up position on some high rocks, waiting for the "great beast" to arrive. Surely enough, the beast, indeed a terentatek, came forth to feast upon the mykal. When the terentatek was in striking range, Saresh jumped from his perch, stabbing the creature with his blade. However, when he withdrew the sword, he found to his horror that the terentatek's tough hide had broken the blade at its hilt. Defenseless, Saresh could do nothing as the terentatek set upon him and devoured him, swallowing the Circlet of Saresh along with the Twi'lek. Saresh's death wasfelt,light-years away, by Nuur and Qel-Droma as they ventured into the Valley of the Dark Lords. Saresh's former compatriots met the same fate, both being killed by terentateks in the dark underbelly of Korriban.^[2]

Legacy[]

Although the Jedi Council was relatively certain that Saresh, Qel-Droma and Nuur had all died on their final mission, their exact fate remained unknown for years, due to the dangers inherent in searching for their bodies. However, their stories were not forgotten.^[1] In3956 BBY,^[3] a Jedi Knight namedDeesra Luur Jada told the story of the Jedi hunters toRevan, aDark Lord of the Sith–turned–Jeditrainee who would go on to play a huge role in the ongoingJedi Civil War. While on Kashyyyk searching for an ancientRakatanStar Map not long after, Revan came across Freyyr, nowexiled to the Shadowlands, who told the Jedi of his encounter with Saresh years earlier. Soon afterward, Revan slew the terentatek that had killed Saresh decades earlier, finding the Circlet of Saresh and the dead Twi'lek'sdatapad in the process.^[1] In addition, the Circlet may have been discovered by the Jedi KnightMeetra Surik during her adventures across the galaxy during theDark Wars years later.^[5] One of Saresh's descendants,Leontyne Saresh,^[6] served asSupreme Chancellor of the Republic during the time of theGalactic War with areconstituted Sith Empire, taking the seat^[7] in3640 BBY.^[8]

Personality and traits[]

Although Guun Han Saresh saw himself as a faithful servant of the light, others, such as Duron Qel-Droma, Shaela Nuur, and Freyyr, remembered him as prideful, arrogant and boastful.^[1] Indeed, Saresh was extremely confident in his skills, believing, erroneously, that he could take down a terentatek single-handedly. He was a committed hunter, and valued the success of his mission above all else—and if he felt that he could not be successful in a task, or if too much of a risk was posed to him, he had no qualms with abandoning it.^[2]

Saresh also placed great emphasis on carrying out the wishes of the Jedi Council, a rationale that he used to justify many of his actions. He believed and trusted in the wisdom of the Council, but did not see its members as omniscient or perfect in their knowledge. Although close friends with Qel-Droma and Nuur, Saresh was adamantly opposed to the romantic nature of their relationship, believing it to be the path of the dark side, and was apt to quote the Jedi Code when rebuking them for their attachment. Yet he had no problems with seducing a Sith apprentice while on Korriban, although he expressed that he did not enjoy it, only doing so in order to further their investigation. Still, Saresh truly cared for Qel-Droma and Nuur's well-being, and hoped that he could save them from themselves. In the end, however, he was solely focused on the hunt, and eliminating terentateks wherever they tread, by any means necessary. Saresh hadgreen skin and redeyes.^[2]

Powers and abilities[]

As a Jedi Knight, Guun Han Saresh was well-trained in the use of the Force. Unlike the other members of his hunting group, he eschewed the use of alightsaber incombat, instead preferring to use a Force-imbued sword. He used a very aggressive style in melee fighting, putting his opponent on the defensive with powerful strikes from his blade. Saresh was also adept with a compound bow, with which he was an excellent shot—he used his bow when hunting lesser creatures such as mykal.^[2]

Behind the scenes[]

Guun Han Saresh was first mentioned in the2003video gameStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Although he does not appear, Saresh's datapad and the Circlet of Saresh can be found on Kashyyyk.^[1] In addition, the Circlet may also be found inKnights of the Old Republic's sequel,Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.^[5] Saresh made his first direct appearance in "Shadows and Light," one of the stories featured in2005'sStar Wars Tales 23. In thecomic, Saresh was illustrated byDustin Weaver.^[2] Saresh was also mentioned in a Codex entry within the video gameStar Wars: The Old Republic,^[9] to go along with a mention in the reference bookThe New Essential Chronology^[3] and an entry inThe Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.^[10]

Appearances[]

Explore all of Wookieepedia'simages for this article subject.

• "Shadows and Light" — Star Wars Tales 23(First appearance)
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic(First mentioned)
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords(Mentioned only)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic(Mentioned in Codex entry)

Sources[]

• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Prima Official Game Guide
• The New Essential Chronology
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Notes and references[]