In the Star Wars mythos, the Jedi protected the galaxy for thousands upon thousands of years before their downfall at the hands of Chancellor Palpatine in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. While the films only cover a few decades of this history, expanded Star Wars has given fans a deeper exploration of the Jedi and their accomplishments. In the new Disney Star Wars canon, this exploration dates back a few hundred years, to the High Republic Era. But in the old Expanded Universe, thousands of years of Jedi history are explored. This includes the classic Bioware RPG Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which occurs nearly 4,000 years prior to the films.
One of the most memorable and important characters in Knights of the Old Republic is Bastila Shan, a legendary Jedi Master who fought alongside other famous figures such as Darth Revan and the crew of the Ebon Hawk. There’s a reason the game is so beloved, and her presence is a large part of that. In 2021, when the Knights of the Old Republic Remake was announced, fans immediately recognized Jennifer Hale’s voice work as Shan in the short preview. Given that Bastila Shan’s story will soon be back on shelves for the first time in over two decades, now is a better time than ever to get a deeper understanding of her history.
Who Is Bastila Shan?
Like most Jedi, Bastila Shan’s Force sensitivity was discovered very early in her youth. Growing up training with the Jedi Order, Bastila Shan became a Jedi Sentinel. She focused on balancing combat skills with mastery of the Force, things that Jedi Guardians and Jedi Consulars decided to focus on more individually, respectively. Shan’s mastery was readily apparent to those around her, and before long, she was among the most proficient Jedi in the order.
Among her unique Force abilities was the gift of battle meditation, which granted her the ability to boost the willpower and motivation of her allies. This same skill would also have the reverse effect on her enemies, demoralizing and weakening them in battle. This was a rare Force power, and it served Bastila well. She would utilize it often, particularly in her time fighting against the forces of Darth Malak alongside the Ebon Hawk crew.
Fight Against Malak
Prior to the events of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Bastila Shan led a crew of Jedi to track down and defeat Darth Revan, the master of Darth Malak and leader of the Sith forces in the ongoing Jedi Civil War. When Revan was betrayed and fired upon by Malak, Bastila brought him to safety, fulfilling her duty to protect life as a Jedi, despite him being the enemy. Feeling it was for the greater good, Shan and the Jedi wiped Revan’s memory, removing any knowledge of his time as a Sith Lord from his mind.
Sometime later, Bastila Shan’s ship above the Coruscant-like city world of Taris was ambushed by Darth Malak and his forces. Shan had no choice but to evacuate, taking an escape pod down to the surface. Revan, who was aboard the ship and still unaware of his true identity, also managed to escape, and set off to find Bastila with the help of the Republic pilot Carth Onasi. Revan and Onasi eventually found Shan. With the help of the Twi’Lek Mission Vao, the Wookiee Zaalbar, and the Mandalorian Canderous Ordo, they escaped the planet by the skin of their teeth prior to Malak’s destruction of the world.
Following their escape from Taris and during their subsequent pursuit of Malak, Shan would come across her mother during a mission to Tatooine. This reunion would prove to be bittersweet, as she and her mother were not on the best of terms, and Shan also found out during this encounter that her father had passed away. In the end, the two were able to reconcile, bringing Shan a sense of clarity about the situation. The crew eventually left Tatooine and continued to search for Darth Malak’s Star Forge, a secret base that Malak was using to grow his power.
After tracking down Malak and engaging him in battle, Bastila was captured by Malak. With the use of his sinister Force powers, Malak managed to brainwash Bastila into turning to the Dark Side against her former allies. After being found and engaged in battle by Revan and the rest of the friends they made in their adventures, Shan attempted to convince Revan, now aware of his past identity, to rejoin the Sith. She was unsuccessful, and after a final battle on the Star Forge, Revan managed to defeat Malak and turn Shan back to the light.
Bastila Shan's Legacy
Having realized in her redemption that she loved Revan, the two eventually got married, to the disapproval of the Jedi Council. For some years, they lived a peaceful life on Coruscant, beginning a family and continuing to fulfill their duties as members of the Jedi Order. Unfortunately, this peace would not last long. Revan eventually set off to face an ancient evil, the same one that set him down the path to the dark side so many years ago.
Once Revan had gone to face his old enemy, he was captured and imprisoned for hundreds of years. Sadly, Bastila never saw her husband again, yet always chose to believe he was successful in his task. For the remainder of her life, Bastila Shan would continue to serve the Jedi and raise her and Revan’s child. The Force-sensitive members of their bloodline would continue to serve the Jedi Order for many years to follow, continuing the example Bastila set as a hero of the Star Wars galaxy.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old RepublicRemake is in development for the PlayStation 5.