Dagan Gera

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"That wretched Order will rue the day they betrayed me and forsook Tanalorr!"

―Dagan Gera — 20?cb=20250116042720

▶️ (file info)^[1]

Dagan Gera was a Force-sensitive Arkanian Offshoot male who was a Jedi Knight and renowned explorer during the High Republic Era and a well-respected member of the Jedi Order during his prime, and discovered the paradisical planet Tanalorr on an uncharted trip through the deadly Koboh Abyss nebula.

Gera's desire to use Tanalorr as a bastion of the Jedi in the Outer Rim and as a temple to train initiates soon blossomed into an obsession with the planet. After the Nihil pirates invaded Tanalorr, the Jedi Council gave the order to abandon the planet, which culminated in Gera falling to the dark side of the Force and betraying the Jedi, before being sealed inside a bacta tank for two centuries.

Awoken from his slumber in 9 BBY during the Imperial Era by the Jedi Knight Cal Kestis, Gera discovered the fall of the Galactic Republic and that the Jedi Order was no more. Consumed by his feeling of betrayal, he joined the Bedlam Raiders. He began a campaign to return to Tanalorr that put him at odds with both Kestis and the Galactic Empire, with Kestis ultimately defeating and killing the fallen Jedi with the help of Bode Akuna.

Biography

High Republic Era

Early life

"Long ago, Dagan bested me in combat. Earned my loyalty. We fought side by side until the Jedi betrayed him."

―Rayvis to Cal Kestis^[1]

Born during the High Republic Era, Dagan Gera attained the rank of Jedi Knight by the time of the Nihil conflict, becoming a renowned explorer of the Outer Rim Territories. He also constructed a yellow double-bladed lightsaber with split saber capabilities, which became his primary weapon.^[1]

During his time in the Jedi Order, he dueled the Gen'Dai warrior Rayvis, becoming the only individual at the time to ever best him in single combat; he thus earned the Gen'Dai's respect and loyalty.^[1]

Discovery of Tanalorr

"Welcome to Tanalorr."
"It's beautiful! ... It's hard to believe this paradise was hiding on just the other side of the Abyss!"
"Come on. I want to show you something."
"Renowned Jedi Knight Dagan Gera offers to be my escort on an uncharted world? How could I refuse?"
"Without your guidance, I'd never have made it here in one piece."

―Dagan Gera and Santari Khri^[1]

During his tenure as a member of the Order, the Jedi had taken an interest in the planet Koboh and the nearby Koboh Abyss. While many attempts to navigate the Abyss had failed, Gera made an uncharted flight through the Abyss and discovered the hidden paradise world of Tanalorr, in which he took great interest. Master Santari Khri later used the knowledge from this voyage to craft the Abyss compasses, devices that would permit navigation of the Abyss.^[1]

The invasion of Tanalorr and the fall to the dark side of the Force

"We were invaded. I held them at bay as long as I could, but—there were too many. The battle was horrific. Still, we weren't beaten. Not yet. Not until the Jedi Council gave the order to abandon Tanalorr and then refused to counterattack."

―Dagan Gera to Cal Kestis^[1]

While petitioning the Jedi Council on Tanalorr to permit the training of initiates with the help of Khri, Tanalorr was invaded by the Nihil marauders. Gera led the defense of the planet and fought to hold off the Nihil forces for as long as he could, but eventually the Jedi Council gave the order to abandon Tanalorr. The decision was compounded by a refusal to counterattack the Nihil occupation, instead opting for the destruction of all devices capable of navigating the Abyss.^[1]

The decision enraged Gera and made him both fall to the dark side of the Force and turn his back on the Jedi, murdering several of his fellow Knights in a rage over their destruction of the Abyss compasses. Eventually, he returned to Khri, who tried to return him to the light while holding him back from claiming one of the last remaining compasses. However, Gera ignored her pleas, his obsession with Tanalorr having consumed him. Santari ignited her lightsaber in warning, stopping Gera from grabbing the compass. Gera used the Force to push her aside, and was about to grab the compass when Khri severed his right arm, rendering him unconscious. Santari called for a medical droid and Gera was placed into a bacta tank in the Forest Array's Rehabilitation Wing to be held in stasis for the foreseeable future, as she intended for Gera to be given a second chance at life. Nevertheless, Gera felt betrayed by the person he trusted most.^[1]

An Emergence over Koboh later made the Jedi present either abandon the planet or perish in the cataclysm, but Gera's stasis tank remained undisturbed by the calamity befalling the planet.^[1]

Imperial Era

Waking up to a new era

"I am back. The Order is gone. I must return to Tanalorr."

―Dagan Gera^[1]

Gera ignites his lightsaber for the first time in 200 years.

In 9 BBY,^[2] centuries after his imprisonment and during the reign of the Galactic Empire, Gera was discovered by the Jedi Knight Cal Kestis and his droid BD-1, who had crash-landed on Koboh following a mission on Coruscant. When Kestis touched the tank, he witnessed multiple events from Gera's past, including the attack on Tanalorr. Near the end of the vision, Gera recognized Kestis through the Force and implored the Jedi to release him, which Kestis obliged.^[1]

Following his release from stasis, he was informed by Kestis that the Galactic Republic had fallen and had been transformed into the Galactic Empire and that the Jedi Order was destroyed, before his lightsaber was returned to him. Gera staggered over to a nearby terminal and explained the events of the attack on Tanalorr to Kestis as he disassembled his lightsaber and bled his Kyber crystal. Kestis noticed the glow change from yellow to red as Gera grew more agitated. He tried to stop Gera from bleeding the crystal, but was unable to prevent the completion of the process. Gera, now consumed by the dark side, ignited his lightsaber, and the two Jedi engaged in a lightsaber duel. The duel was cut short by the arrival of Rayvis, his enforcer who spirited the fallen Jedi away to the Bedlam Raiders' base of operations.^[1]

Search for the compass

"The past is a chain. I must sever it completely!"

―Dagan Gera to Cal Kestis^[1]

Returning to Rayvis' ship, Gera once more donned the golden Jedi robes he had worn in the era of the High Republic. He ordered the kidnapping of ZN-A4 "Zee," Santari Khri's droid, as he sought information on the compasses he needed to return to Tanalorr. However, he suspected that Khri wiped the droid's memory bank and decided to have her reprogrammed to serve him.^[1]

During Cal Kestis's infiltration of the Bedlam Raider base to retrieve Zee, Rayvis intercepted the Jedi, stole Santari Khri's tuner, and delivered it to Gera. As he held the device, Gera remarked that his late friend's work was unparalleled, before adding that she should've faced him herself instead sending Zee in her stead. He was disappointed to hear that Kestis escaped Rayvis and casually threatened to cut out his tongue when the Gen'Dai suggested that the Jedi might be his equal, though Rayvis was unfazed, knowing his own regenerative capabilities. Gera ordered one of Rayvis' men to activate the Forest Array and asked Rayvis to go to the Shattered Moon's array, knowing where Santari had hidden the last compass.^[1]

Cal Kestis stops Gera from destroying ZN-A4.

As Cal rescued Zee, Gera walked into the room. While BD-1 assisted Zee in freeing herself, Gera warned Kestis to escape the ship while he could, before he killed Kestis like he had the rest of the Jedi that stood against him. While Kestis tried to reason with Gera that he couldn't change the past, the ancient Jedi rebuked his reasoning and attempted to strike Zee, forcing Kestis to defend her, engaging in a vicious duel. As Gera put Kestis on the defensive, he furiously declared that the tuner, Zee and Tanalorr all belonged to him before they both telekinetically struggled over the tuner. However, Zee distracted him by shouting that Khri should've left him in his tank to rot, allowing Kestis to reclaim the tuner. Gera retaliated by Force-pushing the three through the window before re-engaging Kestis on the platform below.^[1]

Near the duel's conclusion, Gera pulled part of the ship down on Kestis, who held it up with the Force. He threw one of his lightsabers at Kestis, forcing him to block the strike with his lightsaber. Before Gera could use his other lightsaber to kill his opponent, Bode Akuna appeared and intervened, buying time for Kestis to recover. Gera retreated, claiming the two had delayed him long enough.^[1]

Final fight

"Seek me out or go to Tanalorr. That is yours to decide. May the Force be with you."

―Santari Khri's final message to Gera^[1]

After Rayvis activated the Shattered Moon array and his demise, Gera made his way to the Koboh Observatory on Koboh with a sizeable army of Bedlam Raiders. This movement caught the attention of both Kestis and the Galactic Empire, who sent their forces on Koboh to attack the Bedlam Raiders. During the assault, Gera interrogated a hapless stormtrooper as to the Empire's objective before forcing him to activate his comlink and gave a warning to the Imperial commanders before killing his captive. He later captured another stormtrooper who had surrendered and executed him, expressing his disappointment at the class of soldier reputed for destroying the Jedi Order.^[1]

Gera asked Kestis how the Jedi Order allowed the rise of the Galactic Empire.

In the Grand Oculus of the observatory, Gera watched a recording of Khri, during which she stated that Gera could choose forgiveness with her, or continue his obsessive pursuit of Tanalorr, and that the choice was his. As he finished watching, Kestis and Akuna entered the room and approached Gera. He told the pair that he believed that if Khri had stayed with him, they could have convinced the Council that Tanalorr was worth the sacrifice, but now that she and the Order were gone, he was free to transform the Bedlam Raiders into a Force-sensitives led army on Tanalorr with the ultimate goal of defeating the Empire. Kestis pointed out that he wasn't free, but instead alone. Gera countered by calling Kestis a failure for letting the galaxy fall, and questioned why Kestis was pursuing him when the true enemy, the Empire, was elsewhere. While Kestis claimed that the Jedi weren't gone yet, Gera asked him who the one truly chained by the past was.^[1]

Death

"You're lost. You've strayed from the path. And you—are no Jedi."
"You! You! Tanalorr! Is—!"

―An illusion of Khri passes judgment on Gera^[1]

With the proclamation that he would forge the Bedlam Raiders into an elite army led by his own Force-sensitive disciples on Tanalorr before cleansing the galaxy of the Empire with fire, Gera ignited his lightsaber and engaged Kestis and Akuna in one final duel. He incapacitated Akuna early in the fight, forcing Kestis to fight him alone.^[1]

Gera eventually gained the upper hand through powerful Force illusions and struck Kestis across the chest with his lightsaber. As the fallen Jedi mocked Kestis's perceived lack of strength for not using his aggressive emotions, Kestis began using Gera's own illusions against him, disguising himself as what Gera feared most—Santari Khri, judging him as being unworthy of the Jedi title. An enraged Gera struck out, realizing an illusion. He was met by Kestis's blade. Kestis used the surprise to stab Gera through the chest, heavily wounding him. Gera began choking Kestis with the Force and began shouting a proclamation that Tanalorr was his before being interrupted by Akuna, who shot him twice in the back. Kestis used the opportunity to slash Gera across the torso, finally killing him. With Gera's death, his force illusions, including that of the phantom arm he had conjured with which he appeared to wield his lightsaber, disappeared.^[1]

Legacy

With Gera dead, Kestis and Akuna retrieved the compass, while the latter also secretly stole one of the ancient Jedi's lightsabers. Not long after, Akuna betrayed the rest of the Stinger Mantis crew to the Empire and set off for Tanalorr with his daughter Kata, using the compass to reach the paradise world. He was pursued by Kestis and was ultimately killed in a duel with Kestis, who dreamed of making Tanalorr a haven for the Hidden Path. After killing Bode, Kestis discovered he'd been using one of Dagan's lightsabers, symbolically underscoring his own guilt for not anticipating Bode's betrayal.^[1]

Personality and traits

"Be patient."
"Not one of my strong suits."

―Santari Khri and Dagan Gera^[1]

Dagan Gera was a male Arkanian Offshoot^[3] who had silver-gray hair, icy blue eyes, and pale greyish-white skin with dark vein-like lines that branched across his face and body. He was also missing his right arm, which had been severed during an altercation with Santari Khri.^[1]

Gera was arrogant, once admitting that he was impatient and being described by Santari Khri as lacking in humility. He had an extreme amount of pride, which drove him to betray the Jedi Order when they forsook Tanalorr, a world Gera had become obsessed with and tied himself to. He had a great degree of confidence in his abilities and often disdained the efforts of his opponents. However, he was also emotionally unstable and was prone to anger when faced with challenges, obstacles, and denigrations of his capabilities. When Rayvis suggested that Cal Kestis could be a match for his power, Gera threatened to cut out Rayvis's tongue.^[1]

Although Dagan was arrogant and prideful even long before his fall to the dark side, he was not incapable of forming genuine connections and even humility. He had a deep affection for Santari Khri, to the point where he claimed she was “the one I trusted the most” and her perceived betrayal of refusing to join him on Tanalorr and severing his arm caused him to snap and finally fall to the dark side. He believed Khri was the brightest and most intelligent. When they first discovered Tanalorr, Dagan spoke to Khri in a calmer, softer voice than the angry, derisive way he spoke of everyone else, including his superior Jedi Masters. Much to her surprise, he claimed he never would have been able to find the lost planet without her help. His affection for her may have been love; indeed, even when Khri refused to join him and drew a lightsaber upon him on the Shattered Moon, Dagan only pushed her aside to acquire the compass to Tanalorr instead of murdering her like he did the other Jedi who stood against him. Dagan’s feelings of respect yet also hatred for Khri often proved to be his undoing; for example, when he struggled against Cal Kestis for the tuner key on the abandoned Lucrehulk, the mere mention of her name was enough for him to lose focus and for Kestis to acquire the tuner from him. Finally, during his final duel in the Koboh Observatory, the judgment of who he believed was Santari Khri was enough to send him into a violent rage that directly resulted in his death.^[1]

Powers and abilities

Gera's skill made him one of the Jedi Order's finest warriors during the High Republic Era, and his fall to the dark side made him an even more dangerous opponent.

Dagan Gera—even amongst his fellow Jedi—was incredibly strong with the Force and an extremely talented lightsaber duelist, being one of the Jedi Order's finest warriors in his prime. He was described as a ferocious warrior with a keen instinct for recognising weakness. After being woken from two centuries of stasis, he was still able to battle Cal Kestis to a stalemate while missing an arm and weakened from centuries of inactivity. In their second and third battles, Kestis required the assistance of Bode Akuna to gain the upper hand. He was also the only individual prior to Kestis to ever defeat Rayvis in single combat, who later required multiple Jedi Masters working together to best him.^[1]

Due to his weapon being a split saber, Gera was skilled in the use of both single-bladed and double-bladed lightsabers, and was a practitioner of Jar'Kai dual blade fencing.^[1]

Gera was also skilled in telekinesis, able to control one of his lightsabers with his mind while dueling with another one using his remaining arm, effectively using Jar'Kai with only one physical arm. A favored tactic of his was to use telekinesis to make one half of his lightsaber orbit him in a circle while he continued to duel with the other half, cutting off his opponent's retreat as he attacked unrelentingly with his lightsaber. His power and skill with telekinesis were such that he was able to effortlessly throw Cal Kestis to the ground and pick him up by the feet during their last duel.^[1]

In addition, he was also capable of using Force energy as an offensive attack. He was a master at manipulating and assaulting the minds of his opponents using the Force, and was able to craft extremely powerful Force Illusions, creating false copies of himself to confuse his foes, conjuring the illusion of a new arm from pure Force energy, and creating an entirely false scenario to confuse Cal Kestis. Gera was also able to incapacitate Bode Akuna twice during his final duel simply by making eye contact.^[1]

Equipment

Dagan Gera used a double-bladed split saber during the time of the High Republic and the reign of the Empire.

As a Jedi Knight of a golden age in the history of the Republic, Dagan Gera wore opulent golden Jedi robes that bore the crest of the High Republic on the chest. He also wielded an ornate yellow-bladed split saber, which he bled into a deep red shortly after being released from stasis.^[1]

Behind the scenes

Dagan Gera as depicted in the teaser trailer

Dagan Gera was created for the 2023 video game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, in which he serves a major antagonistic role for much of the game's story. He was portrayed by Cody Fern.^[1]

He was first revealed—albeit unnamed—in the Star Wars Jedi: Survivor teaser trailer, which was shown at Celebration Anaheim in 2022. There, he was depicted as a one-armed lightsaber wielder who wore a hooded robe and used an orange-bladed lightsaber to battle Cal Kestis. Gera quickly disarmed Kestis of his lightsaber by slashing it from his hand in three strokes.^[4] Gera had a height of over 1.82 meters in the teaser trailer.^[5]

Matt Martin said that Gera's species was created for Jedi: Survivor and that the developers considered using existing species like Soikan for the character.^[6] The Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia later confirmed Gera's species to be an Arkanian Offshoot.^[3]