Sa'har Kateen

Sa'har Kateen was a Force-sensitive Twi'lek female who lived during the time of the Old Republic. Separated from her older brother Ri'kan Kateen at a young age, Kateen trained as a Padawan of the Jedi Order under Jedi Master Denolm Orr. During a mission to the planet Elom, Kateen's worldview was challenged by Darth Malgus, who convinced the Padawan that the fates of Ri'kan and herself had been unjustly determined by the Jedi. As the Temple of Nul crumbled around them, Malgus killed Orr and left Kateen to fend for herself, urging her to decide her own future.^[1]

Biography

Childhood

Years before the third Galactic War, Sa'har and her older brother Ri'kan Kateen were both orphaned at a young age. Both spent their earliest years at the Mek-Sha Home for Lost Children, an orphanage located on the space station of Mek-Sha.^[3]

Becoming a Padawan

Sometime later, Sa'har and her brother Ri'kan began to show signs of Force-sensitivity, though Sa'har had a stronger connection to the Force than her brother.^[3] The two Twi'leks were soon discovered by Jedi Master Denolm Orr. After Sa'har easily passed the test required to initiate her into the Jedi Order, Orr took Sa'har as his Padawan. Orr left Ri'kan behind due to his little connection to the Force^[1] and then the two departed Mek-Sha.^[3] Sa'har began her Jedi training at the Jedi Temple on the planet Tython.^[3] Later, Sa'har and her master lived for some time in the Jedi Colony on Ossus.^[4]

Mission to Elom

A link with Darth Malgus

Over the years Sa'har grew into a powerful and trusted Jedi Padawan under her master's wing. She eventually joined Orr's master and a team consisting of Jedi Master Gan Enok, Material Analysis Dr. Mykon Ora, Chief Engineer Rolan Aun and Specialist Tiriz Etto to search for Darth Nul's creations at the planet Elom. By the time they reached the Temple of Nul only Sa'har and Orr were alive.^[6]

At the temple, Sa'har and her master encountered a Sith Warrior that arrived to get a holocron from a device inside the temple. The young Jedi and her Master proved to be a worthy match to the Sith Warrior, in the middle of their duel, Orr told Sa'har to destroy the machine inside the temple as well as all records of it, but the two were surprised by the arrival of the renegade Sith Lord Darth Malgus, who backstabbed the Sith Warrior they were fighting and also attempted to get the holocron.^[1]

As Sa'har went after the machine, Malgus tried to attack her with his Force lightning, but the Padawan quickly dodged it and made it to the device while her Master fought the Sith Lord. Once at the machine, Sa'har was met with a vision of her past, where she saw how her Master left her brother behind when he took only her as his Padawan. She became overwhelmed with these memories and listened to Malgus talk about the pain and fear the Jedi caused her by keeping the secret of the Force from her brother.^[1]

Destruction of the machine

Orr eventually used the Force to destroy the machine and free Sa'har from its control, but as the young Padawan retrieved the holocron from the machine, she refused to give it to Orr, saying that he could've saved her brother. Both Padawan and Master fought for the holocron, allowing Malgus to recover from the fight and entangle Orr with the Force before striking him down. Back to her senses, Sa'har dueled the Sith Lord for the holocron, but she was unfortunately Force-pushed and was later buried under the rubble of the falling temple by Malgus, who used this opportunity to snatch the holocron from her hands. The Sith Lord left Sa'har to her own fate while he told her that she needed to break free of her cage if she was ready.^[1]

Escaping the Temple

Sa'har survived the destruction of the temple and made it out alive long after Malgus left, as the renegade Sith Lord was captured and later imprisoned by the Alliance Commander, Lana Beniko and their reinforcements. While sneaking out of the wreckage, Sa'har saw that the holocron was hidden amid the temple's rubble and was apparently left there by Malgus before being captured, the Padawan then grabbed the holocron with the Force before running away with it.^[7]

Opening the Holocron

Sa'har snuck aboard an old passenger transport to escape Elom, and spent the following days meditating in hopes of finding a clue that could lead to her brother. During her attempts to reach Ri'kan with the Force, the former Padawan heard Malgus' voice inside her head and even felt how Darth Nul's holocron began to pulse. After a failed attempt to open the holocron, Sa'har sneaked into the gallery of the transport to find something to eat but encountered a woman with two cybernetic legs halfway to the pantry door.^[4]

As the two ate, Sa'har told the woman that she was a farmer named Tau and they both talked about their father figures and how they weren't as perfect as they thought. Returning to her cramped room, Sa'har picked the holocron once again but this time succeeded in opening it, witnessing the vast amount of designs and patterns the device projected. Focusing, Sa'har managed to see her brother and was eventually bonded with him through the Force, which would allow her to find him.^[4]

Reuniting with Ri'kan

After reaching the location of Ri'kan thanks to the holocron, Sa'har seemingly "rescued" her brother, who was imprisoned by unknown forces which she assumed to be slave traders, by slicing through them with her lightsaber. After realizing that her brother was no longer a slave, Sa'har had to face Ri'kan's anger towards her as he felt abandoned by her and was less interested in repairing their relationship which led Sa'har to offer her help, to which Ri'kan refused but soon said that he knew of someone who could use her help. Later Sa'har travelled with Ri'kan to meet up with Heta Kol and the Hidden Chain.^[5]

Fighting for the Hidden Chain

At some point, Sa'har told Ri'kan that she became aware of a superweapon that Darth Malgus was after before he was captured and that the holocron she got from Darth Nul's Temple on Elom was the key to it.^[8]

Later she was on Ruhnuk alongside the rest of the Hidden Chain and was stationed at the relay station, while she was on holocall with Ri'kan she was interrupted by the arrival of the Alliance Commander and Shae Vizla both who wanted to know the location of Darth Nul's holocron and Heta Kol respectively. Sa'har refused to answer any questions which angered Shae as she fired a shot that broke a window which the rogue Padawan saw fit to use as a means of escape while destroying a tracer fired by Shae just before jumping from the window.^[2]

Later Sa'har informed Heta of the presence of the Commander and left it to her to deal with both them and Shae. Sa'har later participated in the ensuing battle between the Hidden Chain and Mandalore the Avenger's forces by assisting Ri'kan in his duel against the Commander just as he was about to be defeated. Using the Force, Sa'har pushed the Alliance Commander back while escaping with Ri'kan in an Eternal Empire shuttle along with Heta Kol and the majority of their forces. Sa'har and Ri'kan met with Heta who the former then revealed that Sa'har knew of a weapon that could help Heta and their cause when Sa'har voiced her objection on using such a weapon. Ri'kan then emotionally blackmailed Sa'har into agreeing to share the information which prompted Heta to take Sa'har to a private area where both could converse in secret about it much to Ri'kan's anger.^[8]

Disillusionment

Sa'har would later approach Ri'kan to encourage him to tap into his latent Force ability. However, Ri'kan quickly lost his patience and stabbed the datapad he was practicing on. He then explained the knife he held was once Heta's used to cut his slave collar, which put him on the path to becoming a Mandalorian. Sa'har professed she hoped he would survive on his own, to which her brother retorted he had to earn what he had while she got everything. She then refuted that she lost everything, which only served to provoke him.^[9]

Their argument was soon interrupted by Heta. As her council gathered, she announced that what she found on Darth Nul's holocron would elevate the Hidden Chain's power. Sa'har attempted to protest using Nul's secrets but the Hidden Chain leader used her smooth tongue to remind her that she herself was seeking to restore "balance" to a galaxy full of hypocrisy, silencing the young Jedi. Heta then declared that the members of the Hidden Chain would be given separate assignments, while the entire plan would be compartmentalized between herself and Sa'har, earning Ri'kan's jealousy.^[9]

As the Hidden Chain made their preparations to execute Heta's plan, Sa'har approached Ri'kan to ask if he believed he was doing the right thing supporting Heta's plan. Her brother retorted that it was too late to second guess him, declaring his loyalty to Heta, before ordering her to carry out her assignment.^[10]

Sa'har would then secretly travel to Ord Mantell, where the Hidden Chain were stealing both civilians and cooling rods. Finding Tyrus Brokenblade in battle with the Commander, she intervened before he could execute Petra Nihrum. Faced with the infuriated Clan Varad leader, Sa'har dismissed his warning that Heta would kill her for her betrayal. However, she was quickly provoked as he suggested that Ri'kan would execute her himself.^[11]

Sa'har then worked with the Commander to defeat Tyrus. Once the fighting was over, she confessed that the Hidden Chain were seeking to build a machine based off a blueprint on Darth Nul's holocron and that she'd been trying to sabotage their efforts as best she could, but now she needed help. Suddenly, she caught Tyrus attempting to warn Heta of her betrayal, forcing her to cut off his right hand, leaving her horrified by her own act of mutilation. Once the Commander decided Tyrus' fate, Sa'har commandeered his ship, promising to contact the Commander once she was ready to steal Nul's holocron from Heta, before mentioning that Petra had departed the scene.^[11]

After departing Ord Mantell, Sa'har became lost in thought before becoming snapped out of her stupor by Ri'kan on holocomm, demanding an update. Sa'har claimed that she was chasing a lead for Heta that turned false, so he ordered her to return to the fleet.^[11]

Desperate Defiance

Returning to the Hidden Chain flagship, Sa'har overheard Ri'kan mention that among five strike teams raiding supply convoys, one of them was stranded on Hutta after running afoul of the local crime lord. Seeing her opportunity to take Nul's holocron, Sa'har made a holocall to the Commander. Knowing it was too risky to explain her plan over holocomm, she instructed the Commander to travel to Mek-Sha and look for a code scanner she left at the Slugfall Cantina to guide her ally to her hiding spot in the contested gang area.^[12]

Once the Commander arrived at the rendezvous, Sa'har started to reminisce about her childhood adventures with Ri'kan before lamenting that her Master made a mistake leaving her brother behind and that she wished she said something sooner otherwise Heta wouldn't have the holocron nor would Ri'kan be in her service. Getting back to the reason they were meeting, Sa'har explained that by stealing the holocron, it would complete derail Heta's plans, as the machine she's building can't function without it. She further explained that the machine could reawaken a person's connection to the Force that had been overlooked in the past, which Heta believed could be used to create powerful warriors ready to fight, which was why the Hidden Chain was rounding up prisoners. Despite Sa'har informed Heta that the machine doesn't give her prisoners the training to use their powers, the Hidden Chain leader insisted that Sa'har could train them, even though she believed herself incapable. But the only way to infiltrate the Hidden Chain flagship to rescue the prisoners and destroy the machine was with a special shuttle and she had identified one such ship in the Minboosa District on Hutta.^[12]

Acting on Sa'har advice, the two of them make their way separately to Hutta and met up in The Dirty Skiff cantina. Learning that the Hutt forces had locked down the district in response to a slave uprising, the two came up with a plan to aid the rebel slaves in hopes they would have information on the Hidden Chain shuttle. After questioning a few reluctant slaves, they traveled to the shipping port, where they interrupted a group of Hidden Chain rounding up prisoners. After killing the Mandalorians and freeing prisoners, their leader, Virta, instructed the two to meet them at the Pilot Commissary, where the freed prisoners asked them to run errands for them while they asked around about the shuttle.^[13] After accomplishing these tasks, Virta informed them that the shuttle was locked in the tibanna gas refinery and that the only way to gain access was through the underground gas tunnels.^[14]

Following Virta's instructions, Sa'har and the Commander infiltrated the refinery, where they got caught up with an all-out battle between the rebel slaves and the Hutt forces. Eventually, they confronted and defeated the Hutt captain, Griknaz. But just as Sa'har started questioning him on the location of the Hidden Chain shuttle, he was killed by a sniper working for Vobbara Yusinduu, who accused both Sa'har and the Commander of starting the uprising. Seeing the Hutt guards ready to brutally crack down on the slaves around them, Sa'har Force-pushed a Gamorrean guard, causing his electrostick to ignite a stack of explosive canisters. However, instead of forcing the guards to run, Yusinduu ordered them to kill everyone, starting the fighting all over again. During the fighting, a Rodian named Adi Vonapa saved the Commander from being attacked from behind and instructed the pair to find his safe house if they wanted information on the shuttle.^[14]

Following Vonapa's instructions over comlink, they meet both him and his fellow rebel leader, Rakit. As the rebels explained, they were also trying to get into the refinery's hanger, where all the shuttles were docked so they could escape Yusinduu's reach.^[14] Thus, Sa'har and the Commander carried out various tasks to clear the way to the hanger,^[15] eventually confronting Yusinduu himself piloting a war droid. After killing Yusinduu, Sa'har and the Commander successfully stole the Hidden Chain shuttle and departed Hutta, though Sa'har could not but help feel that they had make things worse despite their best intentions.^[16]

Traveling to the Hidden Chain flagship, the two caught the crew off-guard in a surprise attack. After disabling the comm channels so no reinforcements could be called, they made their way to the detention area, where they freed the prisoners. Initially, the prisoners regarded Sa'har with hostility, blaming her for the Hidden Chain abducting them in the first place, until the Commander insisted they had come to help. After escorting the prisoners back to the shuttle, the two fought to the reactor room, where they found the fully assembled Holocron Machine. But before they were ambushed by Ri'kan. Despite Sa'har's efforts to reason with her brother, he continued to attack her, incidentally damaging the reactors and activating the Holocron Machine. In the midst of the fighting, Ri'kan accidentally damaged the floor, sending all three combatants fallout to the reactor room below, where their fight resumed. Eventually, the fight came to an end when an explosion threw them away from each other. Spotting her brother clinging to the edge of the platform, Sa'har quickly rushed to his aid and pleaded the Commander to help her. Fortunately, her partner chose to heed her plea and they rescued Ri'kan, before Sa'har saved the holocron with the Force and passed it to the Commander. Soon enough, Ri'kan recovered and immobilized Sa'har with the Force just as she and the Commander were running for the exit. Urging her ally to flee, Sa'har used what strength she had to telekinetically seal the doors before falling to the floor. As she passed in and out of consciousness, she looked up to see Ri'kan standing over her with a furious expression. Subsequently, the Hidden Chain flagship exploded, leaving the fate of both siblings unknown.^[17]

Powers and abilities

Even at a young age, Sa'har was strong with the Force, which prompted Denolm Orr to choose her as his Padawan. Despite only being a Padawan she was able to rival the powers of her master when preventing him from snatching the holocron from her with the Force. Though she lost her duel against Darth Malgus, Sa'har was able to keep up a fight with the rogue Sith Lord to the point where she made Malgus lose one of his sabers.^[1] She was able to open Darth Nul's holocron and even managed to bond with her brother through the Force, which was key to finding him.^[4] Sa'har also slashed multiple opponents with ease while trying to rescue Ri'kan.^[5]

Behind the scenes

Sa'har Kateen was first mentioned in "Mission Abstract: Investigate link between Darth Malgus and the planet Elom," a short story posted on the official Star Wars: The Old Republic website on October 1, 2021.^[6] She later featured prominently in Disorder, a cinematic trailer for The Old Republic's expansion Legacy of the Sith. Both the trailer and the expansion were released on February 15, 2022.^[1]

Gameplay alternatives

In Game Update 7.5: Desperate Defiance, during the mission, "The Path Below", the player can either attempt to discourage or encourage Sa'har from Force-pushing a Gamorrean guard, resulting in his electroprod igniting a stack of explosive canisters. If the former option was chosen, Sa'har would still perform the same action regardless. The player can later chide Sa'har for acting without thinking during the conversation with Adi and Rakit.^[14]

During the mission, "'Sundering", when Sa'har begs the player for help in pulling Ri'kan up, they have three options:

• If the player chooses the light side dialogue and helps save Ri'kan, Sa'har will immediately save Darth Nul's holocron before it is crushed by debris and hands it to the player, which Ri'kan wakes up to witness. As the player runs for the exit, Ri'kan will immobilize Sa'har with the Force, forcing her to seal the exit to allow the player to escape. Ri'kan will then stand over a barely conscious Sa'har and roar furiously.
• If the player chooses the neutral dialogue, they will run for the holocron first. But as the player rushes to help Sa'har, a large piece of debris separates them. As the players leaves, believing the Twi'leks to be dead, it is revealed that Sa'har had in fact managed to pull up Ri'kan by herself and the two siblings stare into each other's eyes.
• If the player chooses the dark side dialogue, they will simply take the holocron and leave. Sa'har will then pull up Ri'kan by herself, narrowly avoiding being crushed by debris, leaving the two siblings to regard each other.

Regardless of which decision the player makes, both siblings are presumed dead in the destruction of the Hidden Chain Flagship.^[17]

Appearances

• Star Wars: The Old Republic Cartel Market (Mentioned only)
• "Disorder" on The Old Republic's official website (article) (backup link) (First appearance)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic: Legacy of the Sith
• "All That's Left" on The Old Republic's official website (article) (backup link)

Sources

• Mission Abstract: Investigate link between Darth Malgus and the planet Elom on The Old Republic's official website (article) (backup link) (First mentioned)
• STAR WARS™: The Old Republic™ - 10-Year Celebration Montage on the official Star Wars: The Old Republic YouTube channel (backup link) (First pictured)
• Game Update 7.1 "Digging Deeper" is live! on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
• Game Update 7.1: Digging Deeper Patch Notes on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
• Cartel Market Additions: Game Update 7.1.1 on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
• Game Update 7.5 "Desperate Defiance" Recap and VOD on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
• Game Update 7.5 "Desperate Defiance" is now live! on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
• Game Update 7.5: Desperate Defiance Patch Notes on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
• Executive Producer Letter - Q2 2024 on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)
• Game Update 7.5.1 "The Greatest Bounty" Livestream Recap on The Old Republic's official website (backup link)

Notes and references

External links

• Bradley Lewis (@nonentity) on ArtStation: SWTOR | Sa'Har Kateen's Lightsaber (backup link)
• Bradley Lewis (@nonentity) on ArtStation: SWTOR | Sa'Har Saber Concept Sketches (backup link)