∇
troperville

∇
tools

∇
toys

SubpagesAwesome
Funny
Headscratchers
Literature
Main
YMMV

main index

Narrative

Genre

Media

Topical Tropes

Other Categories

random

Subpages:

Literature: Revan

Revan is a Star Wars Expanded Universe novel by Drew Karpyshyn, author of the Darth Bane series and senior writer on Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: The Old Republic, to which it serves as a Distant Prologue. It wraps up the story of Revan, player character of Knights of the Old Republic, and the Exile, player character of Knights of the Old Republic II. The story takes place 2-5 years after the end of Knights and three hundred years before Star Wars: The Old Republic.

This novel contains examples of:

Action Girl: Subverted with Bastila since she never gets the chance to fight alongside her husband again. She even makes clear that she feels useless doing nothing but wait for him. Played straight with the Jedi Exile Meetra Surik though.
Alpha Bitch: Though she only appears once in the story, Atris is in top form here.
And I Must Scream: Both Revan and the Exile's Force Ghost are trapped in this at the end, with Revan kept in stasis and the Exile bound to Revan, but they both find purpose in respectively fighting the Emperor's mind reading attempts and giving Revan strength to resist.
Amnesiac Dissonance: Upon receiving his mask, Revan remembers everything, including his time as a Sith. He handles it well enough that it's essentially a massive power-up though.
Armed With Canon: Drew Karpyshyn did several things that were considered blasphemous by fans, including giving the Exile a name and giving Revan a child by Bastila (although The Old Republic had already pretty well confirmed the latter.
- On the plus side, he allowed for Revan's return.
Awesome by Analysis: Lord Scourge frequently considers every possible scenario before acting, and is quite good at it.
Ax Crazy / Blood Knight: Lord Scourge, but it makes sense given that he's a Sith Lord.
- Even though he never makes a physical appearance in the story, HK-47 is still confirmed to be very much a prime example of these tropes, to the point that neither Revan nor the Exile chooses to bring him along because of his psychotic tendencies possibly hampering the mission.
Awesome Moment of Crowning: "Mandalore has returned! I am Mandalore the Preserver, and I will restore the honor and glory of my people!" - As Canderous Ordo claims Mandalore's Mask.
Badass: Revan and the Exile obviously. Also Lord Scourge.
Badass Boast: "I am Revan reborn. And before me you are nothing"
Badass Grandpa: Subverted with Xedrix. While he manages to give Lord Scourge quite the nasty shock with his Force lightning, it winds up taking everything he had, and he has to resort to deception to get Scourge to stand down. Once Scourge realizes just how vulnerable he is, he kills him with almost no effort.
Badass Normal: Canderous and Veela Ordo.
Balance Between Good and Evil: Revan's having experienced both the Light and Dark Sides gives him a very unique insight into the Force that makes it all the more easy for him to get on Scourge's good side by giving him little bits of his knowledge over the course of Scourge's many visits to his prison cell.
Bastard Bastard: Tenebrae/Vitiate. His mother was a farmer's wife, but his biological father was actually the local Sith Lord.
Battle Couple: Averted with Revan and Bastila, as she does not accompany him on his journey. Briefly played straight with Canderous and his wife Veela Ordo. Then that alliance turns sour when Veela discovers Revan's identity and Canderous and Revan have to kill her.
Because Destiny Says So: Despite Revan's warning to Scourge that Force Visions are only possible futures that are shaped by the actions of today, Scourge betrays Revan and the Exile as soon as he sees a vision of a different Jedi defeating the Emperor.
Bigger Bad: The Emperor.
Bittersweet Ending: And how. The Exile and T3-M4 die, and Revan is imprisoned by the Sith Emperor, destined to never see his wife again and never getting to see his son period. On top of that, the Sith do wind up invading the Republic, and perhaps worst of all, the Sith Emperor remains a Karma Houdini. The only thing keeping the ending from being a Shoot the Shaggy Dog ending is the fact that while he fails to stop the Sith Emperor outright, Revan is able to keep the Sith invasion from happening for almost 300 years, sparing the galaxy from the wrath of the Sith Empire for years. This also has the added benefit of sparing his wife, son, and grandchildren from ever having to experience the Sith Empire's invasion in any of their lives..
Black Eyes of Evil: The Emperor's eyes are completely black, and apparently were from birth.
Bodyguard Betrayal: Scourge's plan for the Emperor when the Jedi from his vision shows up.
Broken Pedestal: For those who are familiar with Bastila's general personality in the original Knights of the Old Republic game, her views on the Jedi Council here might come off as a bit of a surprise.
Bullying a Dragon: Some of Sechel's interactions with Lord Scourge have shades of this. No surprise, Scourge winds up killing Sechel, though its at least in part because he believed that Sechel had become a liability in his and Revan's plan to kill the Sith Emperor.
The Butcher: Revan is apparently called this by some Mandalorians now.
Catch and Return: Revan uses this against Darth Nyriss' Force Lightning. Unfortunately, the Emperor's Force Lightning is too powerful for Revan to catch.
The Chessmaster: Revan, Nyriss, and the Emperor all have shades of it.
- Diabolical Mastermind: Again, Nyriss and the Emperor. Scourge also begins to get in on the act as time passes.
Clingy Jealous Girl: Bastila Shan becomes suspicious of Revan and the Exile's relationship, though she accepts that the Exile must search for him alone, while she looks after their son. The Exile later admits that she's slightly jealous of Revan and Bastila's relationship, but clarifies that she loves Revan like a father.
Cold-Blooded Torture: Revan is subjected to it after getting captured by Lord Scourge and Darth Nyriss but his tolerance for pain backed up by the Force allows him to resist it well. He later gets subjected to it again via imprisonment in a stasis pod where the Emperor feeds off of him. But both the support of the Jedi Exile's force ghost and Revan's own determination to ensure that his wife and son never have to experience the return of the Sith sustains him
Cool Mask: Mandalore's Mask and Revan's Mask.
Dark Action Girl: Veela Ordo.
The Dark Side Will Make You Forget: Inverted. The light side made Revan forget, and his mask, the symbol most closely associated with his Sith self, made him remember.
Deader Than Dead: T3-M4, as the only character who could conceivably return from death/deactivation, is disintegrated by the Emperor.
Deadpan Snarker: Revan has his moments.
Delaying Action: Both Revan's initial attack on the Emperor, as well as his subtle hints through their shared mental link when he is kept in stasis delay the Sith Empire's attack on the Republic by almost 300 years.
The Determinator: Revan really, really, really, wants to stop whatever it is he's having visions about. And especially after learning more about the threat in question. Even after being imprisoned by the Sith Emperor at the end of the story his determination to keep the Emperor from launching an attack on Republic space for as long as possible keeps him going
Distant Prologue: To The Old Republic
The Dragon: Scourge is this first to Nyriss, then to the Emperor.
Elite Mooks: The Imperial Guard are skilled enough at fighting to last at least a little while against Revan, Meetra Surik, and Lord Scourge. Also, when the Emperor learns of Darth Nyriss' betrayal, his Imperial Guard make swift work of her forces, even the Dark Force users.
Empty Piles of Clothing: The Exile may have pulled this, as her spirit survives, but not in the usual way of Star Wars. Her spirit binds itself to Revan, and helps keep him alive while the Emperor feeds on his power.
Enemy Civil War: The Dark Council. No surprise since they're all Sith Lords and betrayal is the name of the game for the Sith.
Enemy Mine: Scourge, Revan, and the Exile team up to face the Emperor.
Enfant Terrible: Vitiate was evil enough to personally kill his parents at age 6, and had conquered his planet by the age of 10.
Expy: The Sith Emperor and his Imperial Guards are, as one could guess, this to Emperor Palpatine and his Royal Guards.
- T3-M4 is, as always, a total Expy of R2-D2.
Even Evil Has Standards: The whole reason the Dark Council oppose the Sith Emperor is a mix of this trope and Pragmatic Villainy.
- Also, when The Sith Emperor shows Lord Scourge what it's like in his head the experience is described as indescribably horrific. Keep in mind that this is a typically merciless, ruthless, and at times sadistic Sith Lord that we're talking about here.
Everyone Calls Him Barkeep: Played straight with Revan, whose true name is never revealed (and possibly lost forever thanks to the Jedi), but averted for formerly nameless characters the Exile and the Sith Emperor (Meetra Surik and Tenebrae/Lord Vitiate). In the case of the Emperor, it is specifically stated that the Emperor stopped being Tenebrae/Lord Vitiate the moment he completed the ritual that killed Nathema, and is now only the Emperor.
Evil Counterpart: The Dark Council are this to the Jedi Council.
Evil Versus Evil: The Dark Council against the Sith Emperor as well as the various power struggles the Dark Council members have with one another.
Genre Savvy: Scourge finds himself involved in a conspiracy within the Sith Empire to depose the Emperor before he can invade the Republic; the conspirators are convinced that to do so would eventually result in their eradication by the Republic and Jedi.
The Good Chancellor: Revan's son winds up becoming a politician and, eventually, Supreme Chancellor
Good Is Not Soft: Both Revan and Meetra Surik are very much Light Side, and are fighting to stop The Sith Emperor, but when or if they get attacked, neither one has any problem with using lethal force. Scourge even notes that the Exile was not afraiad to kill, although she didn't enjoy it either. Revan winds up utterly destroying Darth Nyriss when he redirects her force lightning right back at her!
Guns Akimbo: Revan briefly wields dual blasters while hiding his identity as a Jedi.
Hero Killer: Lord Scourge murders the Exile and puts Revan under the bus.
- The Sith Emperor utterly destroys T3-M4
Hero of Another Story: Invoked with the Hero of Tython in that seeing a vision of him/her killing the Sith Emperor prompts Lord Scourge to betray Revan and the Exile
Heroic Sacrifice: T3-M4, Revan, and the Exile all sacrifice themselves in attempt to kill the Emperor, and the latter two fight him as best they can when they are trapped in an And I Must Scream situation by the Emperor. To their credit, their actions prevent the Sith's invasion of the galaxy for roughly 300 years.
Hoist by His Own Petard: Revan kills Darth Nyriss by redirecting her own force lightning right back at her
Immortality Hurts: The price the Emperor and Scourge must pay for their immortality is a constant pain at first, then total numbness to all feeling.
In the Back: Scourge kills Meetra Surik with a lightsaber to the back.
Insufferable Genius: Sechel.
JerkAss: Atris, Lord Scourge, and Sechel.
Karma Houdini: The Emperor and Lord Scourge unfortunately both get away scott-free with all of their crimes. If the Hero of Tython does indeed end up killing the Sith Emperor, it is yet to happen for real.
Killed Off for Real: In order: Veela Ordo, Murtog, Sechel, Nyriss, T3-M4, and Meetra Surik
Lack of Empathy: Lord Scourge's initial reaction to The Reveal of what the Emperor did to an entire planet is about as callous as you can get. Then he actually experiences it in person. He very quickly concludes that Nyriss was right and that the Emperor is mad.
Laser Blade: Obviously
Late Arrival Spoiler: If you haven't played either of the original games, a large number of things are ruined for you, most notably and forefront being the fact that the first games PC is Revan.
Lost Forever: Because Revan is held prisoner by the Sith Emperor and both T3-M4 and the Jedi Exile get killed, no one remains to reclaim the Ebon Hawk.
Meaningful Name: Both of the Emperor's names: Tenebrae is very similar to tenebrous, meaning shadowy or obscure, and Vitiate means to spoil or mar. Similarly, his home planet of Nathema is one letter away from Anathema, which means to set apart, as in set apart from the Force.
- Revan's son is named Vaner, an anagram of Revan.
- Canderous calls Revan "Anver" when among Clan Ordo; Revan is not impressed, and a few angry Mandalorians figure it out.
Midquel: Of sorts. The first half of the novel happens between the two Knights of the Old Republic games.
Mythology Gag: Revan's features are described as non-descript and average, in keeping with players being able to choose his appearance.
Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Lord Scourge. Especially after getting a 's new title: the Emperor's Wrath.
The Napoleon: Murtog is described as being short and stocky.
Neck Snap: Lord Scourge kills Sechel this way.
No Kill Like Overkill / Bad Boss: When Darth Nyriss' betrayal is exposed, the Emperor not only has his Imperial Guard eradicate her entire portion of the Empire, but then kills every single member of the Dark Council, even the ones who were still loyal to him.
Obviously Evil: The Emperor, Lord Scourge, and Darth Nyriss. Really, just the Sith in general.
Omnicidal Maniac: The Emperor, and its why the Dark Council plots to have him killed.
Our Spirits Are Different / Our Souls Are Different / Our Ghosts Are Different: The Jedi Exile/Meetra Surik after becoming a Force Ghost.
Power of the Void: The Emperor, to an even greater extent than Darth Nihilus. When Nihilus feeds, he creates a Wound in the Force. When the Emperor feeds, he creates a complete Void in the Force, and takes away color and nearly all sound in the area.
Power Nullifier: No one can use The Force while on Nathema, or any other Void in the Force.
Physical God: The Emperor is among the most powerful Force users in history.
Posthumous Character: Malak and Mandalore the Ultimate.
Pragmatic Villainy: The Dark Council opposes the Emperor because his being an Omnicidal Maniac is not conducive to their dreams of galactic conquest.
- Lord Scourge takes it even further than anyone on the Dark Council and makes it practically an art-form.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: The Mandalorians as always
Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: The Exile is described as a moderate case.
Sacrificial Lion: T3-M4 and the Exile, although it is at the end.
Scary Black Man: Murtog, Darth Nyriss' chief of security, is described as having very dark skin.
Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!/Smug Snake: Sechel thinks he can boss around and insult Scourge just because he is a high ranking servant of Darth Nyriss. Scourge eventually kills him, of course.
Sealed Good in a Can: Revan at the end.
Self-Made Orphan: Tenebrae/Vitiate killed his father with the Force when the poor farmer reacted angrily to the fact that his wife had a child with a Sith Lord. Then he tortured his mother to death for dishonoring the family with her adultery.
Sense Loss Sadness: A few characters experience this while cut off from the Force on Nathema, and have to struggle not to throw up or go mad.
Sequel: Part one follows Revan after the events of the first game, Part two follows the Jedi Exile after the events of the second game.
Shock and Awe: The Sith Emperor can unleash some nasty Force lightning. Fitting considering who he's an Expy of.
- Darth Nyriss, being a Sith Inquisitor, is also quite good at this, as she demonstrates in her fight against Lord Scourge and Meetra Surik. Then Revan wakes up and effortlessly redirects Nyriss' lightning and utterly destroys her with it.
Shoot the Dog: When Revan's true identity is outed by the Mandalorians he and Canderous were working with, they have to kill them all. Canderous even has to kill his own wife.
Shoot the Shaggy Dog / Senseless Sacrifice : Revan and Exile are betrayed by their alleged ally, suffer an And I Must Scream fate, and the Sith still invade and curb-stomp the Republic anyway.
- However, their sacrifices do delay the Empire's advance for roughly 300 years and Revan's connection to the Emperor in stasis allows him to mentally influence the Emperor and help bring about the the Treaty of Coruscant, allowing new heroes to rise and successfully combat the Sith. Viewed in the long term, it becomes much more of a Bittersweet Ending.
Sleazy Politician: Averted with Revan's son, who proves to be, as his mother puts it: "exactly what the galaxy and the Republic needed" after all of the wars with the Sith.
Stockholm Syndrome: While not romantic, Lord Scourge becomes steadily obsessed with Revan as he continues to visit him in prison
Token Evil Teammate: Scourge becomes this for Revan and Meetra.
Torture Technician: Lord Scourge is stated as having shown a natural affinity for torture early on, and puts his skills to use on Revan after his capture. He is left with nothing but frustrations and dead-ends.
Undying Loyalty: T3-M4, Bastila, Canderous, HK-47, and the Exile all have this to Revan.
Villainous Breakdown: Once her treachery is outed and the Sith Emperor sends his Imperial Guard to kill her and all of her followers, Nyriss gets PISSED and becomes a raging hag who is hellbent on taking Lord Scourge and Meetra Surik with her. Of course, then Revan redirects her Force Lightning right back at her and turns into a pile of dust.
Voice of the Legion: The Sith Emperor's voice is described as such.
Wicked Witch: Darth Nyriss. She's even called a hag at one point in the novel.
Would Hit a Girl: Lord Scourge kills a female Sith Acolyte working for Darth Xedrix with a disturbing amount of brutality and sadism and also murders the Jedi Exile
- Also Revan, seeing as how he was willing to and did kill female opponents, and Canderous, who wound up having to shoot and kill his own wife
X Meets Y: The Sith Emperor is the nightmarish amalgam of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Nihilus, physically resembling the former quite a bit and even having red-robed guards with electric staffs who are fanatically loyal to him named Imperial Guards just like Palpatine does.
Yin Yang Bomb: Revan.
"Instead of charging forward, he opened himself to the Force, letting both the light and dark side flow through him like twin rushing rivers."
You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Played with. Veela is described as having both red and purple highlights in her hair.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Lord Scourge kills Sechel after he gets him the evidence he needs to incriminate Nyriss because he believes him to be a liability by that point.