Why Now Is The Best Time To Re-Introduce Kyle Katarn To 'Star Wars'

What Could The Spy-Turned-Jedi's Role Be In Canon?

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago • 4 min read

The Skywalker Saga is Dead. Long live the Skywalker Saga!

Love it or hate it, The Rise of Skywalker brought about the end of a familial drama over 40 years in the making – and that’s ok! What things like Star Wars: Rebels, The Mandalorian, and The Bad Batch prove is that we are ready to root for new heroes and discover new worlds. So, the stage is set for the re-entry of Legends character Kyle Katarn.

For those who don’t know, Kyle Katarn was a famous Legends character who has been a smuggler, a Jedi, a hero, villain, wise mentor, playable character – and everything in-between. The subject of many games, comics, and tie-in literature, Kyle Katarn ended up being quite a major part of Star Wars Lore. But since the great Disney purge, Katarn hasn’t shown up yet.

But now is his time to shine!

The Jedi as we know them are gone. Already, the Force is arguably returning to being a “hokey religion” to the masses. So, if a newly Force sensitive Katarn suddenly appeared on the scene with no moral guidance other than his own – what adventures would he get into? He could put the “grey” in “moral grey Jedi”. He isn’t evil or power hungry by nature. But the alluring pull of the dark side could bend even the best of men.

Kyle started training as a Jedi relatively late in his life, compared to the normal progression. He had lived, loved, lost, and generally had adventures without being a space wizard. He started from humble beginnings and, for a lot of his life, was buffeted about on the winds of much larger galactic events. In essence, he is a perfect everyman character for the audience to latch onto in a Star Wars story. Of course, he has some skills, and is a charismatic rogue, but he can’t deflect bullets, mind flay people, or Force heal wounds. This gives any potential story with Katarn real stakes and tension– especially if we focus on his younger mercenary days.

Controversial point; Kyle Katarn was an Imperial. Not only an Imperial, but a decorated one, receiving the Imperial Medal of Valor for his actions. We’ve had some hero characters fleetingly be in Imperial Service, before ditching it for orange flight jackets and made-up surnames – but what if we got a great story about an Imperial who genuinely believes he is doing the right thing? That the Empire was spreading good and prosperity across the galaxy? It wasn’t all Death Lasers and towering black-helmeted murderers after all. Someone has to make sure the space-trains run on time. Seeing the scales slowly drop from the eyes of a character we have grown to love and care about, as they realize they have been part of this monstrous entity, could be very exciting – and show us a side of Star Wars that we have only scratched the surface of so far.

One of the best things about the Star Wars universe is the literally infinite number of worlds we can visit – each one unique and filled with promise for storytellers. The Mandalorian gave us an insight into the Bounty Hunters Guild. The Book of Boba Fett touched on the seedy underworld groups and cadres that inhabit the galaxy. We’ve seen Maul, Voss, and Qi’ra lead the Crimson Dawn. But what is it like on the streets? Trying to make a name for yourself and find your way in this underworld is not an easy prospect. Now is very much the time for us to walk with a character who is doing just this. The Bad Batch could need a local contact? Obi-Wan might need a spy for off world information? Mando might need an extra pair of hands for a job? This character could flit in and out of these other shows, while establishing his own IP to create a unique take on a ruffian finding his way in the world.

Obviously, Kyle Katarn has a lot of history in Legends that fans would love to see translate to the screen. That history could, and should, be cherry picked, molded, and brought to life in a new era to showcase the amazing character that is Kyle Katarn – whatever stage of his life the writers want to use and show off to a new galaxy of viewers. It worked well for Grand Admiral Thrawn - and he doesn’t even have a beard!