Ulic Qel-Droma
Ulic Qel-Droma (4,018 BBY – 3,986 BBY) was a highly ambitious Jedi of the Old Republic in the fictional Star Wars Expanded Universe, primarily featured in Tales of the Jedi, a Dark Horse comic book series set four thousand years before the events of the films. He was fair and tall with brown eyes and tousled brown hair. Like many Jedi with such character flaws, Ulic fell prey to the dark side, and like some, went on to scar the galaxy forever with a multitude of atrocities. But in an odd turn of events, Ulic experienced another fall—a fall that was so unorthodox in nature that future occurrences were extremely rare.
In many ways, Ulic's rise as a promising Jedi Knight, subsequent fall to the dark side, and eventual redemption mirrors the story of Anakin Skywalker.
History
Path to Knighthood
Ulic was born on Alderaan to a mother that was a Jedi Master held in high regard. Unable to remove the emotional attachment that was necessary for the Jedi Order, Ulic's mother chose not to train Ulic and his brother, Cay, to be Jedi. Though denied the training to become as powerful of a force as his mother, Ulic decided to focus his efforts on almost every other form of competition he could. With a boundless ambition, Ulic proved to his critics that he would easily challenge and defeat nearly all who opposed him, in almost any field. Through such mental and physical victories, Qel-Droma became a popular icon on his homeworld.
Due in part to his heritage, Ulic was already naturally gifted in the Force, something his mother could no longer deny. Casting aside her previous reservations, Ulic's mother agreed to send the young hopeful to Jedi Master Arca Jeth on Arkania to begin his path to Jedi Knighthood.
Ulic's apprenticeship was filled with adventure and intrigue, as it was the age where Jedi Masters would take on multiple pupils and send them to numerous worlds for peacekeeping and expansion purposes. Ulic was in good company as he trained with his brother and a Twi'lek named Tott Doneeta. United, the three were sent on their first real assignment for Arca Jeth. Their assignment was to attempt to bring peace to the world of Onderon, in which a ravaging series of civil wars (the "Beast Wars") had been fought for centuries.
The Jedi entourage touched down in the walled capital of Iziz, after nearly being shot down by a Beast Rider patrol. With King Ommin recuperating from illness, the Jedi were forced to contact the Queen and her daughter, Princess Galia. In little more than a few hours, the Beast Riders had managed to storm the palace, kidnapping Galia. Leading his fellow Jedi, Ulic orchestrated the attempted rescue of the Princess. In their ship, the Nebulon Ranger, the Jedi plunged deep into Beast Rider territory in search of the kidnapped royalty.
Storming the Beast Rider citadel on giant boma beasts after the Ranger was shot down, the Jedi interrupted the ceremonial wedding of Princess Galia to the Beast Riders' leader, Oron Kira. In a startling realization, the young Jedi discovered that the true perpetuator of the war was Iziz, not the Beast Riders. With Galia professing her love to Kira, the Jedi were told of dark and terrible secrets that occurred in the capital city of Onderon. It was said that Freedon Nadd, an ancient and powerful Sith Lord, had brought the allure of the dark side to Onderon- and that the royalty in power were descendants of Freedon Nadd. Shocked at what they had learned, the Jedi peacekeepers allied themselves with the Beast Riders to launch an attempt to end the corrupted royalty's reign in Iziz.
As they entered the palace, the Jedi demanded that Queen Amanoa step down as ruler of Iziz. She refused, and a bloody battle ensued. To the Beast Riders' rescue, Arca Jeth entered Iziz and used his powerful Battle Meditation to turn the tide in favor of the Riders and his Jedi apprentices. The battle ended with a Jedi/Beast Rider victory, but while not killed, Cay Qel-Droma was seriously wounded. Arca Jeth temporarily quelled the darkness in Iziz, but was not pleased at his pupils' actions. He expressed disappointment in Ulic's inability to detect the presence of the dark side on Onderon, and contemplated to himself that perhaps his apprentices were not suitable for such a mission. Ulic was not convinced, and displayed a defiance in his disagreement with Jeth's conclusions.
Back in Iziz, with Galia married to Oron Kira, Onderon experienced a momentary uniting of its people. Not all would come to recognize Kira and Galia as rightful rulers of Onderon, however. And so began the Freedon Nadd Uprising, the opposition to the rule of Galia and her Beast Rider husband. Caught in the middle of a rebellion, Ulic and fellow Jedi (including a future importance in his life, Nomi Sunrider), were forced to act once again. Arca Jeth was seized by the deathly ill King Ommin during the Uprising- an opportunity Ulic used to gain his master's favor. Qel-Droma struck the frail dark side abomination that was the King down. In an unsettling display, Freedon Nadd claimed the life of the King, and declared to Ulic that he would soon become one of the greatest of the Sith the galaxy had ever seen. Nadd revealed that it was he who brought Force-sensitives from the Empress Teta System to Onderon- a process that would unsure a new, elite generation of Sith practitioners. And it was thus that Satal Keto and his cousin Aleema began the secret society known as the Krath, and eventually overthrew the rule of their parents in the Empress Teta System. Ulic and his new companion, Nomi Sunrider, were sent to investigate this alarming turn of events.
Krath Conflict
In an assault on the Empress Teta System, Aleema used her dark side deception to hide the Krath's numbers. In a state of confusion, Ulic's forces were unprepared to handle the Krath defense, and were forced to retreat. In that first attack, Ulic was slightly wounded. Nomi Sunrider was able to heal him, however.
On the planet Deneba, the Jedi assembled en masse to attempt to find resolution in this new threat. In the conclave, Ulic suggested to his fellow Jedi a plan that would send him down a dangerous path. He argued, that because the Krath's influence was widespread, one Jedi could infiltrate their ranks and bring the darkness down from the inside. The Jedi Masters scoffed at Ulic's suggestion, pronouncing it to be foolhardy and overly dangerous- the path to the dark side was not one treaded lightly, they reminded Qel-Droma. Before they could decide upon a course of action, they were overwhelmed by a Krath attack. In the dire battle between Jedi and battle droid, Ulic's respected master, Arca Jeth, was killed.
In despair, the young Jedi blamed himself for the death of his master. Blinded by emotion, Ulic, to the disapproval of Nomi Sunrider, decided to put his plan into action. After studying a Sith holocron held by another Jedi, Ulic Qel-Droma met with his brother. Cay expressed the same concern for his safety that Nomi did- he did not believe he would see his brother again. Unable to be convinced otherwise, Ulic saw no alternative- he would infiltrate the Krath. Before leaving for the Tetan city of Cinnagar, Ulic embraced his love for Nomi Sunrider, forgoing any Jedi restrictions.
While deep in the city, Ulic caught sight of a public execution being held by Aleema. The imprisoned man broke free from his captors and attacked the Sith Leader. In his first chance to display loyalty to the Krath, Ulic struck down the man before harm could come to Aleema. Although Aleema was grateful for his service, Satal Keto was most distrusting of this mysterious newcomer. Keto sent Ulic to be tortured in grueling fashion beneath Cinnagar. In his interrogation, Ulic's blood was poisoned by Sith chemicals- poison that would not easily be removed.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to make contact with Ulic, Nomi, Cay, and Tott Doneeta traveled to Cinnagar. Ulic, surviving his torture, ordered Sunrider to be imprisoned. In what he believed to be a secret communication to Nomi, Ulic expressed to her that he intended to stay in disguise for a while longer, in an effort to learn more of the Krath's plans. Unfortunately for Ulic, Satal intercepted his conversation with Nomi, and sentenced them both to death.
With the Sith poison working on him, Ulic was cast into dejection. He was without his friends, his Jedi Order, and his love. Nomi managed to escape, however, and called Cay Qel-Droma and Tott Doneeta to stage a rescue. Destroying the Krath's defenses, the Jedi managed to pull Nomi from her captivity, but Ulic decided to stay behind. In a fit of rage, Ulic struck Satal Keto down, demanding vengeance for the death of Arca Jeth. Ulic's hatred had continued to flow as his brother pleaded with him to join the other Jedi on their ship. Ulic warned his brother that he would take his life unless he was left alone. The Jedi had departed from Cinnagar, and Ulic was left to become one with the dark side.
Aleema progressed Qel-Droma further and further down the dark path, giving him an ancient Sith amulet that commanded a great power. With a major Jedi invasion on the way, Ulic prepared to denounce his ties with the Jedi to his friends. Cay and Nomi met Ulic in Cinnagar's Iron Citadel, and attempted to bring him back to the light. Ulic refused, condemning his brother and his former love to be weak pawns of the Jedi. In that moment, he held Cay and Nomi at bay with his newfound Sith relic. Cay was reluctant to leave Ulic behind as the other Jedi left Cinnagar, but was eventually restrained and forced to leave his brother to the ravages of the dark side.
Exar Kun's apprentice
- "You are puppets of tradition pretending to be important. The coming Golden Age has no place for you. Your Republic is an empty self-indulgent diversion... signifying nothing. The lost glory of the Sith will turn all of your supposed accomplishments to dust." —Ulic Qel-Droma
Entering the Iron Citadel after the Jedi departed was Exar Kun, a rogue Jedi who had delved deeply into the powers of the dark side, and embraced the Sith Order. Kun had come to Cinnagar because he sensed that Ulic was the only Sith initiate in the galaxy who could challenge his might. In an epic battle, the two Dark Jedi sealed their fates in a violent clash of power. During the battle, both amulets that each combatant was wearing had sprung to life. They had begun to display a vision of a former Golden Age Sith Empire that was in place a thousand years in the past. Suddenly, the spirit of the ancient Dark Lord of the Sith, Marka Ragnos, appeared to the two opponents. It was then that the spirit proclaimed the two to be the next rulers of the Sith, the ones who would bring an order of Sith might to the galaxy once again. While Exar was pronounced Dark Lord of the Sith, Ulic was deemed to be his apprentice.
The Great Sith War had begun, and Ulic Qel-Droma was allied with Aleema as warlords of the Empress Teta System. One warrior, Mandalore, had contested Ulic's ruling of the system. In a duel between the two, Ulic managed to defeat the Mandalorian warrior, who subsequently pledged his allegiance to Ulic's reign. The soldiers under his command were now part of Qel-Droma's ever growing force. With this new addition, the Sith Lord disobeyed his master's order and took the fight directly to the Republic's capital world of Coruscant. In the raging battle over the skies of Coruscant, Ulic was captured by a group of Jedi, which included Nomi Sunrider, and was brought before the Galactic Senate in a trial for him to answer for his crimes.
Ulic Qel-Droma was as defiant as always, as he refused to apologize for any of his actions. He spoke to the Senate of the coming Golden Age of the Sith, of which he and Exar Kun would propagate. With respectful timing, Exar Kun arrived at Ulic's trial and proceeded to murder the Senate that was present. After the master and his apprentice had left their mark with the show of violence they deemed necessary, they left the halls of the Senate and departed from Coruscant.
After their brutality on Coruscant, Ulic and Exar Kun decided to dupe Aleema into detonating the stars of the Cron Cluster, hurtling a path of destruction at the Jedi library on nearby Ossus. With the Jedi on Ossus in dismay, the Sith Lords ventured to the stronghold to steal what artifacts they could from the library before it was destroyed. On the planet, Ulic confronted his brother. They dueled, and Cay Qel-Droma was struck down by his corrupted sibling. Ulic could not handle the grief involved in the murdering of his brother- the emotion he experienced was one that tore at the very fiber of his being. Nomi Sunrider, unable to comprehend her former love's actions, used a forbidden technique in an effort to stop Ulic's rampages. She used all her power to totally cut him off from the Force. Ulic's spirit was shattered from the effects, and the Force was no longer his to command- or feel.
Redemption
Stripped of his power, Ulic went into exile. For nearly ten years he wandered in search of some understanding of what he was- and what he had become. Ulic sought to settle down on Yavin IV with the help of a pilot named Hoggon. Exar Kun, who had trapped his spirit within the walls of a Massassi temple on the fourth moon, proved to be too haunting to Ulic, and he desired to move to somewhere else even more isolated. Hoggon took the broken Jedi to the ice-world of Rhen Var, where he was broken even further by memories of his friends after falling victim to a cave-in. His will was still strong despite being cut off from the Force, and he managed to gather enough strength to allow himself to live, though he was not sure if that was truly what he wanted.
Hoggon, who had in the intervening time come into contact with Nomi Sunrider's daughter, was hired to seek out Ulic Qel-Droma. Although Hoggon was shocked to learn he had transported a wanted criminal on his ship, he agreed to help Vima Sunrider find the fallen Jedi who was hiding on Rhen Var.
Vima confronted Ulic on the icy world, and expressed her desire to become a Jedi through his teachings. Ulic promptly rejected her offer, believing his teachings would only cause harm. Though he had refused, Vima had reminded him of his former love, Nomi. He could deny his feelings no longer, and decided to train her to become a Jedi. Together, and although Ulic was without the Force, they crafted lightsabers and built statues honoring such Jedi as Arca Jeth and Vima's father, Andur Sunrider.
After Vima's training was complete, Nomi arrived on Rhen Var to seek out her daughter. Though their meeting was awkward, Nomi had seen the statues Ulic had carved, and was finally discovering that he was beginning to find himself at peace. Unknown to Ulic, however, a Cathar Jedi named Sylvar had arrived at Rhen Var as well- but her mission was one of vengeance. For the death of her mate at Ulic's hands years ago, Sylvar attacked Qel-Droma. Ulic refused to fight, and eventually convinced the Jedi to put down her weapon. What he said to her were to be his last words:
I cannot change the past. I meant to do good. But the Dark Side is slippery, as you yourself should know. I tried to hide. I tried to die. And finally, I tried to atone. You are not my judge, Sylvar. You are simply a pawn of your own emotions. I will not fight you.
Ulic was not any safer, however. At that moment, Hoggon, who deeply respected the Jedi Order, put a blaster shot directly into the heart of Ulic Qel-Droma. From Hoggon's point of view, he was simply disposing of a villain who had murdered many of his admired Jedi- an act that made him a hero in his own eyes. As Nomi cradled the fallen Qel-Droma's body, he gave Vima a necklace as a sign of eternal thanks, for she was the reason Ulic had finally been able to make peace with himself. He also begged Nomi for forgiveness, to which Nomi replied:
Rest easy, Ulic. I have already done that.
With his life at peace, Ulic's life force had left him in a glistening display of energy, and the former Jedi Knight vanished. Of great interest is the fact that at the moment his body vanished, Nomi proclaimed that only Jedi Masters could vanish in such a way, proving that Ulic had managed to become a Jedi Master before he died despite not being able to touch the Force.
His spirit lay dormant for four thousand years until it was awakened by Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars. Skywalker had come to Qel-Droma's burial site on Rhen Var seeking guidance in his plight to destroy the Dark Reaper reactivated by Count Dooku. Qel-Droma taught the young Jedi much, and because of his own experiences frequently warned Anakin to heed the wisdom of the light- while at the same time avoiding the destructive path of the dark side.
References
- Tales of the Jedi: Redemption, paperback, Dark Horse 2001. Kevin J. Anderson, Chris Gossett, ISBN 1-56971-535-1
- Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War, paperback, Dark Horse 1996. Kevin J. Anderson, Dario Carrasco, Mark G. Heike, ISBN 1-56971-173-9
- Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith, paperback, Dark Horse 1996. Kevin J. Anderson, Tom Veitch, Chris Gossett, Art Wetherell, ISBN 1-56971-095-3
- Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising, paperback, Dark Horse 1997. Tom Veitch, Tony Akins, Denis Rodier, ISBN 1-56971-307-3
- Tales of the Jedi: Knights of the Old Republic, paperback, Dark Horse 1994. Tom Veitch, Chris Gossett, Janine Johnston, David Roach, ISBN 1-56971-020-1