Kyle Katarn in novel continuity

I recently got the Jedi Outcast game, which has impressed me with its close ties to the Star Wars novels. Finally I work out where Valiento got his icon from.

Set 8yrs after Endor, Kyle, a mercenary for hire, and his female partner raid Imperial sites and discovering experiments to transfer Force-imbued crystals into people by a collaboration between a renegade Dark Jedi and the Imps, turning them into bad Jedi.

It features Mon Mothma and Skywalker, as well as Lando, who plays a major role. You get to see what the Lady Luck, Lando's yacht, looks like! Kyle and his partner fly what I seriously think is a K-wing!!!!! It has the k-shape wings, with triple engine drives. But a mistake was made, because the Black Fleet Trilogy says the middle one is bigger, and the game shows it smaller.

But what blew me away was the cantina scene of the Nar Shardda level, (yes, there was that typical background music). The bartender was a Chiss!!!!!!!

You get to see a Chiss, with dark hair, blue skin, and those scarlet eyes. He's got bad grammar, but you still get a kick out of it. And the Nar Shardda level really feels like you're in the city, with speeder cars buzzing around and skyline buildings.

I just thought the game designers really knew their Star Wars books, and made efforts to tie it in with everything. You even get to fight (whimpy) Dark Jedi back to back with Luke later on!

 

Check out the kyle katarn books discussion thread, see lit index to see how 8 years, is a big issue that messes with previously established continuity, and how the 9 years date given in the manual is a better option... I actually created a timeline that splits up all the info so that it can all fit in that thread as well.

Jan Ors was flying a different model out of the same line that the moldy crow came from. It's a type of freighter class. Not a k-wing. To see a k-wing look in the essential chronology. If you can't do that just ask and I link to the scan I made of them.

 

If you enjoy the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight games I can highly recommend the books that Val's Kyle Katarn book thread discusses. They're pretty good. Illustrated Novels.

 

Do you have any direct links there, or to this thread?

 

Well, to save you some time searching through the thread here is the timeline setup. Also note that the author of the game basically said to ignore the 8 year date for the main game as he intended a 9 years after JK1 date(14 aby).

"5 ABY - JK1
10 ABY - MoTS
11 Kyle joins Academy
12 ABY - Darksaber, JK2 demo level, Kyle leaves Academy
14 ABY - JK2"

I think the way to read the intro is something like this(Me insurting stories where it's applicable, and moving the order around so it makes sense, based on all the sources released so far):


"After defending the VALLEY
OF THE JEDI from the evil
JEREC and nearly falling to
the dark side himself on the
world of dromand kaas, Kyle
Katarn joins the jedi academy
where luke teaches him the
finer points of the force.

While he is there he helps to defeat
Exar kun and seal him away, where he
can never cause problems for the
academy again.

It is a time of relative peace
in the galaxy. Eight years
have passed since the
Empire's defeat at the
BATTLE OF ENDOR, but the
NEW REPUBLIC still struggles
to restore order and
vanquish its enemies.

Kyle continues to train at the
academy. During an attack by Admiral
Daala he helps to fight as a jedi
in ground battles on the moon of
yavin. Kyle helps focus the force
through Dorsk 81 hurling Star
destroyers out of the system
saving the Jedi Academy yet again.

In response to reports of
heightened remnant activity.
Mon Mothma has asked jan and
kyle to pose as cargo haulers
and investigate a remote remnant
base on the ice planet of Alzoc III....

Kyle finds out the information that
mon mothma needed and barely escapes
after fighting off a platoon of imperials
and dark jedi.

After the battle he rethinks his position
as a jedi and hands his lightsaber over
to luke skywalker because he no
longer trusts himself to wield the force
and leaves the Jedi Academy behind.

Former JEDI KNIGHT KYLE KATARN
has severed his connection with
the Force and returned to his
mercenary ways. With his long
time partner, JAN ORS, Kyle
continues to aid the Republic in
the fight against the IMPERIAL
REMNANT.

Nine years after avenging his
father's death kyle katarn is a
lone wolf mercercenary looking to
redeem himself.

As the Remnant launches its
latest gambit to regain
control of the galaxy, Kyle
and Jan have been sent by
the New Republic to
investigate the planet KEJIM,
home to a long-dead
Imperial outpost...." (JK2, JK2 manual, EC)

Burrie's post:

Apparently, this wouldn't make sense because Jan is still around... I don't know this for 100%, as I still haven't played the demo. I'll be download the level tonight to check it out 'tho.

I personally thought for a second that the demo might take place AFTER Jedi Outcast, but this wouldn't make sense either, as Kyle seems to have lost some of his powers... and it might not work together with the text-crawl.

To be honest, I'm with Valiento on this one. I personally also think that the Reborn we meet in the Demo is nothing more than a natural Dark Jedi, who was perhaps in league with Desann (perhaps Tavion's apprentice(s)?), which would explain what the Reborn says after he kills Kyle.

I'd also like to comment on this thread... I love it, Kyle has always been one of the heroes in my book, and it's great to see that his story(EVEN the Demo) can be placed logically in the Time Line. Excellent work everyone.

Now back to your discussion.

I would also like to point out that the demo is going from mere demo status to bonus mission in the upcoming console versions of the game. So it will further lock it's place into continuity, but really should there be an argument about that?

 

Valiento, I agree with the continuity you posted, except I would have left out the demo level and say that his decision to leave the Jedi Academy was the combination of the encounter with Exar Kun, Dorsk 81's death, and Mon Mothma secretly asking him and Jan to resume their work as her agents.

 

Well, I can't leave out the demo level out of the timeline considering it was actually a piece of continuity, they took the time to take it from merely a level showing of abilities and graphics(like it was at the E3 and other expos before the game was released) and they took the time to add cutscenes, and an actual story. It's being added into the main game as unlockable secret level in the console versions of the game.

Most of that scrolling text I wrote, was made up of direct quotes from the demo level, manual and game, for instance. I just manipulated the order of the quotes to make them flow together the best. The exact monthly placement of when the demo takes place though is a bit hard to define, except that it was said to be 8 years after endor(12 aby).

Since he was a jedi in demo, it had to be honestly before he gives up his saber to luke and before he gave up all his powers. So I placed it in the best place where it seemed to fit.

It was also in this demo level that mon mothma first asked them to resume there work as secret agents.

"In response to reports of
heightened remnant activity.
Mon Mothma has asked jan and
kyle to pose as cargo haulers
and investigate a remote remnant
base on the ice planet of Alzoc III...."-direct quote from the game

So yes I do agree with your response that his battle with exar kun's spirit, and dorsk 81 were the biggest reasons he left the order, but the demo has to stay, as it is part of the story. It would be another added reason for him to leave the order because of his run in with darksiders. So yes I agree with you it was for combined reasons, but all these reasons including his alzoc III mission all combined to give him a reason to leave the order.