revan

Revan is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, introduced in the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) by BioWare. Created by writer Drew Karpyshyn, Revan is presented as a complex figure who embodies both Jedi ideals and Sith ambition.

In KOTOR, the player learns that Revan was a Jedi Knight who led the Republic and the Jedi during the Mandalorian Wars, but was captured by the Sith and had his memory erased, emerging as the Dark Lord known as Darth Revan. Alongside Darth Malak, Revan conquers much of the galaxy before the truth of his identity is revealed and the player regains his memories. Depending on player choices, Revan can fall to the dark side again or reclaim the light, with the culmination typically involving defeating Malak and saving the Republic with Bastila Shan's aid.

Revan's backstory and character were developed further in Star Wars expanded media, notably the 2007 novel Darth Revan by Karpyshyn, which explores his origins and fate. The character also appears in stories set in The Old Republic era and in later games and comics that form part of the Star Wars Legends continuity, a designation used after Disney's 2014 reorganization that removed many non-film materials from the official canon.

In canonical Star Wars, Revan has not been confirmed as an official, ongoing character, though his mythos continues to influence discussions of the franchise's ancient history. Overall, Revan is one of Star Wars' most enduring figures from the era of the Old Republic: a warrior-scholar whose memory manipulation and dual identity explore questions of loyalty, power, and redemption.