| “ | I have studied at the foot of the Dark Lord himself! | „ |
| ~ Darth Bandon to Revan |
Darth Bandon is the Shadow Hand and apprentice of Darth Malak an antagonist in the video game, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
History
Joining the Sith
Darth Bandon was once a Jedi Padawan, but he never could dedicate himself to Jedi ways. He was powerful in the Force, drawing strength from his rage and other negative emotions. Bandon’s Jedi master failed to drive these out of him and eventually, when Darth Revan and Darth Malak returned to begin a war with the Republic, Bandon went to attend their Sith academy. He was able to dedicate himself much more to the ways of the Sith and his abilities and cruel personality quickly gained the attention and favour of Malak. Eventually, Malak was able to apparently kill Revan by having his flagship fire on his master’s ship while the Jedi ambushed him, and chose Bandon as his new apprentice and right hand. Bandon learned many of the Sith’s secrets from Malak and repeatedly proved himself worthy of being his master’s apprentice, slaying many Jedi. Many believed that Bandon would soon challenge Malak to take command himself.
Hunting Bastila Shan
As the war went on, Bandon was tasked by his master to hunt down Bastila Shan, due to her possessing the power of Battle Meditation, which could prove able to turn the war back in the Republic’s favor. After Bastila was tracked to the Republic ship, the Endar Spire, Bandon stormed the ship with Sith forces.
Bandon being attacked by Trask
However, he unknowingly came across Revan, his mind wiped so that he only remembered being a soldier of the Republic, accompanied by another soldier named Trask. Trask charged Bandon alone, sacrificing himself so that Revan could escape, and the Sith Lord cut him down. Bandon was unable to track Bastila down before the Endar Spire was shot down, allowing Bastila to escape to the planet, Taris, in an escape pod.
Battle with Revan and Bastila
After bombing Taris and sending the bounty hunter, Calo Nord, both failed to bring Bastila down, Malak decided that no bounty hunter was enough to get the Jedi.
Bandon blasting aside a trooper
Thus, he summoned Bandon to the bridge of his ship, who promptly blasted a Sith trooper aside for walking into his path. Malak ordered his apprentice to find Bastila and bring her back alive if possible. Bandon agreed and began hunting for the Jedi and her companions. He eventually tracked them to Manaan and used an underwater vessel to track them to the Republic’s secret kolto harvesting facility by following the same path Revan and Malak had taken years ago.
Bandon appearing to face Revan
Bandon and two Dark Jedi confronted Revan and his allies on their way out after they found the Star Map on the planet. The Sith Lord noted that he’d begun to fear that someone else had killed them first, thus robbing him of the pleasure. Bandon declared that while Revan had defeated Nord, he was far more dangerous. Revan recognized the Sith Lord as the one who’d killed Trask and said he would pay for it, to which Bandon replied that his words meant nothing, unless he cared to beg for his life. The Sith Lord finally declared that he would make Revan’s death quick and painful before attacking, However, Bandon was defeated and slain.
Impact after Death
Bandon's head
At one point, Bandon’s body was found by several Sith acolytes and they preserved his head via Sith alchemy. After Malak died and the Sith Empire collapsed, the acolytes turned to the head for leadership, hoping to use it to communicate with Bandon’s spirit. Eventually, they tried to put the head on a new body, but the Jedi intervened and put an end to them, but Bandon’s head was not recovered. It ultimately found its way to the House Alde Royal Museum as part of a display in the honor of Trask Ulgo, the soldier Bandon had killed on the Endar Spire.
Personality
Bandon is an extremely ruthless, cruel, and wrathful, even during his time as a Jedi. He tolerates no slights to his status, blasting a Sith trooper out of the way and into a console, which caused it to explode, just because the trooper walked in his way. Because of his natural cruelty, Bandon is highly dedicated to the Sith and seeks to bring about the end of the Republic and the Jedi. He is also somewhat arrogant in his abilities and plots to overthrow Malak, as it is natural for a Sith apprentice to eventually bring down their master once the apprentice was stronger.
Abilities
Bandon is an extremely powerful Sith, having slain many Jedi in his time. He wields a double-bladed lightsaber and has access to many force powers. Bandon can unleash powerful telekinetic strikes, trap his opponent in a swirling whirlwind of force energy, protect himself from other force powers, unleash force lightning, draw power from his rage, curse his enemies with fear to make them unable to fight him, drain life from others, telekinetically strangle his foes, and afflict his enemies with a quick acting toxin that slows their movements.
Trivia
- Bandon’s name is derived from the word “abandon.”
- He was featured on an article from Star Wars Insider 100 called “The 100 Greatest Things about Star Wars… Ever!” that listed the 100 most popular entries on StarWars.com. Bandon came in 22nd place.
- Bandon appeared in a picture in the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide where he was seen fighting Juhani, a Jedi companion of Revan’s in the game.
