Darth Malak/Synopsis

Villain Overview Synopsis

The history of Darth Malak from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Background

Early Life and Training

“	The Jedi Order moved too slowly for Revan and Malak; we were too cautious in their eyes. They always sought to learn far quicker than their Masters felt was prudent.	„
	~ Zhar Lastin commenting on Revan and Alek.

Alek during his youth.

The human male known to become Darth Malak, was initially Alek Squinquargesimus born sometime 3964 BBY on the planet Quelii. The young boy managed to escape his homeworld before it was devastated by the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders lead by Mandalore the Ultimate during the Mandalorian Wars. Atfer his family escaped death at the hands of the Mandalorians, they fled to the Galactic Republic and the name of his home village was assigned as Alek's surname. Eventually, Alek was found to be force-sensitive and was taken into the Jedi Order to become a knight at a young age. The young Alek was taken to the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine and quickly became a padawan of the ancient monastic order. During his training days, he earned the nickname of 'Squint' by his peers who had trouble pronouncing his surname and befriended another padawan by the name of "Revan". The two quickly rose through the ranks and while Revan was the strongest of the two, both had desires to broaden their knowledge and traveled to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to train under the Twi'lek Jedi Master Zhar Lestin. Sometime before the Mandalorian Wars, both Revan and Alek completed their training and reached the ranks of Jedi Knight.

Mandalorian Wars

Recruiting the Revanchists

“	It's ridiculous, don't you see? The Sith threat ended what, 30 years ago? The Mandalorians are the threat. The Mandalorians are here…almost. We need every able-bodied Jedi we can get.	„
	~ Alek to Zayne Carrick.

In 3964 BBY, the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders lead by Mandalore the Ultimate launched a full-scale invasion of the Galactic Republic sparking the infamous Mandalorian Wars. Both Revan and Alek saw the Mandalorian invasion as a major threat and were eager to combat the Mandalorians, but were told to refrain from doing so by the Jedi High Council who believed that the true threat to the Republic had not yet emerged. Revan was not dissuaded and decided to form a secret splinter group of Jedi called the Revanchists who were to fight the Mandalorians for the Republic against the wishes of the Republic. Alek was the first to join his new movement and Alek would help recruit more Jedi to join the movement and fight the Mandalorians. Alek soon referred to Revan as his "honorary master" and would soon spy on the Mandalorians with other Revanchists against the wishes of the council. 

Alek and Zayne on Taris.

During their operations against the Mandalorians, Alek and the Revanchists stopped to rest on Taris where Alek visited the planet's Jedi Temple in the hopes of recruiting more of them to the Revanchist cause. While he was visiting the Outer Rim world, Alek was met by Lucien Draay who asked him to look for Zayne Carrick, Draay's Jedi Padawan. Carrick was chasing Snivvian black marketeer Marn Hierogryph and fell into the cityscape after falling off his speederbike and was rescued by Alek saving his life in the process. Carrick and Alek conversed after the former was saved where Alek attempted to convince him to join the Jedi Crusaders against the Mandalorians, but the human padawan refused believing that the Sith was the real threat to the galaxy and not the Mandalorians. While Carrick was a less-than steller student, Alek believed that he still had a major role to play and could contribute greatly to the war effort against the Mandalorians. Before the Revanchists left Taris, Alek told Carrick that sometimes in order to preserve the light side of the force, one must dive into the dark side. After he left however, Alek was informed by Lucien that a group of extremist Jedi Masters acted upon a vision and murdered their padawans to stop the rise of a potential Sith Lord. The group was called the Jedi Covenant and Zarrick was framed for murdering their padawans and Alek had to help clear his name. 

Flashpoint Station

“	What are you doing? You can barely stand! These are trials that only a Jedi can survive, Jarael. And I think we both know I'm the only Jedi in this conversation. How did you know—? Because we do have abilities they have yet to discover. Maybe that'll be their undoing.	„
	~ Jarael and Alek in Flashpoint Station.

Alek, Jarael and other Jedi at the mercy of Demagol.

Soon after leaving Taris, Alek and his companions found themselves stranded on the planet Suurja while Revan was investigating the events on Onderon and on its jungle moon of Dxun. Roughly a week after meeting with Carrick, Alek and the other Jedi found themselves ambushed by Mandalorian crusaders after the fourth battle for the planet. Alek was captured and he and the other Jedi were taken to Flashpoint Station, a Republic research station that was captured by the Mandalorians a few months prior. There, a Mandalorian scientist by the name of Demagol began experimenting on the captured Jedi with Alek being his favorite subject as the scientist attempted to divine the source of the Jedi's force powers. Demagol performed various kinds of torture on Alek from irradiation to electroshock and stress tests on a torture rack. Alek used his powers of the force to nullify himself to the pain which allowed him to survive, but lost his hair in the process of the experiments.

Weeks after being captured, a female Arkanian offshoot named Jarael was brought in and incacerated in the station after she was captured and taken prisoner by the Mandalorians. She was confused for a Jedi, but Alek knew that she wasn't one and volunteered in her place to be studied when Demagol became interested in her saying that he had force powers that were yet to be unlocked. Demagol wasted no time in testing on Alek, but it wasn't long before Carrick arrived on the starship The Last Resort to rescue Jarael and break out her and other prisoners being held onboard the station. As part of the plan, Carrick pretended to have been captured by the rogue Mandalorian Rohlan Dyre and was eventually taken to Jarael's stand by Demagol . When Dyre and Demagol both emerged, they claimed that Carrick was dead not knowing that the latter had tricked them into believing it. Before long, the Mandalorians guarding the station were forced to leave in order to respond to a reported Republic attack that was falsified by Marn Hierogryph, allowing Carrick (who was posing as Demagol) and the others to free the Jedi prisoners and other captives. 

Demagol was incapacitated by Dyre and the former's unconscious body was taken and dragged onto the Last Resort by Alek to be brought to Coruscant to stand trial for his crimes against the Galactic Republic. Alek asked Carrick if he would join the Revanchists, but he declined again citing things that he had to finish. The young Jedi wished Jarael goodbye and said that he would see her again some day before departing off to Coruscant. While traveling to the Republic capital however, Demagol fell into a drug-induced coma and was unable to stand trial. The Mandalorians eventually launched a full-scale invasion of the Republic causing Revan, now known as "the Revanchist" to the public, to openly defy the Jedi Council and went to war against the Mandalorians regardless with Alek coming along and traveling to worlds such as Dantooine to recruit more Jedi to the Revanchist cause. In 3973 BBY, Alek was present on Cathar where he and Revan investigated a massacre on the native Cathar species by the Mandalorians and felt a disturbance in the force from a devastating nuclear attack on Serroco by the Mandalorians. 

The Adasca Affair

“	This is an advance that transcends simple monetary compensation, don't you agree? A dangerous advance. The power to destroy matter on an astronomical scale—that's too much for any government to wield responsibly!	„
	~ Arkoh Adasca and Alek.

Alek, Ferrah and their "Master" Revan.

After the Mandalorian devastation of Serecco, Arkoh Adasca, eigth lord of the House of Adasca and head of the Adasca Medical Corporation, invited Revan and his followers to attend a meeting bidding on exogorth creatures after he had discovered that they were discovered to potentially conscruct biological weapons. Alek was sent to the meeting in the Omonoth System by Revan as he was still on Cathat investigating the Mandalorian genocide on the planet against the native inhabitants and Alek arrived acting as the representative of the Jedi Crusaders.

Later, aboard the Legacy, Adasca revealed his plan to sell his exogorth superweapons to the highest bidder. Alek reacted with disgust, feeling that such a force was too powerful to be entrusted to any government. However, he felt that they could be entrusted to the Jedi, as the Revanchists saw heartache and chaos in the years to come. As Admiral Saul Karath, who was representing the Republic, attempted to further converse with Adasca, Alek and the Republic officers Carth Onasi and Dallan Morvis reacted in shock upon learning that Mandalore the Ultimate, the leader of the Mandalorians, had also been invited by Adasca to bid on the exogorths. As Mandalore entered the Arkanian Legacy, Alek ignited his lightsaber and leaped forward in an attempt to kill Mandalore and end the war. Predicting the attack, Mandalore quickly struck him down with his newly-made battle axe, knocking the young Jedi off his feet. While Mandalore and Adasca discussed the exogorth deal, Alek tried to convince Karath to arrest them, but the Admiral would not take the risk of doing so while they were outnumbered. As the invited representatives proposed their offers, Alek expressed disbelief that Mandalore would offer Adasca a powerful position in the Mandalorian war effort in exchange for the device controlling the exogorths. He was further surprised when Karath offered Republic territory for the device.

Alek training with Jarael.

Eventually, Lucien Draay—who had arrived on the Legacy earlier in order to investigate Adasca —and Carrick met up with Carth Onasi and Dyre to work together to create a plan to compromise Adasca's scheme. When Carrick initiated a diversion—which involved leading the Mandalorians into believing that Adasca, the Republic officers, and Jedi at the meeting set a trap for them—Alek immediately realized what was going on and participated in the brawl that erupted. Not long afterward, Alek, Carrick, Draay, Onasi, Karath, Jarael, Dyre, and Morvis, were forced to escape the Legacy's observation dome as the exogorths, which had gone out of Adasca's control, devoured it and killed Adasca. While Karath, Morvis, and Onasi escaped on the latter's ship, the others searched for another vessel, since Alek's ship had been destroyed in one of the docking bays. Before Draay could arrest Carrick, the starship Moomo Williwaw crashed into the Arkanian Legacy, preventing Draay from apprehending his former Padawan. Alek traveled with Carrick and his crew in the Williwaw so that the fugitive could rendezvous with Marn Hierogryph on Taris.

After arriving on Taris, which had been captured by the Mandalorians, Carrick rocketed down to the city below using a jetpack to aid the local resistance against the Mandalorians and meet up with Hierogryph. After this, Alek and the crew flew off in the Williwaw. Alek later engaged in a sparring match with Jarael, in which she bested him. The match brought the two closer together, with Alek explaining to Jarael that the Jedi had refrained from emotional relationships since the Great Sith War; however, he stated that he did not agree with this sentiment. Although he was interested in her romantically, Jarael was reluctant to enter into a relationship with him.

Against the Jedi Covenant

“	Vandar Tokare: Be honest! How hard would it be to create shadow agents with that wealth? You've complained yourself—Jedi are reported killed on remote missions all the time without investigations. And Krynda Draay has trained Jedi for thirty years without our supervision. You know how thin we were after the Sith War—we were happy for the help! How many remain loyal to her now? Alek: "Is anything impossible when the forces opposing it are asleep? Vrook Lamar: "You would know something about Jedi operating without leave, I'd bet—but never mind. Even with what Shel has told us of Raana Tey, we could never bring this to the Council. You don't know what Krynda means to the Jedi, son. She's one of the few Sith War heroes we have left. You accuse her, you won't rock the Order. You'll tear it apart!	„
	~ Alek discusses Krynda Draay and her Jedi Covenant with Jedi Masters Vrook Lamar and Vandar Tokare.

Alek under the guise of "Captain Malak".

Alek, along with Jarael, Dyre, and the Williwaw's crew, eventually landed on the planet Jebble to rescue Carrick and Marn Hierogryph, who had left Taris with Jedi Knight and Covenant agent Celeste Morne to pursue an ancient Sith amulet. While the group was departing from Jebble, a Mandalorian fleet commanded by Mandalore's primary strategist Cassus Fett arrived. In order to stop a transmuting disease that was affecting the Mandalorian soldiers from spreading off-world, Carrick sent a message to Fett, warning him not to land his troops on the surface. Fett responded to this by ordering a nuclear bombardment of the planet. Made more determined by the loss of Morne, who had seemingly died during the bombing, Carrick reminded Alek that he owed him a favor from Flashpoint Station and asked him, along with the rest of the Williwaw's crew, for assistance in stopping the Jedi Covenant.

Before they separated once more, Alek told Carrick, who engineered a plan to stop the Covenant, to bring evidence of the Covenant's Sith artifact warehouse to the Jedi High Council. Alek and Shel Jelavan, whose brother had been killed by the Covenant in the Padawan Massacre, went to Coruscant to perform their part of Carrick's plan. Due to the arrest warrant that had been issued for the Revanchists by the Jedi Council, Alek went under the guise of one "Captain Malak" and adorned his head with blue–gray tattoos. After sending a holographic transmission to Masters Vandar Tokare and Vrook Lamar on Coruscant to arrange a meeting, Alek and Jelavan rendezvoused with the two Masters inside a cantina in the underlevels of Coruscant to discuss evidence pertaining to the Padawan Massacre. Following their testimony, the foursome arrived at the rendezvous point where they were to meet with Carrick and Hierogryph.

Despite Alek's assurances that Carrick's name would be cleared, Lamar stated that if they accused Krynda Draay, the founder of the Covenant, of playing a part in any of the Covenant's wrongdoing, it would tear the Order apart. Lamar and Tokare stressed that what they needed was one of the Covenanters to stand up and confess. As Alek and Jelavan were discussing the Covenant's actions with Lamar and Tokare, Covenant Jedi Master Xamar arrived with Carrick and Hierogryph, and agreed to testify against the Covenant's illegal activities before the Council. Later on, Alek testified to the Council on Carrick's behalf following the events of the Covenant Affair, the Covenant's failed insurrection against the Jedi Order. Alek was then sent to the Revanchists with a final warning to cease their participation in the Mandalorian Wars. He went under protest, determined to retain the name "Malak" until there was an end to the war's suffering.

Vision on Cathar

“	We began with nothing but a leader and a purpose—now, we have an army. And sanction! The High Council fell into line as soon as word spread—and the Republic is overjoyed!	„
	~ Malak, to Jarael, Marn Hierogryph, Slyssk, and T1-LB.

Malak looking on as Revan vows to defeat the Mandalorians on Cathar.

After Malak left Coruscant and returned to Cathar, where Revan had been attempting to find proof of the Mandalorians' devastation of the Cathar people, Vrook Lamar and a group of Jedi tracked Malak and Revan to the planet. Lamar and the Jedi met with Revan, Malak, and the Revanchists and told the group to abandon their efforts and disperse permanently, as the Jedi Masters believed that the Mandalorians were not a threat and that nothing warranted the Jedi's involvement in the Mandalorian Wars. During the discussion, Revan noticed a Mandalorian helmet underneath his feet and picked it up. When some light struck the helmet, all the Jedi present experienced a vision of the past of Mandalorians driving hordes of Cathar into the sea. A Mandalorian female, to whom the helmet in Revan's hands belonged, tried to convince Cassus Fett—who had led the attack on the planet—that the Cathar had been defeated and did not need to all be killed. Fett refused to stand down, saying that the Cathar left a stain of dishonor amongst the Mando'ade and that he intended to wash that stain clean by committing genocide. Fett then ordered the planet's devastation, killing the Cathar and the Mandalorian female. After the vision's end, Malak and the Revanchists witnessed as Revan pledged to defeat the Mandalorians. Although the truth of what happened on Cathar was known, the Jedi still did not give Revan and Malak their full support, but Revan managed to organize the Revanchists under the banner of a Republic Mercy Corps. The Jedi Council subsequently allowed Revan, Malak, and the Revanchists to participate in the Mandalorian Wars. Both Malak and Revan were promoted to the rank of general.

Malak eventually contacted Marn Hierogryph in search of Jarael, and the Snivvian informed Malak that the two of them, along with a few others, were on the planet Wor Tandell. Intending to surprise Jarael, Malak went to the planet and met her by her crew's ship. Later that night, Malak told Jarael and Hierogryph that the Jedi Council had officially sanctioned the Revanchist Jedi's involvement in the Mandalorian Wars. Malak told Jarael that the Revanchists had almost everything they needed to win the war, and asked that she bring her combat abilities and firsthand experience with the Mandalorians' atrocities to their cause. When Hierogryph mentioned Jarael's newly discovered Force talents, Malak became excited, telling Jarael that she belonged with him. Dyre then appeared, shouting that Malak could never take her. When Malak attempted to reason with the man, the Mandalorian punched him in the jaw. Malak ignited his lightsaber and began attacking Dyre, who evaded him with his jetpack and fired at the Jedi with his blasters. Jarael screamed at Malak to stop, but he refused, reasoning that the Mandalorians were incapable of friendship, only torture, and genocide. Malak eventually cut Dyre's blasters in half and wrestled him to the ground, asking the Mandalorian if he had been there when the Mandalorians had killed the Cathar.

Malak confronts Rohlan Dyre.

At that moment, Republic captain Telettoh and the Cathar Jedi Ferroh arrived at Carrick's camp along with the former Padawan. They pulled Malak off Dyre, calming the Jedi down. Telettoh berated Malak for attacking Dyre, stating that the Revanchists could not afford any scandals. Carrick apologized to Malak for not arriving at the camp sooner, expressing his astonishment at the fact that Malak had brought the Republic cruiser Testament just to see Carrick and his friends. Malak informed Carrick that he was there for Jarael, and Carrick pretended that he and Jarael were romantically involved, which surprised Malak. Having failed to enlist Jarael, Malak bid goodbye to Carrick, Jarael, and their crew. Eventually, Malak was contacted by Jarael, who asked for his assistance in tracking down Carrick, who had been kidnapped by the slavery organization know as The Crucible during a mission to rescue the Crucible's slaves. However, Malak could not offer his aid since he and the Revanchists were fighting the Mandalorians.

The Trial of Demagol

“	Malak: In the name of the millions the Mandalorians have killed, tortured, and enslaved—we'll save the Republic! And defeat the Mandalorians forever! Rohlan Dyre: This—this is your secret, isn't it? You can't beat us in a fair fight! That's the way you like it, Jedi—isn't it? So save your Republic—but who'll save the Republic from you?	„
	~ Malak and Rohlan Dyre.

Malak testifies against Rohlan Dyre, who was mistaken as Demagol.

Eventually, Malak and the Republic forces under his command recaptured the Omonoth system and recovered the Arkanian Legacy's remains. Sometime after this, Demagol came out of his drug-induced coma; however, the man whom both Malak and the Republic believed to be Demagol was in actuality Rohlan Dyre. The Mandalorian deserter had been drugged on Flashpoint Station by Demagol, who had switched armors with Dyre so that he could travel with Jarael, Carrick, and their companions. Malak participated in a show trial for Demagol, which was set at Coruscant's Senate chamber. Before Malak testified against Demagol, he met with Zayne Carrick and Marn Hierogryph, who had also been called to testify against the scientist. When Malak inquired as to where Jarael was, Carrick told him that she had left his group. Malak informed Carrick and Hierogryph that after he testified he would be going back to the front lines of the war, and that the ship under his command was already with Admiral Karath's patrol. He also informed them about the recovery of the Arkanian Legacy.

During the trial, Malak testified to the audience about Demagol's experiments on both him and the Jedi who had not survived the scientist's studies. As Malak continued, Dyre, who insisted that the Jedi stop calling him by the name Demagol, broke free of his binders. Malak used the Force to throw Dyre across the chamber, and publicly vowed to save the Republic by defeating the Mandalorians permanently, in the name of the millions whom the Mandalorians had slain, tormented, or subjugated. Dyre openly questioned Malak's tactics, asking who would save the Republic from Malak after the Jedi succeeded in his quest. The Senate guards escorted Dyre out of the Senate chamber and put the Mandalorian in a speeder which would take him back to his holding cell. However, the two guards in the speeder were Zayne Carrick and Marn Hierogryph, who had figured out that Demagol switched places with Rohlan Dyre. After learning that "Demagol" had not made it to his holding cell, Malak headed the search for the scientist on Coruscant and ordered his forces to detain and search every speeder they found. Not long after, the true Demagol was killed, but Malak, unaware of this, continued his search for Demagol.

The Final Battles

“	Revan and Malak were heroes, the great saviors of the Republic.	„
	~ Dorak.

Revan and Malak take control of the entire Republic Navy.

The entrance of Revan and his Jedi into the war marked the conflict's turning point. Revan's military strategies and tactics, coupled with Malak's courage and determination, saw the pair become the foremost heroes of the war. Although the Battle of Duro was a disaster, a recent breakthrough in gravity well projectors had resulted in the construction of the Interdictor-class cruiser, and Revan and Malak were able to effectively use the abilities of a fleet of these new ships to prevent the Mandalorians from escaping with stocks of material from the Duro shipyards. Public opinion of the pair, combined with his desire to register his displeasure with the Jedi Council, motivated Supreme Chancellor Tol Cressa to give Revan direct control over the entire Republic fleet. With his newfound authority, Revan spearheaded the Republic war effort and began to steadily push the Mandalorians back, and though Malak lacked Revan's military genius, he exemplified himself as a capable war leader. Malak eventually earned a reputation for being a headstrong warrior that charged into danger recklessly. Together, Revan and Malak liberated Taris, fought Cassus Fett at Jaga's Cluster, and defeated much of the Mandalorian army at Althir. Yet, despite such victories, the Jedi Masters whom they had left behind believed that Revan, Malak, and the Jedi that had joined them were only offering easy solutions to the galaxy's problems, fearing that many woes would result from their recklessness. As the war progressed, concerns were raised over Revan and Malak's behavior. They gradually changed from the idealistic men that had first rebelled against the Jedi Council and began to adopt characteristics similar to their Mandalorian adversaries. To Revan and Malak, ultimate victory became all that mattered, and in order to ensure it, the two Jedi met their enemies' brutal, merciless tactics with a ruthlessness of their own. Over the course of the war, Malak and Revan developed a cold, calculating disposition that was uncharacteristic of Jedi and grew to despise weakness and indecisiveness. "Moral shortcuts" became common practice under their leadership, along with a number of other unsavory acts. Though there were some who frowned upon such actions, the vast majority of the galaxy cared only that Revan and Malak were winning the war and hailed them as heroes.

At some point during the Mandalorian Wars, Revan found a Rakatan Star Map in the old ruins near the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. The Star Map was an integral part to uncovering the long-lost location of the Star Forge, a space-based war relic of the Rakatan Infinite Empire that had ruled the galaxy approximately 20,000 standard years before which was fueled by the dark side and capable of quickly constructing starships. Revan and Malak delved into the ancient ruins, and after successfully passing a set of trials barring their way, they were given access to the Star Map. Moments before they crossed the threshold that would lead them to their prize, Malak warned Revan of the consequences, feeling that if they examined the Star Map, the Jedi Order would banish both him and Revan. However, such words did not dissuade Revan from continuing to the Star Map. Although a part of Malak yearned to turn back and return to the Order, he remained at his friend's side, knowing that once he crossed the threshold, there would be no chance of ever returning to the life he once had.

Revan and Malak find the first Star map.

In the final year of the Mandalorian Wars, Revan found another Star Map on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. Shortly thereafter, Revan and Malak traveled to the Sith planet of Malachor V, where they discovered the Trayus Academy and delved deeply into the Sith secrets contained within. It was there that Revan introduced Malak to the Sith teachings, causing him to fall to the dark side.The heroic reputation that Revan and Malak had gained during the Mandalorian Wars was finally cemented during the final battle of the war, in which Revan forced a final confrontation with the Mandalorians over Malachor V. During the battle, Revan slew Mandalore the Ultimate, taking his mask and learning of a Sith threat behind the Mandalorian Wars. Mandalore's fall forced the Mandalorians into unconditional surrender. After the cataclysmic final battle, Jedi General Meetra Surik left Revan and Malak's fleet to answer for her actions before the Jedi Council. Malak wanted Revan to order the assassin droid HK-47, whom Revan had recently constructed, to kill her. However, Revan would not allow her assassination. Having defeated the Mandalorians, the two now-legendary Jedi Knights did not return to the Republic. Instead, they led the remainder of their forces into the Unknown Regions, hunting down surviving Mandalorians. For a year afterward, nothing was heard from them, and the Republic feared its heroes were lost.

In the three days after the battle at Malachor V, Malak and Revan traveled to the frigid planet of Rekkiad to search for Dramath the Second's tomb. They discovered the Sith Lord's tomb hidden in a giant pillar of ice and found a datacron that would lead them to the planet Nathema. So as to condemn the Mandalorians to wander without a leader, Revan left Mandalore's mask in the tomb before he and Malak left for Nathema. When the two Jedi arrived there, they found the planet devoid of the Force. They searched through the empty buildings looking for information that would guide them closer to finding the origin of the Sith threat.

Sith Apprentice

“	When they left after the Mandalorian Wars ended, they were Jedi. When they returned… they were something else.	„
	~ Carth Onasi, regarding Revan and Malak's fall to the Dark Side.

Malak alongside Darth Revan, as the two become Dark Lords of the Sith.

During their mission in the Unknown Regions, Revan and Malak encountered, by chance, the Dark Lord of the Sith known only as the Sith Emperor leading the True Sith Empire on the Imperial capital of Dromund Kaas. While there, the two Jedi posed as mercenaries for months, attempting to learn anything and everything about the Emperor. They found out that the Emperor was raising an army to again invade the Republic, and eventually located a member of the Imperial Guard who agreed to sneak them into the Imperial Citadel; however they were unaware of the Imperial Guard's bond to the Emperor's will and were instead led into a trap. Revan and Malak attempted to fight the Emperor but were overwhelmed by his power. He broke their will, twisted their minds and granted them the "Darth" title and sent them back to act as the vanguard of his invasion and report back when all resistance was crushed. Their mission was to recover the Rakatan Star Maps and locate the Star Forge. He intended to use the Star Forge to accelerate the construction of his Sith armada, which would enable the Sith to defeat the Jedi and the Republic centuries ahead of schedule. However, the Emperor underestimated the power and strength of their will and minds. Revan and Malak believed that they were acting of their own accord and, in doing so, were able to block their memories of the Sith and the Emperor. Revan and Malak located three additional Star Maps on the desert world Tatooine, the Selkath's oceanic homeworld Manaan, and the ancient Sith tombworld Korriban.

Examining all five Star Maps, Revan and Malak eventually discovered and traveled to the previously unexplored Rakata system, where the Star Forge was located. Upon their arrival, the pair crashed on Rakata Prime as the result of a disruptor field which was protecting the Star Forge. Shortly thereafter, they were attacked by the primitive Black Rakata, who attempted to take them prisoner, but after the two Sith Lords displayed their Force powers, the natives were quickly cowed into submission. Though Revan initially negotiated with The One, the leader of the Black Rakata, it soon became apparent that none among the Black Rakata had relevant information pertaining to the Star Forge. Revan then decided to win the favor of the Elders, a Rakatan tribe that the Black Rakata was at war with. Unlike their violent introduction to the Black Rakata, Revan and Malak approached the Elders in peace, learning much from them about the Rakata, their old empire, and of the disruptor field that had caused the two Sith to crash. Becoming increasingly aware of the abhorrence that the Elders held for their species' violent past, Revan and Malak styled themselves as servants of the light side of the Force that were searching for a way to destroy the Star Forge. After Revan and Malak gained the Elders' trust, the Elders gave the Sith access to the Temple of the Ancients, which enabled Revan and Malak to disable the disruptor field and reach the Star Forge. Thanking the Elders, the two Sith Lords promised to destroy the Star Forge and return.

After finding the Star Forge, Revan and Malak began to have visions of their own Sith Empire. Revan took control of the Star Forge and declared himself the new Dark Lord of the Sith, with Malak grudgingly taking the role of his Sith apprentice. In 3959 BBY, the pair founded a new Sith Empire and returned to Korriban, seizing control of the planet and re-establishing the Sith Academy there. Revan and Malak then returned to known Republic space at the head of a massive invasion fleet, comprised of Jedi Knights and Republic soldiers that were veterans of the Mandalorian Wars. Openly revealing themselves as Sith Lords, the pair and their followers declared war on the Republic and the Jedi Order. This marked the beginning of a planned twenty-year campaign to end the "tyranny" of the Jedi Council once and for all, initiating the Jedi Civil War. At one point under Darth Revan's tutelage, Malak openly viewed his Master as being soft, causing tension between the two that culminated in a lightsaber duel. Revan removed Malak's jaw with a lightsaber strike, and Malak was forced to wear a large metal prosthesis cover over where his jaw had once been. A vocabulator allowed Malak to talk, but his voice now reverberated with a gruff electronic tone.

Malak betraying his master Darth Revan.

In 3958 BBY, Revan and his Sith carried out a successful attack on the shipyard world of Foerost, capturing the majority of the Republic's fleet. Admiral Saul Karath, who had served under Revan and Malak in the Mandalorian Wars, declared the Republic unworthy of his loyalty and transferred his services and his flagship, the Leviathan, to Revan's service. During this time, Malak gained ownership of the Leviathan, taking it as his own flagship. Karath also provided security codes that enabled the Sith to bypass a Republic Navy docking bay's scanners. This allowed the Sith forces to sweep in and destroy over half of the docked ships before they had time to react. Later, Revan promoted Karath as the commander of the entire Sith fleet. Darth Malak ordered Karath to destroy Telos IV, a planet that Revan had originally intended to conquer, in order to test the Admiral's loyalty to the Sith. Karath complied with Malak's command, killing millions of innocent people and earning the wrath of the surviving Telosians, including the Republic commander Carth Onasi, who had once considered Karath his mentor and Malak a hero. Later that year, Darth Malak bombed the Zabrak homeworld of Iridonia and carried out a successful attack on the planet of Rodia. Though a powerful Sith Lord, the ambitious Darth Malak began to chafe under the dominion of Revan as the war progressed. The man who had once been Revan's staunchest ally and most loyal friend began to eagerly await an opportunity to replace his Sith Master.

Malak's chance to usurp Revan's position came in 3957 BBY when the Jedi Council sent a strike team to capture the two Sith Lords. The team managed to corner Revan on the bridge of his flagship. Malak, who had been separated from his Master, ordered the guns of his own flagship, the Leviathan, to fire on Revan's vessel in an attempt to slay both his Master and the Jedi—specifically the strike team's leader, Bastila Shan, because of her skills with battle meditation, a Force power that enabled her to strengthen the Republic forces' resolve and coordinate their fighting effort while sapping the will of their enemies. Unbeknownst to Malak, Shan saved Revan's life and brought him to the Jedi Council, who, under the direction of Masters Dorak and Zhar Lestin, reprogrammed his mind with the identity of a Republic soldier. Though Malak failed in his attempt on Revan's life, his Master had been incapacitated during the attack. Believing himself to have been successful, Darth Malak assumed command of the Sith Empire, at last taking the mantle of Dark Lord for himself. A small part of Malak always regretted betraying his Master from afar, however. Malak knew there would be some who thought and claimed that he had been a coward, that he had acted out of fear so as not to face Revan in personal combat.

Dark Lord of the Sith

The Search for Bastila Shan

“	I am more interested in the young Jedi Bastila and her Battle Meditation. Have you learned how she escaped the destruction of Taris?	„
	~ Darth Malak to Saul Karath.

Darth Malak orders Saul Karath to destroy the planet Taris.

It was probably after experimenting with the Star Forge's capabilities that Malak realized how narrow Revan had been. If Revan had fully comprehended the dark side powers within the space station—if he viewed it more than just a mere tool to destroy the Republic—he may have become unstoppable. Now Malak knew better than to waste this perfect opportunity.

Although his stratagems and tactics centered around brute force, Malak was able to win many victories over the battered and outnumbered Republic forces through the sheer size of his armadas. Unlike his former Sith Master, the Sith Magnus would destroy worlds rather than capture them, ensuring that neither the Sith nor the Republic had the resources they needed. He fueled the Star Forge, which was modified to produce the ships and assault droids of the Sith fleet, by using the Force powers of captured Jedi Knights. After Revan's apparent death, Malak took a former Jedi whose quest for power had set him apart from his fellow students and named him Darth Bandon, taking him as his Shadow Hand and elevating the young Sith to the second-in-command in the Sith Empire. Jedi that were not killed by Malak's Sith forces fell from the light, becoming Dark Jedi and swearing their allegiance to the Dark Lord.

While the war against the Republic continued with success, Darth Malak feared that the Jedi Bastila Shan's rare gift with battle meditation—which surpassed even the most powerful Jedi Masters—would make her a grave threat to the Sith war effort. Malak expended tremendous resources in an attempt to locate and capture Shan. He nearly succeeded when his apprentice, Darth Bandon, led an attack on her ship, the Endar Spire, above the planet Taris. Shan, among other Republic soldiers, was forced to evacuate her craft via an escape pod and crashed into the lower levels of Taris. To prevent Shan from escaping, Malak captured Taris and blockaded the planet. However, Malak, who was on board the Leviathan, soon grew impatient with the search for Shan and ordered Karath to use the Leviathan to destroy the planet. Nonetheless, Shan was able to return unharmed to Dantooine on the light freighter Ebon Hawk, thanks to the efforts of Carth Onasi, the amnesiac Revan—who was unaware of his former identity as the Dark Lord—and their companions. Soon after their arrival, Revan was retrained in the Jedi ways in the Enclave on Dantooine, since he began having visions of his past and the Star Maps that led to the Star Forge. The local Jedi Council ordered Revan, Shan, and their allies to search for the Star Forge.

Shortly thereafter, a bounty hunter named Calo Nord—who had been defeated on Taris by Revan, and had managed to escape Taris' destruction—was hired by Malak to track down Shan and her allies, capture her, and kill her companions. Nord and Karath revealed to Malak that one of Shan's companions was Revan, whom the Sith Lord had long believed to be dead. Despite Nord's galaxy-wide reputation as a bounty hunter, he did not survive his next encounter with Revan. After Nord's death, Karath informed Malak of the bounty hunter's failure. Malak believed that no bounty hunter could stand against a Jedi, and to avoid making the same mistake twice, the Sith Lord sent his apprentice, Darth Bandon, after Shan. Malak ordered Bandon to find Shan and to bring her to him alive, if at all possible. There were rumors that Bandon would challenge Malak for the right to rule the Sith, but Bandon never had a chance to develop his plans, as he failed to capture Shan and was killed by Revan during the quest to locate the Star Forge. During Revan's search for the Rakatan space station, Malak and his Sith forces attacked Dantooine. Although the Jedi Council had sensed this would happen and attempted to evacuate everyone, they were unsuccessful in preventing the Enclave's destruction and Malak's attack killed many, Jedi and civilians alike. Malak also captured eight Jedi for later use on the Star Forge. The Sith Lord plundered the ruins of the Enclave, looking for Jedi artifacts but many of the Jedi holocrons and relics had been moved to another location.

Revelation on the Leviathan

“	You cannot hide from what you once were, Revan! Recognize that you were once the Dark Lord—and know that I have taken your place!	„
	~ Darth Malak to Darth Revan.

Darth Malak fights Bastila Shan aboard the Leviathan.

While on their search for the fifth and final Star Map needed to locate the Star Forge, the Ebon Hawk and its crew were captured by the Sith and brought on board the Leviathan. While Malak, who was in another sector at the time, made his way to the Leviathan, Karath began to torture and interrogate Revan, Shan, and Onasi in an attempt to find out their mission's objective. Sometime after Karath ended the interrogation, an Ebon Hawk crew member who had evaded capture managed to liberate Revan and the others from the detention area. The crew then split into two groups. Shan, Onasi, and Revan headed to the bridge of the Leviathan to lower the ship's shields, disable the tractor beam, and unlock the door to the docking bay, while the rest of the crew went directly to the docking bay to prepare the Ebon Hawk for escape.

By the time Malak arrived on the ship, Shan, Onasi and Revan had already disabled the tractor beam, killing Karath in the process. Malak encountered the trio on their way to the docking bay, hindering their escape. Conferring with his three adversaries, Malak discovered that Revan still had no knowledge of his time as a Dark Lord. Amused, Malak revealed to Revan the truth of his former identity, which Shan confirmed to the shocked Revan. Malak then used the Force to create a stasis field around Shan and Onasi and prepared to kill his former Master. Revan proved himself to be a capable swordsman, however, holding his own against the Dark Lord before being caught in stasis, rendering him defenseless. Meanwhile, Shan and Onasi were freed from stasis, and Shan intervened so that Revan and Onasi could escape, though her actions came at the cost of being defeated and captured by Malak.

After successfully capturing Shan aboard the Leviathan, Malak took the Jedi to the Temple of the Ancients on Rakata Prime. Seeking to make Shan his apprentice in order to fortify the Sith Empire's efforts with her battle meditation, Malak attempted to turn her to the dark side and tortured her with Force lightning. Shan was at first firm and resisted his efforts, but Malak insisted that it was not merely torture—it was a taste of the dark side's power that she could possess. Following a week of torture, Malak succeeded in breaking Shan's will, finally turning her to the dark side, and took her as his apprentice to replace the fallen Darth Bandon.

Battle of Rakata Prime

“	You made a mistake coming here, Revan. The Star Forge fuels my command of the dark side. You are no match for me here. And this time you will not escape!	„
	~ Darth Malak to Revan.

Malak on the Star Forge.

Eventually, the Star Forge was operating at three hundred percent beyond the Sith's expectations, and the space station added new ships to the Sith fleet every day. Malak was informed by Sith Admiral Varko that the fleet was merely awaiting the Dark Lord's instructions; the Sith Lord was confident that they would be invincible once Shan provided assistance with her battle meditation. Assuming they would be victorious, Malak told Varko of his plans to begin the final conquest of the Core Worlds, which would crush the Republic permanently. However, Revan and his crew located the Star Forge and sent the space station's coordinates to Republic Admiral Forn Dodonna so that she could bring the Republic fleet and Jedi reinforcements led by Jedi Master Vandar Tokare to attack the Sith and their Star Forge. After Revan and the Jedi penetrated the Star Forge's defenses, Malak was not surprised, ordering one of his Dark Jedi to dispatch the Star Forge battle droids to deal with them. However, Malak underestimated the Jedi, and the Dark Jedi Master brought news of the droids' failure. Malak was at first surprised that any Jedi could stand against an army of Star Forge droids, but then he was told that Revan was with the Jedi. Acknowledging Revan's power, Malak dispatched his forces and Dark Jedi to hinder Revan's progress and allocate enough time for the Sith Lord himself to fully prepare the Star Forge's defenses, knowing that his Sith troops would only slow Revan down, not defeat him.

Malak summoned his new apprentice, Bastila Shan, and informed her that Revan was on the Star Forge. Shan was conflicted due to her love for Revan, but Malak stated that she would prove herself worthy of being his apprentice if she defeated the former Sith Lord, a mandate that Shan promised she would not fail to complete. The Dark Lord later mused that perhaps Shan would be able to defeat Revan, but even if she failed, it would provide the necessary time to prepare the Star Forge's defenses. However, Revan also convinced Shan to return to the light side and aid the Republic through her battle meditation. Malak—who was in the midst of using the Force to choke two Jedi prisoners—was confronted by Revan outside the turbolift leading to the Star Forge's observation tower. Upon his former Master's arrival, the Dark Lord threw his lightsaber into one of the Jedi and blasted the other with Force lightning, killing both. Revan offered Malak a chance to surrender, reminding the Dark Lord that the Jedi might show him mercy. However, Malak replied that the wiping of an individual's identity was no act of mercy and stated that he would rather die. The Sith Lord then unleashed his unlimited army of Star Forge battle droids against Revan, using the opportunity to escape to the Star Forge's observation deck.

Final Confrontation and Death

“	Malak: I'm... impossible. I… I cannot be beaten. I am the Dark Lord of the Sith. Revan: The power of the light will always be stronger than the dark side. Malak: Still... still spouting the wisdom of the Jedi, I see. Maybe there is more truth in their code than I ever believed. I... I cannot help but wonder, Revan. What would have happened had our positions been reversed? What if fate had decreed I would be captured by the Jedi? Could I have returned to the light, as you did? If you had not led me down the dark path in the first place, what destiny would I have found? Revan: I am sorry I started you on this path. But you chose to continue down it. Malak: I suppose... I suppose you speak the truth. I alone must accept responsibility for my fate. I wanted to be Master of the Sith and ruler of the galaxy. But that destiny was not mine, Revan. It might have been yours, perhaps... but never mine. And in the end, as the darkness takes me, I am nothing.	„
	~ Revan and Malak's last conversation before the latter's death.

Malak in his final fight with Revan.

Revan managed to stop the droids from attacking him and followed Malak to the observation tower. Malak realized that his former Master's powers had surpassed those that he had held during his reign as the Dark Lord. Malak proclaimed his intention to break Revan's will and make his former Master his apprentice, as Revan would be a far greater asset than Shan and her battle meditation. However, Malak feared that Revan was too powerful to be his apprentice, believing that Revan would betray him should the former Sith Lord become the stronger of the two. After Revan retorted that he would not turn to the dark side again, the two began a lightsaber duel, in which the victor, unlike in their previous duels, would decide the fate of the galaxy.

Malak and Revan fought a fierce duel in the observation tower. However, Malak withdrew from battle, explaining to his former Master that he could not be defeated. He then told Revan that he had brought the bodies of eight Jedi from the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine to the Star Forge and explained that rather than letting the deceased Jedi become one with the Force, he had used the Star Forge to corrupt what remained of the dead Jedi's Force energy. Malak used the Force to drain the life force from one of the Jedi, transferring it to himself. After replenishing his vitality, Malak resumed his duel with Revan. However, the former Sith Lord freed as many of the captive Jedi as he could, allowing them to become one with the Force and shortening Malak's supply of energy. Malak was eventually brought to his knees, mortally wounded. He began to regret turning to the dark side, and Revan apologized to his old friend for starting him down the dark path. Malak was reminded by his former Master that he had chosen to continue to practice the dark side, and Malak told Revan that perhaps there was more truth in the Jedi Code than he had ever believed. The dying Dark Lord realized that he alone had to accept responsibility for his fate. With his dying words, Malak recognized that as the darkness took him, he was nothing in the end. Malak died with sorrow and regret over his deeds, but without hatred or malice toward Revan, his one-time closest friend. Malak's corpse was consumed by the flames of the failing Star Forge as the Republic fleet destroyed the ancient space station.

Legacy

“	Revan and Malak did not fall to the dark side in a single moment. They turned after years spent in war and in defiance of the Jedi Council. Revan and Malak's descent into darkness actually began with compassion—the compassion that compelled them to enter the Mandalorian Wars.	„
	~ Gnost-Dural about Darth Malak.

Darth Malak's image was featured in a record by Jedi Master Gnost-Dural.

One year after Darth Malak's death and the defeat of his Sith Empire, Revan, now in possession of his full memories from his time as the Dark Lord, vanished from known Republic space to search for and defeat the Sith Emperor and his Sith Empire. Although Malak had died in his duel with Revan, the Dark Lord's final confrontation did not mark the last anyone saw of him. Four years after Revan's disappearance, Meetra Surik, who served as a Jedi General under Malak and Revan during the Mandalorian Wars, discovered the lost tomb of the ancient Sith Lord Ludo Kressh while exploring a shyrack cave on Korriban. Surik encountered visions from her past, the first of which was an apparition of the young Malak before his fall to the dark side. As Surik looked on, Malak slowly lured several Jedi to his side. When Surik refused to join him, Malak and the other apparitions attacked; however, Surik prevailed over the visions. Shortly after this, Surik defeated the Sith Triumvirate and their Sith forces, which were comprised of forces that served under Malak's Sith Empire.

Approximately three centuries after Darth Malak's death, it was presumed that Revan had never returned from the Unknown Regions. However, the True Sith Empire that Revan went to battle launched an attack on the Republic. This ignited a war that lasted for decades until the Sith Emperor signed a treaty with the Republic. Images of Malak were featured in four holographic records produced by the Kel Dor Jedi archivist Gnost-Dural—who investigated Malak and Revan's significance to the Sith Emperor whose forces had besieged the galaxy in Gnost-Dural's time—for the Jedi Archives. In addition, a collection of Darth Malak's writings, known as the Morrigan Scrolls, survived for some time after his death. Containing a wealth of Sith knowledge and tactics from the Jedi Civil War, the Morrigan Scrolls were worth thousands of credits to collectors who were aware of the work's significance.

The atrocities that Darth Malak committed overshadowed his good deeds as a Jedi Knight in galactic history. Although Revan was remembered and admired for his tactical genius and subtleties, the Dark Lord was remembered by others, such as Exchange crime boss G0-T0, as something of a brute who had left the galaxy in a mess. Many sentients thought the situation would have been different if Revan had remained as the Dark Lord. They believed that Revan's strategies would have led to a stronger and more unified galaxy, while Malak's genocidal reign had only caused a greater destabilization of the galaxy and nearly destroyed all of his former Master's original goals. In contrast to Revan, Malak used brute force rather than strategy to defeat his enemies, as demonstrated when he ordered both the bombing of Telos IV and the destruction of Taris. The destruction that Malak caused portrayed him as a monster who, despite all his attempts to gain absolute power, was still inferior compared to Revan.