Kyle Katarn

Kyle Katarn is a character in the Star Wars franchise. Created by LucasArts artist and writer Justin Chin, he first appeared as the player character of the 1995 first-person shooter Star Wars: Dark Forces. Initially depicted as a former Imperial soldier and politically unaffiliated mercenary working for the Rebel Alliance, Katarn became the central protagonist of the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series, which developed him into a reluctant hero rather than an idealised Jedi, and later an instructor at Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy. Katarn was created as a new protagonist through whom players could enter the Star Wars setting without the narrative restrictions associated with an established film character. His character combines elements of Luke Skywalker's progression toward becoming a Jedi with Han Solo's mercenary persona. Dark Forces II allowed players to direct him toward the light or dark side of the Force, although later works continued from its light-side ending. Katarn also appeared in illustrated novellas, comics, audio dramas and other video games. Following Lucasfilm's 2014 restructuring of Star Wars continuity, his principal stories were placed within the Star Wars Legends continuity. Critical discussion has focused on his function as a player avatar and on the tension between his established heroic identity and the player's access to powers conventionally associated with villains. Some critics praised his adaptability, moral flexibility and grounded mercenary background, while others considered him derivative or insufficiently coherent.