The Knights of Zakuul, also known as the Zakuul Knights, were an order of Force-sensitive warriors who served the Emperor of the Eternal Empire. They differed in philosophy from both Jedi and Sith of the era, believing that the Force was a tool to be used in the pursuit of justice, and that they drew their connection to the Force directly from Emperor Valkorion.
The Knights served Valkorion's successors Arcann and Vaylin, opposing the Eternal Alliance and their commander during the war against Zakuul.
After the downfall of the Eternal Empire, some knights joined the Alliance to act as the personal guard of the Alliance leaders. Despite this, many of the remaining Knights joined Zakuulan splinter groups such as the Order of Zildrog and many other knights perished fighting previously for their homeworld.
A group of Zakuulan Knights
The Knights of Zakuul served to protect the Emperor of the Eternal Empire and enforce justice throughout the Empire. Unlike the Jedi or Sith, the Knights of Zakuul accepted finding power of the Force, but unlike Sith of the time were encouraged to collectively give information. Emphasizing the importance of a Knight exploring their personal connection to the Force. Eschewing the strict codes of the Jedi and Sith, no area of the Force was deemed too weak for a Knight to pursue further knowledge in, and no areas of the Force were off-limits for Knights to study in the pursuit of power. However, whilst the pursuit of unlimited power drew natural comparisons between the Knights of Zakuul and the Sith, Knights were encouraged to share their findings with the rest of the order, rather than hoarding information for themselves. Sith of the reconstituted Sith Empire, such as Lana Beniko, viewed Knights as ineffective combatants when faced in single combat, as their use of the dark side without adherence to the Sith code limited their ability to channel anger through the Force.
The Knights of Zakuul were led by a High Justice. By 3636 BBY, the title was held by Vaylin, the daughter of Emperor Valkorion. However, membership of the royal family was not a prerequisite to lead the Knights, as a previous holder of the title, Yuriem, held no ties to the royal family.
A subgroup of the Knights, the Scions, was comprised of Force-sensitives who could glimpse the future through the Force. However, after the death of Emperor Valkorion, his successor Arcann ordered a violent purge of the Scions, creating a schism within the Knights of Zakuul.
Knights of Zakuul lead the charge ahead of the Skytroopers.
The Knights of Zakuul were a heavily-militarized organization and favored group tactics, often involving the use of personal shields, as well as co-ordination between Knights, walkers, and the Eternal Empire military's Skytroopers. One such group formation, Zildrog's Wedge, was named for the Zakuulan Old God Zildrog.
Exarchs were cybernetically-enhanced Knights subjected to an experimental and often fatal enhancement process known as Project Exarch. In the aftermath of Emperor Arcann's conquest of the galaxy, Exarchs served as military governors and quasi-religious figureheads of their assigned sectors of the galaxy, ruling conquered planets from a space station known as a Star Fortress.
During the reigns of Emperors Valkorion and Arcann, members of the Knights served as the personal guard to the Emperor and the Eternal Throne. By the reign of Empress Vaylin, these Knights would be purged and reorganized into her Horizon Guard.
The Knights of Zakuul drew their origins from the Force-sensitive tribal leaders of early Zakuulan settlers; Matriarchs, Champions, and High Shamans.After Valkorion united the centuries tribes years prior to 3636 BBY, these roles were organized and formalized into the Knights of Zakuul.
The Knights kept serving up until Valkorion's assassination, wherein they served his successors Arcann and Vaylin. The finest Knights, under Arcann's reign were selected and chosen for the experimental Project Exarch and fitted with its state of the art technologies. During Vaylin's reign, the Knights continued to serve until the Assault on Odessen, afterwards they were disbanded and scattered.
A "contingent" of Knights was recruited by Senya Tirall and Sana-Rae to join the Alliance, although this particular contingent of Knights turned out to be quite small. Senya's contingent aided the Commander on Iokath, whilst a large group of Knights and Horizon Guards joined the Order of Zildrog under Vinn Atrius. Another group of Knights and Horizon Guards proceeded to join Battalion Commander Tassar on Lehon with the Zakuulan Forward Recon, along with Knight Captain Maevee, and Horizon Guard Sterla to construct another Star Fortress and avenge their late Emperor.
The armor of a Knight of Zakuul included a helmet
Knights of Zakuul were known for their use of distinctive lightsaber pikes, usually wielded alongside a shield for deflecting blaster fire, though Knights were also known to utilize standard lightsabers and double-bladed lightsabers in combat. Knights favored the use of blue color crystals in the construction of their weaponry, with the exception of the cybernetically-enhanced Knights assigned to guard the Eternal Empire's Star Fortresses, who wielded orange-bladed lightsabers. Exarchs were also known to utilise a wider range of crystals in the construction of their lightsabers.
The standard uniform of the Knights of Zakuul was a suit of gold-colored armor. Knights were taught to forge their own armor from a young age, a practice that extended to the future Emperor Arcann. Exarchs were known to have worn enhanced or upgraded variants of the standard Knight armor, adapted to draw power from the Sun Generators powering their Star Fortress.