Xivhkalrainik

Xalek was born on the Kaleesh homeworld of Kalee, where he learned many things about his people's culture, his family's history, and the prospects of becoming a warrior.

He once fought the Sith Empire along the coastline of the Jenuwaa Sea but was captured. He was initially sent into slavery, but shortly afterwards the Empire discovered that he was Force-sensitive, and instead sent him to the Korriban Sith Academy to undergo training and make him a powerful Sith.

Xalek was the name Overseer Harkun gave the Kaleesh as the Human couldn't understand Xalek's name in his native language. Xalek was also responsible for the deaths of two fellow acolytes before they arrived, and apparently got away with it. Though his group was passed up by Darth Thanaton, Lord Kallig, the future Darth Nox, was interested in gaining a new apprentice after their previous two were massacred by Thanaton, especially since having a Korriban acolyte was a sign of prestige. Kallig, who had also risen from slavery to become a Sith Lord, was very interested in the Kaleesh, and even bet with Harkun that he would rise above the other acolytes.

Xalek passed through his trials, but when it became apparent that the Twi'lek Seferiss was going to be chosen, Xalek simply walked up and brutally punched him to death, then looted his body for the required item—a Sith carving artifact—and presented it to Kallig. Harkun was displeased with this, as acolytes were forbidden to kill each other and decided to pass Xalek up. Kallig took Xalek anyway, and executed Harkun when he remained defiant.

Xalek was not his master's first apprentice; the former Jedi Ashara Zavros and Kallig's two deceased apprentices—Corrin and Kaal—were all apprenticed to Kallig. However, Xalek was the first that Kallig trained and personally taught in the ways of the Sith, as Ashara was mentored by Jedi Masters Ryen and Ocera before Kallig killed them and she remained a Jedi disciple despite now serving a Sith. Corrin and Kaal were trained by Darth Zash beforehand, but killed by Thanaton before Kallig could instruct them further.

As Xalek served his master, he revealed a bit about his history, searched for artifacts of power, and killed Kallig's rivals. Xalek somehow kept in contact with his father, who passed away on Ilum during his son's apprenticeship to Kallig. Xalek was allowed to give his father a proper burial so he could ascend to godhood. Xalek eventually considered Kallig a living god and a "father" or "mother" and promised to serve Kallig to death and guard his master's legacy.

After his master disappeared during the initial stages of the war against the Eternal Empire, Xalek honed his skills during this chaotic period and was made a Lord of the Sith. He eventually visited his father's shrine on Ilum, to discover it had been desecrated by miners. Enraged, Xalek began a campaign of terror and revenge against them, eventually coming face to face with the Outlander, who had come to investigate the miners' distress call on behalf of Sana-Rae.

Xalek was described as a wild animal, his only comprehensive understanding of the Sith code being "kill or be killed." He enjoyed fighting and killing, even against overwhelming odds, preferring to let his actions speak rather than words. Likewise, Xalek despised any form of mercy or weakness.

As a Kaleesh, Xalek felt that "honor is [his] duty." Thus, he was very determined to uphold his culture and family's legacy by becoming Kallig's apprentice, even going so far as to kill three of the other five acolytes during his training on Korriban, letting nothing stop him in achieving his goal.

He was faithfully loyal to anyone he considered his family. When he heard his father was dying, Xalek rushed to his side and gave his father a proper burial. Xalek was very formal to Kallig, addressing Kallig as "Master" or "Lord" and occasionally bowing. He often asked how he could serve his master, such as killing all of Kallig's rivals. However, despite Xalek's utter loyalty, he sometimes suggested that he would one day rise above Kallig.

Xalek's insistence on remaining honorable even while fighting any and all opponents to the death was likely an earnest attempt to reconcile the Sith code's extreme social opportunism with the Kaleesh warrior culture. He combined the fierce, brutal lightsaber combat and dark-side powers of the Sith with his own warrior instincts, caring little for the deceptive and subtle ways most Inquisitors resorted to. Harkun lamented this, complaining that the Empire could not last if subterfuge and discretion gave way to outright murder. However, as Kallig demonstrated, his opinion mattered little to Xalek.

It was his stated desire to become a god when he died, and he felt he required training as a Sith in order to do this. He also had a strong admiration for the Sith, telling his master that the Kaleesh considered the Sith to be gods who had not yet died.

Xalek disliked talking and extended conversations and was concise whenever he spoke. When he spoke, it was only because his actions could not better get his point across. His actions were likewise blunt and to the point. He thus appreciated when his master used brevity and direct action rather than talking conflicts out. This was shown when Kallig asked about his great-great grandfather having multiple wives; Xalek did not provide an explanation and simply replied "Of course," apparently unable to see why this might be a problem for other species. Kallig noted this trait, stating that Xalek didn't "waste words."

Like his master, Xalek was a Sith Inquisitor. He was a practitioner of the double-bladed lightsaber technique, suggesting he chose the Sith assassin training path. In addition to his brutal melee attacks, he was an adept Force user, wielding powerful dark-side techniques such as Force lightning, Force bomb, and Force barrier. Unlike Kallig's other companions with the exception of Khem Val, who specialized in either offensive or defensive combat techniques, Xalek specialized in both.

Xalek is one of the companion players open to players who choose to play as the Sith Inquisitor Class in the Star Wars: The Old Republic. He is voiced by Tony Armatrading.

The Star Wars: The Old Republic Classes app lists his main weapon as a polesaber; this is another name for a lightsaber pike.

It is also possible for Kallig to persuade Harkun to forget the murder and hand Xalek his lightsaber or just let him walk away.

Xalek is a prospective recruit for the Alliance against the Eternal Empire in the Knights of the Fallen Empire storyline. The player is dispatched by the Alliance to track Xalek down and end the killing, to secure the mined resources for the Alliance. The Outlander must decide how to handle Xalek's grievance against the miners: they can negotiate a deal with the miners to rebuild the shrine for light side points, arrest Xalek, also for light side points, or they can let Xalek kill the last of them for dark side points. With the miners dealt with, Xalek can be recruited. If the player is a Sith Inquisitor, Xalek will choose to follow his former master of his own free will, and join the Alliance. If the player is not an Inquisitor, they must first fight Xalek before choosing to recruit him. The player—even as an Inquisitor—also has the option of rejecting him as a member of the Alliance, or even killing him. If the Outlander later aligns with the Republic, Xalek will warn that while he respected the Outlander's strength and would remain in the Alliance, this may not always be the case.

• Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia