Bastila Shan

Bastila Shan, the offspring of Helena Shan and a hunter, entered the world on Talravin. A strong and affectionate bond existed between Shan and her father. Conversely, her relationship with her mother, Helena, was strained, as she believed her mother pushed her father into perilous hunts for financial gain.

During her childhood, Shan's exceptional aptitude with the Force became apparent. Although she was reluctant to leave her father and join the Jedi Order, her mother believed that their lifestyle of constant travel and hardship was unsuitable for Shan. Convinced that her daughter's life would be better with the Jedi, she entrusted her to their care. Shan was separated from her family and began her training, quickly proving to be a remarkable Jedi Sentinel.

Shan possessed a remarkable gift for a Force power that would later bring her significant recognition: Battle meditation. This rare ability bolstered the morale of her allies in battle while diminishing the fighting spirit of her enemies. This skill would prove invaluable to the Galactic Republic's efforts to defeat the Sith Empire during the Jedi Civil War.

As a young Padawan, Shan witnessed Malak, on behalf of his close friend and mentor Revan, deliver a passionate speech denouncing the Jedi High Council's inaction against the invading Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. Although Shan declined to join Revan's growing rebellion, she observed several Jedi, including Meetra Surik, the future Jedi Exile, willingly pledge their support to Malak and Revan's cause. Later, when those same Jedi returned as Sith during the Jedi Civil War, she became a staunch supporter of the Jedi Order.

In 3957 BBY, the Jedi Council dispatched Shan and a strike team to capture Darth Revan. Along with at least three other Jedi, Shan successfully boarded his flagship and fought their way to Revan. Her team had just cornered the Sith Lord on the bridge, but before they could engage him in combat his apprentice, Darth Malak, betrayed him and opened fire upon the ship. Revan was left clinging to life. Shan, remembering that a Jedi seeks to preserve all life, was able to keep him alive and preserve his mind using the Force. This act resulted in a powerful Force bond between them.

Shan then brought Revan to the Jedi Council. The Council then decided that they would use the Force to temporarily wipe his memory, even though this was considered an immoral use of the Force. Revan was then reprogrammed with a new identity, one that was loyal to the Republic. They hoped that, with time, his submerged memories would cast some light on the many mysteries surrounding him. They were especially interested in finding the Star Forge and stopping the legions of Sith invaders that were attacking Republic affiliated planets.

Following Revan's apparent death, Darth Malak declared himself the new Dark Lord of the Sith. He knew that the Republic fleet had been saved from certain destruction by Shan's gift with battle meditation. His primary objective became either to eliminate Shan, or ideally to capture and turn her to the dark side of the Force. He would then use her skills with battle meditation to crush the Republic.

Twelve months later, Shan and a reprogrammed, amnesiac Revan, assumed by everyone to be a simple Republic soldier, were on board the Hammerhead-class cruiser Endar Spire over the planet of Taris. Revan had been assigned to the ship, where Shan was the commander, at the last minute so that Shan could maintain a vigilant watch over him. Without warning, part of the Sith fleet ambushed the cruiser. A small assault team of Sith soldiers and Darth Malak's apprentice, Darth Bandon, attacked the ship. Bandon's mission was to capture Shan alive, but he was prevented from doing so by Ensign Trask Ulgo.

Shan, Revan, and Republic pilot Captain Carth Onasi, were forced to evacuate the ship in escape pods just before the Endar Spire was destroyed. Shan's pod crashed in the Undercity of Taris, and she was quickly captured by a Taris swoop gang known as the Black Vulkars. She later revealed that the reason she had been captured so easily by the Vulkars was due to her lightsaber being "misplaced" during the crash. She elaborated, with embarrassment, that it must have fallen from her belt and rolled under her seat in the escape pod.

Without her saber, Shan was able to keep her status as a Jedi a secret, and the Vulkars assumed she was a Republic officer. She was imprisoned by the gang to be used as a prize in the Tarisian Season Opener. Onasi, who had crashed in the Upper City with Revan, informed him of Shan's importance to the war effort, and the two began a search for her. The Sith were also searching for Shan on the surface of the planet, and had blockaded Taris to prevent her escape. Revan, seeking to rescue the Jedi, made an agreement with Gadon Thek, the leader of the Vulkars' rival gang, the Hidden Beks, and entered the swoop race on their behalf. He managed to win the swoop race by using a prototype accelerator designed by the Beks that he retrieved from the Vulkars' base with help from Twi'lek Mission Vao and Wookiee Zaalbar. This helped the Beks to maintain their control of the Lower City.

By the end of the swoop races, the Vulkars had realized that Shan was a Jedi, and had fitted her with a neural disruptor. Unwilling to give up such a valuable prize, Brejik, the leader of the Vulkars, accused Revan of cheating and tried to keep Shan so he could make a large profit selling her on the slave market. Shan managed to free herself and, with the help of Revan, fight and kill Brejik and the nearby Vulkars. Shan was shocked to see that her rescuer was the former Sith Lord, and clashed with Onasi over the lack of a plan to escape Taris. She expressed a sense of pride that aggravated Onasi, but Revan managed to keep the peace between the two of them, and Shan apologized for her behavior. She was impressed that Onasi and Revan had managed to locate her, but was disturbed to discover that Revan was having flashbacks of his capture.

Following Shan's rescue, Revan was soon contacted by Canderous Ordo, a Mandalorian mercenary in the employ of Davik Kang, a local crime lord for the Exchange. Impressed with Revan's performance, Ordo offered a proposal for getting past the Sith blockade and asked Revan and Shan to retrieve the launch codes from the local Sith base. Shan was wary of trusting the mercenary, but sensed no deceit from him. She and Revan infiltrated the base with the assistance of the droid T3-M4 Kang had commissioned from Janice Nall, and managed to steal the codes after defeating the Sith Governor that Malak had placed in charge of Taris. Ordo then took Shan and Revan to Kang's base, telling Kang that they were potential recruits. Ordo's intention was to steal Kang's ship, the Ebon Hawk, which would be able to outrun any Sith pursuers once they used the launch codes to bypass the blockade.

Frustrated with his fruitless searching, Malak ordered Admiral Saul Karath to destroy the planet. If he wasn't able to find Shan and take advantage her abilities, he wanted to be sure the Republic would not have the opportunity to do so either. The urban centers of Taris were utterly obliterated in a hail of indiscriminate turbolaser fire while Shan's group was still in Kang's base. After defeating Kang, Shan, Revan and Ordo barely managed to escape with their companions aboard the Ebon Hawk before Taris was completely leveled by the bombardment.

Shan suggested they seek refuge at the Jedi Enclave located on Dantooine where they could also seek the advice of the Jedi Council located there to determine their next steps. The Council decided to re-train Revan as a Jedi. He and Shan often sparred together and he would come to Shan for advice and aid when he needed it. After only a few weeks, Revan had recovered a great deal of his former skill and power with the Force. During this time, Shan and Revan shared a dream of Revan and Malak discovering something in the nearby ruins. Shan rushed to the Jedi Council in the Enclave and discovered that she and Revan shared a very powerful Force bond that had been forged when she saved his life.

Soon after, the Council sent her and Revan to the ruins that she and Revan had been receiving visions of. Inside they found a partial Rakatan Star Map, an artifact that had been discovered by Revan and Malak five years earlier. Its data, when combined with that from the four other such Maps, would reveal the location of the Star Forge—an ancient factory of immense power that was being used by Malak to build the seemingly infinite Sith fleet. The Council sent Revan on a mission to find the Star Forge and stop Malak, with Shan guiding him along the way.

Calo Nord, a bounty hunter and former associate of the late Davik Kang, was hired by Darth Malak to kill Revan and the others, while bringing Shan before the Dark Lord alive, if at all possible, but was killed by Revan shortly after they found the first Star Map. While searching on Tatooine for clues about the Star Forge, Shan would be reunited with her estranged mother, Helena. She was saddened to learn that her father had been killed while hunting a canyon krayt dragon for its pearl, which he thought would provide enough credits to pay for the treatment of an unknown fatal illness that Helena suffered from. With Revan's encouragement, they were finally able to reconcile. Shan gave her mother 500 credits to pay for treatment from a doctor on Coruscant. The reconciliation brought Shan much peace, and she expressed gratitude to Revan for his help.

During their quest, Shan would closely monitor Revan, searching for any possible signs that he might have been slipping back to the dark side. She still held a dislike for the man who had caused so much damage to the galaxy, yet she was also attracted to the man he had become after his mind was wiped. Instead of being the monster she imagined and feared he would be, Revan proved to be a true servant of the light side, and displayed many acts of kindness throughout their journey together.

Though this may have been attributed to the programmed identity that replaced his former persona, Revan's compassionate nature may have also been caused by subconscious aspects of his former personality before his fall to the dark side. She soon found herself admiring his passion and unrivaled power and, despite her best efforts, began to slowly fall in love with him. She resisted such feelings, partly because it was forbidden for Jedi to fall in love and partly because she was unable to come to terms with whom he really was. Shan later noted that it caused her a great deal of pain and guilt. Though he was now a true Jedi and a good, honest man for whom she cared deeply, he could still return to the dark side of the Force. If that were to happen, Shan would be forced to stop him before he could rejoin Malak. Shan also worried about what would happen when he found out whom he really was. Revan tried to convince Shan that she could love him, and they even shared a kiss aboard the Ebon Hawk before Bastila swore she would not allow herself to fall in love.

During the quest to find the Star Forge, the Ebon Hawk was captured by the Leviathan, Malak's flagship. Shan, Revan and Onasi were placed in their own cells apart from the others and tortured. Saul Karath, knowing Revan cared for Shan, proceeded to make her suffer in an attempt to get Revan to tell him where the Jedi Enclave was, what they were looking for, and what their mission was. Although his will weakened upon seeing her tortured, Revan refused to tell Karath anything.

After they were freed by one of their crew members, Shan, Onasi, and Revan headed to the bridge to release the tractor beam. When they reached the bridge, they battled Karath, his troops and Dark Jedi. Mortally wounded, Karath told Onasi of Revan's true identity. Onasi then demanded answers from Shan. She promised to answer his questions once they escaped.

Just before reaching the docking bay, however, Darth Malak halted their escape. Onasi attempted to shoot him but was cast aside with ease. Malak told Shan that he had spent far too much energy arranging her capture to let her escape, and he wanted to see his old Master in person. He told Revan about his former life as the Dark Lord, and Shan was forced to come clean to him, telling him about his mind-wipe by the Jedi Council. Malak told Revan that he had been a mere puppet of the Jedi Council. Revan struggled to understand with both Shan and Malak giving him a different story. Malak made it seem as though Shan was using Revan to indulge her own interest in the power of the dark side, while Shan told Revan that she was trying to redeem him and save the galaxy. After Revan told her that he understood and forgave her, Malak was enraged, and used Force stasis on Shan and Onasi, preventing them from helping Revan while Malak engaged him in a duel. Revan managed to hold his own for the majority of the duel but was soon caught in Force stasis by Malak, wherein Shan intervened, sacrificing herself by attempting to distract Malak so that Revan and Onasi could escape and find the Star Forge.

After their confrontation, Malak overpowered and captured Shan, transporting her to Lehon. There, she resisted Malak's repeated efforts to sway her. However, after enduring a week of torture, Malak finally broke her, forcing her to succumb to her hatred and embrace the dark side. She became convinced that the Jedi Council was hindering her potential and exploiting her abilities. Consequently, she assumed the role of the Dark Lord's apprentice, taking the place of the deceased Darth Bandon.

Eventually, she would cross paths with Revan once more at the summit of the Temple of the Ancients on Lehon, though under unforeseen circumstances. Shan revealed to Revan, Jolee Bindo, and Juhani that she had pledged her loyalty to Malak and was now his apprentice, vowing to assist Malak in conquering the galaxy. She engaged the trio in a lightsaber battle, but she was outmatched by the three Jedi. To escape defeat, Shan unleashed a Force wave upon them. Witnessing Revan's immense power despite the Council's actions, she concluded that Revan was the rightful Dark Lord of the Sith.

Shan then tried to convince Revan to reclaim his former position, reminding him of the Jedi Council's past actions against him. Revan found himself struggling with the dark legacy of his former identity, as Shan reminded him that she could perceive his thoughts through their Force bond. Revan countered by stating that there was something more profound than their bond: love. Shan dismissed this, asserting that the only connection between them was the Force and power. Shan implored Revan to join her, to rebuild the Sith Empire, and exact revenge on Malak. Revan questioned how he could trust her after her previous betrayal. Shan declared that she no longer needed to deny herself anything and would gladly stand by his side as his lover and apprentice. Promising to be "utterly yours," she proposed that they could defeat Malak together. Revan regained his composure, made a Jedi's true choice, and declined Shan's offer of power. Enraged by her failure to corrupt Revan, Shan withdrew to the Star Forge, where she and Revan would ultimately have their final confrontation.

Shortly after Revan and his crew boarded the Star Forge, Malak summoned Shan. She had been employing her battle meditation against the Republic fleet, giving the Sith the ability to anticipate the Republic's tactics. Malak instructed Shan that if she were to kill Revan, she would prove herself worthy of being his apprentice. Despite her inner turmoil, she reassured Malak that she would not fail him again.

Shan's encounter with Revan and his companions was not long in coming. As soon as they reached her, Shan unleashed the Force, incapacitating Revan's allies and launching a fierce attack on Revan, which he promptly parried. Shan then retreated and began to berate Revan for refusing to reclaim the title of Dark Lord of the Sith, only for Revan to attempt to bring her back to the light side of the Force. Shan angrily attacked two more times, but with the same result. Even with the full power of the Star Forge at her disposal, she was unable to defeat Revan. Realizing that she was no match for him, Shan yielded, begging him to end her life swiftly for her betrayal. Revan refused, however, telling her that she could still return to the light side. Shan doubted her own strength, believing that she was consumed by too much anger, hatred, and fear to ever find peace in the Force again. Revan convinced her to use their bond, to draw strength from him, and confessed his love for Shan. Shan confessed that she also harbored feelings for him, and despised herself for concealing the truth about his true identity from him, but questioned the value of love in her situation. However, Revan told her that she could redeem herself by helping the Republic defeat the Sith, and demonstrated his trust in her by leaving himself vulnerable to her attack, because he loved Shan and believed in her. Moved by his words, Shan could not bring herself to kill Revan and returned to the path of the light, renouncing the dark side and confessing her love for him.

Redeemed, Shan used her battle meditation to swing the battle in favor of the Republic. Meanwhile, Revan pursued Malak and defeated his former apprentice in the Star Forge's command center. Revan rejoined the rest of the crew, including Shan, shortly before they evacuated the station. Moments later, the Republic fleet destroyed the Star Forge.

Following the battle, Shan and Revan, along with their companions Carth Onasi, Mission Vao, Zaalbar, T3-M4, Canderous Ordo, Juhani, HK-47, and Jolee Bindo, were celebrated as the saviors of the galaxy.

Some time after the war's conclusion, Revan and Bastila married and made their home on Coruscant. However, their relationship with the Jedi Council deteriorated soon thereafter: the Council disagreed with their marriage and began to view Revan as a heretic because of his views on love. Some refused to forgive him for his fall to the dark side, while others believed that he had led Bastila, whom they had regarded as their most promising student, away from the traditional Jedi path. Bastila sided with her husband in the dispute with the Council, and the two parties reached a compromise: the Council would refrain from publicly criticizing their marriage, and in return, Revan agreed not to attempt to spread his new philosophy within the Order. Bastila was initially reluctant to accept the Council's conditions, but Revan convinced her that engaging in an ideological conflict with the Council would be futile.

Two years after the Star Forge's destruction, Bastila's husband began to recall the existence of the True Sith Empire and his encounter with the Sith Emperor. He embarked on a solitary journey into the Unknown Regions, leaving behind his loved ones, including his wife Shan and his soon-to-be born child, knowing that bringing them to the places he needed to go would endanger them all. Before Revan and T3-M4 departed from known space, Shan secretly programmed the droid to return to known space and locate her if anything were to happen to Revan. If T3-M4 was unable to find her, the droid was instructed to seek out any Jedi who could provide assistance. At some point, this command was activated, and T3-M4 discovered the Jedi Exile, Meetra Surik.

Shan remained behind with the rest of the Ebon Hawk's former crew, safeguarding the Republic as Revan had requested, and awaiting the day when he would return. In 3954 BBY, Bastila gave birth to Revan's son, Vaner Shan. In the aftermath of the war, as the Sith Triumvirate and G0-T0, among others, hunted the remaining Jedi Knights to near extinction, she was among the few who managed to evade their notice, remaining hidden to protect Vaner.

When Meetra Surik, the new owner of the Ebon Hawk, arrived at Citadel Station after defeating Darth Nihilus, she spoke with Bastila and Revan's old friend Carth Onasi. Following their conversation, Bastila approached Carth and inquired whether Meetra knew anything about Revan. Carth informed her that Meetra knew nothing. Bastila lamented that she would never know why her husband had left or what he was trying to protect them from, but Carth reminded her that Revan had asked them to remain behind. Bastila's wish would soon be granted, as shortly after Meetra triumphed over the Sith Triumvirate and reunited the surviving Jedi, T3 brought her to Bastila. The droid informed the two Jedi of Revan's fate; he had been captured by a pair of true Sith. When Meetra decided to leave known space to search for Revan, Shan agreed and entrusted Meetra with Revan's mask, the key to unlocking his last, forgotten memories.

According to the Jedi historian Gnost-Dural, Bastila served as a Jedi Master at some point in the years that followed, although she dedicated the remainder of her life to her son, and their family grew in the years that followed. Bastila never saw Revan again, and missed her husband dearly, though Revan would secretly watch over her through the Force in her dreams from his prison in the Maelstrom. However, she was convinced that whatever threat Revan went to fight, he had put a stop to it because their family never had to deal with war like they did.

Revan and Bastila's lineage eventually led to Satele Shan, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order during the post-Great Galactic War era, and Satele's secret son Theron Shan, a Republic spy. A holostatue of Bastila was erected in the Leisure Garden section of Axial Park in Coronet City on Corellia, alongside statues of Revan and his other companions, in remembrance of their deeds.

During Satele's time, the Kel Dor Jedi Master Gnost-Dural created a series of records to update the Jedi Archives about the Sith Empire. In the holorecording discussing the Jedi Civil War, Bastila was incorrectly identified as a Jedi Master during her role in the capture of Darth Revan. The holorecord also falsely depicted Bastila at Revan's side when the former Dark Lord confronted Malak aboard the Star Forge.

At some point late in her life, Bastila's appearance and thought patterns were recorded into the Noetikon of Secrets, as she was a Jedi Master who had experienced both the light and dark sides of the Force. This holocron-recording would later assist the Barsen'thor in rescuing Jedi Master Yuon Par from a maddening dark side illness created by the Sith Lord Terrak Morrhage. With the assistance of the noetikons, the Barsen'thor learned a shielding technique to free those inflicted by Terrak Morrhage's maddening disease. However shortly after their consultation, the Noetikon of Secrets, the Noetikon of Science and the Noetikon of Light were seemingly destroyed by an unidentified Sith Lord within the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Their charred remains were salvaged by the Jedi Order and returned to Tython where the Jedi Engineers attempted to repair them.

Once repaired, the noetikons further assisted in raising an army to combat the Children of the Emperor. The replica of Bastila pointed the Barsen'thor toward a hidden army of Esh-kha imprisoned in stasis by the Rakata could be found on Belsavis.

Shan possessed a combination of qualities that distinguished her from her contemporaries and destined her for greatness, but those same traits, along with her youthful inexperience, ultimately led her down the path that resulted in her fall.

Impulsive, brash, and somewhat arrogant (largely due to her rare gift of battle meditation), Shan acted as if she was invincible, while remaining constantly aware of the responsibility she carried. Despite the warnings of her masters, Shan consistently sought to prove her worth by dedicating herself to defeating the Sith.

Shan's relationship with the Jedi Council and the Jedi Code was complex. During the Mandalorian Wars, she heeded the Council's wisdom, rejecting Malak's offer to join the fight—and years later, as the Jedi Civil War reached its climax, she still believed that it was the right decision. Nevertheless, she considered the Jedi Masters to be self-absorbed and rigid—and in her youth, she vowed never to adopt those characteristics. Although much to her own chagrin, she felt she was becoming more like the Jedi Masters in her adulthood, and because of this, she strived to change and become more understanding and compassionate towards others. Shan initially believed that the Council intended to use the quest for the Star Forge to test her abilities and determine whether she was worthy of the rank of Jedi Master—only to discover that she was, in the end, far from it.

Shan attempted to adhere to the Jedi Code as strictly as possible, even expressing more extreme views than some Jedi Masters—she believed that no one deserved death without a chance of redemption, a belief that would later contribute to Revan's return to the light side. However, she was not always able to control her emotions, frequently displaying outbursts of annoyance or anger, and sometimes disregarding the idea that romantic relationships, particularly marriage, should be discouraged among the Jedi.

Witnessing Revan, formerly the Dark Lord of the Sith, maintain the path of the light seemingly without difficulty or inner conflict, caused her to question her own commitment to the Jedi Code, even though she and Revan agreed to prevent each other from straying from that path—and the development of this self-doubt later played a significant role in her eventual downfall to what she feared most: the dark side.

Bastila's redemption saw a shift in her personality as a Jedi. Instead of living a life of non-attachment and controlling emotions, Bastila adopted a much grayer way of thinking, which led to a deterioration of her relationship with the Jedi Council. Along with Revan, Bastila came to believe that positive emotions, such as love and happiness, actually strengthened a Jedi's connection to the Force and helped them battle the dark side, rather than increasing the risk of falling. She was also very protective of Revan towards the Council. In fact, by the time Bastila learned of her husband's capture by the true Sith, she had come to believe that the members of the Council were ignorant, and wrong more often than they were right.

Despite her young age, Bastila Shan possessed exceptional skill in the rare power of battle meditation, enabling her to influence the outcome of a battle through the Force. Through this ability, one side gained strength and increased morale, as well as perfect coordination and the ability to instantly and flawlessly respond to the enemy's every change in formation and strategy. These effects significantly damaged enemy morale and fighting effectiveness, thereby creating two crucial shifts in the battle in the user's favor.

Shan possessed a strong Force sense and could detect disturbances in the Force, such as Darth Malak's presence, although this may have been merely telepathy or an extension of her Force bond with Revan. She could also use Force Stun and was capable of using the Jedi Mind Trick on Hutts, such as Motta.

During her brief time as a Sith apprentice, she was able to use Force powers such as Force Insanity, Force choke, Force Wave, Force lightning, Force Plague, Force Breach, Drain Life, and Force Stasis Field. From her perspective, she was more powerful than all but a few Jedi Masters, Malak, and of course, Revan himself.

Additionally, Shan was a skilled lightsaber duelist, wielding a double-bladed lightsaber in combat. She demonstrated the ability to duel the redeemed Revan, Jolee Bindo, and Juhani atop the Temple of the Ancients and emerge relatively unscathed, albeit defeated. Shan also managed to hold her ground against Darth Malak long enough for Revan and Carth Onasi to escape. It should be noted that Malak was considered to be one of the greatest swordsmen of his time.

During the Jedi Civil War, Shan possessed a yellow-bladed lightsaber that she modified over time. As a Jedi Sentinel, she initially had a single-bladed weapon. After Revan's "death," she modified the weapon into a double-bladed lightsaber. Following the attack on the Endar Spire, Brejik discovered it when he salvaged her escape pod, and when Revan killed Brejik after the Taris swoop race, he returned it to Shan. Upon becoming a Sith apprentice, she replaced the yellow crystal with a red crystal, causing her lightsaber to emit red blades from both ends.

Shan preferred to wear a tight and flexible full-body suit, kept in the color scheme of the traditional Jedi robes. As a Sith apprentice, she wore a suit of black Dark Jedi robes.

Bastila Shan made her debut in the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, with Jennifer Hale providing her voice. David Gaider was one of the writers who helped create her.

The character of Bastila Shan was originally intended to be Vima Sunrider, which would have connected what Vima Da-Boda said in the Star Wars: Dark Empire trilogy about her ancestor Vima Sunrider's great skill of battle meditation; however, she was apparently changed due to trademark issues surrounding the name "Sunrider." The character was then renamed Sareth Dorn, and finally Bastila Shan—the name that was originally given to the Cathar Jedi Juhani. Shan, along with Zaalbar, Carth Onasi, Canderous Ordo, and Mission Vao, was inspired by James Ohlen's work on roleplaying campaigns for West End Games.

In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, during a conversation between the Jedi Exile and Mical, Shan's name is subtitled as "Bastilla" on two occasions. Also in that game, during an influence-based conversation between the Jedi Exile and HK-47, the droid mocks both Onasi and Shan. Further, if the player decides that Revan was male and did not stray from the light side, which was the canonical ending of the original game, Shan appears on Citadel Station after the Exile speaks with Admiral Carth Onasi. If the player defines Revan as having taken the dark path, Shan appears in a hologram in the Sith Academy on Korriban. Shan does not appear in the game at all in case of a light side female Revan besides portraying a non-speaking vision of herself during a test the Exile faces while on Korriban.

Bastila Shan was nominated among 25 other Star Wars Expanded Universe characters as a figurine design in the Hasbro and Toyfare 2006 Fan's Choice Poll. In the 2009 poll, Bastila Shan was selected as the fan choice winner.

Bastila is seen wielding all three types of lightsabers available in Knights of the Old Republic in official material. In-game, she initially has her (canon) double-bladed lightsaber. In the in-game cutscenes detailing the capture of Darth Revan, she is seen wielding a yellow single-bladed lightsaber; she also does so in early concept art. Finally, on the cover of Knights of the Old Republic, she wields a short-bladed lightsaber. It should also be noted she is seen with multiple lightsaber colors. Her initial weapon has a gold crystal, though she switches this to a red crystal during her time as Malak's apprentice. Furthermore, she wields a blue-bladed lightsaber in concept art, and is seen with blue double-bladed and single-bladed lightsabers in the Prima guide, and a green-bladed lightsaber on the cover of Knights of the Old Republic and in concept art.

In both of the Knights of the Old Republic games, all characters that wield a double-bladed lightsaber share the hilt of Bastila Shan's lightsaber. The Knights of the Old Republic II Prima Guide mentions the player being able to retrieve Bastila's lightsaber upon confronting and defeating Darth Revan's apparition in Ludo Kressh's tomb on Korriban. However, in the actual game, one receives a random lightsaber type with random crystal (similar to other occasions in the game) instead. The term Bastila's lightsaber may have been used either due to the author's mistake or referring to cut content.

If the player chooses a female Revan, or does not pursue a romance with Shan as a male Revan, they can still redeem Shan to the light side. However, achieving this outcome is more challenging compared to the romantic path available to male Revan players.

Should the player fail to persuade Shan to cease her aggression, either due to unsuccessful persuasion attempts or by omitting specific dialogue choices, Shan will engage Revan in combat, ultimately resulting in her death. Conversely, she may plead for Revan to end her life, believing herself beyond redemption, and Revan complies with her request.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic featured two potential endings in which Shan's presence was significant. The light side path, as previously described and established by LucasArts as canon, contrasts with the following dark side outcome:

Revan succumbed to the allure of the dark side. Together with Shan, he murdered Jolee Bindo and Juhani. Upon their return to the Ebon Hawk, Revan and Bastila extended an invitation to the remaining crew members, offering them the chance to join their cause. The droids HK-47 and T3-M4 were already pre-programmed to align with them, and Canderous Ordo pledged his allegiance to Revan, believing that he would provide him with honorable battles, reminiscent of those he experienced during the Mandalorian Wars. Carth Onasi, however, refused and fled. Mission Vao, unable to accept Revan's descent into darkness, remained steadfast. Initially, Zaalbar agreed to join the dark side, bound by a life debt to Revan, and even consented (through Revan's manipulation) to kill Mission as proof of his loyalty. (It should be noted that the player could fail to convince Zaalbar to attack Mission; in this scenario, the player must personally confront Mission, and kill Zaalbar as well.)

Prior to their approach to the Star Forge, Shan manipulated the Republic into launching an assault on the Sith fleet stationed there, intending to cripple the Republic's forces. While the Republic believed she would employ her battle meditation against the Sith, she instead turned it against them just before Revan's confrontation with Malak. Master Vandar Tokare discerned the truth after Shan directed her battle meditation against the Jedi, but was powerless to intervene. Following Revan's victory over Malak, he reclaimed the title of Dark Lord of the Sith and appointed Shan as his apprentice and lover. Together, they embarked on a mission to conquer the galaxy.

However, Revan soon departed from known space, venturing into the Unknown Regions and abandoning the Sith and Shan on Korriban. Before his departure, Shan secretly programmed T3-M4 with specific commands. Aware that Revan would not bring her into the Unknown Regions, fearing their bond would be a weakness, and knowing that Revan would take T3, she instructed the droid to return to known space if anything were to happen to Revan. If T3 was unable to locate her, the droid was to seek assistance from anyone, regardless of their allegiance to the Sith or Jedi. She commanded T3 to keep this final directive a secret from Revan.

Left behind, Shan observed the growing chaos within the Sith ranks and recognized that no one remained capable of controlling the Star Forge, which was consuming those too weak to wield its power. She realized that Revan had never intended to maintain the Star Forge's operation. She documented her concerns in a Sith holocron placed within the Sith Academy on Korriban—shortly before the Sith Empire, along with the majority of the Order, completely disintegrated. At the conclusion of the holocron, Shan declared her intention to journey into the Unknown Regions in search of Revan and bring him back. It remains uncertain whether she departed before Korriban's downfall or perished there before her departure.

Furthermore, in the dark side ending, on the Command Deck, instead of facing Bastila, Revan was confronted by Malak's three most formidable Dark Jedi (each wearing distinct robes). Malak promised that the one who dealt the killing blow to Revan would become his new apprentice. Revan and Bastila engaged and defeated all three of them.