Belaya

As a young female citizen of the Galactic Republic blessed with Force-sensitive abilities, Belaya lived during the time when the Jedi Knight who became the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Revan, was at war with the Republic during the Jedi Civil War. Driven by a desire for a deeper understanding of the Force, Belaya journeyed to the Jedi Enclave on the planet Dantooine, situated in the Outer Rim. There, she became a student under Jedi Master Zhar Lestin, a Twi'lek male and member of the Jedi Council. He trained her in the ways of the Jedi.

Throughout her education, Belaya learned about the Jedi Code but struggled to control her emotions, a matter frequently brought to her attention by her Master. She found a kindred spirit in Juhani, a fellow female Jedi learner of the Cathar species, who also wrestled with her feelings. As they spent time together at the Enclave, Belaya and Juhani formed a strong friendship, often spending nights together under the stars.

By 3956 BBY, Belaya had become a Jedi Guardian, dedicating herself to combat skills over mental abilities in service to the Jedi Order and the Force. Meanwhile, Juhani was still in training with Master Quatra.

In 3956 BBY, Padawan Bastila Shan, seeking to end the Jedi Civil War, brought the amnesiac Revan to the Enclave. Her goal was to persuade the Council to retrain him as a Jedi of the light. As Revan proceeded towards the Council Chambers, Belaya sensed his powerful connection to the Force and assumed he was a new Padawan learner.

Mistaking Revan for a student, Belaya stopped him and questioned why he wasn't wearing the standard Jedi apparel. She felt his attire suggested a disrespect for Jedi traditions and a lack of dedication to his studies. Revan explained that he was not a Jedi and was simply accompanying Shan. Belaya acknowledged Shan's reputation as a master of battle meditation, but also noted that she had heard Shan was overly proud. Sensing Revan's strong connection to the Force, Belaya doubted his claim that he wasn't a Jedi and accused him of making a poor joke, which Revan did not appreciate. Realizing her mistake, Belaya apologized for her behavior, admitting that she had much to learn, and wished Revan well during his time on Dantooine. Revan then spent several weeks in training before being considered ready for the three trials required to become a Padawan.

During Revan's first two trials, Belaya congratulated him on his rapid progress, a topic she had discussed with their shared teacher, Master Lestin. Their teacher also advised Revan to visit the Crystal Cave in the Khoonda plains as he learned to modify his newly-built lightsaber. When Revan mentioned hearing about the cave and its lightsaber crystals, Belaya warned him of its dangers, advising him not to involve himself in matters beyond his capabilities. She wished him luck in his training and offered the traditional blessing, "the Force to be with him."

Near the end of her training, Belaya's close friend Juhani was tested by Master Quatra. However, Juhani reacted with anger, mistakenly believing she had killed her Master. Consumed by rage, Juhani succumbed to the darkness and fled to the nearby Ancient Grove. Her dark emotions tainted the Grove, causing the surrounding kath hounds to become aggressive and attack local settlers. Due to Belaya's close relationship with Juhani, the Jedi Council prevented her from approaching the fallen Padawan, fearing that her involvement might do more harm than good.

In the days following Juhani's fall, Master Lestin assigned Revan the task of entering the Ancient Grove as his third and final trial. Revan was to cleanse the Grove of its darkness without any assistance from other Jedi at the academy, meaning neither Shan nor Belaya could participate.

Revan entered the Grove and was ambushed by Juhani. Although he defeated her in their duel, he refused to kill her. Instead, he convinced her to return to the Enclave and face the Council's judgment. The Council revealed the truth about Quatra's test to Juhani and welcomed her back into the Jedi Order. Afterward, Master Lestin informed Belaya of Revan's success in his trials.

When Belaya spoke with Revan, she expressed her gratitude for his role in Juhani's redemption. Acknowledging that he had completed his tests and built his lightsaber, she cautioned him that he still had much to learn. She warned that as his power grew, he would face constant temptations to fall to the dark side, just like other Jedi before him.

Reunited at the Enclave, Belaya and Juhani spent time together in the courtyard that Belaya often frequented. Meanwhile, Revan investigated the ancient Rakatan ruins on Dantooine. Soon after, Juhani left Belaya to join Revan's quest to find the Star Forge and defeat Darth Malak. During this quest, Malak's Sith Empire bombarded the Enclave, causing many Jedi and civilian deaths. Ultimately, Revan defeated Malak, but the Sith forces killed most members of the Jedi Order during the subsequent Jedi purge.

Belaya, a Human female, possessed light skin, brown eyes, and brown hair styled in a sleek, short ponytail. She deeply respected Jedi traditions and viewed deviations as mockery. For example, she disliked jokes about the Jedi Order and disapproved of those who didn't wear Jedi robes. While critical of Bastila Shan's pride, Belaya displayed her own by offering unsolicited advice to Revan before he rejoined the Order. She believed in sacrifice and discipline as paths to mastery, but struggled to control her own emotions, despite repeated warnings to do so. Belaya was self-aware and critical of her mistakes, acknowledging that judging Revan based on his attire was one such error.

Belaya shared a strong bond with Juhani, whom she considered a dear companion, and the Council knew of their close relationship. When Juhani fell to the dark side, the Council prevented Belaya from attempting to redeem her, making it Revan's trial instead. Belaya remained at the Enclave. When Revan succeeded in bringing Juhani back to the light side, Belaya was overjoyed but maintained her composure while expressing her gratitude.

Belaya received training in deflecting blaster bolts using a lightsaber.

Following Jedi customs, Belaya wore a standard brown robe with a white tunic underneath, along with brown pants and dark gloves.

Belaya made her debut in the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, developed by BioWare. She lacks a distinct visual appearance, wearing robes common to other Jedi and sharing a head model with other female Human non-player characters. However, in Prima Games's 2003 strategy guide, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, Belaya is depicted with a different generic head model featuring blue eyes and black hair. Belaya's initial dialogue occurs in an unavoidable encounter upon entering the Enclave courtyard, but further interactions are optional and depend on the status of other quests. Peter Thomas primarily wrote the character Juhani and the quests on Dantooine, and his notes can be found in Belaya's game files.

To complete the first Jedi trial, players must learn and recite the Jedi Code. Belaya is one of the characters who can teach it, along with Jedi Knight Deesra Luur Jada or Masters Dorak, Vrook Lamar, or Vandar Tokare.

If players save Juhani during the Jedi trials, Belaya can later comment on two possible outcomes of the optional Sandral-Matale feud sidequest. Regarding the dark side option, where members of the Sandral and Matale families kill each other and the player battles the Matale droids, Belaya wonders what dark force destroyed so many droids and caused so many deaths. If the player helps Rahasia Sandral and Shen Matale flee to the Enclave instead of reconciling with their families, Belaya is pleased that the player helped the couple stay together. Her Dantooine dialogue tree indicates plans for her to comment if the player convinced Matale to return to his father or completed the light side option where the parents accepted the couple, but those lines weren't scripted.

In non-canon storylines, if the player kills Juhani at the Ancient Grove, an unavoidable encounter with Belaya occurs upon returning to the Enclave. Belaya is heartbroken and furious with the player and the Jedi Council for their roles in Juhani's death. She believes Revan didn't give Juhani a chance and that the Council should have sent a more experienced Jedi. She feels they all failed to believe Juhani deserved better and was worth saving. Regardless of the player's intentions, Belaya cannot be consoled and Revan cannot prevent her from running away.

After Belaya's disappearance, players can ask Vandar or Vrook about her. Vandar expresses concern that she may have acted rashly, saying, "She had always been close to Juhani, and her death may have hit Belaya… hard." Vrook notes that Belaya missed a lesson with Master Lestin and was seen leaving the Enclave. He doesn't know where she went and warns against forcing her return.

If Revan killed Juhani on Dantooine, another automatic encounter with Belaya occurs during the quest to find the Star Map on the Outer Rim Sith world of Korriban. After Juhani's death, Belaya fell to the dark side and became a student at the Sith Academy. She had improved her skills with attack maneuvers, heavy armor, general melee weapons, lightsabers, and deflecting blaster bolts. Wearing a dark Jedi Knight robe, Belaya confronts Revan at the Academy's entrance, angrily questioning their presence and threatening to expose them if they are working for the Jedi Council. Regardless of Revan's words, combat is unavoidable. She ignites her red lightsaber and attempts to avenge Juhani. She has learned many Force abilities, including Force speed, Force lightning, Force Slow, Ionize, Force drain, the ability to influence and instill fear in enemies, and telekinesis used to push, wound, and throw lightsabers at distant enemies. After killing her, Revan can loot credits, an Environment shield level 3 droid shield, and Echani battle armor from her body.

If Dantooine hasn't been attacked yet, Revan can return and tell Master Lamar about Belaya's fate. Disturbed by her fall and viewing it as a failure of the Jedi teachers, Lamar cautions Revan against giving in to darkness to avoid a similar fate. The game files for Belaya's encounter on Korriban show she has the "Guard Stance," "Proficiency All," and "Weapon Proficiency: Simple Weapons" feats, which are unused in the final release of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Additionally, she has the unused "Combat Regeneration" Force power, which functions like the "Regenerate Force Points" feat from BioWare's 2004 sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.

Juhani was the first character in the Star Wars universe to be portrayed as LGBTQ+, specifically lesbian, although her relationship with Belaya, as well as Belaya's sexuality, was implied but not explicitly stated in the game. In a Q&A on LucasArts' now-defunct LucasForums, Knights of the Old Republic co-designer David Gaider wrote that the player "could run into Juhani's former lover as well (and she would attack you if you killed Juhani)" on Dantooine and Korriban, a description that only fits Belaya.

In 2013, Gaider further discussed how the writing team's assumptions about the player base's response to LGBTQ+ representation led to self-censoring Juhani's dialogue. At the first GaymerX convention, he said that Juhani had mentioned having a female lover by saying they were very close. Although the dialogue is inexact, the description matches Belaya's character.

After the 2021 announcement of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake, Gaider commented on Twitter about LGBTQ+ representation in the original game, saying that Juhani's past relationships could only be referred to as "friends." Knights of the Old Republic: Prima's Official Strategy Guide and Belaya's entry in the 2008 reference book The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia described Belaya as "friends" with Juhani, while the game itself used the euphemism "dear companion."