Bentilais san Sk'ar

During the era of the Galactic Republic, Kaleesh warrior Bentilais san Sk'ar was born. Residing on the planet of Kalee, he initially served as a revolutionary before rising to become the ruler of the planet's western region. When the insectoid Yam'rii species invaded Kalee, Sk'ar joined the Kolkpravis, a group of Kaleesh tribal warriors who were resisting the Yam'rii. He served under the leadership of Qymaen jai Sheelal and became one of the Izvoshra, eight elite soldiers who were personally answerable to Sheelal and served as his bodyguards. However, after the Yam'rii petitioned to the Galactic Senate, the Republic intervened and ended the conflict, enforcing crippling economic sanctions on the Kaleesh.

The peace was short-lived. The Yam'rii desecrated Kaleesh burial sites on the colony world Oben. As a result, Sheelal gathered the Izvoshra and traveled to Oben, intending to resume hostilities with the Yam'rii. However, their ship crashed into the Jenuwaa Sea due to the InterGalactic Banking Clan's intervention at the request of Count Dooku, the Confederacy of Independent Systems' Head of State who hoped to utilise Sheelal for the ensuing Separatist war effort. Dooku had Sheelal ejected from the ship before it crashed, but unbeknownst to the Count, Sk'ar had also survived, though alone. Thus, the warrior rallied the Kolkpravis under his leadership. They slaughtered all of the Yam'rii on Oben and Sk'ar had his people re-locate there.

Following the rise of the Galactic Empire, Sk'ar violently resisted Imperial rule for over a decade. However, his forces were eventually defeated by Captain Thrawn. Thrawn typically studied his adversaries' art to devise strategies, but he was unable to comprehend the Kaleesh art. Therefore, he leveled the planet Oben using his Star Destroyers.

Sk'ar acknowledged Thrawn's superior tactics and held no resentment, believing his people had died honorably. Instead, he was awestruck by the advanced technology of his enemies. While waiting in the ruins of his headquarters, Captain Rel Bentin approached Sk'ar, who offered his life or service. Intimidated by Sk'ar's towering presence, Bentin brought the Kaleesh before Emperor Palpatine. Impressed by Sk'ar's courage, Palpatine, recalling Sheelal's service during the Clone Wars, recognized Sk'ar's potential. Palpatine enlisted the Kaleesh general to bring order to remote worlds on the fringes of known space.

Leading an Imperial strike force, Sk'ar proved Palpatine's judgment correct. He conquered worlds such as Pral and Koltine within the Jahilid Drift, earning respect among his peers. Even the Empire's more xenophobic officers recognized Sk'ar's achievements. Unlike his colleagues, Sk'ar excelled at undermining his adversaries through deception, minimizing risks to his soldiers and enabling greater control over conquered territories. Leading from the front, Sk'ar used a powerful personal energy shield impervious to even close-range blaster fire.

Sk'ar aimed to employ his divide and conquer tactics on Shiva IV. The planet's two dominant factions, the Twelve Tribes of T'Syriél and the Calian Confederacy, had been in constant conflict until 2 ABY, when they achieved peace through the Concordat of Peace. Hoping to reignite old conflicts, Sk'ar recruited both Humans from the Confederacy and T'Syriél from the Twelve Tribes, anticipating that either faction would suspect their former rivals of violating the truce if they discovered his Shiva IV operation.

Equipping the T'Syriél outcasts with heavily modified stormtrooper armor, Sk'ar began preparing for his conquest of Shiva IV. First, he surrounded the planet with microscopic space mines, before utilizing an anti-matter bomb against the city of K'avor, leveling it entirely. He then began acquiring allies within the Calian and Twelve Tribes high command, promising Ygal Delois, kin and aide of the Confederate leader Aron Peacebringer, a position as ruler of the planet following the Imperial occupation. He enlisted Delois to prepare a mock-up of a Calian aerial battleship, which would drop an anti-matter bomb on Shiva IV's capital city of Illyriaqüm. Sk'ar would then conscript an army from the enslaved populace, since Shiva IV was home to what the general considered some of the galaxy's fiercest fighters.

Dispatching his troops to Illyriaqüm to kidnap Peacebringer during the first anniversary of the Concordat of Peace, he was given custody of not one leader but two: Alliance to Restore the Republic member Leia Organa was also present, having been stranded on Shiva IV by the micro space mines. While beating Peacebringer personally, Sk'ar had Organa tortured by his ally Delois, instilling rage in the Calian leader. As Sk'ar set off on his mission to destroy Illyriaqüm, he gave his men orders not to harm Organa, as Palpatine had requested that privilege for himself.

Palpatine's order proved to be damaging to Sk'ar's operation: since the guards were not to harm her, Organa escaped, bringing Peacebringer along with her. Hijacking one of the Shivan aircraft, she set off after Sk'ar and his mock Calian airship. The Kaleesh sent TIE/LN starfighters after them, but the general's pilots were no match for Organa's own piloting skills. Peacebringer and Organa then boarded the airship, wreaking havoc on the main deck, while Sk'ar brayed orders at his men in futility.

The situation worsened for Sk'ar when a team of Rebels who had been searching for Organa, comprising Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, and Luke Skywalker, joined the foray, along with Peacebringer's blood brother, Demarch Kéral Longknife of the Twelve Tribes. Skywalker defeated Delois in combat, prompting Sk'ar to make his escape. He was stopped in his tracks by Calrissian, who attempted to gun the Kaleesh general down. However, Sk'ar's personal energy shield allowed him to simply walk up to his assailant and violently strike him, effectively removing him from the battle. Making it to one of the Shivan aircraft, Sk'ar hurtled away from the mock airship, but was spotted by Chewbacca. The Wookiee, with no practical weapon in sight, picked up a solid steel gun mount and hurled it at the Kaleesh's ship. Sk'ar perished in the subsequent explosion.

Bentilais san Sk'ar, though preferring manipulation, was a ruthless individual capable of gratuitous violence. His bombing of K'avor was unrelated to his Shiva IV plan, and he tortured Leia Organa and Aron Peacebringer without interrogation. While his tactics reduced risks to his troops, he disrespected them, often scolding them for incompetence. Standing at approximately three meters tall, unusually large for a Kaleesh, he used his size to intimidate his enemies. His intimidating appearance was enhanced by hairless grey skin and piercing red eyes.

Highly confident, Sk'ar considered serving the Empire, his only conqueror, an honor. Unlike others, he did not seek revenge and greatly respected technology. He faithfully served Palpatine and obeyed his commands. Conversely, Sk'ar scorned pacifists like Peacebringer and Organa, though he acknowledged Shiva IV's fierce warriors.

Chris Claremont, Carmine Infantino, and Walt Simonson created Sk'ar for a two-issue story in Marvel Comics' Star Wars series in 1981. Like other early Expanded Universe characters, his species was initially unidentified. His character remained undeveloped until the 2007 Hyperspace publication Aliens in the Empire, which revealed his full name and retconned him as a Kaleesh. He was later referenced in the Wizards of the Coast sourcebook Galaxy at War in 2009, which further expanded his backstory.