Duron Qel-Droma, a Human male Jedi Knight hailing from Alderaan, is primarily remembered for his actions during the Great Hunt in 3993 BBY. As a member of the Qel-Droma family of Jedi, Qel-Droma was related to Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma, who famously succumbed to the dark side and became a Sith, engaging in conflict with both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic during the Great Sith War. In the years that followed this war, Duron took on the responsibility of rehabilitating his family's reputation. Following the conclusion of the war, Sith-spawned monstrosities were scattered across the galaxy, continuing to pose a danger. Consequently, the Jedi Order launched the Great Hunt, with the goal of eradicating these creatures once and for all. Qel-Droma joined forces with a group of Jedi comrades, including Human Shaela Nuur and the Twi'lek Guun Han Saresh. Qel-Droma and his allies fought against beasts like Sith wyrms and silan, but their most formidable adversary was the terentatek—a large, ferocious creature that preyed on Force-sensitive blood. Qel-Droma and his team traveled throughout the galaxy in pursuit of these monsters, eliminating them from worlds like Tatooine and establishing themselves as the Jedi Order's premier hunters.
During the Great Hunt, Qel-Droma and Nuur grew to have romantic feelings for one another, testing the boundaries of the Jedi Code. This nearly caused a division within the group, as Saresh strongly disapproved, but the Hunt was concluded by 3993 BBY. Nevertheless, Qel-Droma, Nuur, and Saresh were dispatched on a clandestine mission to cleanse the Sith homeworld of Korriban, a planet deeply corrupted by the dark side. As they were the Order's most skilled hunters, the Jedi High Council believed that the trio could succeed, and would be able to support each other in resisting the dark side's influence. However, upon arriving on Korriban, Qel-Droma and his companions encountered significant challenges. To acquire essential information, Qel-Droma and Nuur were compelled to commit unlawful acts that violated Qel-Droma's moral principles, and Qel-Droma began to experience a series of debilitating, prophetic visions. On Korriban, Qel-Droma and Nuur acted on their feelings, leading to Saresh's departure in disgust. Without Saresh, Qel-Droma and Nuur journeyed together to the Valley of the Dark Lords, eventually encountering a terentatek in a secluded cave. However, the creature proved too powerful—Qel-Droma sustained a fatal injury while desperately attempting to protect Nuur. Before his died, Qel-Droma predicted that a great Jedi named Revan would discover his body in the future, and would use Qel-Droma's robe in a confrontation with the dark side. Almost forty years later, this prophecy came to fruition when Revan located Qel-Droma's remains before defeating the Sith Darth Malak.
Duron Qel-Droma, a Human male, spent his formative years on the planet of Alderaan. During his youth, Qel-Droma maintained a close relationship with his two cousins, the brothers Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma. Following the example of Ulic and Cay's mother, the Jedi Master Lien-Tsai Qel-Droma, all three were eventually identified as being Force-sensitive and became members of the Jedi Order. In 3996 BBY, the Qel-Droma family suffered a tragedy when Ulic Qel-Droma succumbed to the dark side of the Force. Leading a Sith force against the Jedi and the Galactic Republic in the conflict known as the Great Sith War, Ulic slew his brother Cay in single combat on the Jedi library world of Ossus. Although Ulic eventually expressed remorse and abandoned his cause, he was stripped of his connection to the Force and entered self-imposed exile. Consequently, Duron Qel-Droma assumed the responsibility of restoring the family's honor, dedicating himself to this task over the following years. Bearing this burden, Qel-Droma fought against Sith remnants during the Cleansing of the Nine Houses, but his most notable achievements came during a Jedi campaign known as the Great Hunt. Qel-Droma was among the Jedi Knights who traveled across the galaxy to eliminate Sith monstrosities such as Sith wyrms, silan, and terentateks.
The terentatek, an alchemical creation of the Sith Exar Kun, would become Qel-Droma's greatest adversary. Terentateks, which were half the size of a rancor beast, preyed on Force-sensitive blood, making them a significant threat to the Jedi. Following the conclusion of the war, the Jedi Order initiated the Great Hunt, intending to eliminate the terentateks throughout the galaxy. Qel-Droma joined a Jedi team that included the Humans Shaela Nuur and Cale Berkona, as well as the Twi'lek Guun Han Saresh, and immediately joined the Hunt. Qel-Droma and Nuur developed romantic feelings for each other, which pushed the limits of the Jedi Code. Qel-Droma proved to be an invaluable member of the group, employing his mental Force powers to confuse the beasts while the other Jedi launched their attacks. During the Hunt, Qel-Droma wore a garment known as the Qel-Droma robe, a family heirloom that originally belonged to his cousin Cay. The Great Hunt was largely successful, clearing the dark side monsters from planets such as Onderon, Yavin 4, and Tython. In 3993 BBY, as the Hunt was coming to a close, Qel-Droma and his comrades journeyed to Tatooine, hoping to cleanse the world of terentateks. After defeating several terentateks, the group tracked the last one on Tatooine to a cave, only to witness the terentatek killed one of their number. After Qel-Droma established mental contact with the terentatek and distracted it, the creature was finally slain. Uninjured in the battle, Qel-Droma placed the dead monster on a burning pyre with the others, and used the Force to carry his fallen teammate back to their ship.
Five days later, the Great Hunt was officially brought to an end. However, the Jedi High Council on Coruscant had other plans—the Sith homeworld of Korriban, a planet deeply steeped in the dark side, still required cleansing. Needing someone to complete the task quickly and discreetly, the High Council selected Qel-Droma, Nuur, and Saresh for the job. Their reasoning was twofold—first, the Council believed that Qel-Droma, Nuur, and Saresh could defeat any terentatek they encountered, and second, the Council believed that the three could support each other and collectively resist Korriban's dark temptations. The Jedi High Council assigned the responsibility of informing the group to the lesser Jedi Council at the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, who summoned the three before them two days after the supposed conclusion of the Great Hunt. Although the group, particularly Qel-Droma, was surprised by the announcement, they resolved to proceed. They departed for Korriban the following day, heading towards the heavily populated Dreshdae settlement. Once there, they began their search for information. Their investigation led them to a cantina, where Qel-Droma and Nuur met with an Ithorian and a Quarren who offered to introduce them to a half breed Massassi with knowledge of the planet's terentateks in exchange for a kilo of spice. These types of activities did not sit well with the idealistic Qel-Droma—after only a week, he was concerned that Korriban was negatively impacting the three Jedi. Qel-Droma had grown weary of killing terentateks, particularly after his mental connections with the creatures during their battles revealed that they possessed their own spirits and thoughts.
During a conversation with Nuur in their safehouse one night, he voiced these concerns, only to be interrupted by a strange and traumatic vision—he had been experiencing several such visions recently, and they were becoming increasingly intense. Qel-Droma saw visions of a war yet to come, featuring the fiery destruction of a large cityscape, a captured Jedi, and a disfigured Sith. After Nuur attempted to comfort him, the two gave in to their feelings for each other and shared a passionate kiss. At that moment, Saresh, who disapproved of their relationship, entered the room and seized the opportunity to lecture them on the Jedi Code. A heated argument ensued between Nuur and Saresh, although Qel-Droma intervened. Saresh posed a final question to Qel-Droma and Nuur, asking whether they could control their feelings for each other, and Qel-Droma responded that they could not if it meant renouncing their love. Disappointed in his teammates, Saresh left the group, stating that their relationship jeopardized the mission. Before departing, Saresh gave Qel-Droma and Nuur a keycard taken from a Sith apprentice he had seduced, which would grant them access to the Valley of the Dark Lords where the terentateks could be found. Before Qel-Droma and Nuur left for the Valley, Qel-Droma wrote an entry in his datapad detailing his feelings for Nuur and his disappointment with Saresh.
Three days later, as they entered the Valley of the Dark Lords, Qel-Droma and Nuur sensed through the Force that Saresh had perished—he had traveled to the Wookiee world of Kashyyyk to slay a terentatek he had learned was there, only to fall victim to the creature. Qel-Droma reacted to the news of his friend's death with sadness, despite their previous disagreements. Nevertheless, they continued onward. Their search led them to a cave filled with numerous lesser beasts, including shyracks, and after venturing deeper, they discovered their terentatek. As Nuur charged into battle, Qel-Droma realized with horror that he could not establish mental contact with the terentatek as he usually did. At that moment, the terentatek threw Nuur aside. Desperately trying to protect his love, Qel-Droma sprinted forward and attacked the terentatek with his lightsaber, wounding the beast. However, the terentatek quickly seized Qel-Droma with one of its massive claws, inflicting a mortal wound. As Qel-Droma lay dying with Nuur by his side, he experienced one final vision—sometime in the future, a Jedi named Revan would stumble upon his remains and take the Qel-Droma robe for himself. This Jedi would wear the robe as he defeated the disfigured Sith from Qel-Droma's previous vision. In his final moments, this gave Qel-Droma peace, knowing that the light would ultimately prevail. Consequently, Qel-Droma instructed Nuur to leave his body where it lay, so that Revan might find it as he had foreseen. With his last breaths, Qel-Droma professed his love for Nuur before passing away.
Devastated by the death of her love, Shaela Nuur resolved to continue the fight in the name of vengeance for Qel-Droma. Nuur tracked the wounded beast to the ancient tomb of former Sith Naga Sadow. There, she was ambushed by a larger, healthy terentatek, and Nuur fell in combat. For many years, the true fate of Qel-Droma, Nuur, and Saresh remained unknown, although it seemed almost certain that they had all perished. The Jedi Council deemed it too dangerous to send anyone in search of their remains, so the bones of Duron Qel-Droma lay undisturbed for nearly forty years. However, their stories were not forgotten. Around 3956 BBY, Revan, the Jedi whom Qel-Droma had seen in his dying vision, was told the tale of Qel-Droma, Nuur, and Saresh by a Knight named Deesra Luur Jada on Dantooine. Revan soon embarked on a journey across the galaxy to find the ancient Rakatan Star Maps, and his search eventually led him to Korriban. As Qel-Droma had foreseen decades earlier, Revan stumbled upon his skeletal remains, discovering the Qel-Droma robe and Qel-Droma's datapad. The final part of Qel-Droma's vision came to pass shortly after, as Revan defeated the disfigured Sith, Darth Malak.
Duron Qel-Droma was a young Jedi Knight of strong ideals, dedicated to the light. As such, Qel-Droma was constantly wary of succumbing to the dark side while on the Sith world of Korriban, and was more aware of the planet's influence than his companions Nuur and Saresh. Although willing to do whatever it took to eliminate the terentateks, his ethical code made it difficult for him to engage in illegal activities such as running spice, which he was forced to do on Korriban. Qel-Droma's morals extended even to his prey, the terentateks. Although connecting to their minds reinforced Qel-Droma's belief in their evil nature, the fact that they possessed thoughts at all gave him pause, and by the time of the mission to Korriban, he was hesitant to kill the beasts. After Qel-Droma's cousin Ulic fell to the dark side, Qel-Droma was determined to restore his family's honor, which motivated many of his actions.
Qel-Droma was a fair-skinned man with brown hair and brown eyes. By 3993 BBY, Qel-Droma had fallen in love with fellow Jedi Shaela Nuur, and his feelings were reciprocated, although not openly expressed until their time on Korriban. Towards the end of the Great Hunt, Qel-Droma began to experience debilitating, prophetic visions, which greatly frightened him—the Jedi found that Nuur was able to alleviate his pain. On Korriban, Qel-Droma and Nuur finally acted on their feelings, which led to the fracturing of their group. Qel-Droma was prepared to do anything to protect Nuur, including a reckless and foolish charge against a terentatek on Korriban, an action that resulted in his death. Although Qel-Droma and Guun Han Saresh were close friends, Qel-Droma refused to heed the Twi'lek's advice and remained committed to his love for Nuur. However, Qel-Droma did not harbor any resentment towards Saresh, although he was privately frustrated with Saresh's disapproval of his relationship with Nuur and believed that Saresh's departure may have been for the best. Qel-Droma remained confident that he and Nuur would be able to slay a terentatek without Saresh's assistance. Unlike Nuur, Qel-Droma reacted to the news of Saresh's death with sadness, acknowledging that he and Nuur were as responsible for the downfall of their group as Saresh. Although Qel-Droma's visions were initially traumatic, his final vision conveyed a message of hope that allowed him to die in peace, content that the future held a victory for the light.
By 3993 BBY, Duron Qel-Droma was considered one of the most skilled hunters in the Jedi Order. However, unlike the other members of his group, Qel-Droma did not typically use a lightsaber when fighting a terentatek, although he did wield a green-colored one when fighting other, lesser creatures, such as shyracks. Instead, Qel-Droma employed his mental Force abilities to reach into the minds of his prey, confusing the beasts and making them vulnerable to attacks from the other Jedi accompanying him—this also allowed Qel-Droma to read the thoughts of the terentateks, providing him with a greater understanding of the creatures. In his final battle on Korriban, however, Qel-Droma was unable to establish mental contact with the beast, forcing him to fight the terentatek with his lightsaber. Qel-Droma was also skilled in using telekinesis, levitating the body of a fallen Jedi a considerable distance after a battle with a terentatek, and at one point using a Force burst to shatter the windows of a room.
The character of Duron Qel-Droma was first featured in the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. In the game, Qel-Droma appears only as a skeleton in the Shyrack cave on Korriban, which can be discovered by the player character, Revan. On Qel-Droma's body, the player can find the Qel-Droma robe and Qel-Droma's datapad. Qel-Droma's backstory was significantly expanded upon in the comic "Shadows and Light," one of the stories included in 2005's Star Wars Tales 23. The story serves as a prequel to Knights of the Old Republic, recounting how Qel-Droma came to be a corpse on Korriban. In the comic, Qel-Droma was illustrated by Dustin Weaver. Several other references to Qel-Droma have been made in the Star Wars canon. Qel-Droma was mentioned in a Codex entry in the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic, along with mentions in the reference book The New Essential Chronology and the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide.
Knights of the Old Republic also includes the datapads of Shaela Nuur and Guun Han Saresh, and on several occasions, they misspell Qel-Droma's first name as "Duran." In Shadows and Light, Qel-Droma's vision depicts Revan wearing the Qel-Droma robe when he defeats the game's villain, Darth Malak—however, the robe does not need to be worn by the player, or even acquired at all.