Brianna

Brianna's birth occurred in 3976 BBY, resulting from a forbidden relationship between General Yusanis and Jedi Master Arren Kae. Yusanis, a skilled Echani warrior from the Republic planet Eshan, was already married and had five daughters, while Kae, as a member of the Jedi Order, was prohibited from forming deep attachments. Despite these constraints, they engaged in a clandestine affair, risking their positions by continuing their meetings. Despite Kae's efforts to keep the affair and Brianna's birth a secret, the Jedi Council eventually discovered the truth, and Kae was expelled from the Jedi Order as a consequence.

Kae subsequently decided to join her former apprentice, Revan, in the fight against the Mandalorians, who were determined to conquer the Outer Rim. Yusanis also joined them, even though he was responsible for Brianna and his other five daughters. Yusanis and Kae gained recognition as heroes of the war, but Kae ultimately perished in battle, and Yusanis returned a changed man, abandoning combat to become a senator. He avoided discussing Kae, leaving Brianna without any memories of her mother. Later, Revan, Yusanis's former ally, declared himself the new Dark Lord of the Sith and turned against the Jedi, initiating the Jedi Civil War. He aimed to weaken the Republic, targeting the Republic worlds of Serroco, Corellia, and Eshan for destabilization. Revan achieved his objectives by assassinating a senator from each world, and the death of an Echani senator drew Yusanis's attention. Upon discovering evidence of Revan's actions, Yusanis challenged him to a duel but was ultimately killed by the Dark Lord, leaving Brianna an orphan.

After Yusanis's death, Brianna and her five half-sisters entered the service of the Jedi Master Atris, one of the few Jedi Masters who survived the Jedi Civil War. The Jedi Order had been severely divided and weakened by the war, and subsequent attacks by a resurgent Sith Order after the war led to very few Jedi remaining. Atris hoped to rebuild the Jedi Order after most of the other Jedi Masters had been killed during one of these attacks on Katarr, and established a secret academy on Telos IV, a planet that had been devastated by Sith forces during the Jedi Civil War. The sisters joined her at the academy and pledged to serve as her handmaidens, assisting Atris in collecting Jedi artifacts from across the galaxy. At some point during their service, Brianna and her half-sisters swore an oath to Atris, promising never to study the teachings of the Jedi or receive any instruction from a Jedi. Brianna was the only handmaiden who had any Force-sensitivity due to her heritage. Although Atris was aware of Brianna's familial background and Force sensitivity, she never acknowledged Brianna's potential, and the handmaiden remained unaware of her innate abilities.

Offspring of Echani parents appeared identical to their parents of the same sex to non-Echani individuals. As such, Brianna resembled her Jedi mother rather than Yusanis's original wife, which distinguished her from her sisters as visible proof of her father's infidelity. Her father's infidelity had brought shame upon him, and after his death at Revan's hands, that shame was passed on to her, as the Echani believed that betrayal and shame were hereditary. Despite her efforts to disprove this stigma, Brianna was labeled the "Last of the Handmaidens" by her sisters, implying she was the least valuable and skilled among them. Consequently, Brianna felt unworthy of expressing any individuality and renounced her name in favor of her title.

The Jedi Academy was hidden in the remote polar regions of Telos IV, and as a result, the academy went unnoticed, even as the Republic initiated the Telosian Restoration Project to restore the devastated planet's ecosystem. The project was led by the Ithorian Chodo Habat and his herd, and a massive space station was constructed in orbit as a staging area for the project. When Atris later discovered that the planet Peragus II, the station's main fuel source, had been destroyed and that the Telos Security Force was holding suspects in the planet's destruction, who had recently arrived in the system, she instructed Brianna to investigate. Brianna acted secretly, sneaking onto Citadel Station and stealing the suspects' ship, the Ebon Hawk, along with their droid, T3-M4, which was on board because the ship had been impounded after arriving at Citadel Station shortly after the destruction of Peragus II. Brianna then brought the ship to the secret academy, where Atris hoped to investigate the events surrounding the planet's destruction. Atris was unaware that the ship's new owner was Meetra Surik, also known as the Jedi Exile, a former friend from the Jedi Order and a hero of the Mandalorian Wars who had been exiled for defying the Jedi Council and joining Revan in the war. Surik was released from custody upon the discovery that Peragus II had been destroyed because of her escape from the Sith Lord Darth Sion, and she began searching for her stolen ship.

Surik, accompanied by Kreia and Atton Rand, whom she had met on Peragus II, eventually found the starship with the assistance of a technician from the Restoration Project and entered the academy. Brianna, accompanied by two of her sisters, confronted the group and demanded their surrender. Surik complied to avoid conflict, and Brianna escorted her to meet with Atris. Atris, who had been one of the Jedi Masters who decided on Surik's punishment for her involvement in the Mandalorian Wars, was displeased to see her again. After a heated discussion about Surik's seeming lack of remorse for her actions in defying the Council, Surik informed Atris of the Sith's involvement in the destruction of Peragus II and offered her assistance. Atris suggested that she seek out the other surviving Jedi Masters and gather them at the ruined Enclave on Dantooine to formulate a plan of action, and then sent Surik away. Brianna was surprised to see her mistress become so agitated, which reinforced her growing belief that the Jedi were not the emotionless beings Atris had described them to be.

Before Surik left Telos, Brianna had the chance to speak with her privately. Brianna was initially cautious of Surik but began to speak more openly when Surik convinced her that, contrary to Atris's opinion, she had not turned to the dark side of the Force during the Mandalorian Wars. Brianna admitted that she was the only one of her sisters who did not doubt Surik's combat abilities and was more receptive to Surik's views. Brianna also mentioned that she was often distracted by the Jedi teachings Atris had rescued and stored at the academy, and as a result, she was eager to learn about life as a Jedi. She inquired about various aspects of a Jedi's life, including the issue of attachment. Brianna also informed Surik that she always trained to improve herself, and they discussed the Echani perspective on expressing feelings through combat. Finally, Brianna asked what it was like to feel the Force, and she was satisfied with the answers provided by both Surik and Kreia.

Atris ordered Brianna to secretly board the Ebon Hawk and assist Surik in her mission to find the missing Jedi Masters, a journey that took them to the worlds of Dantooine, Nar Shaddaa, Onderon, and Korriban. In addition, Brianna was to monitor Surik's actions for Atris to confirm that Surik still served the light side. Brianna revealed herself upon learning that Surik had downloaded some of Atris's records, indignantly protesting what she considered theft before regaining her composure and explaining her orders. While Rand strongly objected to allowing a spy to travel with them, Surik welcomed Brianna to the crew. At this point, however, Brianna remained wary of Surik, as Atris had warned her not to trust her. She isolated herself in the cargo bay to hone her fighting style, keeping herself separate from the rest of the crew.

While Surik attempted to befriend Brianna, the Echani remained hesitant to trust her. However, through acts of kindness and charity during their journey, Brianna eventually came to believe that Atris had been wrong in her judgments. Brianna occasionally clashed with Visas Marr, a former Sith assassin who had initially been tasked with capturing Surik. Although Marr joined the crew after her defeat at Surik's hands, Brianna distrusted her due to Marr's connections to the Sith. After some persuasion from Surik, Brianna learned to accept her presence, although she continued to keep a close watch on the Miraluka.

During their travels, Brianna agreed to teach Surik Echani fighting techniques. As they trained, Surik questioned Brianna's Echani tradition of sparring while wearing only undergarments; Brianna conceded that bulkier clothing would be more practical. She then surprised Surik by changing into a heavy set of grayed robes, the style associated with a Jedi Master. When asked, she finally revealed that they were the last memento of her mother that she had never known. She confided in Surik and shared her past, but she asked that it be kept secret from the rest of the crew, as she had come to trust Surik above everyone else. Unexpectedly, after their private discussion, Surik was approached by Kreia, who revealed that she had known Arren Kae. Kreia speculated that because Kae had been strong in the Force, the potential to become a Jedi also resided within her daughter. However, Kreia discouraged Surik from training her as a Jedi because it would mean breaking her oath to Atris.

Surik decided to leave the choice to Brianna and offered to train her to use the Force. By this point, Brianna greatly trusted Surik and realized that she had always hoped to follow her mother's path. Consequently, she accepted the offer. Surik warned her that she would be breaking her oath to Atris, but Brianna was committed, feeling that she would be betraying her heritage if she didn't accept the training. With Brianna's acceptance, Surik imparted her knowledge of the Force to Brianna and trained her to become a Jedi Guardian. During this time, Kreia sent a message to Atris through the Force, informing her of Brianna's decision to become a Jedi with a single word: "Betrayal." As a Jedi, Brianna continued to support Surik, who eventually succeeded in gathering the Jedi Masters Vrook Lamar, Zez-Kai Ell, and Kavar on Dantooine. Brianna returned to the Enclave on Dantooine with Surik, who went to meet with the Masters alone. Unfortunately, when the Masters revealed their intention to strip Surik of the Force due to the danger she posed because of her particular ability to feed off the life energy of others, Kreia was forced to intervene and killed the Jedi Masters. Before incapacitating the Exile, Kreia revealed that she had been manipulating Surik all along, and that her ultimate goal was to use Surik's unique nature to end the influence of the Force on all sentient beings.

Following the incident on Dantooine, Brianna, believing Surik to be dead, took Kreia directly to Atris, knowing that her mistress would execute any Sith. However, Atris's belief in the Jedi Council's decision during the Mandalorian Wars, as well as her belief in the Order itself, had been shaken after she observed Surik's conviction. In addition, she had been slowly corrupted by her collection of Sith holocrons, which she had gathered in hopes of using their teachings to fight the Sith. Instead, the influence of the artifacts proved too strong, and they slowly twisted Atris's thinking, causing her to fall to the dark side.

Atris finally admitted her fall to the dark side after a conversation with Kreia. Simultaneously, the other handmaidens confronted Brianna. She learned that Atris had told her sisters that Brianna had fallen to the dark side and joined Surik against Atris's wishes. Brianna could not convince her sisters otherwise and was forced to fight them. In doing so, she proved herself to have surpassed her sisters in ability, as she managed to defeat them all without killing them. Shortly thereafter, Atris arrived and attacked Brianna. Although Brianna was initially able to hold off the corrupted Jedi Master, she was eventually overwhelmed. Atris began torturing her handmaiden with Force lightning, but before she could deliver the final blow, Surik arrived and defeated Atris in a duel. After the duel, Brianna pledged unwavering allegiance to Surik, renouncing her title of Last of the Handmaidens and embracing her true name as well as her status as a disciple of the last Jedi.

Before leaving Telos, Kreia manipulated the Sith into attacking Citadel Station, forcing Surik to fight off an assault and help defend the station before she could follow her teacher. Brianna aided Surik and the Telos Security Force in repelling the Sith assault on Citadel Station before joining Surik in pursuit of Kreia. Surik had learned from Atris that Kreia had gone to a secret Sith academy on Malachor V, the site of the final battle of the Mandalorian Wars, and the site where Surik had previously lost her connection to the Force after killing countless combatants on both sides by activating the Mass Shadow Generator superweapon during the battle. On this occasion, the Sith Lord intended to use Malachor V—a site where the Force still echoed from those killed by the Mass Shadow Generator—to create a wound in the Force, which in turn would allow her to carry out her goal of destroying the Force itself. When the group arrived at Malachor V, however, the massive storms surrounding the planet damaged the Ebon Hawk, causing it to crash. In the crash, the members of the group were separated, and Brianna was unable to help Surik, who went on to confront Kreia alone.

Kreia, in her final moments on Malachor V at the hands of Surik, foresaw that Brianna would abandon her warrior ways and play a critical role in the Jedi Order's reformation. She predicted that Brianna would pursue her passion and take Atris's position as historian, educating future Padawans about the Jedi who relinquished the Force and became better as a result.

Centuries later, the New Jedi Order would also remember Brianna for her contributions to the Order's history. Brianna was recognized as one of the Lost Jedi and a valuable companion who assisted Surik. Due to the incomplete records of the era, the New Jedi Order tentatively identified her as one of the potential slayers of the Sith Lord Darth Nihilus, along with another possible candidate, Visas Marr.

As the offspring of Yusanis and Arren Kae, Brianna inherited white hair and blue eyes. She carried the burden of her parents' illicit affair and, consequently, strived to prove her worth to her sisters and Atris. Her shame and status as the least esteemed among her sisters led her to adopt a mindset in which she prioritized the greater good and her commitments to Atris over herself, forsaking her name and identity. It was only after she finally defeated her sisters in combat and confronted Atris that Brianna developed a sense of self-worth, ultimately embracing her name and shedding the shame of her parentage. She believed that combat was one of the purest forms of self-expression and that a person's fighting style accurately reflected their character.

Brianna was fiercely loyal to her superiors and completely devoted to Atris before Meetra Surik earned her trust. She was initially hesitant to trust Surik due to Atris's warnings, but Surik's kindness, as well as Brianna's assessment of her through combat, eventually led her to open up. When Surik saved her life, Brianna completely severed her ties to Atris. However, her trust did not extend to Surik's other companions, and she remained cautious of both Kreia and Marr throughout their journey.

Furthermore, despite being criticized by her sisters for her passion, Brianna was typically reserved and did not interact much with the crew, preferring to isolate herself in the cargo bay. Despite this, her irritation with her fellow crew members occasionally surfaced, particularly with Rand and Marr. She expressed her passion through combat and developed a desire to feel the Force, eventually receiving Jedi training from the Exile. This curiosity stemmed from her examination of some of Atris's Jedi holocrons, and her interest in these artifacts may have led to her assuming the role of Jedi historian as Kreia predicted.

Having lived a sheltered life in the secret academy on Telos, Brianna exhibited some naïveté regarding the workings of the galaxy, a fact noted by Atton Rand. She also struggled to understand jokes made by Surik and the bounty hunter Mira, as well as Rand's sarcasm. Brianna tended to view things in terms of absolutes and argued with Surik over some of her decisions, believing that any act of questionable morality was unacceptable, a mindset she likely developed from adhering to Atris's strict beliefs.

Despite her sisters dubbing her the "Last of the Handmaidens," Brianna possessed a high degree of skill in Echani martial arts combat. Evidenced by her successful instruction of Meetra Surik, she demonstrated a deep understanding of the style. Brianna discovered that her training aided her in maintaining concentration, and she frequently practiced while traveling with Surik, especially when irritated by Surik's other companions. Furthermore, Brianna was adept at using Battle Precognition, which granted her the ability to anticipate her opponents' actions a split second before they occurred, providing her with a tactical advantage in battle. Recognizing Surik's potential with precognition, she also instructed her in its use. Her combat abilities extended to a variety of weapons, including Force pikes and blasters. Brianna also wielded a distinctive staff with characteristics akin to a saberstaff, which her father had gifted to her. Complementing her arsenal, Brianna was also a formidable unarmed combatant due to her Echani expertise.

Being the offspring of a Jedi, Arren Kae, Brianna possessed Force sensitivity and eventually underwent Jedi training under Surik, ultimately becoming a Jedi Guardian. In her role as a Jedi Guardian, Brianna prioritized combat and mastered the lightsaber techniques and skills of the Jedi, augmenting her abilities with powers such as Force Jump. Through Jedi training, her combat prowess significantly improved, surpassing even her sisters in skill, as demonstrated by her victory against all of them simultaneously in combat. Brianna even managed to engage in a relatively even duel with Jedi Master Atris for a period before being overwhelmed by Force Lightning. She also demonstrated considerable resilience, remaining standing after being struck by Force Lightning and appearing relatively stable despite the ordeal.

Brianna had several items bestowed upon her by her parents, including Jedi robes from her mother and a staff from her father. The Jedi robe inherited from her mother, Arren Kae, was a light-grey color. It also gave her some improvements and protection. The staff that she inherited from her father Yusanis was similar to other staffs used by Handmaidens, having capability of being folded inside the handle.

Brianna's initial appearance was in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, a video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and launched in 2004. As with the majority of companions, she was penned by Chris Avellone. She stands out as the sole party member whose visual design was not conceived by artist Brian Menze. Brianna is a non-player character who becomes part of the player's group if the player character is male; if the player character is female, Meetra Surik will instead eventually be joined by Mical, "the Disciple," instead, and Brianna will only appear in cutscenes on Telos. Her voice was provided by Grey DeLisle, who also voiced Padmé Amidala, Asajj Ventress and Shaak Ti in the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series. Despite frequent in-game allusions to Brianna's distinct appearance compared to her sisters, and her "honoring the face of her mother," Brianna's character texture is identical to her five sisters though her head model does have beaded strands of hair on both sides.

When Leland Chee was queried about whether Brianna still accompanied Surik when Surik was female, he simply responded with "maybe." Nevertheless, a preview for the Star Wars Miniatures Knights of the Old Republic set verified that Brianna did indeed travel with Surik. It also included roleplaying statistics for Brianna for the Saga Edition. Tionne's statements in The Essential Guide to the Force suggested that Brianna killed Darth Nihilus, although the reliability of these records is questionable, as Nihilus is fought and killed in the game by Surik, Marr and Mandalore the Preserver. This discrepancy can likely be attributed to Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force being written from an in-universe perspective, with the New Jedi Order's accounts of the battle being inaccurate. This explanation is further supported as the guide also references Visas Marr as another possible slayer of Nihilus. A game update for the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic in 2013 subsequently made Brianna's outfit, "The Last Handmaiden Set," available for purchase by players through the game's Cartel Market system.

As is the case with the majority of the player's allies, the player has the option of waiting until they have garnered sufficient influence with Brianna to train her as a Jedi at a lower level. Given that she joins Surik at level 6, she has the potential to acquire more Force powers and abilities if the player delays her training. A glitch exists in the game that can lead to a male Surik accidentally killing Brianna during her training. Upon accessing the character selection screen, her slot will lack a picture, and the name will be replaced by the phrase "I am so very very broken." Should the player attempt to converse with Brianna when Surik has more influence with Visas than Brianna, she will become upset and refuse to speak to him for the duration of the game.

Due to Meetra Surik's special talent for creating strong bonds with her allies and even changing their motivations to suit her will, Brianna can be influenced to embrace the dark side. If Brianna joins Surik and subsequently falls to the dark side, Kreia predicts that she will cease admiring the Jedi and completely dedicate herself to battle. She will abandon her Force training and instead will punish the Jedi for being too emotional. Should Brianna succumb to the dark side and become a Dark Jedi Guardian, she will also replace her pure white clothing with a similar looking garment that is completely black and fastened with leather.

Although it was confirmed to be canon that Brianna accompanied Surik during her travels, in the game itself, she would only accompany Surik if the player was male. Otherwise, she would be replaced by Mical. At some point Surik asked Brianna to teach her Echani fighting techniques, and over the course of their journey they sparred three times, each time learning more about each other and became closer, to the point that both Atton and Kreia would notice and comment on it.

The primary distinction in Brianna's journey with a male Surik lies in her development of romantic feelings for Surik, as well as her rivalry with Visas for his affections. When Visas is initially accepted into the group by Surik, Brianna questions his decision, fearing that Visas might betray them to the Sith, and also displays jealousy at Surik's willingness to accept another woman so readily. If Surik had higher influence with Visas than Brianna, she would confront the Miraluka in jealousy, accusing her of planning to betray them to the Sith, and ignoring the latter's attempts to placate her. Brianna's envy would escalate to the point where Kreia would exploit it, manipulating the handmaiden's emotions and preparing her to confront Visas when Kreia deemed the time opportune.

With a male Surik, Brianna would also take Kreia to Atris, with her grief over Surik's death clouding her judgment. She would confront her sisters, as well as Atris, who would eventually use Force lightning. Brianna was unprepared and thrown to her knees after one hit, but Atris tortured her with another round of lightning, her jealousy burning over Brianna's closeness to Surik and accusing her of falling in love with him as Brianna laid writhing in agony. Rendered hurt and helpless, it seemed Atris was going to finish her off, when suddenly Surik appeared at the last second, and challenged Atris to a duel. Only further angered by Surik's display of concern, she struck Brianna one last time with lightning and, leaving her for dead on the floor, retreated to her chamber to do battle with Surik.

After Surik dueled with Atris, Brianna surprisingly managed to survive the vicious assault, and now without the oath to her sisters or her mistress to hold her there, she once again pledged herself to Surik in gratitude. This time she would never let the stigma of her family hold her back from following her heart again. She renounced her title as Last of the Handmaidens, and accepted her true identity for the first time, as well as her name (which up to this point, she had kept secret even from Surik).

In a prior iteration of the game, the intention was for Brianna to join Meetra Surik irrespective of gender, provided Surik aligned with the light side (dark side players would have been joined by Visas Marr instead).

Brianna was slated to battle her sisters within the Telos Academy, with the option to either kill them or stun them, allowing them to live. In the official release, when her sisters become hostile and a fight seems imminent, the scene abruptly fades to black, later returning to show all the handmaidens except Brianna lying prone on the ground.

Brianna had a few scenes that were ultimately removed from the game: If the player had more influence with Visas Marr than the Handmaiden, or the PC was dark-sided, then Brianna would attack Marr in the Trayus Academy on Malachor V, accusing her of seducing Surik. If the PC had more influence with Brianna than Visas and the Mass Shadow Generator was not activated, then the PC would leave her in the Trayus Core to wait for others and to teach them as Kreia taught Surik. Like Mira, Rand, and Marr, Brianna would be one of the members to confront and attack Kreia at Malachor V only to be defeated and imprisoned by Darth Sion. Rand would be the only companion to escape.