Jaalib Brandl

Jaalib Brandl, a male Human was born around 17 BBY to Adalric Cessius Brandl, an actor and Jedi Knight, and a woman with auburn hair. While Jaalib Brandl was very young, Adalric left the family, and his identity as a Jedi was concealed from him, as the Great Jedi Purge, where the Galactic Empire's agents hunted and killed Jedi, was happening across the galaxy. Brandl grew up in Kovit, a settlement on Trulalis, and encountered people who knew his father, such as Otias Atori, Adalric's task director during his acting career. Despite his mother's objections, Brandl was shown holorecordings of Adalric's stage performances. Eventually, his mother joined him in watching, though she would always cry. Atori explained that his father had pursued a higher calling offworld, which inspired Brandl to emulate his father's success. Brandl also visited the outdoor theater of Khoehng Heights, located five kilometers from Kovit. He wrote his own tragedies and, under Atori's guidance, began a small acting career with the Trulalis Stage Company.

In 5 BBY, Brandl and his mother were enjoying themselves while walking through Kovit's streets when Brandl's mother was startled by a shadowy figure. Brandl, unfamiliar with the man, questioned his distraught mother. Instead of answering, she embraced him and moved away from the figure. Once home, Brandl's mother, in tears, confirmed that the figure was his father, Adalric. However, Adalric's return caused unease among Kovit's residents. Brandl overheard Menges planning to use his starship to drive Adalric away. While Brandl's mother doubted Menges' resolve, Brandl believed otherwise.

He ventured into the forest to find the YT-1300 light freighter Kierra, Adalric's ship. Hiding, he watched as Adalric and Thaddeus Ross, the bounty hunter who owned the ship, prepared to leave Trulalis. Sensing his presence, Adalric called him out. Approaching cautiously, Brandl confirmed Adalric's identity as a Jedi Knight upon seeing him. Initially, Adalric questioned Brandl's identity, prompting Brandl to angrily declare himself as Adalric's son, before fixating on Adalric's lightsaber. Hesitant to touch it, Brandl was encouraged by his father. He then warned Adalric and Ross. The bounty hunter, overhearing the warning, instructed his ship's droid to check her sensor readings.

At that moment, Menges attacked, causing an explosion in the forest. Although protected by his father, Brandl was traumatized. Ross urged Adalric to leave to avoid being killed by Menges' next attack. Adalric couldn't promise to return to Trulalis, which Brandl understood. He expressed his intention to follow in his father's footsteps, performing offworld and achieving his perceived level of greatness. After a tearful goodbye, Brandl ran into the forest, returning to Kovit. Unbeknownst to him, Adalric was actually an Imperial Inquisitor serving Emperor Palpatine, hunting Jedi and committing ruthless murders. Adalric had recently gone rogue, fleeing from High Inquisitor Antinnis Tremayne, and faked his death with a thermal detonator shortly after leaving Brandl and Trulalis.

Soon after, Imperial forces retaliated against Kovit. Stormtroopers arrived, massacring the inhabitants and the Banthas used for transport. Brandl's mother died protecting him from the Imperial troops, leaving the town deserted. Adalric returned, burying the dead, including Brandl's mother, near the Kovit theater in a graveyard called The Barrows. Adopting Otias Atori's name as an alias, he raised Brandl alone in the theater. At this point, Brandl's name was first entered into the civilian database. Adalric briefly taught his son the Jedi arts, focusing on meditation and lightsaber use. The training involved using candles, with Adalric instructing his son to light the wicks without damaging the wax. Over time, Brandl became skilled with the Jedi weapon.

Brandl learned out of a sense of misguided loyalty and hesitated to pursue further training, while Adalric was reluctant to provide it. Occasionally, Force-sensitive individuals sought Adalric's tutelage, but none was given. Jaalib Brandl remained focused on becoming an actor, studying under Adalric and using his lightsaber skills in stage combat. Adalric's dark side tendencies, prevalent upon his return, gradually lessened as he became Brandl's sole guardian over five years. Eventually, Brandl began his acting career offworld on Iscera, maintaining his home in Kovit with Adalric. Early in his career, Brandl received praise from directors and performers, who were impressed by his ability to bring depth and realism to each performance.

In 0 ABY, Brandl was performing in a small theater on Iscera in a play called For the Want of an Empire. The play included a duel, showcasing Brandl's swordsmanship. He played a tragic character who rises through government ranks, only to discover corruption and bureaucracy. In the third act, Brandl's character becomes an autocratic ruler determined to destroy his opposition. After the final performance before Iscera's winter, a smitten audience member, Fable Astin, approached Brandl outside the theater. She slipped on the ice into his arms, complimenting his swordsmanship and performance. Brandl appreciated the compliments but had to leave Astin to return to Trulalis.

Back in Kovit, Brandl began preparing for his next role: the Edjian-Prince in Uhl Eharl Khoehng, which Adalric considered the greatest tragedy ever written. Adalric's past performance in the same role was among those Brandl had idolized as a youth, and in attempting to play the part he struggled to reach the same level as his father. Adalric reassured Brandl, however, that the role was the most difficult ever conceived, and whoever could master it was assured of greatness as a thespian. In the forthcoming production, Adalric would take the role of the titular uhl Eharl Khoehng, a trickster king who deceives the Edjian-Prince into swearing fealty after having effectively tricked the prince into sending all of his people to their doom. While rehearsing in the Kovit theater, they were interrupted by Astin, who had tracked Brandl down. Panicked, Brandl demanded to know why she was in Kovit, trying to get her to leave despite Adalric's curiosity and protests. Adalric took interest, sensing the Force in her and noticing her recent injuries. He insisted she stay the night, and Brandl reluctantly agreed.

Knowing his father's dangerous nature and that Astin sought training to defeat a Force-sensitive opponent, Brandl urged her to leave, warning that Adalric would teach her nothing. Irritated by his attitude, Astin refused and asked where Adalric was. Brandl begrudgingly directed her to The Barrows. He secretly watched as Adalric instructed Astin in lightsaber combat, using an exercise involving wax cylinders and ball bearings. After eight hours, Astin returned to the theater, soaked and exhausted from the arduous exercise, finding Adalric's tasks impossible. Brandl's mood had softened, and he prepared a bath and food for her, though Astin requested privacy.

As Trulalis entered autumn, Astin continued training under Adalric, while Brandl worked on his performance as the Edjian-Prince. Astin began to rely on Brandl's support and comfort. One day, Brandl was startled by a commotion in the theater antechamber, where his father was harshly criticizing Astin for failing to heed his teachings. Brandl comforted her again and sent her for a bath, while Adalric confided that he found her impossible to teach. Amused by their mutual opinions, Brandl seized the opportunity to rehearse Uhl Eharl Khoehng with his father, demonstrating his progress. Afterward, Adalric left on a trip that would take several days. Brandl went to Astin's room and consulted with her. She claimed that Adalric hadn't yet tried to sway her to the dark side of the Force, but she needed to resume the exercises.

Revealing his father's absence, Brandl invited Astin on a picnic to make up for his initial rudeness. She now felt his attitude was justified, interpreting it as him trying to protect his father from her, and revealed that her own upbringing had been similar. Her father, a Jedi pupil of her mother, had been killed when she was very young, leaving her mother to raise and train her in the Jedi arts. With no transportation available after the Imperial attack, Brandl and Astin hiked to Khoehng Heights. There, after their meal, Brandl showed Astin the outdoor theater, flirting with her and telling her the story of Uhl Eharl Khoehng, for which the location was named. Noticing candles, Astin asked Brandl to teach her some lightsaber skills, running her through an emulation of Adalric's exercises. Brandl agreed, correcting her technique with physical guidance. After sharing a kiss, they returned to Kovit.

When Astin resumed her training under Adalric, she was enthused by her progress and felt her master was encouraged as well. Brandl continued to work on the final stages of his and Adalric's production of Uhl Eharl Khoehng, and was soon sent by his father to Iscera to prepare for the play's opening. However, Brandl noticed that his father had recently visited Byss, Emperor Palpatine's pleasure world. Realizing that Adalric intended to give Astin to Palpatine as a gift, Brandl quickly returned home to find that Astin had confronted her pursuer, the Dark Jedi Vialco. Using her new techniques, she had defeated Vialco, but Adalric tricked her into killing him after he was disarmed. Brandl's father then destroyed both Vialco's shuttle and Astin's own ship, an X-wing starfighter.

Hoping to rescue Astin, Brandl contacted Deke Holman, a Socorran associate of hers, who landed his YT-1300 light freighter the Prodigal at Khoehng Heights and awaited rendezvous. Entering the Kovit theater without alerting his father, Brandl found the distraught Astin in her room. Informing her of his father's plan to take her to Byss, he urged her to leave and follow him to Khoehng Heights. As Astin and Holman reunited, he urged them to leave without him. Drawing a parallel between his own life and that of the tragic Edjian-Prince, Brandl explained that he had to stay to prevent his father from pursuing them. Astin tearfully said goodbye as the Prodigal departed, leaving Brandl to confront Adalric, who had just arrived at Khoehng Heights himself. Criticizing his son's arrogance, Adalric began choking Brandl through the Force before abruptly releasing him. As Adalric turned back for Kovit, Brandl continued his parallel of his own life and that of the Edjian-Prince, reciting the character's last line from the play, conceding his fealty to the trickster king.

In the aftermath of his betrayal of his father on Trulalis, Jaalib Brandl entered the service of the Emperor directly, becoming a Dark Jedi and wielding the Force to carry out the Emperor's directives, thus earning the title of lord. Brandl's service to Palpatine mirrored his father's until the Emperor's demise at the Battle of Endor, after which he continued his Imperial duties. Simultaneously, he pursued an acting career, achieving renown and critical acclaim that placed him second only to his father as a tragic actor. Brandl was also known as an exceptional commander of troops. Eventually, the young man grew weary of his allegiance to the Galactic Empire and sought a dramatic exit from his masters' control. Aware that his Dark Jedi status meant he would be re-educated and forced back into service, rather than simply hunted down and executed like a common deserter, he devised a plan to ensure his permanent exile. In 9 ABY, he was tasked with overseeing the Imperial withdrawal from Ariana on Garos IV, a city soon to be overrun by New Republic forces.

Accompanied by his aide, Lieutenant Bane Werth, Brandl arrived on the planet with no intention of facilitating a successful evacuation, instead plotting the deaths of the planet's Imperial governor, Tork Winger, and his adopted daughter, Alexandra. The assassination, in the Dark Jedi's estimation, would provide a clean break from the Empire, who would denounce the treasonous action. He commenced his operations on Garos IV, at the suggestion of the governor, with a tragic performance at Ariana's Tihaz Theater, located near the planet's Imperial Headquarters. Governor Winger and Alexandra were present, along with many of the city's Imperial officials. The play, another story of kings, power struggles, betrayal, and corruption, saw Brandl, in the role of "Dontavian," captivating the audience with the power of the dark side of the Force. Following the performance, Werth informed Brandl of the Wingers' desire to congratulate him. The governor introduced Brandl to Alexandra and extended an invitation to the Dark Jedi and his lieutenant to stay at his mansion. One of Winger's commanders alerted him to an issue with the local resistance; after detaining them, the governor instructed Alexandra to look after Brandl and Werth. The Dark Jedi, however, insisted that Werth remain with Winger.

After they were left alone, Alexandra guided Brandl to her landspeeder, which was parked outside the Tihaz Theater. Brandl effortlessly delved into the young woman's mind using the Force, quickly gaining considerable insight into her. He discovered that she had been orphaned at a young age during an Imperial attack on Janara III, an attack carried out by his father, Adalric Brandl, which explained her unease around him. After being adopted by Governor Winger, she became involved with the local resistance and developed a fondness for Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, who was now affiliated with the New Republic. Intrigued by the young woman, Brandl decided to modify his plan, focusing his plot solely on Governor Winger. As they entered Alexandra's landspeeder, Brandl noticed a bustling tavern nearby, Chado's Pub, frequented by both Imperials and civilians. One individual, Dair Haslip, waved at Alexandra, sparking the Dark Jedi's interest. The young woman identified him as a family friend before they departed in the speeder. Unbeknownst to Alexandra, Brandl arranged for Chado's Pub to be bombed, with the intention of drawing Governor Winger away from the city and making him vulnerable to a more direct assault.

Upon arriving at the mansion, Alexandra gave Brandl a tour of the building. As the Dark Jedi admired the mansion's beauty, the young woman suggested they admire the view from a nearby cliff. During their walk, they discussed Brandl's performance as Dontavian, before encountering some wild boetay. To Alexandra's surprise, Brandl managed to control and tame one of the predators, allowing the young woman to approach it. At that moment, Lieutenant Werth contacted the Dark Jedi, informing him of the bombing at Chado's Pub. Brandl and Alexandra hurried back to the city, where Werth reported that Winger had not been near the blast, but was nonetheless shaken by the event. Brandl pretended to be relieved at the news of Governor Winger's safety, and as Alexandra spoke with Haslip, who had survived the attack, the Dark Jedi began issuing orders, demanding that Ariana's borders be sealed and all transportation thoroughly searched.

By the time the governor arrived, Brandl was already being confronted by an officer who was questioning his order, as there was a specific transport that could not be searched due to its owner's status. Brandl dismissed the excuse and threatened the officer with repercussions if he failed to comply. After consulting with Winger, the Dark Jedi immediately blamed the attack on the Garosian resistance movement. Expressing surprise at the boldness of the attack, given its proximity to Imperial Headquarters, Brandl ordered that Winger and Alexandra be moved to a safehouse outside the city until their evacuation transport was ready. He allowed the Wingers only a brief opportunity to gather a few items from their mansion under Werth's supervision before they relocated to the safehouse.

With Governor Winger isolated, Brandl began to execute the final stages of his plan, which involved assassinating the governor, "liberating" Winger, and freeing himself from Imperial control. Waiting in the docking bay, the Dark Jedi lured the inquisitive Alexandra into investigating his actions, while informing some of the scout troopers stationed there that he had detected unusual sensor readings nearby and intended to investigate. To dispel suspicion, he ordered the troops to prevent Alexandra from leaving the complex, before setting off on a speeder bike. The young woman evaded the troops and pursued Brandl on another speeder bike. He led her into the nearby forest, over two kilometers from the safehouse, before dismounting and waiting for her.

Upon her arrival, she voiced her suspicion that he had orchestrated the Chodo's Pub bombing, which he readily admitted to. She was confused by the move, believing that he was there to suppress the Garosian resistance. Brandl enlightened her, revealing his desire to abandon Imperial service and the difficulties involved. He then revealed his original plan to kill both her and her father, before explaining that she had been brought away from the safehouse not to be killed, but to be saved from the imminent explosion that would claim Governor Winger's life. Horrified by the revelation, Alexandra attempted to draw her blaster on Brandl, who simply used the Force to pull the weapon from her grasp. The young woman then attempted to attack Brandl unarmed. The Dark Jedi easily dodged her attacks and struck Alexandra's arm with his lightsaber, injuring her.

Brandl then disclosed that he knew everything about her, as her thoughts had "broadcast" all pertinent information, including her affiliation with the resistance and the Jedi Skywalker. He wondered why the young woman was upset, as she would be free to join her Garosian resistance friends once Governor Winger was dead. Brandl then spoke of his father's involvement in the destruction of Janara III, and told Alexandra that the entire operation and massacre had been a search for her, as Adalric had been serving as a Jedi-hunting Inquisitor. As Brandl reminisced about his father, an explosion in the distance signaled the destruction of the safehouse. Alexandra raced back through the forest on her speeder bike, with the Dark Jedi in pursuit. He found her at the site of the safehouse, attempting to dig her father, who was still alive, from the rubble.

Alexandra pleaded with the Dark Jedi for help, but he refused. She threatened to reveal his actions to both the Empire and the New Republic, ensuring that his intentions would be fully exposed if he helped her save Governor Winger. Noting that she was not strong enough in the Force to save her adoptive father, she admitted that she would use the dark side of the Force if necessary. Illustrating that the betrayal of oneself through fear and anger was the surest path to the powers of the dark side, Brandl stood and watched as the young woman drained her own life force to save the governor. As Alexandra writhed in pain and drifted in and out of consciousness, Brandl held her, warning her to stay away from the light side of the Force and urging her to embrace the dark side, before she lost consciousness completely.

Brandl transported Alexandra and Governor Winger to a shelter, where Werth, who had abandoned his Imperial allegiance, tended to the young woman. Using the Force, Brandl sustained Winger's health as New Republic forces descended on the planet. When Alexandra awoke, she quoted the play performed earlier, asking if Brandl would always be watching over her. The Dark Jedi, quoting Dontavian, claimed that he would if she desired it. He offered to return Governor Winger to the safety of the Galactic Empire, but Alexandra insisted that his loyalty was to Garos IV, not the Imperials. She was uncertain whether to thank or curse Brandl, but he assured her that she would eventually decide as he gave her a prop from his earlier performance—a Jj'abot board piece, the black knight. With that, the Dark Jedi left the shelter and disappeared into the night to evade the approaching New Republic forces.

Brandl's actions on Garos IV continued to haunt Alexandra Winger in the years that followed. She made no attempt to conceal the lightsaber scar, keeping it as a reminder of the night she briefly touched the dark side of the Force. Brandl's admonishments, that she would never be strong enough to save her father or become a Jedi, echoed in her mind, and his dark presence lingered in her dreams. Governor Winger passed away in 12 ABY from heart failure, never fully recovering from Brandl's assassination attempt. In the same year, Alexandra sought to break free from the Dark Jedi's influence and confront her own fears. After escaping Imperial Captain [Brandei]'s grasp, she decided to join Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order on Yavin 4. Skywalker himself was concerned by Brandl's presence, suspecting that the Dark Jedi might be involved in a larger scheme to facilitate the return of the Sith Order. This occurred following the re-emergence of the spirits of Exar Kun and Marka Ragnos, and the death of Sith acolyte Flint. Besides Brandl, another of Skywalker's suspects in the plot was Irek Ismaren, but the true orchestrator was the Dark Lady of the Sith Lumiya, who would eventually emerge from hiding in 40 ABY.

From a young age, Jaalib Brandl was determined to become an actor, inspired by recordings of his father's stage performances. He possessed the ability to discern hidden truths, such as Adalric Cessius Brandl's true identity, his status as a Jedi, and Menges' plan to attack Adalric in 5 BBY. Despite his bravery in venturing out alone to warn his father of the impending attack, Brandl was deeply affected by the confrontation itself. Brandl's courage persisted throughout his adolescence and adulthood, enabling him to defy his High Inquisitor father and, later, the Galactic Empire itself. As a Dark Jedi, Brandl displayed no fear of dangerous creatures or weapons aimed at him.

Brandl's relationship with Astin was affectionate from the beginning. He playfully teased her clumsiness upon their first meeting, and although his initial reaction to her following him to Trulalis was one of bitterness and anger, he eventually softened towards her, providing a stark contrast to the severity of Adalric's Jedi training. Astin ultimately fell in love with Brandl after he showed her the sights of Trulalis and shared the tale of Uhl Eharl Khoehng. He was particularly forward with Astin, capitalizing on her vulnerable situation to win her over. The young man's charming demeanor was a trait he maintained during his Imperial service, although in the case of Alexandra Winger, it was a matter of mutual fascination. He was so captivated by Alexandra that he altered his murderous plans to accommodate her, ultimately abandoning his plans to assassinate Governor Winger entirely in order to help her.

His playful manner when recounting Uhl Eharl Khoehng helped to win Astin over, as he added dramatic flourishes in an impromptu fashion. The blurring of lines between reality and drama was a recurring theme for Brandl, as he identified with the Edjian-Prince during his experiences with Astin, and later with Dontavian during his involvement on Garos IV. Like his father, Jaalib Brandl viewed himself as a tragic figure, which influenced his decision to betray his father on Trulalis and steered his withdrawal from Alexandra Winger's life on Garos IV. Having aspired to follow in his father's footsteps from an early age, Brandl was so influenced by tragic plays that he attempted to write them himself and later crafted his real-life plots around what he considered a suitably tragic narrative structure.

Jaalib Brandl was a skilled swordsman, having learned from his father during his brief Jedi training on Trulalis. Initially, Brandl only used these skills in his acting, but even then, he was accomplished enough to significantly advance Fable Astin's training in the art. The young man's presence in the Force was notable, to the point where other Force-sensitives like Astin could sense it while watching him perform on stage. Later in his career, Brandl exuded a presence through the Force that affected his audience, holding them in his thrall. As an agent of the Empire, Brandl's command of the Force had developed to the point where he could pull weapons from others' hands, sustain the life of another through the Force, and influence the minds of animals, rendering them docile in his presence. Brandl's powers also allowed him to read Alexandra Winger's mind through the Force, gleaning a significant amount of biographical and emotional information.

During his time as a traveling actor, Brandl used his father's ship to travel from Trulalis to Iscera. While serving the Galactic Empire as a Dark Jedi, Brandl used his own lightsaber. He also carried a comlink.

As a child, Brandl was tall for his age, with shoulders that seemed too broad for his slender frame. His gait was rhythmic and coordinated, suggesting that he would develop well into a mature man. When venturing into the forests of Trulalis, Brandl wore clothing that matched the foliage. Brandl grew into a handsome man, although stage lighting often made his features appear somewhat malevolent and imposing. Brandl wore his black hair at shoulder-length and had blue, "inquisitive" eyes.

Jaalib Brandl first appeared as a child in Patricia A. Jackson's short story "The Final Exit," which was initially published in Star Wars Adventure Journal 4 (1994) and reprinted in the anthology Tales from the Empire (1997). The character reappeared as a teenager in Jackson's follow-up, "Uhl Eharl Khoehng," and in the Alex Winger story "Betrayal by Knight," co-written by Jackson and Charlene Newcomb.

Jackson had written a fourth story featuring Brandl, titled "Emanations of Darkness," but it was never published by either the Star Wars Adventure Journal or Star Wars Gamer. "Emanations of Darkness" revealed that Brandl had been trained by Tremayne after Adalric offered him as a gift to the Emperor. Later, after the events of "Betrayal by Knight," Adalric had become a warlord and created the Protectorate, with Jaalib Brandl as his lieutenant. The younger Brandl is eventually captured by Moff Darius Onneir, but escapes with the help of Fable Astin and convinces his father to form an alliance with the New Republic.