Morgan Katarn

As a child, Morgan discovered his innate Force powers, utilizing them for amusement, such as employing telekinesis to animate toys. He even manipulated others through mind tricks. In a confrontation with a bully, he used a Force Push, unintentionally causing the boy to stumble, fall off a cliff, and die. This incident, kept secret, instilled in Morgan a deep-seated fear of the Force, fearing the potential for misuse and abuse. He even attempted to suppress his premonitions.

He was skilled as an agro-mech craftsman and salesman, as well as a self-taught roboticist. As a farmer, a malfunctioning BT-16 perimeter droid caused the death of his wife, Patricia, leaving him to raise their son, Kyle Katarn, alone. He created robotic toy soldiers for Kyle, who would march across the workshop floor and salute him.

Morgan dedicated his life to working on the farm and raising his son, foregoing any vacations since 16 BBY. Father and son developed a strong bond, working together in the laboratory, fixing equipment, and constructing their home droid, WeeGee. Morgan possessed knowledge of a primitive binary code used for communication long ago, using it to communicate with his agrirobots and teaching it to Kyle.

Despite his sympathies for the resistance, around 5 BBY, Morgan sent his son to the Imperial Academy on Carida, hoping to provide him with a good education. Before Kyle's departure, around 6 BBY, his son gifted him a multitool with his initials engraved on it. On their farewell, Morgan expressed his pride and created a holorecording.

Morgan, a respected community member, emerged as a leading figure in the local resistance. He maintained friendships with individuals from Sulon's main planet, Sullust, who were members of the Rebel Alliance.

Initially, Morgan hesitated to participate in an anti-Imperial demonstration in Baron's Hed, doubting its effectiveness, leading to accusations of cowardice. His concerns proved valid when the Empire retaliated with the massacre of three colonist families, compelling him to provide aid. With funding from Rebel sympathizers, he sheltered 347 colonists in the hold of an old space station, then hired the smuggling ship Cyclops to relocate them to a secure location. The smuggler, Jerg, transported them to the abandoned planet Ruusan, a haven for smugglers and contraband, beyond the Empire's reach. To ensure their safety, Morgan had gathered the Rebels without disclosing their destination. On the day of the Sulon massacre, he finally revealed their destination, facing fear and skepticism, which he quelled by revealing the events back home.

Morgan embarked on the first shuttle trip, assisting mother Roskin by caring for her rambunctious toddler, who reminded him of his son. He even allowed the child to play with Kyle's multitool. Upon landing, they approached Fort Nowhere, and Morgan selected Sulonese individuals with leadership potential, guiding them through a gate. He advised them to store gear and supplies outside the Fort to maintain independence. Over the following days, Morgan welcomed the remaining colonists, ensuring fair treatment among all groups. He aided in the construction of temporary shelters and the installation of mirrors and fiber-optic cables to illuminate the caverns. He also instructed them in the production of healthy crops using fertilizer, drip-style irrigation, and sunlight. He also taught them the binary code of communication, not used by the Empire any more, so that they could safely communicate between themselves and recognise each other.

Jerg mentioned that during the landing, one of his crewmen had noticed something "suspicious" in the badlands but declined to investigate. Katarn felt obligated to explore, ensuring the safety of his people. Once he felt the settlers could continue on their own, he borrowed Jerg's skimmer, named Old Codger, along with gear and supplies, and set off the next morning. Following an ancient roadbed and maintaining contact with Jerg via comlink, he stopped at a peculiar rock to rest. There, he discovered signs and felt strong premonitions of sentient life. These disturbing feelings prompted him to alter his plans and continue westward, despite the glare and extreme heat. Eventually, he parked among some dunes and had dinner, sensing an approaching presence. Aware of his disadvantageous position, he embraced the Force and armed himself, spotting fifty to sixty beings approaching. Deeming them harmless, he approached to meet them.

He encountered the planet's native inhabitants, whom he named "Bouncers", who identified him as a "Knight," a figure prophesied in their legend, the Poem of Ages, destined to spend a night in Olmondo and reach the Valley of the Jedi. Despite Morgan's denials of being a Jedi Knight or seeking the Valley, the Bouncers insisted, revealing that they stood upon the ruins of Olmondo. Morgan learned the location of the mythical Valley, situated at an ancient battle site, a source of immense power, and heard the voices of spirits of those buried there. Overwhelmed, he left in tears, blaming himself for being unable to help the imprisoned spirits, and needing days to recover.

He kept his discovery secret from Jerg and the colonists. In the following months, he was tormented by guilt and the inability to share his experience.

After leaving the colonists on Ruusan, Morgan returned to his homeworld and resumed his Rebel activities. Months later, he hosted Rebel Jedi Qu Rahn, finally finding someone he could trust to share his experience and the spirits' plea for a Jedi Knight. Rahn, who had previously sought the Valley, considered organizing an expedition of experts, led by Morgan. However, recognizing the danger of this knowledge, Morgan was instructed to keep it secret, even from the Alliance. Rahn refused to possess the knowledge himself. Following instructions, Morgan designed and placed a complex map of Ruusan on the roof of his home, believing it would go unnoticed. Morgan was also entrusted with the lightsaber of his Jedi friend, hidden within a compartment in WeeGee. Additionally, Morgan created a holorecording for Kyle, decoded only by the droid, revealing his Jedi potential and the importance of protecting the Valley, entrusting Rahn's lightsaber to him. Morgan then resumed his farming work for winter.

The Imperial agent Jerec was aware of Katarn and his powers and sought him personally. During the Subjugation of Sulon, he ordered the Ghost Battalion to capture him alive. Led by Lieutenant Brazack and disguised as Rebels, the Battalion launched a raid on Sulon. A Corellian light freighter killed the Danga family and burned the Katarn homestead, but Morgan avoided capture, watching from afar after receiving a warning from WeeGee. He noticed inconsistencies in the raiders' appearance, betraying their true identities. He secretly recorded the attack with his electrobinoculars before the soldiers departed, presenting it at a Rebel meeting. Katarn was primarily concerned about WeeGee and the map entrusted to him by Rahn.

At the meeting of Rebel representatives, more attacks were reported. Skorg Jameson suggested they were an attempt to seize the G-Tap and force the population to rely on the SoroSuub Corporation, compelling them to purchase a fusion plant and pay taxes to the Empire. He advocated for open retaliation. Morgan cautioned that the assaults might be a ploy to provoke open warfare and destroy the Rebel presence on the moon. Jameson's rhetoric prevailed, and after lengthy discussion, they decided to openly fight for the G-Tap.

Due to his limited military expertise, Morgan was assigned to defend an easily defended passageway at the G-Tap cavern, commanding 26 teenagers and seniors. Preparing for the assault, he met Candice Ondi and her droid A-Cee, falsely expressing optimism.

During the defense, he fought alongside veteran Crowley, the only member with combat experience. The rebels destroyed an AT-ST before the arrival of the same assault ship that attacked his farm. He ordered everyone into the passageway and instructed the missile team, Trol and Jen, to destroy it with SLM, but they were killed before they could stop the ship from landing.

Katarn's team attempted to repel the Imperial commandos exiting the ship. As their numbers dwindled, they retreated, while Katarn was wounded. He managed to hide and provide A-Cee with information and footage, ordering the droid to reach Rebel command, before retreating to the Barons Hed spaceport, before Morgan was discovered by Imperials and stunned.

The battle lasted four hours, with only 37 survivors. Morgan, along with others who could still stand, were lined up in front of the G-Tap and inspected by Noda. Morgan and other leaders were arrested for interrogation, while the rest were executed.

He was taken aboard the Vengeance and injected with a drug that heightened his senses to experience the full pain of torture. He was brought before Jerec. After defiant comments and an attempt to spit in Jerec's face, Jerec realized he would not cooperate and beheaded him. His last thoughts were of his wife and the man his son would become.

Morgan's head was displayed on a spike outside Barons Hed, recorded by A-Cee. Meanwhile, at the Academy, Kyle was informed that Rebels had killed his father, fueling his hatred for the Rebellion. Only when Jan Ors revealed the truth, using A-Cee's footage, did Kyle learn that his father was a Rebel killed by the Empire, prompting him to follow in his footsteps and desert the Empire.

Kyle always kept the holocube of their last meeting before his departure from Sulon, replaying it at times. During his mercenary days, he sought the man who murdered his father.

Unbeknownst to Jerec, the map to the Valley of the Jedi was hidden on the roof of his homestead. He later obtained the map after extracting the information from Qu Rahn's mind. He ordered his minions to salvage what they could from the homestead, but they were unsuccessful. One item recovered was an encrypted holodisk found by 8t88, intended to inform Kyle about the Valley of the Jedi. Katarn later confiscated the disk, but Jan Ors secretly partially decrypted it and played Morgan's hologram before Mon Mothma, Luke, and Leia, revealing the Valley and alerting the Alliance to the Imperial Remnant's intentions. Eventually, Kyle played it with WeeGee's help, marking the beginning of his journey as a Jedi Knight.

The Force ghost of Qu Rahn appeared to Kyle, confirming that Morgan's spirit was always with the Force and with Kyle. After Kyle showed mercy to his first Dark Jedi adversary, Yun, Rahn assured him that both he and his father were proud. Later, Luke Skywalker met Kyle and silently heard a line from the Poem of Ages from Morgan's spirit, which he uttered to Kyle and Jan Ors.

The quest for the Valley led Kyle to avenge his father by killing Jerec. He honored his father and Qu Rahn by carving their monuments in the Valley, alongside those of the great Jedi who fought in the Battle of Ruusan.

Morgan appeared as a Force ghost—speaking to Luke Skywalker about the Valley of the Jedi. Years later, he appeared again to his son Kyle when the latter, grieving for the death of Jan Ors, returned to the Valley of the Jedi to regain his Force powers.

Katarn was a modest and responsible man, whose powers and authority caused him insecurities. He felt flawed and unworthy of the Force. After the accidental death of the boy, he hesitated to learn more about it, fearing misuse, a weakness Jerec exploited. Although the Force revealed unwanted knowledge, he tried to ignore or suppress his "feelings" and think logically, but he often unconsciously followed its will. A creative and crafty man, Morgan possessed rare knowledge, including a primitive binary code of communication, long-considered obsolete during the Imperial Period.

Katarn sympathized with the Sulonians and their problems during the Imperial era. While admiring their nonviolent resistance, he believed it would be ineffective and slow against the Empire, causing more suffering. His initial reluctance to participate in demonstrations was sometimes seen as cowardice. Although he believed armed resistance was necessary, he opposed openly resisting the Ghost Battalion, correctly sensing it was a trap to lure and destroy the Rebels.

As a Force-sensitive individual, his choices and fears while leading the Sulonese Rebels proved correct, although he was not always understood or heard by his peers. While leading fugitives to Ruusan, his mind was full of worries and fears, from the planet's suitability to the Imperials' potential discovery.

A disciplined and hardened farmer, he prioritized completing his work and obligations before resting or eating. He displayed leadership abilities and charisma, teaching and guiding the colonists, but some became too dependent on his leadership, while others chafed under it. He demonstrated his leadership talent when he felt it was time to leave them and let them move on with their own leaders.

Although he dedicated the latter part of his life to work and his son, he never lost his curiosity and desire for learning and exploration. His trip to Ruusan was the first opportunity in years to take time for himself, exploring the planet by following the ruins of an old highway, something that apparently nobody cared to do before.

Jacob Witkin portrayed Morgan Katarn in the live-action sequences of Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, and all other appearances of Morgan are based on Witkin's likeness. David Chase voiced Morgan Katarn in the Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire audio drama and Dark Forces: Rebel Agent audio drama. Jacob Witkin later reprised his role as Morgan Katarn in Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast.

There are conflicting accounts regarding Morgan Katarn's death. In Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire, Jerec beheads him with a vibroblade while he is too injured and exhausted to talk or interact with Jerec. However, in the Soldier for the Empire audio dramatization, Morgan is well enough to make ironic remarks to Jerec and refuse his cooperation before being beheaded with his lightsaber. In Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, Maw tells Kyle that Jerec gave Morgan a slow death.

In Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Morgan Katarn's multiplayer skin is used in campaign mode as a single, generic Jedi in the Yavin IV level.