The battle, which unfolded on the Interdictor-class cruiser Leviathan, holds a significant place in the history of the Jedi Civil War. Shortly before the war's conclusion, the crew of the Ebon Hawk found themselves prisoners aboard the Sith Empire's flagship. To orchestrate their escape, they devised a plan where one of their members would intentionally separate from the group. This individual would then evade the Sith troopers guarding them and liberate the rest of the crew. Once free, the group divided; Revan, Bastila Shan, and Carth Onasi headed for the ship's bridge to activate and unlock the hangar bay, while the remaining members descended to the hangar to secure the Ebon Hawk before Darth Malak's arrival.
Revan, Bastila, and Carth fought their way through the command deck to reach the bridge, where they encountered Saul Karath, a former Admiral of the Galactic Republic, accompanied by Dark Jedi and Sith forces. Rejecting the Sith fleet commander's surrender demand, they engaged Karath and his protectors in combat, ultimately defeating them and the admiral. As he lay dying, Karath revealed to Carth, his former apprentice, the true identity of their companion. With Darth Malak closing in, they had no time for explanations and hurried back to the Hawk, which had already been secured and prepared for departure. However, they were intercepted by the Sith Lord, who confirmed Revan's past as the Dark Lord of the Sith before engaging his former master in a lightsaber duel. To ensure her companions' escape, Bastila intervened, diverting Malak long enough for the rest of the crew to board their ship and flee the Sith warship.
After undergoing retraining in the Force in 3956 BBY while seeking sanctuary from the Sith Empire at the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, the mind-wiped Revan, along with his companions who survived the destruction of Taris, received a mission from the Jedi Council to locate several Star Maps scattered across the galaxy. These maps, located on Kashyyyk, Tatooine, Manaan, Korriban, and Dantooine, held clues to the source of the Sith's seemingly endless fleet: the Star Forge. Although each map was incomplete, the Jedi hoped that by finding and combining the data from all the artifacts, they could pinpoint the location of the ancient space station and weapons factory. After discovering four of the five maps, the Ebon Hawk was intercepted by the Sith and pulled out of hyperspace by the Interdictor-class cruiser Leviathan, the flagship commanded by Sith Admiral Saul Karath. Trapped in the warship's powerful tractor beams, the crew faced inevitable capture.
As their ship was being pulled into the interdictor's hangar bay, Carth Onasi briefed the party on their adversary. Carth had served with Karath in the Galactic Republic's fleet during the Mandalorian Wars and considered him a mentor. Knowing Karath's formidable nature, Revan, Carth, and Bastila Shan decided to choose one crew member to separate from the group, increasing their chances of escape. After selecting this individual, the rest of the crew prepared for the inevitable boarding, offering no resistance to the overwhelming number of Sith troopers.
Once the Hawk was secured in the Leviathan's hangar, troops boarded the freighter, wary of treachery, as Karath had instructed. The majority of the crew were stripped of their belongings and placed in a high-security cell, while Revan, Carth, and Bastila were singled out for interrogation by the admiral. Stripped and confined in force cages, the trio soon faced Karath, who feigned recognition of Carth, his former subordinate seeking revenge for the Sith bombing of his homeworld.
Karath began the interrogation by attempting to discover the planet where Revan had been retrained and the nature of their mission from the Jedi Council. Knowing that torturing Revan directly might not yield results, the Sith officer directed the consequences of refusal at Bastila. Revan remained uncooperative. After informing them of the sacking of Dantooine, Karath continued to press Revan for answers, but the Jedi refused to answer until Bastila was rendered unconscious by the intense pain inflicted through her cage's torture field. Frustrated and achieving nothing, Karath ordered them all to be tortured into unconsciousness before departing, with Revan enduring the most pain.
Meanwhile, the separated crew member initiated their escape. Navigating the lightly guarded detention level of the Leviathan, the crew member encountered a Rodian prisoner captured in an earlier ambush. In exchange for assistance, the Rodian provided an ICE breaker, a slicing device that bypassed the detention level's computer lockouts. This allowed the crew member to reduce the number of Sith personnel on that level and unlock the detention area's doors, freeing the rest of the party. Once liberated, the crew retrieved their equipment and planned their next move.
While Revan, Carth, and Bastila headed to the bridge to open the hangar bay doors holding the Ebon Hawk, the rest of the group, led by the Mandalorian warrior Canderous Ordo, descended to the hangar level to seize control of the freighter and prepare it for launch. With their equipment secured and plans made, the party split up again to accomplish their individual missions.
After successfully escaping the Interdictor cruiser's detention level, Bastila, Carth, and Revan battled their way through the command deck towards the bridge, encountering numerous Sith troops and Dark Jedi. They reached the bridge access corridor, only to find it sealed due to the intruder alert. Forced to find another way in, the trio donned space suits and used an airlock to access an alternate route via the ship's exterior. Once back inside, they resumed their assault.
The bridge was heavily guarded. Sith troops and Dark Jedi stood alongside Admiral Karath, who offered the two Jedi and Carth a final chance to surrender. When they refused, the Admiral ordered his guards to eliminate them. In the ensuing firefight, the entire Sith retinue was killed, and Karath lay dying from his wounds. As he lay on the deck, he summoned Carth and revealed that their companion was Revan, the former Dark Lord of the Sith who initiated the war against the Republic. Enraged, Carth accused Bastila of knowing this all along. Despite his anger, the Jedi convinced him to wait until their escape before discussing the details. They quickly opened the hangar bay doors and left to meet the others at the Hawk.
As Bastila, Carth, and Revan attempted to escape, Canderous contacted them via comlink, informing them that the Hawk, heavily guarded, had been secured and was ready for departure. The party raced through the hangar deck, encountering more Sith forces and Dark Jedi. Just as they thought they had a clear path to their ship and freedom, Darth Malak appeared.
As Malak appeared, Carth tried to shoot him, but the Sith Lord easily deflected his blaster shots and threw the Republic pilot to the ground. With the three companions facing him, Malak taunted Revan, who was unaware of his past, and revealed the truth. Bastila confirmed the Dark Lord's words, and both attempted to explain what had happened during the trap set for the two Sith Lords by the Jedi and Republic, and the Jedi Council's decision regarding him after Malak's betrayal. Believing she was acting out of a selfless desire to redeem him, Revan forgave Bastila, and a furious Malak engaged his former Master in lightsaber combat.
The battle was fierce, with both combatants drawing upon the Force as they fought among the blast tunnels separating the hangar bay from the rest of the warship. Although Malak had a slight physical advantage, Revan kept pace, forcing him to retreat deeper into the tunnels. However, when Carth and Bastila, held firm by the Dark Lord before the fight, caught up, Malak nearly killed Revan, immobilizing him with the same technique. Bastila grabbed her blade and hurled it at the Dark Lord, distracting him and entering the fray despite being outmatched. The blast doors sealed around Malak and Bastila, giving Carth and Revan time to reach the Ebon Hawk.
With the Sith forces aboard the flagship either dead or occupied, the crew of the Ebon Hawk escaped the hangar bay despite heavy turbolaser fire from the Leviathan's main batteries. Before they could escape the warship's interdiction field and jump to hyperspace, a half-squadron of Sith fighters attacked. Manning the quad laser turret, Revan dispatched the enemy starfighters, clearing their path to escape.
In the safety of hyperspace, the crew of the Ebon Hawk discussed the events aboard the Leviathan. Revan revealed his true nature, seeking reactions and hoping to quell doubts. Carth was initially distrustful due to past betrayals, including Admiral Karath's. Mission Vao initially thought it was a joke, but she and Zaalbar, who owed Revan a life debt for rescuing him from slavers on Taris, agreed to trust him.
Carth was reluctant to trust Revan, especially after what the Sith did to his homeworld, but Canderous pointed out that Malak, not Revan, gave that order. Jolee Bindo claimed to have known Revan's identity but felt it wasn't his place to reveal it. Canderous, in awe of the Jedi and Revan after his people's defeat at the Battle of Malachor V, pledged his loyalty. Juhani was surprised but agreed to follow Revan, as did T3-M4. HK-47 revealed his hidden past, informing the crew of the homing beacon programmed into him, which activated his deleted memory core upon returning to his original master—Revan.
With the crew dedicated to a redeemed Revan, Carth reluctantly accepted his leadership, warning against a return to the dark side. Putting aside thoughts of rescuing Bastila, the crew continued to find the final Star Map, stop the Sith, and rescue their friend.
This incident lacks a canonical name, but it is based on events that the player must complete in the game's storyline, as well as the canon light side ending. A dark side path offers alternate possibilities, such as giving Karath correct answers or falsely answering to see companions tortured. Players can also blame the Jedi and Bastila for Revan's amnesia, facing Malak to reclaim the title of Dark Lord of the Sith. After escaping, players can threaten party members to accept their leadership. If the player is female, Karath will torture Carth instead of Bastila.
Cut content included an injured Sith officer named Major Hurka who could have been convinced to lead Revan, Carth, and Bastila through the Leviathan, skipping most of the level.
During the prison breakout, the player controls an NPC party member. Six potential party members can be assigned to rescue the crew: Canderous, HK-47, Jolee, Juhani, Mission, and T3-M4. Each has different dialogue during capture (T3-M4 has a unique conversation with the Rodian), starting positions, and circumstances. Jolee and Mission do not regain their equipment until the end of the sequence. Zaalbar cannot be selected due to the need for subtlety.
If the player has not visited Tatooine or purchased HK-47 from Yuka Laka, he will not be available for the breakout and will not reveal his past with Revan. Similarly, if the player did not visit Kashyyyk, Jolee will be unavailable and absent from the debriefing. This can cause a bug in the Xbox version. Party selection options are detailed below:
Canderous
If Canderous Ordo is selected, he will use his healing implant after inflicting a self-inflicted wound with a grenade to feign unconsciousness. He will be treated in the medical bay, where the sidequest begins. The player can grab his gear, arm him, and dispatch Sith troopers and technicians before freeing the Rodian smuggler and accessing the computer system.
HK-47
If HK-47 is selected, he will activate a dormancy program and power down. The Sith will take him to the droid bay to wipe his memory and add him to their army. The scenario begins with him waking up. The player can retrieve his upgrades, items, and weapons and proceed with the breakout.
Jolee Bindo
If selected, Jolee will use mind tricks to confuse the troops. They will put him in a separate cell, where he will persuade his guard to open the cell, step inside, and lock himself in. The player will then attempt the escape.
Juhani
If Juhani is tasked with the breakout, she will use Force Camouflage to hide on the Ebon Hawk while Sith troops search it. The player will start with her "decloaking" within the detention level with her weapons and gear. From there, the mission can be completed as described.
Mission
If Mission Vao is selected, she will antagonize the Sith troopers, who will suggest giving the Twi'lek to Admiral Karath. The commander orders her placed in solitary confinement until a torturer arrives. Once isolated, she will pick the guard's pocket, taking the key to her cell. The player will then take control of her to complete the task.
T3-M4
If chosen, T3-M4 will have a backup memory chip set to a timer in case of a memory wipe. This scenario presents a logic puzzle involving completing three integer sequences according to different patterns. Failure represents the end of the game (the answers are 3, 10, and 11). If successful, T3-M4 will end up in the droid bay with his gear, where he can complete the rescue.