Syo Bakarn

Syo Bakarn, a male Human who possessed sensitivity to the Force, originated from the Core World of Corellia. His birth occurred around 3678 BBY, and he was a scion of the Bakarn family, a lineage formerly known as Bakvalen. The Bakvalens were once a prominent Corellian noble family, residing in their ancestral manor, Bakvalen Hall, situated in the bustling capital city of Coronet. Bakarn's birth coincided with a period of intense conflict, as the Galactic Republic found itself embroiled in the Great Galactic War against the newly empowered Sith Empire, under the command of the enigmatic Sith Emperor. In his ambition to expand his power base, the Sith Emperor conceived a network of covert sleeper agents known as the "Children of the Emperor." Agents of the Emperor, Servants belonging to the clandestine Emperor's Hand, embarked on a galaxy-wide search for Force-sensitive individuals suitable for their Master's purposes. Like numerous infants from diverse species, Bakarn was secretly taken from his family on Corellia and transported to the Sith Academy located on the planet Korriban to undergo specialized training. For several weeks, Bakarn and the other children were subjected to a series of rituals and procedures within the Academy, culminating in Bakarn's selection as the first inductee into the ranks of the Children of the Emperor. The young Bakarn was granted a private audience with the Sith Emperor, during which he was imbued with the Emperor's power and bound to his mind and will, thus becoming the Emperor's First Son. The First Son was essentially an alternate persona created within Bakarn's mind, existing without his awareness. A master of strategy, the First Son would remain dormant within the depths of Bakarn's mind, awaiting the Emperor's command to awaken and carry out his Master's desires.

Following his initiation, Bakarn, along with the other Children, was returned to his parents by the Emperor's Hand. Consequently, the Sith Emperor established a network of sleeper agents dispersed throughout both the Republic and his own Sith Empire. The First Son, linked to the other Children through the Force, remained dormant within Bakarn. However, he continuously projected a mental shield, concealing himself and the other Children of the Emperor from detection by other Force-sensitives. As long as the First Son existed, the Children remained undetectable to the broader galaxy. Lacking any recollection of his experiences at the Sith Academy and unaware of the alternate personality within him, Bakarn continued to reside with his parents on Corellia. On one occasion, he and his father strolled through Axial Park, during which his father recounted their family's esteemed history. Eventually, the Jedi Order discovered Bakarn's Force-sensitivity. He was taken from his homeworld and subjected to training in the ways of the Force, ultimately becoming a Padawan under the tutelage of a Jedi Master. During his time as a Padawan, Bakarn gained recognition for his bravery in saving his Master from an attack by a Mandalorian Jedi hunter. Eventually achieving the rank of Jedi Knight and studying as a Consular, Bakarn dedicated his studies to honing his healing skills, eventually becoming a distinguished healer.

As a Jedi Knight, Bakarn actively participated in the war effort, fighting on the front lines of the Great Galactic War. While he demonstrated considerable combat skills on the battlefields, Bakarn derived no pleasure from fighting and instead chose to focus his abilities on healing and reconstruction. Consequently, Bakarn prioritized tending to wounded Republic soldiers after each battle. At one point in his life, he distributed ancient medicine throughout the alleyways of his native Coronet City. These actions earned him the epithets "the Wise Son of Corellia" and "the Quiet Healer." Near the conclusion of the war, around 3653 BBY, Bakarn joined fellow Knights Satele Shan, Bela Kiwiiks and Jaric Kaedan during the battle on the icy Outer Rim world of Rhen Var. Rhen Var had previously fallen into the hands of Dark Council member and Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Mekhis, a Sith scientist and alchemist, who intended to utilize the world as a testing ground for her new creations. The Jedi and the Republic army landed on Rhen Var's surface and began their advance toward Darth Mekhis's fortress. The Republic's Forty-fifth Battalion was deployed ahead into the forests of Rhen Var as a scout force for the Jedi and the main army, but during their scouting mission, they were ambushed by the Empire's weaponized poison gas. By the time the remaining Republic forces arrived, the scouts were either killed or on the verge of death. Remaining true to his role as a Jedi healer, Bakarn sought to alleviate the suffering of the dying scout Maxin Davers, while Shan rallied Republic forces for a final assault on Darth Mekhis's fortress. Bakarn and the Republic army soon encountered and engaged a large contingent of the Empire's troops and Sith, ultimately defeating them. As the Republic laid siege to Mekhis's fortress, Shan personally infiltrated the compound and captured the Sith, securing a Republic victory.

Shortly after the battle, a surprise peace offering was extended by the Empire, and negotiations were arranged to take place on the planet Alderaan, where a peace treaty would be discussed. The Republic dispatched a delegation of Senators and Jedi, including Bakarn, to Alderaan. Bakarn, not directly involved in the negotiations, awaited Jedi Knight Aryn Leneer outside the hearing room in the High Council building. Bakarn sensed Leneer's growing unease and learned that she felt strange, which concerned him, though he did not perceive her as a threat. Shortly thereafter, he felt a disturbance when he sensed Leneer's betrayal of the Sith denounced and attacked the two Sith warriors in their vicinity. Bakarn, unwilling to jeopardize the negotiations, attempted to dissuade her, but she did not heed him before Dar'Nala ordered them to stand down, which they obeyed. Eventually, Bakarn and Leneer were informed that the Sith had conquered Coruscant to compel the Republic to make concessions in the negotiations. Leneer was deeply angered by this decision, as well as by the death of her master, and Syo attempted to console her after the incident. He offered her his assistance, but she declined to speak with him and later departed the planet to seek out her master's killer.

Following the conclusion of the war, Bakarn, along with the rest of the Order, relocated to their ancestral homeworld of Tython, where he oversaw many of the technical aspects of the new Temple, including the construction of the new Archives. During this period, he also established the Jedi Restoration Concord, a group of Jedi dedicated to providing agricultural, engineering, and constructional assistance to Republic worlds devastated by the war with the Empire. One of the Concord's most notable achievements occurred on the planet Uphrades, where young Jedi serving the Concord quadrupled the planet's food production in just two years. Bakarn's selfless efforts in healing the scars of war did not go unnoticed, earning him the rank of Jedi Master and a seat on the Jedi High Council. Bakarn shared a particularly close bond with a fellow Jedi named Duras Fain. On one occasion, the two pursued an Imperial fugitive to the moon of Nar Shaddaa. There, the Jedi encountered an aspiring technologist named Tharan Cedrax, who aided them in tracking the Imperial by creating a tracking device. Following this encounter, Bakarn, Fain, and Cedrax became close friends. Although Bakarn did not condone Cedrax's lifestyle, he continued to enlist his services in developing technological advancements for the Jedi Order.

Without Syo's knowledge, and that of almost everyone else, the Emperor had fabricated a secondary persona and embedded it within Syo's consciousness. This persona would be known as the First Son and commander of the Children of the Emperor. The First Son provided a shield for the other children, preventing their detection. Ultimately, the Barsen'thor triumphed over him, redeemed him, eradicated the Emperor's influence within him, along with his identity as the First Son, and revealed the Emperor's Children to detection. The Barsen'thor eventually replaced Syo Bakarn on the Jedi Council.

It is believed that Jedi Master Bakarn met his end sometime after the Battle of Corellia. During the Alliance Commander's confrontation with Tenebrae within Satele Shan's mind, Master Bakarn was among the spirits summoned to assist in defeating the former Sith Emperor, thus ending his reign of terror once and for all. With the Emperor vanquished, Bakarn presumably became one with the Force.

The culmination of the Jedi Consular's storyline involves defeating Syo Bakarn in his guise as the Emperor's First Son. As the player determines Syo's fate, he can be killed, even if the Barsen'thor attempts to redeem him. The First Son seizes control and relentlessly assaults the Jedi Master, forcing them to hurl Bakarn into a cave wall, which then collapses upon him. He was cremated at the Jedi Temple without a ceremony, in accordance with his final wish.

Despite being a pivotal character in the Consular narrative, Syo Bakarn also makes an appearance in the Jedi Knight storyline by attending Kira Carsen's hearing and concurring with Tol Braga that redemption is possible for everyone.