Hyperspace Beacon: Wall of light
As promised, today I will finish the story of Nomi Sunrider. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote the Hyperspace Beacon: Unsung about a key figure left out of the Star Wars: The Old Republic timeline video about Exar Kun. I felt Nomi Sunrider was a great character and should not be left out of the story. So I have included her here.
Nomi's story actually leads right up to Knights of the Old Republic, but part of it has not been written (I will explain that in a bit). Today, I intend to highlight the greatest accomplishments of Nomi in the Force and clue you into how this character's story may influence your character's story in SWTOR. Follow me after to break to complete the story of this unsung heroine.
After building her first lightsaber with her late husband's Adegan crystals, Nomi was quickly placed on her first mission under a budding Jedi Knight named Ulic Qel-Droma. This Jedi team was tasked with rescuing Master Arca Jeth from King Ommin, who was Sith sorcerer under the guidance of the ghost of Freedon Nadd. A couple of very important things happened during this battle. First, Nomi experienced her first psychic Dark Side attack. Second, Freedon Nadd dropped Ommin as his follower and took Aleema and Satal Keto as his apprentices.
Nomi's next big adventure took place over the planet Koros Major, where Aleema and Satal were attempting to subjugate the last planet in the Empress Teta system. Aleema had become a Sith Illusionist, one so powerful that she tricked the Jedi into believing the Krath (as the perpetrators of the coup were called) had a larger fleet of warships than they actually did. Nomi, taking what she had learned from her last battle, was able to reverse the psychic attack from Aleema, thus causing the illusion of a large Krath fleet to disappear. Unfortunately, the Krath were extremely loyal and sacrificed their own lives by using their ships as living weapons, smashing them into the Jedi cruisers. The Jedi were forced to pull out of the system.
During this time, Ulic and Nomi had developed a strong relationship, so when Ulic decided the best way to defeat the Krath was to infiltrate their ranks -- taking them down from within -- she begged him not to go. Had he heeded her words, Ulic would have not fallen to the Dark Side and become one of the most powerful and destructive Sith Lords in history.
During the final moments of the Battle of Ossus, Ulic slew his brother Cay, and Nomi used this opportunity to trap Ulic in a "wall of light." This rare Jedi power completely cut off Ulic from the Force; the Dark Side no longer had any influence. The Krath were defeated.
After the Battle of Ossus, Exar Kun fled to his primary base on Yavin IV. The Jedi, now aided by Ulic Qel-Droma, pursued. Expecting defeat, Kun drew on the Force essence of his Massassi warriors so that he might transcend the physical world and live as the embodiment of the Force. Nomi sensed the Sith Lord's intentions and guided the rest of the Jedi to erect a Wall of Light to trap Exar Kun on Yavin IV.
As you can see, Nomi Sunrider was instrumental in the defeat of both the Krath and Exar Kun. I really don't understand why the timeline video made no mention of her, but I am glad to have an opportunity to share it here.
So what does this all mean? How does this relate to Star Wars: The Old Republic? There are a couple of ways that come to mind immediately. Nomi had lovers, which is something you don't see during the Clone Wars era. Another idea presented here is epic powers or skills being used as a plot device.
As presented in the Star Wars prequels, love towards a single individual was not accepted by the Jedi Order, yet during this much earlier time period we see Nomi in love with two people. If you know BioWare, you will know that romance is an achievement in all of the company's recent games. And the developers have said that your character will be able to romance his or her companions, even the Jedi. Daniel Erickson mentioned this in a forum post a few months back: "In the time of The Old Republic it is permissible to have children and even to marry within the order but only with direct permission from the Jedi Council." I completely expect that to be a minor plot point in SWTOR.
I also expect to see some sort of one-time-use power; epic powers like Nomi's are a bit of a stretch, but perhaps we'll see skills that are only available in dialogue options. There are always pinnacle moments in BioWare games -- that's what makes BioWare games so incredible to play. I'm not saying all the epic moments will revolve around your character using a skill or power that she has never used before, but don't be surprised if it does.
The last point I'd like to make here is about all the unsung heroes, that is, every single Jedi, Smuggler, and Trooper in the game. Nomi Sunrider left her mark on history but was left out of the timeline story. That does not make her story less important nor less vital to Star Wars. Your character will probably not be sung about in sonnets nor have her story narrated by Lance Henriksen, but that will not make it any less epic.
If you'd like to read the full story of Nomi Sunrider, be sure to find the Tales of the Jedi trade paperbacks at a bookstore. If you'd like to read about the Great Sith War, there is a monstrous trade paperback series called Omnibus; the second volume is the story of Great Sith War. And if you really enjoy the story of Nomi, be sure to purchase the novel currently named Mandorla by Alex Irvine due out in December 2011.
Until next time, may all your adventures be epic, and may the Force be with you, always.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is finally here, and the Force is with Massively! We've prepared a Hutt-sized feast of class introductions, gameplay guides, lore roundups, and hands-on previews to help you navigate the launch period and beyond. And don't forget our weekly SWTOR column, the Hyperspace Beacon!
