| “ | I will not argue methods with you, President. You have heard my demands. Either you acquiesce, or in three days' time, I will kill your brother. | „ |
| ~ Kueller |
Kueller (born Dolph) is the main antagonist of The New Rebellion. A former Jedi apprentice, Kueller succumbed to the dark side of the Force after his homeworld of Almania was purged by the Je'har. Seeking to make the New Republic pay for their failure to prevent the destruction, Kueller later recruited another of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker's fallen apprentices, Brakiss.
Biography[]
Dolph was originally one of the many apprentices trained by Jedi Master Luke Skywalker at the Jedi Praxeum. However, after he learned of his family's demise on Almania, the young Jedi sought vengeance. He donned a Hendanyn death mask and changed his name to Kueller. Kueller, now a Dark Jedi, annihilated the Je'har regime which had destroyed his family. Over time, Kueller became the leader of his people with a new agenda in mind: the New Republic, particularly their Chief of State, Leia Organa Solo, for her failure to stop the Je'har due to legal restrictions.
As Kueller made his plans to assault the Republic, he eventually encountered another fallen Jedi, Brakiss, who had been an Imperial spy sent to infiltrate the Jedi Praxeum. However, Skywalker had made Brakiss confront the dark side within him and Brakiss had fled, emotionally torn. When Kueller found him, the Almanian leader helped repair Brakiss's damaged psyche and incorporated him into his plans.
A New Rebellion[]
At the start of The New Rebellion, Kueller initiates a bombing within the Senate Hall on the very day Organa Solo planned to integrate former Imperials into the New Republic. As such, Organa Solo initially suspected the Galactic Empire. However, subsequent evidence points to the First Husband, Han Solo. Organa Solo's response to these accusations almost resulted in her impeachment. Furthermore, Kueller did his best to encourage these suspicions. Ultimately, Solo fled with Lando Calrissian to help clear his name.
It was through this that Solo and Calrissian discovered that a former ally of theirs, Ana Blue, was actually working for Kueller. The Dark Jedi had hired her to bring Solo or Calrissian to him in order to lure his former Master to Almania. Not only did this plan fail, but Solo discovered that Kueller managed the explosions by using droids manufactured at Brakiss's factory on Telti. Through this, Skywalker was able to track the tyrant.
Shortly before Skywalker's arrival, Kueller was betrayed by one of his followers, a woman named Femon. She declared him to be too bent on revenge and decided to kill him. This treasonous act surprised Kueller, but he was prepared for it nevertheless, executing Femon before she could activate any of her trap. Kueller would later miss Femon as a servant, for none of her successors ever lived up to her in his eyes.
Eventually, Skywalker made it to Almania's moon Pydyr, where he crashed his X-wing. On the surface of the moon, Kueller confronted his old Master, drawing his lightsaber on Skywalker. After a brief duel, Kueller wounded the Jedi Master and imprisoned him within his fortress, hoping to use him as bait to draw out his sister, Organa Solo. It was during this time that Skywalker realized that Kueller was his former apprentice Dolph.
Kueller, however, was not satisfied with mere rule over the Almanian system. He desired to become the next Galactic Emperor, which he hoped to achieve after he defeated the Skywalker siblings. He demanded that Organa Solo turn over her position as Chief of State to him, or Skywalker would be executed. As a demonstration of his dark powers, Kueller activated another round of sabotaged droids, resulting in the deaths of millions, a tragedy Organa Solo sensed in the Force. Rather than give in to the Dark Jedi's demands, Organa Solo resigned, and her predecessor Mon Mothma replaced her as interim Chief of State.
Accompanied by New Republic General Wedge Antilles, Organa Solo journeyed to Almania to rescue her brother from Almanian captivity. Unfortunately, Kueller was ready for them. The fallen Jedi sent three Victory-class Star Destroyers piloted by sabotaged droids. Unfortunately, thanks to Solo and Calrissian's smuggler contacts, much of the bombs were deactivated. As such, Kueller's plan was foiled. Furthermore, with the help of Talon Karrde and Mara Jade, Solo obtained a cage of ysalamiri to be used against Kueller.
At the climax of the novel, Kueller dueled Skywalker and Organa Solo. As desperation hit the Jedi Master, Skywalker made the decision to follow in his own Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi's, footsteps and sacrifice himself in order to stop Kueller. Skywalker's life was spared by the well-timed arrival of Solo and Jade. Suddenly cut off from the Force, Kueller was put off guard. Taking advantage of this, Organa Solo shot him twice in the head. However, after removing Kueller's mask, she was shocked by how young Kueller looked. However, as Skywalker said, Kueller lost his childhood long before he came to Yavin IV.
Following Kueller's defeat, Organa Solo resumed the position of Chief of State. Eventually, the Senate Hall Kueller destroyed was rebuilt. However, Kueller's second-in-command Brakiss would continue the Dark Jedi's legacy as a future antagonist for the New Jedi Order.
