| “ | I have no choice but to put an end to you, Sith, and all will become calm again. Once you're out of the way, Jaesa will provide the proof I need to open the Jedi Council's eyes and expose Baras' network of spies. | „ |
| ~ Nomen Karr before fighting Darth Baras' apprentice. |
Nomen Karr, also known as Lord Retrost while undercover, is the secondary antagonist of the Sith Warrior storyline in the BioWare MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic.
He was a male Human Jedi Master who was one of the Jedi Order's most veteran masters during the Cold War between the Republic and the Sith Empire and the personal nemesis of the Sith Lord, Darth Baras. A gallant Jedi, Karr was known to touch the dark side of the Force while within the lines of the Sith Empire, yet remained true to the Jedi Code.
Intent on exposing Imperial spies in the Galactic Republic, Karr trained Jaesa Willsaam as his Padawan. His activities caught the notice of Darth Baras, who sent his latest apprentice, the future Emperor's Wrath, to destroy him.
He was voiced by Michael Gregory, who also voiced Harron Tavus in the same game.
Biography[]
Early Years[]
A Force-sensitive Human, Nomen Karr was educated in the ways of the Force by the Jedi Order, attaining the rank of Jedi Master and constructing a green-bladed lightsaber. Although valued for his experience, Nomen Karr was known to challenge the Order's rigid precepts in his crusade against evil in the galaxy. When the Sith Empire returned to Republic space, Karr went behind Imperial lines under the alias of Retrost in an effort to gather information on the Empire and the Sith who populated it. The determined Karr even dared to touch the dark side during his time behind the Imperial border, but emerged a valiant champion of the light. He was convinced that the Republic had been infiltrated by the Sith Empire, and hoped to prove the Jedi High Council wrong for trusting the word of a Sith. Baras managed to expose Karr before their duel on Nal Hutta ended in a stalemate before the latter fled. As a result of Karr's betrayal, the two became bitter enemies.
Karr was driven to expel the Imperial infiltrators, which he believed were hidden throughout the Republic and Jedi ranks; he set himself to find these spies and bring them to justice, though Baras continued to thwart him at every turn. In this endeavor, he spent his time in the undercover area of the Empire. Learning of an Alderaanian young woman with the extraordinary gift of being able to discern a person's true nature at a glance, Nomen Karr immediately claimed her for the Order and as his student. He dedicated his life to her tutelage and protection, hoping she could expose those that Karr believed to be a threat to the Galactic Republic or the Jedi Order. However, the Jedi High Council continued to remain skeptical that Karr's Padawan's power was foolproof. As part of their training, he sent his apprentice to Tatooine to be trained by the respected Jedi Master Yonlach.
The Hunt For Jaesa Willsaam[]
During the Cold War, Karr learned that his old enemy, Darth Baras, had acquired an extraordinarily strong new apprentice. As part of his continued surveillance of Baras' assets, Karr ordered a Republic orbital monitoring station in Huttese to monitor and track the movements of the apprentice's ship. The apprentice was headed to Balmorra and Nar Shaddaa, which Karr assumed to be providing extraction for Baras' agents.
When Baras and his apprentice found out, the latter arrived at the listening station and put a violent end to the spying. Karr, monitoring the station via hologram, pleaded for the lives of Hirosho and other technicians. The Sith refused his plea and slaughtered them before Karr's eyes. Horrified by what he has just seen, Karr declared the Warrior to be every bit Baras' minion. He then calmed himself, telling the apprentice that they had no idea what he had planned. But the Sith surprised him yet again, revealing that they knew of his Padawan and claimed her powers to be a sham. Briefly unsettled by the revelation, Karr declared that he would protect his Padawan from the taint of the Sith. Karr then summoned a squad of elite troopers, claiming them to be the Republic's finest, and demanded the Sith surrender, who refused. The apprentice swiftly slew the attack squad. Noting how ferocious the Warrior was, Karr stated that he now had insight for their eventual confrontation. The listening post-incident proved instrumental in Karr's undoing. Noting how protective Karr was of his Padawan, Baras ordered his apprentice to find and kill the people who had been closest to him, starting with Yonlach on Tatooine and eventually her parents on Alderaan. Baras' plan was to unbalance Karr's apprentice and draw her out so she could be killed. Whether or not the Wrath went along with this plan depends on the player's alignment and choices.
Facing Baras' Apprentice[]
Nomen Karr after falling to the Dark Side.
| “ | No! This is not right! Fall! You must fall to me! | „ |
| ~ Nomen Karr succumbing to the Dark Side. |
Tired of the endless intrigues, Karr eventually contacted Baras directly to arrange a duel to finally end their conflict. The stage was set for a final battle at the site of Karr's betrayal years earlier, but because Baras feared a trap, and because he knew of his apprentice's great strength, he sent the Warrior in his place. Karr was sorely disappointed to see the Warrior alive and in place of Baras, but he was confident that he would be able to defeat the apprentice and expose Baras' network of spies. Unfortunately, the Warrior proved to be stronger than he expected, both physically and in the ways of the dark side.
During the battle Karr became unstable and turned to the dark side for the strength to win their fight. The Jedi Master failed and was defeated by Baras' agent. Mortally wounded, Karr felt that the dark side had underestimated him and would try to fight his way back to the light side and die in order to protect Willsaam, but Imperial operatives dispatched by Baras were able to stabilize him so that the Warrior could use him as bait to draw Willsaam into the trap. The ruse was successful and she arrived to witness her master twisted by the dark side into something she couldn't recognize as he spewed his hate for both Baras and his own apprentice. At first, she considered the possibility that Karr had been hiding this all along before she accused the Sith of corrupting her Master. The Warrior told her that the only way to find the truth was to use her power on him. Willsaam complied and saw these dark traits within Karr but refused to believe it. Confused and angry, Jaesa engaged the Sith Warrior in fair combat, but she turned out to be no match against the Sith apprentice.
In the end, Jaesa joined the Sith Warrior willingly, either through corruption or persuasion on the part of the Emperor. As for Nomen Karr, his fate is ultimately up to the player to decide. The choices are to execute him on the spot, send him to Darth Baras for the Sith Lord to "have the last laugh in their rivalry" or finally send him back to the Jedi, either in the hopes that he might be redeemed or to demonstrate how even one of their best was not immune to the pull of the Dark Side.
Personality[]
As a Jedi Master, Nomen Karr demonstrated unwavering devotion to the light side of the Force. This drives him to try to expose the Imperial infiltrators hiding across the galaxy despite Baras' constant interference. However, he arrogantly believes in the light's superiority over the dark side, showing a darker sense of pride.
Beneath his noble and passionless demeanor lies a hidden dark persona. It is this dark reflection that Karr assumed he left behind after his infiltration of the Sith, but was later brought out by the Emperor's Wrath. Giving into his anger in the belief that it would defeat his enemy, Karr showed he was hypocritical of the Jedi teachings. The dark side clouding his mind, Karr begins to let out all his repressed hatred for both Baras and his apprentice, but when killed by the Emperor's Wrath and Jaesa, Karr begins to feel remorse for his errors right before the end.
Powers and Abilities[]
Nomen Karr was a master of lightsaber combat. With the Force, he could leap back and forth with such speed when between two opponents and throw a lightsaber. On occasion, he would use Force push to distance himself a few feet from an adversary before closing back into the duel. When he fell to the dark side during his duel with the Sith Warrior, Karr learned the technique of Force choke, lightning shield, and Force rage.
