| “ | So you have uncovered my little secret. No matter, this body has grown tiresome to me. Maybe I can find one more to your liking, human. | „ |
| ~ Rulan, just prior to the boss battle. |
Rulan Prolik is a minor antagonist of the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. A shapeshifting assassin known only to the members of the infamous GenoHaradan, he only becomes known to the player if they accept an offer of recruitment from GenoHaran emissary Hulas, who claims that Rulan is a mercenary responsible for numerous killings across the Outer Rim Territories.
With Rulan moving to the Core Worlds in search of more entertaining work, his powers make him a danger to the Republic, requiring the player to assassinate him if they wish to gain the GenoHaradan's favour.
In his human form, he is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, who also voiced the Lumberjack Ghost in Gravity Falls, Dark Laser in The Fairly OddParents, Black Samurai in Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword, Ian the Gator in The Princess and the Frog, Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Trigon in Teen Titans Go!, Temutai in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Goro in Mortal Kombat, Carlton Duquesne in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, Chairman Drek in Ratchet & Clank, Sarevok Anchev in Baldur's Gate, Skulker in Danny Phantom, Demongo in Samurai Jack, Doug the Pimple in Family Guy, Tartarus in Halo, Shredder in the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, Satan Claus in Kim Jong Un vs. Christmas, Floronic Man in Batman and Harley Quinn, the Joker in The Batman, Kamek in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Denim in The Simpsons.
Appearance[]
As a shapeshifter, Rulan's appearance varies wildly, as he's capable of being almost anything he desires. However, he's shown a great delight for impersonating his victims and for animals in the surrounding environment, the better to sneak up on his victims. His true appearance remains a mystery, and it's not certain if he actually possesses anything akin to a default form.
In the event that the player opts to accept to the GenoHaradan's missions and kill Rulan, the final form Rulan takes is that of a withered, shrunken humanoid corpse. It's not certain if this is Rulan's true form, or if his body decayed rapidly to a skeleton following his demise.
Personality[]
Rulan Prolik is among the most ruthless and sadistic of all the GenoHaradan's targets, having no respect for life, no empathy for his victims, and a powerful desire for stimulation that he appeases through monstrous hunts for both wild animals and sapient beings. As is observed in the aftermath of his hunt on Kashyyyk, he enjoys toying with his victims, remaining unseen as he picks them off one by one; judging by the corpses left in his hunting grounds and the description in the Wookiee datapad, he commonly kills through extremely brutal methods.
Even when confronted with a potential opponent, he chooses to remain unseen, usually disguised. If he's ever unmasked, he opts to go on the attack in a form most likely to confuse and disturb the enemy - in the case of the player, Jolee Bindo. For all his playful bloodlust, Rulan will not continue a fight if he's at risk of being killed: if he's defeated in combat twice in a row, he opts to retreat to a safe distance in a form that can easily escape notice.
Powers And Abilities[]
Rulan is a master shapeshifter capable of mimicking the forms of sapient beings, animals, and even assuming the identities of others. Over the course of his time in the spotlight, he assumes the shape of a Wookiee, a human, a Terantatek, and even a Tach, transforming in the space of a second, though he's presumably capable of utilizing even more diverse shapes and only became those specific four because they were among the shapes most likely to be encountered in the Shadowlands.
His shapeshifting powers are not illusory in any way, as he can fully mimic the strength of entities like Terantateks and the speed of Tachs. He can even shape his limbs into cortosis-weave swords, allowing him a measure of defence even against enemies armed with lightsabers.
However, his abilities are not limitless: he can't replicate energy weapons like lightsabers or blasters, hence why he makes use of swords instead; similarly, while he can easily assume the identity of a Jedi or Sith, he cannot mimic their connection to the Force, so he cannot attack his targets at range with telekinesis or Force Lightning, while any strength or speed he exhibits in this form is limited to his own natural threshold.
Speculation On Powers[]
During the mission briefing, Hulas notes that the GenoHaradan still haven't been able to determine the nature of Rulan's shapeshifting abilities, suggesting that it's either a natural talent of his species or something he's acquired through alien technology. If the latter is true, then the technology is destroyed during Rulan's death, being too compact and tied with the assassin's body to withstand the final blow.
On the other hand, if Rulan's powers are natural abilities, it's not certain if he's some breed of mutant created through genetic engineering or if all members of his species can shapeshift. Numerous shapeshifting lifeforms exist across the Galaxy, but few are as potent or as versatile as Rulan: Clawdites can only mimic humanoids, amorphous beings like Filar-Nitzan or Polydroxol cannot convincingly assume identities, Neti are limited to diminutives or exaggerations of their treelike default forms, and most other shapeshifting species like the Dazouri or the Felacatian possess only one additional form.
With this in mind, the species closest to Rulan's in shapeshifting prowess is the rare Shi'ido, a comparatively shy race native to the Unknown Regions. Their abilities allow them to become humanoids, inanimate objects, and animals, including larger creatures like Whaladons; they can also assume the identities of others quite easily, a trait which has given them a reputation for working as spies and assassins, thanks to the more adventurous members of the species. The only caveat to this is the fact that Shi'ido have never been seen to shape their bodies into convincing swords, and given that most are rather cautious around Jedi, it's not likely that they possess the ability to recreate the Lightsaber-blocking power of cortosis weave.
