Is Darth Revan canon? KOTOR's Sith Lord after Legends

Darth Revan has one of the best stories in Star Wars. I've played through Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic more times than I'd care to admit out loud, so I'm not guessing when I say that. He's one of my all-time favorite nostalgic characters. After years of going through Star Wars lore, he's still one of the most interesting characters they've ever come up with.

Knights of the Old Republic, the 2003 game from BioWare, is where we first properly meet him. Imagine one of the greatest video games ever made, then add lightsabers, moral choices and the ability to ruin people's lives with dialogue options. According to people who review things properly, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest games ever made. It has never left my top five games of all time. That's not me being dramatic. That's me, a fully grown adult, still emotionally attached to a 20 plus year old game like it's a childhood pet.

Knights of the Old Republic is a pillar of Star Wars storytelling

KOTOR isn't only a game. It's a massive pillar of Star Wars storytelling, and a lot of the deeper lore comes from it: the big themes, the choices, the whole question of whether you're turning into the bad guys or having a rough week. If you've ever wanted a Star Wars story where your decisions matter, where you can be a hero, a villain or a total liability, this is the one.

It's set in the Old Republic, which means Star Wars ages ago, when everything looks slightly older. You've got Revan, the Sith Lord with identity issues. You've got his chaotic, backstabbing apprentice, Darth Malak. And you've got Bastila Shan, a Jedi trying her best while surrounded by nonsense.

What makes it so good is that Revan isn't one thing. He fought in the Mandalorian Wars. He led armies. He's been a Jedi and he's been a Sith. It's layered storytelling: not good guy versus bad guy, but what happens if the good guy makes some shocking life choices and then has to deal with them. That's uncomfortably relatable.

How Darth Revan broke the Jedi good, Sith bad formula

Revan was put together by people like James Ohlen and Drew Karpyshyn. Karpyshyn also wrote the Darth Bane books, which are very Sith, very dramatic and full of bad decisions. Knights of the Old Republic went on to win Game of the Year awards and was rereleased on basically everything with a screen.

What made Revan different wasn't a cool mask and a scary voice. He messed with the usual Star Wars formula. Normally it's simple: Jedi equals good, Sith equals bad. Revan complicated that. Instead of a clear hero or villain, you get a character whose choices make you stop and think about the Jedi Order, the Sith, and whether either side has it all figured out. They don't. That's what people are still talking about. Underneath the lightsabers and space drama, it's a story about someone making questionable decisions and then having to live with them.

Is Darth Revan canon? Where he stands after the Legends split

In 2012, Disney bought Lucasfilm and wanted to tidy things up. They looked at years of Star Wars stories and decided some of it was canon and some was going in the maybe don't think too hard about it pile. In 2014, Knights of the Old Republic and Darth Revan were moved into what's called Legends. In simple terms, canon means this definitely happened. Legends means this might have happened, or might just be a really good story someone told after a few pints. So now there are two timelines: the official Disney version, and the old expanded universe, where things got wild, chaotic and sometimes better.

Does Revan still count? For me, the short answer is sort of. The long answer is that he's complicated, and Star Wars fans have been arguing about it ever since. He sits in an awkward space where he's too good to ignore but not officially invited to the main timeline. It's like turning up to a party you definitely should have been invited to and still being the most interesting person in the room.

In Legends, his story is properly fleshed out. After Knights of the Old Republic it carries on in comics and novels, especially the ones written by Drew Karpyshyn, and in the MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. You get his legacy, his long-term impact on the galaxy and how his story eventually wraps up. Without spoiling anything, it's exactly the kind of dramatic, slightly over-the-top ending you'd expect from someone who has been both a Jedi and a Sith.

In canon, he's in a we know he exists but we don't ask too many questions situation. He's been nodded to a few times. In The Rise of Skywalker, one of Palpatine's Sith Trooper legions is named after him, so he's important enough to get a named army but not important enough to show up. There was also a plan to bring him into Star Wars: The Clone Wars as a Sith spirit, I believe alongside Darth Bane, which would have been incredible, and they cut it. He does pop up, I believe, in Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, where you can play as both Sith Revan and Jedi Revan. So canon Revan is basically mentioned, teased and almost included, but not properly explained.

A Keanu Reeves Darth Revan was fan casting, not an announcement

Over the past few years there has been loads of chat about a Darth Revan film or Disney+ series, and the internet decided Keanu Reeves should play him. I think it's one of the rare fan castings where everyone collectively agreed it works. You've probably seen the fan art: Reeves in full Sith robes with the double lightsabers, looking like he's about to ruin someone's day in the calmest way possible. It's brilliant.

But none of it was confirmed. There were no official announcements, no secret trailers and no insider information. When I wrote this, Disney and Lucasfilm had said nothing about bringing Revan into live action, so it was all wishful thinking and very convincing Photoshop.

There is a little hope. I think the Old Republic era has started getting more attention again. It showed up on the official Star Wars timeline at Star Wars Celebration in 2023, which means Disney have at least remembered it exists. Could it happen one day? I think it could. Revan's too popular, his story is too good, and Disney love revisiting different eras when they know it will get attention. For now, I think it's a case of don't hold your breath, while quietly hoping it happens. If they announced it, I think we would probably all lose our minds and pretend we weren't skeptical five minutes earlier.

Revan's origins: an unknown name, Kreia and a friendship with Alek

Before the helmets and the betrayal, Darth Revan is a mystery. We don't even know what his name was to start with. Revan might not be his actual name; it's more the name he picked up later when he went full Sith Lord. Imagine someone reinventing themselves, but instead of a new haircut, they choose galactic war crimes.

As a kid he joins the Jedi Order as a Padawan and trains under a few different masters, including Kreia, who later becomes Darth Traya. He also becomes best friends with another Padawan, Alek, who later turns into Darth Malak. At this point Revan's friend group is a support group for future villains. Even early on he stood out: ridiculously strong in the Force, constantly asking questions, the student who challenges the teacher every five minutes. Some Jedi masters thought he was a star pupil. Others looked at him thinking, "This one's going to be a problem." They weren't wrong.

The Mandalorian Wars and the mask from Cathar

Then the galaxy descends into chaos in the Mandalorian Wars, as the Mandalorians, big fans of war and armor, set about conquering everything that moves. Revan, still a Jedi Knight, watches the Jedi Council say things like "We must be patient," which is Jedi code for doing nothing and hoping it sorts itself out. Revan looks at billions of people dying and refuses to wait. He ignores the Council, rallies other Jedi to join the fight and becomes the Republic's top commander, bringing Alek with him.

On the planet Cathar, Revan finds out the Mandalorians committed a full genocide years earlier. Through a Force vision, he sees a Mandalorian warrior who tried to stop the massacre, wearing a very distinctive mask. Revan takes the mask, puts it on and swears he won't take it off until justice is done. From then on his followers are called Revanchists, and under his leadership they start winning the war.

Revan eventually beats the Mandalorian leader, Mandalore the Ultimate, in a one on one fight. But as he's dying, Mandalore reveals that none of this was their idea; they were pushed into it. A hidden Sith Empire was pulling the strings in the background.

How the Sith Emperor turned Revan and Malak to the dark side

Revan and Malak go to investigate. They end up on places like Malachor and eventually track everything back to the Sith homeworld, where they meet the Sith Emperor. Confident and battle hardened, they walk in and get mentally folded in seconds. No fight, no dramatic back and forth. The Emperor takes over their minds and drags them to the dark side, and that's how we get Darth Revan and Darth Malak.

They eventually break free of that control, but the damage is done. They're now convinced the only way to protect the Republic is to conquer it. They return as Sith Lords, and with Malak as his apprentice, Revan builds a new Sith Empire using the Star Forge, a giant evil space battery. Hero, war hero, slightly concerning, full Sith Lord: the guy who was saving the Republic is now about five minutes from conquering it.

Darth Malak's betrayal ended Revan's closest friendship

Revan and Malak weren't only boss and employee. They started as best friends. They trained as Jedi together, fought side by side in the Mandalorian Wars and trusted each other completely. Once they fall, that friendship turns into a very toxic work environment, with Revan as the Dark Lord of the Sith and Malak as his apprentice.

At first they're on the same page: conquer the Republic, destroy the Jedi. But Malak doesn't want to help run the Empire. He wants to be the Empire. The more successful Revan gets, the more Malak wonders why Revan is in charge. Every victory makes it worse, with Revan's reputation growing and Malak's ego growing even faster. During a Republic ambush, Malak sees his chance and orders his own fleet to fire on Revan's ship. I did not see that betrayal coming the first time.

It's one of the most tragic parts of the whole story. Underneath the betrayal and ego, these were two people who trusted each other once and then ruined it chasing power.

The memory wipe behind the Knights of the Old Republic twist

After Malak's betrayal, a Jedi strike team led by Bastila Shan grabs a badly injured Revan. Instead of killing him or locking him up, the Jedi Council's plan is "Let's wipe his memory and hope for the best." Only Bastila really knows the truth, and she doesn't tell you.

This is where Knights of the Old Republic does something genuinely brilliant. You're playing as Revan without knowing it, a seemingly random person guided by Bastila to stop Malak and save the galaxy. Slowly, flashbacks and clues creep in, along with the realization that you might not be the hero you thought you were. Along the way you decide whether to go back to being the terrifying Sith Lord or try to be a decent person this time. That's why the story sticks: it's about identity, choice, and whether people can change.

It all builds to the finale on the Star Forge, where Revan faces Malak in a final lightsaber duel, former best friends trying to end each other. Revan wins, Malak's reign is over, and Revan gets a second chance and chooses the light side, becoming a Jedi once more. Villain, amnesia, self-discovery, redemption.

What Darth Revan's mask means

Revan's mask isn't only there to look cool, although it does. It belonged to the Mandalorian warrior who tried to stop the genocide on Cathar, and Revan put it on and vowed not to take it off until justice was done. The design is very Mandalorian: metallic, with a T shaped visor, looking like it could survive being hit by a small car, but with a sharper, more aggressive look.

From that point on, the mask is Revan. As a Jedi, as a Sith Lord, during his identity crisis, he's still wearing it. Even after he's captured, Bastila hides it away, because if he sees it he might remember who he used to be. The mask is a symbol of justice and revenge, and of a man making increasingly dramatic life choices and fully committing to all of them. Respect.

Revan's lightsaber colors track his journey

Revan's lightsabers double as a mood ring. As a Jedi Knight he uses a violet blade, which in Star Wars terms means he technically follows the rules but has opinions about them. When he falls to the dark side, he switches to the classic red. After he sorts himself out and returns to the light, he uses blue and then later green. Purple, questioning authority. Red, making terrible life choices. Blue and green, trying to fix it.

It's not only the colors, it's how he fights. Revan can use one lightsaber or two, and dual wielding in Knights of the Old Republic is the moment you feel unstoppable. He can switch between aggressive attacks and defensive moves mid-fight, adapting on the fly, which is why he's able to take down Mandalore the Ultimate and Darth Malak in one on one fights. As a kid I thought lightsabers were already the coolest thing imaginable, and then Revan picked up two of them and made it even cooler.

Why Darth Revan is still one of Star Wars' best characters

He started as a Jedi, became a Sith Lord, lost his memory, saved the galaxy and still has one of the most confusing CVs in the Star Wars universe. What makes him so good isn't the armor, the mask or the dual wielding. It's that he's messy. He gets things wrong and makes terrible decisions, then fixes them, then breaks them again, and somehow still ends up trying to do the right thing. That's probably why so many of us relate to him more than we'd like to admit, and why, even now, I guess it's still one of the best stories Star Wars has ever told: messy, complicated, full of questionable decisions, and perfect.