Duron Qel-Droma

A Human male, Duron Qel-Droma spent his formative years on the planet Alderaan. Throughout his youth, Qel-Droma maintained a close relationship with his cousins, the brothers Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma. Emulating the path of Ulic and Cay's mother, Jedi Master Lien-Tsai Qel-Droma, all three were eventually identified as being Force-sensitive and subsequently joined the Jedi Order. In 3996 BBY, a devastating event befell the Qel-Droma family, as Ulic Qel-Droma succumbed to the dark side of the Force. Leading a Sith force against the Jedi and the Galactic Republic during the Great Sith War, Ulic killed his brother Cay in single combat on the Jedi library world of Ossus. Despite Ulic's eventual repentance and abandonment of his cause, he was stripped of his connection to the Force and entered self-imposed exile. Consequently, Duron Qel-Droma assumed the responsibility of restoring the family's honor, dedicating himself to this task over the following years. Bearing this burden, Qel-Droma fought against Sith remnants in the Cleansing of the Nine Houses, but his most notable achievements occurred during a Jedi campaign known as the Great Hunt. Qel-Droma was among the Jedi Knights who ventured across the galaxy, eradicating Sith monstrosities like Sith wyrms, silan, and terentateks.

The terentatek, an alchemical creation of the Sith, Exar Kun, would become Qel-Droma's most formidable opponent. Roughly half the size of a rancor beast, terentateks consumed Force-sensitive blood, posing a grave threat to the Jedi. Following the war's conclusion, the Jedi Order initiated the Great Hunt, intending to eliminate terentateks throughout the galaxy. Qel-Droma joined a Jedi group consisting of the Humans Shaela Nuur and Cale Berkona, as well as the Twi'lek Guun Han Saresh, and plunged headfirst into the Hunt. Qel-Droma and Nuur developed romantic feelings for each other that pushed the limits of the Jedi Code. Qel-Droma proved to be an invaluable member of the team, utilizing his mental Force powers to confuse the beasts while the other Jedi launched their attacks. Throughout the Hunt, Qel-Droma wore a garment known as the Qel-Droma robe, a family heirloom that originally belonged to his cousin Cay. The Great Hunt was largely successful, clearing the dark side monsters from planets such as Onderon, Yavin 4, and Tython. In 3993 BBY, as the Hunt neared its end, Qel-Droma and his companions traveled to Tatooine, hoping to cleanse the world of terentateks. After defeating several terentateks, the group tracked the last one on Tatooine to a cave, only to witness the terentatek kill one of their own. After Qel-Droma established contact with the terentatek's mind and distracted it, the beast was finally slain. Unharmed by the battle, Qel-Droma placed the dead monster on a burning pyre alongside the others, and used the Force to carry his fallen teammate back to their ship.

Five days later, the Great Hunt was officially concluded. However, the Jedi High Council on Coruscant had other plans—the Sith homeworld of [Korriban](/article/korriban-legends], a planet steeped in the dark side, still required cleansing. Needing individuals to complete the task swiftly and discreetly, the High Council chose Qel-Droma, Nuur, and Saresh for the assignment. Their reasoning was twofold—first, the Council believed that Qel-Droma, Nuur, and Saresh could defeat any terentatek they encountered, and second, the Council believed that the three would support each other and resist Korriban's dark temptations. The Jedi High Council tasked the lesser Jedi Council at the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine with informing the group, and they summoned the three two days after the supposed end of the Great Hunt. Although the group, especially Qel-Droma, was surprised by the announcement, they resolved to proceed. They departed for Korriban the following day, making their way to the populated Dreshdae settlement. Once there, they initiated their search for information. Their investigation led them to a cantina, where Qel-Droma and Nuur met with an Ithorian and a Quarren who offered to introduce them to a half breed Massassi with knowledge of the planet's terentateks in exchange for a kilo of spice. These kinds of activities did not sit well with the idealistic Qel-Droma—after only a week, he feared that Korriban was negatively impacting the three Jedi. Qel-Droma had grown weary of killing terentateks, particularly after his mental connections with the creatures during battles revealed that they possessed their own spirits and thoughts.

During a conversation with Nuur in their safehouse one night, he voiced these concerns, only to be interrupted by a strange and traumatic vision—he had experienced several such visions recently, and they were becoming increasingly disturbing. Qel-Droma saw visions of a war yet to come, with the fiery destruction of a large cityscape, a captured Jedi and a disfigured Sith. After Nuur attempted to comfort him, the two succumbed to their feelings and shared a passionate kiss. At that moment, Saresh, who disapproved of their relationship, entered the room and seized the opportunity to lecture them on the Jedi Code. A heated argument ensued between Nuur and Saresh, although Qel-Droma intervened. Saresh posed a final question to Qel-Droma and Nuur, asking whether they could control their feelings for each other, and Qel-Droma replied that they could not if it meant renouncing their love. Disappointed in his teammates, Saresh left the group, asserting that their relationship jeopardized the mission. Before departing, Saresh gave Qel-Droma and Nuur a keycard taken from a Sith apprentice he seduced, which would grant them access to the Valley of the Dark Lords where the terentateks were located. Before Qel-Droma and Nuur left for the Valley, Qel-Droma wrote an entry in his datapad detailing his feelings for Nuur and his disappointment with Saresh.

Three days later, as they entered the Valley of the Dark Lords, Qel-Droma and Nuur sensed through the Force that Saresh had died—he had traveled to the Wookiee world of Kashyyyk to slay a terentatek he had learned was there, only to fall victim to the beast. Qel-Droma received the news of his friend's death with sadness, despite their previous disagreements. Nevertheless, they pressed on. Their search led them to a cave filled with various lesser creatures, including shyracks, and after venturing deeper, they found their terentatek. As Nuur engaged in battle, Qel-Droma realized with horror that he could not establish mental contact with the terentatek as he usually did. At that moment, the terentatek threw Nuur aside. Desperately attempting to defend his love, Qel-Droma sprinted forward and attacked the terentatek with his lightsaber, wounding the beast. However, the terentatek quickly seized Qel-Droma with one of its enormous claws, inflicting a mortal wound. As Qel-Droma lay dying with Nuur by his side, he experienced a final vision—sometime in the future, a Jedi named Revan would discover his remains and claim the Qel-Droma robe for himself. This Jedi would wear the robe as he defeated the disfigured Sith from Qel-Droma's earlier vision. In his final moments, this vision brought Qel-Droma peace, knowing that the light would ultimately triumph. As such, Qel-Droma instructed Nuur to leave his body where it lay, so that Revan might find it as he had foreseen. With his last breaths, Qel-Droma professed his love for Nuur before passing away.

Devastated by her lover's death, Shaela Nuur resolved to continue the fight in pursuit of vengeance for Qel-Droma. Nuur tracked the wounded beast to the ancient tomb of the former Sith Naga Sadow. There, she was ambushed by a larger, healthy terentatek, and Nuur fell in combat. For many years, the exact fate of Qel-Droma, Nuur, and Saresh remained unknown, although it seemed highly probable that all three had perished. The Jedi Council deemed it too dangerous to send anyone in search of their remains, so the bones of Duron Qel-Droma lay undisturbed for nearly forty years. However, their stories were not forgotten. Around 3956 BBY, Revan, the Jedi whom Qel-Droma had seen in his dying vision, learned of the saga of Qel-Droma, Nuur, and Saresh from a Knight named Deesra Luur Jada on Dantooine. Revan soon embarked on a journey across the galaxy to find the ancient Rakatan Star Maps, and his quest eventually led him to Korriban. As Qel-Droma had foreseen decades earlier, Revan came across his skeletal remains, discovering the Qel-Droma robe and Qel-Droma's datapad. The final part of Qel-Droma's vision came to pass shortly thereafter, as Revan defeated the disfigured Sith, Darth Malak.

Duron Qel-Droma was a young, idealistic Jedi Knight dedicated to the light side. Consequently, Qel-Droma was constantly anxious about succumbing to the dark side while on the Sith world of Korriban, and he was more aware of the planet's influence than his companions Nuur and Saresh. Although willing to do whatever it took to destroy the terentateks, his moral code made it difficult for him to engage in illegal activities such as spice running, which he was forced to do on Korriban. Qel-Droma's morals extended even to his prey, the terentateks. Although connecting to their minds reaffirmed his belief in their evil nature, the fact that they possessed thoughts at all gave him pause, and by the time of the mission to Korriban, he was reluctant to kill the beasts. After Qel-Droma's cousin Ulic fell to the dark side, Qel-Droma was determined to restore his family's reputation, which drove him to accomplish much of what he did.

Qel-Droma was a light-skinned man with brown hair and brown eyes. By 3993 BBY, Qel-Droma had fallen in love with fellow Jedi Shaela Nuur, and these feelings were reciprocated, although not openly expressed until their time on Korriban. Towards the end of the Great Hunt, Qel-Droma began to experience debilitating, prophetic visions that greatly frightened him—the Jedi found that Nuur was able to alleviate his pain. On Korriban, Qel-Droma and Nuur finally gave in to their feelings, leading to the fracturing of their group. Qel-Droma was prepared to do anything to defend Nuur, including a reckless and foolish charge against a terentatek on Korriban, which ultimately led to his death. Although Qel-Droma and Guun Han Saresh were close friends, Qel-Droma refused to heed the Twi'lek's advice and remained committed to his love for Nuur. However, Qel-Droma did not harbor any resentment towards Saresh, although he privately felt frustrated with Saresh's disapproval of his relationship with Nuur and thought that Saresh's departure might have been for the best. Qel-Droma remained confident that he and Nuur would be able to slay a terentatek without Saresh's assistance. Unlike Nuur, Qel-Droma greeted the news of Saresh's death with sadness, acknowledging that he and Nuur were as responsible for the downfall of their group as Saresh. Although Qel-Droma's visions were initially traumatic, his final vision conveyed a message of hope that allowed him to die in peace, content that the future held a victory for the light.

By 3993 BBY, Duron Qel-Droma was regarded as one of the Jedi Order's most skilled hunters. However, unlike the other members of his group, Qel-Droma typically did not use a lightsaber when fighting a terentatek, although he did wield a green-colored one when battling other, lesser creatures such as shyracks. Instead, Qel-Droma employed his mental Force abilities to reach into the minds of his prey, confusing the beasts and making them vulnerable to attacks from the other Jedi accompanying him—this also allowed Qel-Droma to read the thoughts of the terentateks, granting him a deeper understanding of the creatures. In his final battle on Korriban, however, Qel-Droma failed to establish mental contact with the beast, forcing him to fight the terentatek with his lightsaber. Qel-Droma was also skilled in using telekinesis, levitating the body of a fallen Jedi a considerable distance after a battle with a terentatek, and at one point using a Force burst to shatter the windows of a room.

The character of Duron Qel-Droma was first introduced in the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. In the game, Qel-Droma appears only as a skeleton in the Shyrack cave on Korriban, which can be discovered by the player character, Revan. The player can find the Qel-Droma robe and Qel-Droma's datapad on Qel-Droma's body. Qel-Droma's backstory was greatly expanded upon in the comic "Shadows and Light," one of the stories featured in 2005's Star Wars Tales 23. The story serves as a prequel to Knights of the Old Republic, recounting the events that led to Qel-Droma's demise on Korriban. In the comic, Qel-Droma was illustrated by Dustin Weaver. Several other references to Qel-Droma have been made in the Star Wars canon. Qel-Droma was mentioned in a Codex entry in the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic, along with mentions in the reference book The New Essential Chronology and the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide.

Knights of the Old Republic also includes the datapads of Shaela Nuur and Guun Han Saresh, and on multiple occasions, they misspell Qel-Droma's first name as "Duran." In Shadows and Light, Qel-Droma's vision depicts Revan wearing the Qel-Droma robe when he defeats the game's villain, Darth Malak—however, the player is not required to wear the robe or even acquire it.