Modon Kira, a Human male hailing from the planet of Onderon, was a highly esteemed and influential Beast-Lord. He resided on his homeworld during the concluding period of the war that pitted the Onderonian Beast Riders against the military forces stationed within the walled city of Iziz. Modon was the offspring of Drokko Kira, and in turn, fathered Oron Kira, who developed romantic feelings for Princess Galia, the future successor to Iziz's throne. They made arrangements to marry at Fortress Kira, which served as Modon Kira's fortified woodland base. The Beast-Lord was present at their binding ceremony. This union faced an unexpected interruption when three Jedi Knights—the brothers Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma, along with the Twi'lek Tott Doneeta—arrived. They had been dispatched by Galia's mother, Queen Amanoa, with the mission of retrieving the princess. However, Kira managed to sway the Jedi to his cause, leading them to embark on a peaceful endeavor to persuade Amanoa to bring an end to the hostilities.
Unfortunately, the peace initiative proved unsuccessful, compelling Modon Kira to command his Beast Rider army in an assault against Iziz during a pivotal battle. Despite the initial advantage held by the Beast Riders, Amanoa shifted the course of the conflict by harnessing the power of the dark side against Kira's army. This caused a shift in momentum, placing Kira's forces on the defensive. Nevertheless, the Beast Riders regained their advantage with the arrival of Jedi Master Arca Jeth, who skillfully utilized battle meditation, ultimately determining the battle's outcome. Following the battle, Modon's son, Oron, and Galia were united in marriage according to the laws of the Galactic Republic, thereby formally uniting the two warring factions of Onderon.
Modon Kira, son to the Beast Rider Drokko Kira, came into this world as a Human male on the Inner Rim planet called Onderon. Modon's father had been exiled from Onderon's capital, the walled city of Iziz, many years prior for defying the dark side regime of Queen Amanoa and the followers of an ancient Dark Lord of the Sith known as Freedon Nadd. Drokko quickly became a part of the exiled Beast Riders of Onderon's wilds, who were at odds with the people of Iziz. Modon grew up to be a proud and merciless man with incredible physical strength, and eventually became a respected and powerful Beast-Lord. He also excelled as a commander in the ongoing Beast Wars against Iziz's forces.
Eventually, Modon had a son named Oron Kira, who also rose to become a respected Beast-Lord. As adversaries of the Onderon Royal Family, Beast Riders were forbidden from entering the city. Despite this, Modon and his family routinely entered and exited the city, secretly trading with the political underground. It was there that Oron fell in love with Princess Galia, the heir to the Onderonian throne, who reciprocated his feelings. The two planned to marry, even though it meant she would have to give up her crown and royal heritage. In 4000 BBY, Modon's son and a group of Beast Riders launched a raid on the Iziz Royal Palace, where they took Galia away.
Galia was taken to Fortress Kira, Modon's woodland stronghold, where the binding ceremony of the Beast-Lord's son and the Princess of Iziz began. Modon, his elderly father, Drokko, and hundreds of Beast Riders attended the celebration. However, the ceremony was disrupted by the arrival of three Jedi Knights—brothers Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma, and the Twi'lek Tott Doneeta—who had been sent by Galia's mother, Amanoa, to bring the princess back. The Jedi stormed into the fortress riding boma beasts and grabbed Galia, but quickly released her when she revealed that she was willingly marrying Oron.
Modon, who had been previously informed of the Jedi's arrival, welcomed them and invited them to join the festivities. Oron informed the Jedi that the Onderonian monarchy was under the influence of the dark side, and Modon revealed that he had gathered the Beast Rider forces to launch a final attack on Iziz. The Beast-Lord asked the Jedi to join the attack, but Ulic Qel-Droma still wanted to try and resolve the conflict peacefully. The Beast Riders and the Jedi came to an agreement: the Jedi, along with Galia and Oron, would go to the Iziz Royal Palace and try to convince Amanoa to end the war, and Modon's army of Beast Riders would attack Iziz if they failed.
Modon's Beast Rider army followed behind on their winged warbeasts while the Jedi, Oron, and Galia flew to the Iziz Royal Palace in the Nebulon Ranger starship. Modon was certain that the peace mission would fail, and he was proven right when the defense guns on the city walls targeted the Beast Riders as soon as they were spotted. In the royal palace, Amanoa rejected the plea for peace and succumbed to the dark side, starting a battle in the throne room. Waiting outside of Iziz, Modon received a message from Galia that the peace mission had failed.
With war as the only option, Kira rallied his Beast Rider army and laid siege to Iziz. Kira's Beast Riders pushed Amanoa's army back to the walls of the Royal Palace, forcing Amanoa to retreat to the tomb of Amanoa's Sith Master, the deceased Dark Lord Freedon Nadd. There, Amanoa summoned the dark side against the Beast Riders. The Beast Riders' advance was stopped by the dark side's presence, and despite the change in momentum, Kira ordered his army to continue fighting. Their warbeasts had become uncontrollable, and the soldiers on the ground felt sick and disoriented.
Even though the Beast Rider force had been pushed into a steady retreat and defeat seemed inevitable, disaster was avoided when Jedi Master Arca Jeth, who had originally sent the three Jedi to resolve the conflict on Onderon, appeared in the Onderon skies in his starship. Jeth used the unique Force power known as battle meditation, which boosted the morale of Kira's army while demoralizing Amanoa's defenders. Jeth's use of battle meditation proved to be the turning point of the battle, and Iziz fell to Modon Kira's Beast Rider army. After the Battle of Iziz, the marriage of Oron Kira and Princess Galia was made official under the laws of the Galactic Republic, officially uniting the two warring factions of Onderon.
Thousands of years after the final battle of the Beast Wars, one of Modon Kira's descendants, also named Modon Kira, was the King of Onderon. During the Galactic Civil War, this man helped Jedi Knights Luke Skywalker and Empatojayos Brand and their friend Han Solo attack Imperial forces on the planet.
Modon Kira, a powerful and respected Beast-Lord on Onderon, was a proud and merciless man of great physical strength. Kira had a deep hatred for the established government of Iziz, believing that the monarchy's worship of the dark side of the Force had corrupted Onderon. Additionally, his hatred for the monarchy was partly due to his father's exile from Iziz for challenging the dark side. Nevertheless, Kira supported his son's love for Princess Galia, hoping a marriage between the two could end the Beast Wars and finally bring peace to Onderon.
However, Kira was first and foremost a warrior. He had been at war his entire life, and even though he agreed to Ulic Qel-Droma's plan to try and end the war peacefully, Kira was certain that the Jedi would fail and eagerly anticipated the coming battle. Kira was very proud of the Beast Rider force he had assembled for the Battle of Iziz, and when he was informed of the peace mission's failure he excitedly shared the news with his forces. After Queen Amanoa summoned the dark side against the Beast Riders during the battle, Kira refused to give up despite the dire situation, as he had committed everything to the attack.
Modon Kira makes his first appearance in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon, the first story arc in the Tales of the Jedi comic book series, written by Tom Veitch and released in 1993. Kira only appears in the second and final issue of the arc, where he plays a significant role. In this appearance, Kira is illustrated by Chris Gossett. Kira is later mentioned in both issues of Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – The Freedon Nadd Uprising, a story arc of Tales of the Jedi released in 1994. Although Kira plays a relatively large part in Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon, he is completely absent from the Tales of the Jedi audio adaptation, which recounts the events of that story arc. Instead, all of Kira's lines are given to his son, Oron.