Cal Kestis

Cal Kestis was a Force-sensitive human male who became a Jedi Knight during the reign of the Galactic Empire. As one of the few Jedi who survived the purge that all but destroyed the Jedi Order, Kestis lived in seclusion on the planet Bracca for years until a confrontation with the Inquisitorius compelled him to openly resist the Empire's rule. Hunted across the galaxy by the Empire's Jedi hunters, Kestis embraced his connection to the Force once more, having decided to restore the Jedi Order.

The Padawan of Jedi Master Jaro Tapal, Kestis served alongside his mentor in the Clone Wars until the Grand Army of the Republic betrayed its Jedi officers, after receiving the command to execute Order 66 from Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. As a result, the clone troopers of the 13th Battalion attempted to execute Kestis as a traitor to the Galactic Republic, forcing General Tapal to sacrifice himself in order to save his apprentice. After his master's death, Kestis lived in exile on Bracca, working as a rigger for the Scrapper Guild until he was discovered by the Second Sister and Ninth Sister, Inquisitors of the Empire.

Kestis joined the crew of the starship Stinger Mantis after they rescued him from the Inquisitors. Over the course of their journey, Kestis befriended the droid BD-1, the former Jedi Cere Junda, the Mantis captain Greez Dritus, and the Nightsister Merrin. They attempted to locate Eno Cordova's Jedi holocron, which contained information that was vital to creating a new generation of Jedi. Though they retrieved the holocron while surviving an encounter with the Sith Lord Darth Vader, Kestis chose to destroy the holocron in order to protect the galaxy's Force-sensitive children from the Sith. By then, Kestis had been recognized as a fully-trained Jedi by his new mentor.

By 9 BBY, Kestis was working with Saw Gerrera on anti-Imperial activities with fellow rebels, including freelance mercenary Bode Akuna, who gave him an LW-896 blaster pistol. The crew took part in a mission on Coruscant to recover classified Imperial intel, later crash landing on Koboh after a narrow escape. Accidentally discovering droid ZN-A4 inside a High Republic era Jedi chamber, Kestis became aware of the existence of the planet Tanalorr, intending to use it as a haven for those hunted by the Empire. Reuniting the original Stinger Mantis crew, Kestis dedicated himself to finding how to navigate the Koboh Abyss and reach the planet on behalf of the Hidden Path network. During this mission, Kestis and Merrin became romantically involved. After Akuna's betrayal on Jedha, leading to the Imperial raid on Junda's archive, Kestis pursued him, eventually reaching Tanalorr and besting him in lightsaber combat.

Text and facts from the “Cal Kestis” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.