Atton “Jaq” Rand was a former Republic and Sith soldier, and, later in his life, served as a pilot for the Ebon Hawk and the Jedi Exile’s companion during her ownership of the vehicle, appearing for the first time in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. While not the most savoury of characters at the surface, Atton’s many-layered personality served as an important driving factor of the prequel to the first KotOR game’s plot and character dynamics. In addition to this, his actions in assistance to the Jedi Exile would help shape the galaxy for many years to come.

Serving in the Wars – Loyalty is Enough

It was no surprise that many young men all across the galaxy began enlisting to aid the Republic military when the Mandalorians began their assault and Atton would be no different. Operating under the nickname “Jaq”, the young soldier began his career under the service of the Republic, and during his time in the Mandalorian Wars, learned to foster a hatred for the Jedi on the Council who had chosen to remain neutral through the fighting, instead allying himself with the Revanchists, who he believed had saved them when the old Masters had ignored pleas for help when the Republic had needed it the most. Like many soldiers holding his same attitude at the close of the Mandalorian Wars, Jaq pledged allegiance to Revan when he had become the Dark Lord of the Sith, in opposition to the Republic and the Jedi Council. When the Jedi Civil War began, Jaq was trained with other soldiers to become deaf to the Force, utilising his natural talent for throwing up walls of strong, oppressive emotions to shield himself from Force attacks. He was then deployed as a special unit to capture or kill Jedi, an activity for which he displayed a ruthless and unerring ability. His unit would go on to slaughter and incarcerate several targets, up until near the end of the War, when a young female Jedi Knight would contact Jaq to deliver a warning.

The Jedi had sought the deadly Sith soldier to inform him that he was in danger, elaborating to him about his Force-sensitive nature, telling him that he would be taken away to a location, so as to be drowned in the dark side, and broken into a mindless servant of the Dark Lord. The warning of abduction was confirmed by Jaq through his observance of many soldiers disappearing in the night to never be seen again, but instead of heeding the warning, he began to torture the Jedi, as he was want to do.  However, before he could end her life, the female Knight reached out in the Force, and showed Jaq the world through her eyes, through the eyes of a Jedi, strong in the Force. He was able to see life for the first time, see the ripples of pain and suffering he was causing through the energies of the galaxy, and then killed the Jedi, not because he desired her death, but because we wanted to end her suffering. Following that event, the emotions that he had before used as tools to get closer to his target began spilling out, and were beyond his control; due to this loss of ability, Jaq left the Sith ranks, and took refuge on Nar Shaddaa in secret, adopting the name Atton Rand, and running from his past to wherever chance lead him.

Peragus II – Half-Naked Salvation

Sometime in the year 3,951 BBY, Atton ventured into the Peragus system, near the mining facility in the asteroid field of the destroyed Peragus II. While it is never specified what his business in the area was, it can be assumed that he was on a smuggling run. While in the system, he was captured and incarcerated by the miners, left alone and secure in a force cage, which would actually save his life as events triggered by a rogue HK droid would cause the deaths of the other miners in the facility. Atton went unnoticed for several days, until the Jedi Exile awoke from her kolto tank, eager to escape the station. After discovering Atton and freeing him from his cell, the strange smuggler first made attempts at flirtation, which were quickly quashed, then helped the Jedi Exile barely escape the clutches of Darth Sion and flee the station in the Ebon Hawk as it exploded, with her and Kreia in tow. Following the event, Atton became the Exile’s pilot, seemingly volunteering to help her achieve her mission, though it was not the case.

Telos IV – Heart of Darkness

Atton accompanied the Jedi Exile in her exploits on the Telos citadel station to retrieve her now-missing spaceship, which would eventually lead them to the Jedi Master Atris’ secret academy in the Polar Regions. Once again incarcerated, Atton and Kreia partook in a short verbal altercation, during which Kreia probed Atton’s mind. While he struggled, he was no match for Kreia’s prowess in the Force, and the secret of his dark past as “Jaq” was revealed to her. Using this new information as blackmail, Kreia forced Atton to continue acting as pilot of the Ebon Hawk. Atton begrudgingly agreed, and when the Exile was prepared to leave after her meeting with Atris, Atton pledged his continued allegiance to her, though he kept his reasons, and his past, between himself and Kreia.

Journey with the Jedi Exile – Transformations

Piloting the Hawk through all manner of trouble, Atton continued to remain with the Exile, helping her whenever he could. Over time, feelings for her began revealing themselves, as he exhibited a desire to keep her safe and watch out for her however he could. These emotions were further elaborated on in discussions Atton held with fellow crewmate Bao Dur, regarding his chances with the Jedi Exile romantically. The secretive pilot was put under further strain by his sentiments for the Exile when the Disciple joined the crew, exhibiting flirtatious behavior with the Exile as well, and causing Atton to come at odds with him on several different occasions. While few and far in between, these conflicts would raise the tension of the crew considerably, making the environment more hostile during their journey in search of the Jedi Masters.

The rapport between Atton and the Exile would further evolve on Nar Shaddaa, where Atton’s experience on the Smuggler’s Moon became an invaluable asset to the Exile’s efforts in locating Jedi Master Zez-Kai Ell. Unfortunately, the urban planet’s depths also uncovered much to the Exile regarding Atton’s past, which the Exile would later confront Atton about in private. The confrontation lead to Atton sharing with the object of his affections the sordid details of his dark and blood-drenched past, and also admitting a desire to help her by using the Force. Believing Atton to be genuine, the Exile accepted him regardless of his transgressions, and began training him as a Jedi Sentinel. Atton would later confront Kreia and inform her that he was now free of her threats, but Kreia would use her influence in the Force to again hold Atton prisoner to her will. Atton would thus continue to learn under the Exile, and follow her through her battles with the Sith Triumvirate, eventually being left behind when she departed for the Unknown Regions.

Personality and Traits

On the surface, Atton appears to be the typical lewd and obnoxious smuggler, with no sense of manners and little respect for anyone other than himself. However, this persona is merely a well-constructed mask of emotion he wears to keep his true personality away from others. When the mask is off, a dark and troubled individual, mired by the burden of guilt on his shoulders and blood perpetually on his hands, is revealed. This deeper realm of Atton’s mentality is filled with emotions of regret and sorrow, a darkness that the secondary character is constantly running from, moving whenever it can to wherever it can, terrified of facing himself and recognizing his sins. Despite his shame, Atton also carries with him a peculiar desire to live, a subconscious impetus that drives him to survive when others fail. Whether or not this is due to his extensive military training is unknown, but not only does he constantly run and hide from himself, he cannot appear to escape forever through the doors of death.

Even though this dark curse hangs unendingly over him, Atton still displays a sense of humour, however crude, and a very cool and indifferent demeanor in most situations.