Is Reva Really Lucasfilm's Attempt To Do A New Revan?

The Obi-Wan Kenobi series introduces Reva, a new villain to the Star Wars canon universe, and she could be Lucasfilm’s new version of the famous Legends-era character Revan. Revan is the player character of 2003’s hit video game, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and quickly became a fan-favorite character whose popularity endures even after the Legends continuity became an alternate Star Wars timeline in 2014. Thanks to a sequel trilogy easter egg, Revan is confirmed to exist in some form in the Star Wars franchise’s post-2014 canon universe, but he may find a spiritual successor in Reva (a.k.a. the Third Sister), who shares some similarities to the ancient Sith Lord-turned-Jedi Knight.

Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing game, making a large degree of Revan’s characterization determined by the player’s choices. Despite this, Revan has a dominant presence in the larger Knights of the Old Republic multimedia project, with novels and comics further developing Revan’s story, personality, and allegiance and solidifying it as canon to the Legends continuity. Revan is a human male who was initially a Jedi Knight, but fell to the dark side and became a fearsome Sith Lord before losing his memories and becoming a Jedi once more (and remaining a Jedi even after discovering his Sith past). Although Revan is seen both in-universe and by many Star Wars fans as a living legend, he’s ultimately a flawed and in many ways vulnerable character.

Reva is introduced in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series as a different sort of Inquisitor than the Star Wars canon continuity has had thus far. While most of the Empire’s sinister dark side agents are cold and efficient instruments of the Sith Lords, Reva is obsessed with tracking down Obi-Wan Kenobi, using extreme methods that frequently alarm her colleagues. By the end of the Obi-Wan episode “Part V,” Reva’s full origin is revealed. Before becoming the Third Sister, Reva was a youngling at the Jedi Temple during Order 66, losing her teacher and fellow younglings to Darth Vader and his mind-controlled clone troopers. Reva’s true goal is revenge on Darth Vader, with Kenobi simply being a means to this end. Reva’s story seemingly hints toward her death in the Obi-Wan series finale, but if she lives, there is potential for her to be a spiritual successor to Revan.

How Kenobi's Reva Is Similar To KOTOR's Darth Revan

Darth Revan from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

The clearest similarity between Reva and Revan is that both characters have been part of the Jedi Order and dark side users at various points. For Revan, his complex journey began on the Jedi path before he was corrupted by the dark side of the Force, though he ultimately returned to the ways of the Jedi. For Reva, her path is vaguely similar, with her Jedi training being halted by the Jedi purge, leading her to turn to the dark side out of a desire for revenge—but her story leaves room for redemption if she survives the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

Is Reva Really Supposed To Be A New Revan? They're Still Very Different

While Reva and Revan share some similarities in the broad strokes, the two are ultimately quite different characters from vastly different eras of the Star Wars timeline. Revan was a fully trained Jedi Knight (at two points in his life) and upon falling to the dark side, a full-fledged Sith Lord during a time that preceded the Rule of Two. Reva was never a true Jedi, as her training ended while she was a youngling. As an Inquisitor, Reva isn’t a Sith either, as the Rule of Two prevents the title from being held by anyone other than Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, who also limit the training and strength of their Inquisitors in canon. While Reva could survive the Obi-Wan series following a redemption arc in the finale, she’d ultimately be an unaffiliated Force user who’d be too vulnerable to become a legendary figure like Revan in Legends.

Will Darth Revan's Story Ever Be Made Star Wars Canon?

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker includes a subtle Revan easter egg, with one of the reborn Palpatine’s legions of Sith troopers being named after the ancient Sith Lord. Other than his name, nothing about the Legends continuity’s Revan is part of the current canon, and even the upcoming Knights of the Old Republic remake will most likely not be part of the canon universe. If the Star Wars franchise is going to bring back Revan, it’ll be by creating a new canon story for the famous character, and while Reva is a compelling and complex villain in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, she probably won’t become Revan’s spiritual successor.

Next: How Powerful Reva Is Compared To Other Inquisitors

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