5 Reasons Revan Should Make An Appearance
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When George Lucas and Dave Filioni developed the story for the Mortis trilogy for season three of The Clone Wars, they toyed with the idea of including the Force ghosts of Darth Revan and Darth Bane as evil advisors for the Son. Ultimately, Lucas decided against it, as Sith Force ghosts contradicted the idea that only light-side Force users could preserve their consciousness after death, but the idea got as far as animatics for Bane and Revan.
While Darth Bane later appeared as a vision to Yoda in a season six story arc of The Clone Wars, Revan never made it into the current Star Wars continuity. Though, from a certain point of view, he did. The reference book The Rise of Skywalker - The Visual Dictionary notes that Sith Trooper legions were named after ancient Sith Lords, and the third unit was called the Revan Legion.
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Additionally, the 2022 canon novel Shadow of the Sith includes a scene where Sith cultists search the citadel on the planet Exegol while chanting the name Revan. But aside from these two mentions, the famous Jedi, later Sith Lord, and then redeemed Jedi, has never appeared in the current Star Wars canon. This is a pity, as there are at least five reasons why Revan should make such an appearance:
5. Bring Back The Old Republic
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So far, Lucasfilm has shied away from releasing any new stories taking place thousands of years before the events of the Skywalker saga. Bioware's MMO, The Old Republic, is still available and actively used by many players, but the game's story and the supplementing comics and books are all part of Legends.
When Lucasfilm announced in 2019 that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss would develop a set of Star Wars films, many fans believed that these stories would take place during the time of the Old Republic, probably based on their work on Game of Thrones. These projects were later canceled, and the duo only recently revealed that their story would have focused on the very first Jedi rather than on a time when there were countless light and dark-side wielders.
To this day, there are no official plans to release new canon content set between roughly 5000 BBY and 1000 BBY, but if Lucasfilm ever does, Revan surely has to be a part of it, as he has been one of the most pivotal characters of that era. Not only had he been at the center of the widely acclaimed Knights of the Old Republic RPG, but he also appeared or was at least mentioned in many novels and comics, that take place during this era. So, Old Republic stories without Revan would be a big lost opportunity for Lucasfilm.
4. A "Beloved" Character
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Certain characters resonate with large portions of fandom. Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of them, and the Chiss has already leaped to current continuity, first in Star Wars Rebls and more recently in the Ahsoka series. Mara Jade is another of these characters, although it is doubtful that she will ever become part of the present Star Wars canon, at least not regarding the later part of her life.
A third such character is Revan. Before Lucasfilm's sale to Disney, Revan frequently either won or was at least a runner-up in fan polls regarding the most popular EU character. Hasbro and Lego created action figures with his likeness based on popular demand. His helmet with the T-shaped vizor makes him instantly recognizable, and together with Darth Bane (who lived millennia after Revan), he is kind of the "poster boy" of the Old Republic era. With this built-in fanbase, Lucasfilm would be foolish not to include Revan in any future canon Old Republic stories. At least as long as they keep the basic premise of this character intact.
3. A Jedi (And A Sith) Like No Other
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Both in his light side and his dark side incarnation Revan was a very multifaceted character, unlike the typical Jedi or Sith. He was a skilled fighter with his lightsaber but also with firearms. After embracing both Jedi and Sith, he could channel light side and dark side powers simultaneously, giving him access to abilities beyond his enemies. In addition to his other powers, he was also a master of telekinesis, able to move or destroy large objects just with his will. And he could force (no pun intended) his will upon others, infusing fear, rage, and despair but also calm in his allies and opponents.
He was a skilled tactician and strategist, often thinking outside the box and beyond the traditional teachings of the Jedi, which saw him at odds with the Order and later led to his downfall as he applied more and more radical and ruthless tactics to crush his enemies but which also endangered his allies.
In current times, when heroes are no longer just all good and villains are no longer just all bad, a multi-dimensional character like Revan could be so much more than a typical hackneyed Jedi or Sith, able to make both a convincing hero and villain.
2. A Powerful Ally
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For decades, fans have dreamed of seeing epic battles between countless Jedi and hordes of Sith either on the big screen or on TV, and Revan using all his skills and Force powers against powerful Sith Lords and their minions would surely be a sight worth seeing.
But while it would be logical for Revan to be one of the main characters in a film or TV show set during his lifetime, he could as easily be part of stories that take place millennia after his passing. As Luke Skywalker said: no one's ever really gone.
He could appear as a Force ghost to Ahsoka or Ezra Bridger to assist them in their fight against Thrawn and the Nightsisters, or maybe Rey finds a way to resurrect Revan to help her rebuild the Jedi Order and fight against whoever is the main antagonist of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's upcoming film.
1. A Masterful Villain
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Although Revan spent much of his lifespan serving the light side, he is probably most associated with his time as Darth Revan. One of the things that have made Star Wars so popular is its strong villains, like the iconic Darth Vader and his master Sidious, but a Darth Revan fully immersed in the dark side has every potential to become a similar popular antagonist. As fascinating as it would be to watch a Jedi Revan fighting the Sith, it would be at least as impressive to see a Darth Ravan use all his physical and Force powers against the Jedi Order and the Republic. Though fans usually root for the good guys, the villains tend to leave a lasting impression on the audience's minds.
While a setting some thousands of years before Episode I would also be natural for a Darth Revan, the initial idea that Filoni and Lucas had for The Clone Wars could come to fruition in a future Star Wars project set in the time after Return of the Jedi. The Nightsisters could find a way to resurrect the evil spirit of Darth Revan to help Thrawn rebuild a new Empire.
The success of future Star Wars films will to a large extent depend on the creator's ability to come up with a powerful enemy. Rey Skywalker against Darth Revan surely has the potential to lure fans into the cinemas.
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