“A non-Sith Emperor is taking the throne, reinstating the old rule of the Imperial dynasties that hark back to the Fel Dynasty.”―Emperor Tyrn Lightell, upon his ascension[src]
Tyrn Lightell, formally titled Emperor Tyrn Lightell the First, was a male Human nobleman from Serenno who became Galactic Emperor, presiding over the New Sith Imperium as the first non-Sith Emperor in over a decade. He was born into the Lightell dynasty of Serenno, a noble house that found shame when its ancestry as betrayers of the Old Jedi Order came to light. In an attempt to salvage their family name, Lightell's parents arranged that he be married to Kara Vaalki, from the noble House Vaalki of Chandrilla. Their marriage ended sometime after the Battle for the Serendipity, which they both survived.
Lightell went on to become a powerful member of the Imperial leadership, amassing a number of followers, including Sith. After Lightell came to view Darth Exodeus, the Galactic Emperor and Dark Lord of the Sith, as growing complacent in the war against the Galactic Alliance and the New Jedi Order, Lightell seized the opportunity and overthrew the Imperial government, proclaiming himself Emperor with the backing of the Sith.
Biography[]
Early life[]
“Jedi Master Kara Vaalki and myself were once wed in our youth, though our time together was unfortunately brief.”―Tyrn Lightell, upon his rise to the Imperial throne[src]
Tyrn Lightell was born on Serenno into the Lightell dynasty, as the son of Count Roros Lightell and his wife. As a young man, Lightell grew up in the nobility of Serenno, before the planet learned of his family’s past. Information relating to ancient Lightells, such as the fallen Jedi Sarina Lightell whose betrayal of the Old Jedi Order led to the creation of the Bogan Empire, came to light, bringing shame to his family.[1]
In the hopes of restoring honor to her family, Lightell’s mother reached out to House Vaalki of Chandrilla to arrange a marriage between Lightell and Kara Vaalki, four years his junior. The marriage was agreed upon by the two houses, and, when the two first met, they felt a connection between themselves. They were reluctant to accept the arranged marriage, but they came to accept it and warmed to the idea. The wedding was planned to include numerous dignitaries from across Serenno, representatives of the Chandrillan government, members of the Galactic Alliance Senate, and a small group from the New Jedi Order.[1]
Lightell and Vaalki were later married. Shortly after their marriage, it was discovered that they both had latent Force abilities, and it was deemed that they would travel to Coruscant for Jedi training. They boarded the Serendipity to travel to Coruscant, and they both survived the attack on the ship by undercover Sith forces.[3]
Sometime later, Lightell and Vaalki were somehow separated. Vaalki become a Jedi, while Lightell climbed the ranks of the Galactic Empire.[2]
Rise to power[]
“...I believe together we can resolve the mistakes of the past, and usher in a new golden age for the galaxy. Together, with willing hearts and minds, we can re-unite the galaxy in peace and prosperity.”―Emperor Lightell in his first address to the galaxy[src]
In 1,012 ABY, ten years after the Sith took control of the Galactic Empire and reconstituted it as the New Sith Imperium, Lightell, having gained power in the Imperium, felt that the Sith leadership was growing increasingly complacent after its numerous victories in the Third Galactic Civil War. The Imperium had won nearly every engagement against the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi, and the Imperium was allied with the Mandalorians and the Chiss Ascendency, leaving the Alliance and Jedi opposed to all of the major galactic powers. Nonetheless, Lightell feared that the complacency of Darth Exodeus, the Galactic Emperor and Dark Lord of the Sith, was weakening the Imperium.[2]
Seeing an opening, Lightell gathered a number of Sith allies and caused a power struggle in the Imperial leadership. By the end, Empress Andraste, wife of the Dark Lord, had disappeared and Exodeus left the Imperium. Lightell assumed the position of Galactic Emperor, becoming the first non-Sith Emperor since the death of Luthor Elyurius during the Sith Insurrection ten years earlier.[2]
Upon his ascension to the Imperial throne, Lightell—formally calling himself Emperor Tyrn Lightell the First—addressed the people of the galaxy in a HoloNet transmission. He called for a forum of the major powers of the Third Galactic Civil War to negotiate with the Imperial leadership, and he made strides to show goodwill towards all of them. To the Galactic Alliance specifically, he called for an exchange of prisoners of war, as well as the return of a sword from his family’s past that he requested be personally delivered to him by Kara Vaalki, who had become the Jedi Lore Master and a member of the Jedi High Council.[2]
Lightell’s coronation followed soon thereafter. What was meant to be a ceremony, however, quickly became an assassination attempt. Montross Vanderguff, the Moff and Count of Serenno from the planet’s ruling family, attempted to detonate a lightsaber bomb in the ceremonial chambers, but the weapon, given to him by Geist Weiss, had been constructed without a power core. The assassination attempt failed and Vanderguff was arrested.[4]
Personality and traits[]
As a young, Kara Vaalki found her fiance charming, funny, and strong-willed for a man of only eighteen. She saw him as a determined spirit who was destined for greatness, and she felt that way even the first time she met him. He fell in love with Vaalki,[1] and even years later, decades after they were separated, he felt nostalgic towards their time together, so much so that he requested that she deliver to him the sword of Edo Tesu.[2]
Powers and abilities[]
Shortly after his marriage to Vaalki, it was discovered that Lightell, like many of his ancestors, had latent Force abilities.[3] Nonetheless, he did not describe himself as a Sith, and he later asserted himself as a secular Emperor with the backing of the Sith.[4]
Behind the scenes[]
Tyrn Lightell is a role-playing character from Star Wars Legacies created and played by Rowan Grimes, an administrator and role-player on TheStarWarsRP.Com who also goes by the names "Boli" and "Green Ranger." He was originally identified as Vrek Lightell and was part of the backstory of Kara Vaalki, also a character by Grimes,[1] but his name was later changed to be Tyrn. He was introduced on September 23, 2012 as the new Emperor of the New Sith Imperium,[2] though he was not written to be a member of the Sith Order.[4]
The name Tyrn Lightell was briefly used by Grimes for a character in the website’s second timeline.[5] The current character is meant to be a descendent to past characters played by Grimes on the website, such as Sarina Lightell and Edo Tesu, who were sometimes important figures in the website’s lore.[1]
Appearances[]
- SWRP Origins: Battle for the Serendipity
- Star Wars Legacies (First appearance)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Kara Vaalki role-playing profile on TheStarWarsRP.Com
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 The Emperor's Address on TheStarWarsRP.Com
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Origins: Battle for the Serendipity OOC on TheStarWarsRP.Com
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Changing of the Guard on TheStarWarsRP.Com
- ↑ Original Tyrn Lightell character profile on TheStarWarsRP.Com