Posted by: Lord Xizer
« on: December 19, 2016, 03:01:26 AM »
Gonna start trying to do at least a weekly character analysis and study of various EU heroes and villains. This week's one is my first EU character that left an impression on me two decades ago. JEREC
Where to start? The first impression I had of seeing Jerec with all his different Darksiders, his personal SSD and how he starts out ripping information from a JEDI MASTER against his will, then effortlessly kills that Jedi after said Jedi wrecked six Darksiders at once was very impressive and left a lasting mark. His mannerisms and actions also left a mark, the actor really played him over the top and I loved it. The idea of a blind Darksider who saw via the Force had never been done before and I felt it added to it(this was before retconning as a miraluka) Jerec also had the unique plan in all the EU to use the Valley of the jedi to give HIMSELF godlike powers, something not seen before or since. Jerec would have been able to use the combined powers of 100 Jedi and 24 Sith Lords combined with his OWN power in one body. Think about that for a second. A dozen barely trained jedi initiates of Luke's academy were able to hurl 17 ISDs out of a system. Jerec would have had the power of 124 FULLY TRAINED Jedi and Sith to use with his knowledge of the Force as well as all the residual Force energy from the THOUSANDS of Force users who died on Ruusan. Qu Rahn states "Jerec, the man who murdered your father, is a great evil. He searches for the location of a sacred place, the Valley of the Jedi. The Force of thousands of Jedi is trapped here. If Jerec captures this power, he will be a creature such as the universe has never seen. A supernova of stars in a fleeting thought—the eradication of life from a star system in a whisper—will be within his power." That is far and away a greater threat to the Galaxy than Palpatine at the HEIGHT of his power. He'd basically be God at that point.
Then you get to this guy's abilities, he's beaten and converted a Jedi Shadow, he's bested and turned a Prophetess to his side, he's manipulated Cronus to get two Sith Spawn, he played three sides against the middle betraying each one and got away with it. He invented Force Destruction, can use force lightning and can actually overshadow and smother someone elses connection to the Force. He was only weaker than Darth Vader and the Emperor in the Darksiders of his time.
What really got my respect though is how Jerec acts when he's been cut off from the Force and is at Katarn's mercy. he doesn't cower or beg. He GLOATS, he has absolutely NO regrets except that he couldn't see the blood of his victims. He's PROUD of it all. He tries to turn Katarn, not to save himself, but as a last hate filled way to insure the Galaxy burns if he has to go down. When Katarn refuses and tosses Jerec back his weapon, he could have fled, but instead Jerec attacks Katarn, spurning his mercy in a final act of pride, hate and defiance. He dies an unrepentant villain.
In many ways Jerec is a mirror version of Saruman the White after he fell. Both were obsessed with Knowledge and order that only THEY could bring, both betrayed their former order for what they felt to be a greater power, both betrayed that power for their own ends, both sought to posses an ancient well of power(or ring) to boost their own power grab, both spurned mercy in defeat and both cursed and gloated to their enemies trying to get them to kill them in anger mocking how they had ruined the heroes life and home, both were consumed by Pride and Hate that directly led to their death, both died powerless, both died unrepentant.
What are your thoughts and who would you like me to do next?