Keleran Verso

Keleran Verso was a Force-sensitive human male who served as a Jedi Master during the waning years of the Galactic Republic. After the Cantonica Civil War in 37 BBY, he foresaw the destruction of the Jedi Order and made attempts to warn the Jedi High Council, but as they prioritized the interests of the Galactic Senate over their own, he decided to leave the Jedi Order and walk his own path. Thereafter, Verso served as Captain of the Guard within the Milano Royal Guard of the Milano Security Force, acting as an advisor and a guardian of peace and justice on his homeworld of Milano. He spent over a decade training a new generation of peacekeepers in his image, however, his worst fears for the future of the galaxy was later realized with the emergence of his former apprentice who fell to the dark side of the Force. After discovering the Sith plot to takeover the Republic and destroy the Jedi from within, Verso's dying wish was for his son, Kenan Verso, to defeat the Sith and ultimately restore balance to the Force.
Born on the Inner Rim planet Milano in 71 BBY, Verso learned the ways of the Force as the Padawan of Jedi Master Warasee Niin. In 47 BBY, he attained the rank of Jedi Knight, and shortly after, he took on an apprentice of his own, Galen Fontaine. After the Brothers of the Night cult captured Vice Chair Mas Amedda on the Outer Rim planet Cantonica in 37 BBY, Verso and Fontaine were dispatched to rescue Amedda at the request of Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum. Orchestrated by the mysterious Sith Lord Darth Sidious, the cultists instigated a full-scale war against the Wey Clan, leading the crime lord Hekaro Wey to call on the help of the Jedi Order. While rescuing Amedda, Verso and Fontaine were confronted by Sidious' apprentice, Darth Maul, marking the resurgence of the Sith after a millennium. During the Battle of Cantonica, Verso and Fontaine confronted Maul again, and after facing some setbacks in the lightsaber duel, Verso disarmed Maul and forced him to retreat. Following the battle, Verso was granted the rank of Jedi Master and offered a seat on the Jedi Council because of his insight on the Sith. However, he had become dissatisfied with the Jedi Order and decided to walk his own path, which also had an effect on Galen's feelings towards the Order.
As he was no longer bound to the principles of the Jedi Code, Verso was able to marry his secret lover, Senator Hela Naterrie of Milano, who gave birth to their son named Kenan Verso. After he was discovered by Jedi Master Tark Doon, Keleran allowed his son to be taken to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and admitted into the Jedi Order, believing that Kenan was destined to restore balance to the Force. During the onset of the Clone Wars, Verso was tasked with protecting his wife after the attempt on her life by the Far Tech Alliance and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. In the following events set in motion by the Confederate Head of State Count Dooku, the Jedi Council discovered that Galen had fallen to the dark side of the Force and become Dooku's Sith apprentice under the name Darth Midous. Therefore, Verso fought alongside the newly-established Grand Army of the Republic to confront his former Padawan during the Battle of Hinari. However, Verso was defeated by Midous and left for dead as the Sith Lord escaped from Hinari, completely severing his connection to the light side of the Force. With his dying breath, he apologized to Midous for leaving the Jedi and failing him in the process.
After Keleran's sacrifice, he was remembered in galactic history as a legend and his memory was honored for generations. As Keleran had hoped, Kenan survived the Great Jedi Purge that was orchestrated by the Sith, and he played a pivotal role in the formation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic against the Galactic Empire. His efforts earned him recognition as a hero of the rebellion and he would later lead the Galactic Civil War, which resulted in the defeat of the Empire. Afterwards, Kenan trained his children, the twins Mase and Lana Verso, in the Jedi arts with the Sith all but destroyed. However, Lana ended her training to lead the weakened military of the New Republic as it faced off against the Eternal Empire. Though Mase continued to serve under his father for some time, he eventually fell to the dark side of the Force as the new apprentice of Emperor Darth Arcane, adopting the name Darth Vitus. Nevertheless, with the help of Lana, Mase redeemed himself by killing Arcane at the cost of his own life during the Battle of Amestria in 28 ABY.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Keleran Verso was born on the Inner Rim planet of Milano in 71 BBY. While still a child, he was taken to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and admitted into the Jedi Order as a Jedi Initiate. He and the other younglings trained under the tutelage of Grand Master Yoda as apart of their crèche. In 58 BBY, when Verso turned thirteen years old, he was assigned as the Padawan of Jedi Master Warasee Niin.
===Warasee Niin's Padawan===
====Secret romance====
While training under Niin, Verso fell in love with the Milanian Senator Hela Naterrie, starting a long-lasting romantic relationship. However, the Jedi Code forbade romantic relationships and attachments, which caused him to feel conflicted about his commitment to the Jedi ways. He would often confide in Niin about his feelings for Naterrie, but his master always told him to mind his feelings, reminding him of Yoda's teachings on attachments and why they must be avoided. Although Niin insisted against it, Verso kept seeing Naterrie in secret, using either her personal residence or office in the Senate District as their secret meeting places.
=== Master to Galen Fontaine===
In 47 BBY, Verso attained the rank of Jedi Knight and took on a Padawan of his own named Galen Fontaine, who showed potential of becoming a powerful Jedi.
===Cantonica Civil War===
====Incident at the summit====
In 37 BBY, Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum hosted the Canto Bight Summit on the planet Cantonica, attempting to resolve the long-running power struggle between the Galactic Republic and Wey Clan. However, after the crime lord Hekaro Wey signed the Republic's treaty, the dark side cult known as the Brothers of the Night raided the Cantonica Palace to assassinate Chancellor Valorum. Unknown to the Republic, the mysterious Sith Lord Darth Sidious—secretly Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo—controlled the Brothers of the Night and ordered them to initiate a conflict so he could advance his plans for becoming Supreme Chancellor. Before the summit, Verso sought out more information regarding the Republic's history with the Wey Clan, hoping to discover something amiss in the feud, and therefore, took Fontaine to the Jedi Archives to read through Senate documents. While reviewing tax reform bills concerning criminal activity, Fontaine grew listless, and after sensing his apprentice's discomfort, Verso asked for his thoughts on the research. Fontaine complained that there was much to do and felt it was a waste of time going through the documents. Verso looked up from the files he had in hand and suggested that Fontaine start looking at the bigger picture. He insisted that it was a matter of perspective and believed that one discovery could help end the dispute. 
When Chancellor Valorum returned to Coruscant, he learned of Verso's efforts to help the Senate end the dispute. Therefore, he dispatched Verso and Fontaine to Cantonica, tasking them with rescuing Vice Chair Mas Amedda from the Brothers of the Night through diplomatic means. Upon arriving at Wey's palace on Cantonica, Verso and Fontaine were escorted inside by the crime lord's majordomo, Sate Forma, to inquire about the cultists that attacked the summit. Wey informed them that the cultists were fanatics of the dark side of the Force and he forced them into exile long ago, following a series of blood sacrifices known as the Red Raids. He came to the conclusion that they reemerged to exact their revenge on him, however, he informs them that they likely took Amedda to their temple located in the deserts of Cantonica. Wey sent them to Cantonica's capital, Canto Bight, to seek out an informant of his named Plazer, who located the temple during the Red Raids. Verso and Fontaine bowed before the crime lord to express their thanks and set out for Canto Bight. 
====Search for the temple====
At the start of the investigation, Verso and Fontaine visited the Canto Casino and Racetrack, where Plazer was known to frequent. Galen was amazed with the luxury of the casino, but Verso brought him out to the Canto Bight racetrack to show him the animal abuse, child labor, and illegal profiteering that went on behind the scenes. He explains that the luxury was meant to distract people from the exploitation that took place there. Afterwards, Verso and Fontaine walked inside the casino and began searching for Plazer. While walking through the crowd of gamblers, Verso felt the presence of a nervous man at a hot table. Verso asked him for the whereabouts of someone named Plazer, and the man ran away while throwing his earnings to mask his escape.
Verso and Fontaine followed him outside and cornered him near the entrance. Verso explained that they were sent by Wey, and informed him that lives were at stake. Plazer conceded and told the Jedi about his encounter with the Brothers of the Night during the Red Raids, in which his wife was captured and taken to the Temple of the Night. He said that he tailed her captors, but discovered that the temple was heavily guarded and it emanated a "dark aura" that he couldn't explain. He brought the information back to Wey and that was how the crime lord was able to force the cultists back into hiding, however, they were unable to save Plazer's wife. After paying Plazer for the trouble, Verso was given directions to locate the temple.
====Rescuing Vice Chair Amedda====
At the temple, Verso and Fontaine fought off a squad of cultists at the entrance and infiltrated the stronghold. As the Jedi ventured through the temple, the cult leadership was contacted by Sidious, informing them that the Chancellor sent Jedi to rescue Vice Chair Amedda. Sidious ordered their execution, while Verso sensed their presence, leading him to their command room. After sensing something was wrong, Verso transmitted a signal to Wey back at his palace. As the Jedi made their way to the room, they were surrounded by several cultists, with their leader, High Priest Sallow Caine, leading the charge to meet his Jedi pursuers. Afterwards, they were sentenced to execution in the Shadow Arena along with Amedda. While walking out the arena, Amedda expressed his disappointment with the Jedi failing to rescue him, however, Verso reassured him that they will find a way out. The trio worked to control the three creatures deployed to kill them—an acklay, a nexu, and a rancor. While the others dealt with the acklay and nexu, Verso fought the most formidable of the three, the rancor. The skirmish was interrupted by the arrival of Wey's adoptive son, Talan Bizago, who brought his ship, Fantasma's Revenge.
Bizago fired at the side of the arena, creating a hole from where he entered and began firing at the creatures.
==Behind the scenes==
Keleran Verso will first appear in the upcoming film Star Wars: Return of the Sith as the primary protagonist. Although Kenan Verso was created to be the primary character of the Legacy saga, creating his father, who was meant to be a Jedi Master, was always a topic of discussion. After the Verso saga was announced to be in development in 2023, Keleran's character was created and further explored in detail, until he was eventually made a central figure in the first trilogy of the Legacy films.
In the development of Darth Midous' backstory, Keleran was considered to be his former Jedi Master during his time in the Jedi Order. However, this idea was later thrown out in favor of another master for the young apprentice in the initial scripts for the film. Eventually, the concept of Keleran as Midous' former master was revisited and implemented in the final draft of Return of the Sith. JB ultimately thought it would be best to make Darth Midous more relevant to the Verso family, since he had been developed into one of the primary antagonists of the Legacy saga. 
==Appearances== 
*Star Wars: Return of the Sith 
*Star Wars: The Spark of War
Category:Captains
Category:Combat instructors and training officers
Category:Force-Sensitive Outcasts
Category:Heads of security
Category:Humans
Category:Jedi Masters
Category:Lost Twenty
Category:Males
Category:Milano Security Force officers
Category:Naterrie family
Category:Pilots
Category:Verso family