Gelesi

Gelesi was a Human male who lived in the planet of Onderon's walled city of Iziz with his wife and daughter. In 3951 BBY, after his superior officer and good friend, Sullio, was murdered outside a cantina, he inherited her rank as Captain of the Guard and her former post. An officer in the Onderonian military, his duties included the verification of starport visas that allowed passage to and from the planet at the entrance to the Iziz Starport. At the time, the entire planet was enmeshed in a political struggle between loyalists to Queen Talia and her faction, who wanted Onderon to remain a part of the Galactic Republic, and the secessionist followers of her cousin, General Vaklu. Gelesi was ambivalent, due to his loyalty to the Queen and his simultaneous disillusionment with the Republic, sympathizing with the separatist view that Onderonian membership had resulted in being drawn into too many conflicts. After the onset of a militaristic coup perpetrated by Vaklu, Gelesi chose to support Talia's faction and fought to protect the Queen during a final push by separatist forces into the Royal Palace.
==Biography==
By 3951 BBY,The New Essential Chronology during the Dark Wars, the Human male Gelesi had a wife and a young daughter. That year, he lived in the planet of Onderon's walled city of Iziz and served in the Onderonian military. He inherited a position as one of three Captains of the Guard when his predecessor and good friend, Sullio, was murdered outside an Iziz cantina. Gelesi was shaken by Sullio's death, not only because of their friendship but because he had also unwillingly been given her post at the Iziz Starport, verifying that individuals who wished to disembark from the planet had the required starport visas. Faced with those circumstances, Gelesi became increasingly paranoid, fearing that he would suffer the same fate and leave his family without a father. He dealt with the stress by adopting one of Sullio's habits, visiting a cantina in Iziz's Merchant Quarter for a drink after each of his shifts.
The city of Iziz was locked in controversy surrounding the political views of Onderon's Queen Talia and her unwavering support of the Galactic Republic. Those who opposed the Queen's devotion believed that it was in Onderon's best interest to secede from the Republic, primarily because the planet had been obliged to engage in several wars as a member state. Those people rallied behind Talia's cousin, General Vaklu, who led the separatist movement. The Queen's supporters, denoted the Royalists, believed that the trade benefits and protection of the Republic outweighed the conflicts. Gelesi was torn between the two groups due to his loyalty to the Queen and his distrust of the Republic, as well as sympathy for the separatist view that Onderon had been drawn into too many battles.
Gelesi was one of the soldiers who verified a starport visa owned by Meetra Surik as the former Jedi Knight was departing from the world. Shortly thereafter, Onderon fell into full-scale civil war between the separatist faction and the Royalists, and Gelesi fought for the latter. He met with Surik, who was asked to take a military command of the Royalists upon her return, during an assault on the Iziz Royal Palace perpetrated by Vaklu's militarized allies. There, he fought alongside Surik to defeat the insurgents. With his army beaten, Vaklu was taken into custody thus ending the war.
==Personality and traits==
Gelesi, a fair-skinned Human male with brown hair and green eyes, was a member of the Onderon Military, wearing the fatigues of that profession. Overall, he was a neutral officer, divided by his support for Queen Talia and his sympathy for some beliefs of Vaklu's faction that coupled with his distrust of the Republic. Following Sullio's murder, Gelesi was unwillingly assigned to her post at Iziz Starport, scanning starport visas.
While Sullio was alive, Gelesi wondered why his good friend went to a cantina after all her shifts—until he received her job and adopted the same habit because he feared for the lives of himself and his family. In his own opinion, the stress of the job and the perception that he could share Sullio's fate made him increasingly paranoid. He constantly felt like he was being targeted by some force. The anxiety festered inside Gelesi to the point where he considered abandoning his post and fleeing the planet with his family; however, he decided against such action.
==Behind the scenes==
The character of Gelesi was created for the Obsidian Entertainment Xbox and PC video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. He later received an entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, published in 2008.
There are alternative paths that the Jedi Exile—controlled by the player—can take if she supports Vaklu's faction during her first visit to Onderon. At the request of a Vaklu supporter named Anda, the Exile can remove the three Captains of the Guard in order to weaken the Royalist military in preparation for the attack on the Royal Palace. Anda is willing to pay the Exile 2,500 credits for each one she removes.
If the Exile supports Vaklu during her initial visit to Onderon, she meets Gelesi in the cantina in the Merchant Quarter of Iziz, where he is persuaded to leave the city to protect his family. Another way to remove him is to have Panar, a Beast Rider who frequents the Beast Rider's Den in the cantina, threaten to kidnap and marry Gelesi's daughter. If persuasion fails, there is a group of thugs outside the cantina who can be hired to attack Gelesi, after which he leaves the planet, fearing for his family's safety. If the latter option is chosen, Anda becomes angry because she wanted the captains removed quietly; however, she will still pay the Exile. This side quest is only available if the Exile supports Vaklu during her initial visit to Iziz, and this can either impact her stance in the Force in a dark way or not at all. Should the Exile complete this path and support Talia during her second visit to the planet, Gelesi will leave the planet, so he will not aid the Royalists in the final battle.
Because The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia established that the Exile supported the Queen during her second visit, this article assumes that she also acted as a Royalist during her first visit and that she did not remove Gelesi.
==Appearances==
*Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords 
==Sources==
*Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Prima Official Game Guide
*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
==Notes and references==
Category:Humans
Category:Males
Category:Officers
Category:Onderon military personnel
Category:Onderon Royalists
Category:Onderonians