Kul Teska

|type=CIS
|image=
|name=Kul Teska
|homeworld=Skako
|death=August 29, 1981, provides the date of the Battle of Angmar as 1981. The events of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring: Republic Heroes take place during and immediately after the battle. BehpourThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring: Republic Heroes
|species=Skakoan
|gender=Male
|skin=Green
|cyber=Enhanced Skakoan pressure suit
|affiliation=*Techno Union
*Confederacy of Independent Systems
}}
Kul Teska was a Skakoan male mercenary active during the War of the Ring between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Before he took a criminal's path, Teska was a respected scientist in the Techno Union. However, an accident with his pressure suit left Teska disfigured and forced him to leave the Union. With the help of his knowledge in the field of cybernetics, Teska rebuilt his pressure suit, equipping it with a variety of weapons, and became a gun-for-hire. All the while, Teska continued his own experiments with gravity and began construction of the gravitic polarization beam, a superweapon with enough firepower to collapse a star. Teska's experiments soon attracted the attention of Saruman the White, the leader of the Confederacy. During the War of the Ring, Teska came into Saruman's service and was provided with a laboratory on the planet Behpour in the Naboo system, where the Skakoan continued the development of his weapon.
By 1981, the gravitic beam was complete, and its integral part, the Gravitic Core, was to be delivered to Behpour on a Munificent-class star frigate. However, the crate containing the Core was stolen over the planet Alzoc III by the human bounty hunter Mezmaron. Teska reclaimed the part and returned to his base on Behpour. When the Republic Senator Padmé Amidala arrived on the planet, investigating rumors of a Separatist presence in the system, Teska captured the Senator and held her hostage. Soon, following a message delivered by Amidala, the Republic forces assaulted Behpour. Jedi Knight Frodo Baggins and his Padawan Eowyn infiltrated the base, rescued Amidala and engaged Teska in battle in the gravitic polarization beam's core room, while the beam itself built up its power to collapse the Naboo star. Teska was killed, and Amidala sabotaged the beam, causing it to destroy itself and the entire base.
==Biography==
===Early life===
A native of the planet Skako, the Skakoan male Kul Teska worked as a scientist in the Techno Union. He was especially knowledgeable in cybernetics and was considered one of the company's most brilliant minds. However, an accident occurred with his pressure suit, which left his body damaged beyond repair. Ashamed of his disfigurement, Teska left the Union to focus on his personal experiments with gravity and began developing the gravitic polarization beam, a powerful superweapon capable of collapsing a star. In addition to his research, Teska—using his knowledge of cybernetics—rebuilt his suit, equipping it with a vast array of weapons, and became a mercenary, in order to gain credits for funding his research. Eventually, Teska's reputation rivaled the likes of the Human bounty hunter Mezmaron. This along with his research in gravity technology and previous position as a brilliant Techno Union scientist attracted the attention of Saruman the White, the Head of State of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
===Theft and Juma 9===
During the War of the Ring between the Confederacy and the Galactic Republic, Sarumanu acquired Teska's services as both scientist and unofficial Separatist "military commander", allowing him to continue his research in a Techno Union base on the planet Behpour in the Naboo system. In 1981, the gravitic polarization beam was finished and ready for testing, and two duplicates of its crucial part, the Gravitic Core, were to be delivered to Behpour on a Munificent-class star frigate. However, Teska's rival Mezmaron infiltrated the frigate in orbit over the planet Alzoc III and stole one of the crates containing the Core. To cover his tracks, the bounty hunter made the other crate explode, destroying the starship that was carrying it; the frigate crashed on Alzoc III and created a gravitational anomaly. In order to recover the stolen part, Teska devised a plan to trace the Core by the unique energy signature it radiated. To that end, the Skakoan initiated an attack on the Republic space station Juma 9, which possessed a powerful radar suited for such a purpose. Separatist droid forces under Teska's command fought against clone troopers stationed at Juma 9, and the scientist also had the entire station, including escape pods, rigged with explosives. As the battle continued, he himself infiltrated the station's communications room and initiated a radar search for the Core. Teska soon discovered that the Core was located on Arnor, where the remnants of the local Separatist army were still fighting the Republic.
Teska contacted Saruman, requesting the remaining droid forces on Fornost to distract the Republic long enough for him to retrieve the weapon core. As the Skakoan scientist prepared to leave, however, he was confronted by Gimli and Sam Gamgee, two Jedi Masters who happened to be at the station at the time of the Separatist attack. Igniting their lightsabers, Gamgee and Gimli told Teska that they were placing him under arrest, but he ordered them not to move and demonstrated his remote detonator that was linked to the explosives. The Jedi complied and lowered their weapons, but Teska—stating that they were "no fun"—triggered the explosives anyway and fled farther into the station with his rocket boosters, saluting his adversaries in mid-air. Eventually, Gamgee and Gimli caught up with Teska, cornered him inside one of the station's chambers, and sealed the only door to prevent him from escaping. The Skakoan was unwilling to give up easily and once again brandished his detonator, threatening to destroy the escape pods, which the clone troopers were using to escape from the exploding station.
At that moment, however, Teska's attention was distracted by the sound of an explosion, which allowed Gamgee to Force-push the detonator out of the Skakoan's hands. In response, he attacked the two Jedi with his vast arsenal of weapons. After a lengthy battle, Teska was defeated and thrown into a glass window; the glass shattered and broke, leaving Juma 9 open to the vacuum of space. He was almost sucked out of the station but was able to cling onto the edge with his hand. The vacuum also moved Teska's fallen remote detonator, and it flew toward him. The Skakoan tried to reach for it, but Gamgee threw his lightsaber at the detonator, slicing it in half. Koon then threw his own weapon at a nearby control panel, and an emergency blast door came down; Teska let go of his grasp and was sucked outside the station. His suit allowed him to survive the vacuum, and he veered off toward Middle-Earth, leaving Gamgee and Gimli stranded on the station without their weapons, which had also been sucked outside.
===Reclaiming the Core===
On Fornost, Teska found the Gravitic Core still in the possession of Mezmaron, who had been taken into custody by Jedi Knight Frodo Baggins and his Padawan, Eowyn. The two Jedi and their "prisoner" were on their way to Mezmaron's Telgorn dropship, the Sleight of Hand, which they hoped to use to fly from Middle-Earth and secure the Core on behalf of the Republic. Teska ambushed them, emerging from a pile of wreckage surrounding Mezmaron's starship and, after exchanging insults with the masked hunter, ordered him to return the Core. Teska then gripped the crate containing the Core with his built-in grappling hook and pulled it over to him. Baggins, however, stated that the Core was not Mezmaron's to give and threw the crate into the bounty hunter's ship with the Force. Mezmaron then tried to leave the scene, but Eowyn trapped him under a slab of metal.
Teska attacked the Jedi, and after a brief skirmish he was able to trap them inside an energy field. At that moment, two clone troopers, CS-2207 and CT-7567, arrived and engaged the Skakoan. After a shootout with the clones, Teska decided that it was time to retreat and activated the force field; the field began to shrink, threatening to crush the two Jedi inside. Teska then gave the clones a choice: they could either pursue him or rescue Baggins and Eowyn. The clones chose the latter option, and the scientist boarded the Sleight of Hand, leaving Arnor and making his way to Behpour, where he planned to use the gravitic beam to collapse the Naboo star. Meanwhile, senator Padmé Amidala, following the rumors of a Separatist presence in the Naboo system, infiltrated Behpour and located the Techno Union base there. She was soon captured but had nonetheless delivered a message to the Jedi beforehand.
===Death on Behpour===
Following Amidala's message and the information they had managed to uncover on Juma 9, the Jedi initiated an assault on Behpour, hoping to destroy the Separatists' new superweapon and free the senator. After Baggins and Eowyn had infiltrated the Techno Union base, Teska contacted them over the comm system and told them to surrender to him under threat of killing Amidala. Baggins seemingly complied and went to Teska, who had tied Amidala in the gravitic beam's core room and was keeping her hanging from the roof there. When Baggins arrived, the Skakoan ordered him to surrender his lightsaber—which Teska wanted to study—and told the Jedi not to use any "tricks." After Baggins gave him his weapon, Teska placed it on his belt and proceeded to tell Baggins that he considered his surrender to be an act of cowardice. He told the Jedi that he would normally suspect a trick, but in Teska's opinion, Baggins was out of options this time. However, the scientist then noticed Baggins glimpsing behind his back and looked back. He saw Eowyn, who had been trying to move Amidala to safety with the Force while Teska was conversing with Baggins.
Enraged, Teska shot at Eowyn with his quad cannon, but she deflected all of his shots with her lightsaber. At the same time, Baggins leaped forward, grabbing Amidala and moving her to safety before sending her to sabotage the scientist's weapon. Moreover, Eowyn Force-pulled Baggins's lightsaber from Teska's belt and threw it back to her Master; both Jedi then confronted the Skakoan. As their duel moved closer to the room's central platform, the superweapon's firing system was initiated, and the gravitic beam began to power up for its devastating shot. At that moment, Mezmaron—who had escaped from the Jedi on Arnor and had made his way to Behpour—appeared in the room and fired at Teska's rocket boosters, stranding the Skakoan on the room's central platform.Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes: Prima Official Game Guide
Having exacted his revenge on his hated rival, Mezmaron walked away from the scene. Nevertheless, Kul Teska was certain that he would be victorious and continued attacking Baggins and Eowyn from the central platform until he was defeated and thrown into the gravitic beam itself. Shattered by the beam's power, Teska's pressure suit malfunctioned and the Skakoan died; his last words were that the Jedi had already lost. Amidala, however, had been able to sabotage the beam. Instead of collapsing the Naboo sun, it destroyed the Behpour laboratory, moments after the Jedi and the senator had evacuated the premises in Baggins's G9 Rigger freighter, the Twilight.
==Personality and traits==
Kul Teska was a green-skinned Skakoan. He was a highly intelligent, creative, and driven individual. A renowned scientist, Teska possessed a natural talent with cybernetics, one that allowed him to build his modified pressure suit. As a mercenary, Teska was known for his ruthlessness and excessive methods, which put him in direct competition with the likes of fellow bounty hunter Mezmaron.The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring: Republic Heroes Teska was also often times arrogant and had a brash attitude with a short fuse. He was not intimidated by anyone and believed no foe, clone, or Jedi could match his strength. He often stated that he was unbeatable and considered Mezmaron's attempt to steal the Gravitic Core from him foolish. During battle, Teska often taunted his opponents, stating that their cause was hopeless and that they would soon be dead, as well as diminishing the Jedi's skills with the Force and their faith in the Republic Clone Army. He was self-confident, believing that Baggins was out of options on Behpour. The Skakoan considered Baggins's surrender to be a display of cowardice, only to find out that the Jedi had in fact tricked him.This traits caused him to be overconfident in his and the Confederacy's superiority and not on rare occassion to boast on his skills as both a gun-for-hire and a scientist.
If an opponent gained the upper hand over Teska, he did admit to his enemy's prowess to a certain extent. Both Frodo Baggins and Eowyn found this trait annoying and believed that Teska was talking too much. Kul Teska was not afraid of mass slaughter, and he was intent on destroying the escape pods, killing the clones on Juma 9, and collapsing the Naboo sun, which would have had catastrophic effects on the entire Naboo system. He did not possess an interest in collecting any kind of trophies like the Saruman's dreaded enforcer, General The Mouth of Sauron, did. Nonetheless, Teska admitted that he had always wanted to examine a Jedi Knight's lightsaber.
==Equipment==
Kul Teska's pressure suit was equipped with a variety of weaponry and tools. His suit itself allowed him to survive the vacuum of space. It was outfitted with rocket boosters, enabling Teska to hover in midair and even fly, a technique he often used in battle. Teska's right arm was outfitted with a rotary quad blaster cannon and a grappling hook. Two rocket launchers were mounted on the suit's shoulders, along with concealed blasters, and a powerful laser beam weapon was located in its chest. Teska was also capable of creating a shockwave that threw all opponents off of him. The defensive systems of the suit included a shield generator, which created an energy shield, protecting Teska from enemy fire.
Although Teska was capable of quickly fixing it even during battle, the suit was prone to malfunction. The boosters in particular were not very reliable, as they malfunctioned when Mezmaron fired at them. In addition to those built into his suit, Teska also used other mechanisms. During the battle on Juma 9, he made use of explosives, which he had planted throughout the station. On Arnor, Teska trapped Baggins and Eowyn inside an energy field with the help of a portable generator.
==Behind the scenes==
Kul Teska was created as an antagonist for the 2009 video game The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring: Republic Heroes, in which he was voiced by Troy Baker. The game, developed by Krome Studios and published by LucasArts, serves as a tie-in to the The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring television series. According to the game's assistant producer, Chris Lee, the creation of Teska's character was a collaborative effort between Krome Studios, LucasArts, and Lucasfilm Animation and was aimed at creating a unique and intriguing new villain for The War of the Ring universe. The production team envisioned Teska as a classic villain, albeit the one with his own reasons. The developers hoped to create a character that players could love and hate at the same time, a character surrounded by mystery that would draw interest in finding out more about him.
Teska's fight against Frodo, Eowyn, and the clones on Arnor is omitted from the PlayStation Portable version of the game, as Teska retreats aboard the Sleight of Hand right after Baggins throws the Gravitic Core there. In 2010, an action figure of Kul Teska was released by Hasbro.
==Appearances==
*The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring: Republic Heroes 
==Sources==
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*Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes Game Q&A: Kul Teska 
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*Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes: Prima Official Game Guide
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*Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle
==Notes and references==
==External links==
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes Game Q&A: Cad Bane 
*LucasArts Discusses Clone Wars Republic Heroes 
Category:Confederacy science and engineering personnel
Category:Cyborgs
Category:Males
Category:Mercenaries
Category:Skakoans
Category:Techno Union members