Character Information
Name: Jeir Katarn
Known Aliases: Jinx Katarn, Jinx
Age: 59
Height: 1.9 m
Weight: 104.3 kg

Early History

Birth

Jeir Katarn was born on Coruscant, the child of Kayiin Mirdala and Morgan Katarn. Kayiin was a Mandalorian woman that had established a successful personal security business on Coruscant, aimed at protecting Senators and their interests, and met Morgan during a rescue operation on the planet Sulon. Under the Sullustan Senator’s employ, a small group of individuals representing the Alliance to Restore the Republic were to meet with the Senator on Sullust to discuss supporting the rebel efforts. Morgan Katarn was a member of this group.

Kayiin oversaw the transfer of personnel herself, which was ambushed by Imperial operatives. Kayiin and Morgan survived the crash of their shuttle on Sulon, where she chose to lay low for some time before returning to Coruscant. Though complicated by Morgan’s recently deceased Wife, Patricia, and his four year old son Kyle, she and Morgan developed a romantic relationship. Several months later they parted ways–she wanted Morgan to come with her to Coruscant, and Morgan wanted her to stay and help the rebellion’s effort. It was obvious to her that he was far from being over the tragic death of his Wife, and made the decision easy for him.

Upon return to Coruscant, Kayiin resumed control of her business through “hostile negotiations” and not long after discovered she was pregnant. She decided it was not proper for a Mandalorian woman to begging Morgan to come and raise there child together, so she instead left him a single message letting him know of the child growing in her womb.

Childhood

Jeir grew up in a sort of hybrid state, somewhere between the lines of being the son of a Mandalorian and forced upon teachings of a scholar. Kayiin wanted the best for her son and while she taught him how to take care of himself, she also hoped by keeping him in Academy after Academy he could rise to become something more than she had ever been. Kayiin had become disillusioned with fighting over the years, seeing firsthand on several occasions what was happening in this new war growing around them.

Jeir grew up resenting his Mother despite her efforts. For one, she would never explain why he had the surname of Katarn while she had a proper Mandalorian surname. Second, he grew angry about being sent off to schools for an entire year and then spending little more than a month with her before being sent off again. The schools became more and more corrupted by Imperial propaganda, to the point of creating “career paths.” An option only for the most promising students, like himself, he saw the true intent as clear as day–they would turn him into an Imperial Officer, whether he wanted to or not.

While suggestive at the best of attempts, Jeir had convinced himself he had done everything he could to try and reason with Kayiin. He finally came to the conclusion that he could rely on no one but himself, Jeir ran away and fled from the high rises of Coruscant to the underworld.

Self-Employment

While the irony of his choices did not occur to him until much later in life, Jeir went from being on the fast track to becoming an Imperial Officer to being little more than a thug and hired gun. He got into a small swoop gang that enjoyed raiding the entertainment districts, working his way up while learning how to fight and look out for himself. He took on the name “Jinx” down there, knowing Kayiin would be looking for him. Jinx started out losing almost every fight he got into, fourteen now, and over time started winning all of them. When Kayiin came close to getting a hold of him, he would leave that gang and join another. He grew quite the reputation by his seventeenth birthday as being the most ruthless of fighters in the under city.

Shortly before his eighteenth birthday Jinx received an offer to collect a bounty on a rival gang member. He accepted, completed the bounty with chilling efficiency, and found what he perceived as his “true calling.” He used a large chunk of his earnings to purchase an old Corellian Engineering Corporation YT-2400 transport, refitting the junker with the earnings he made with dozens of bounties he collected while keeping the ship a secret from his fellow gang members…there was no honor among the group, only a common interest that could shift quickly to taking his prize given the chance.

Taking a final, massive bounty to take out his own gang Jinx accepted and completed the bounty. Inviting the entire gang to see his ship–something none of them could pass up, seeing nothing but opportunity for themselves–he sealed them inside of the disabled transport and used a nerve gas to kill the all. One massive paycheck put into the final piece of his ship–a working hyperdrive–and Jinx had his ticket off the planet.

Grown Up

Bounty Hunter

Jinx quickly made a name for himself as a Bounty Hunter in a galaxy full of imitators. Little did he know his connection to the Force was growing on it’s own–as it did for anyone sensitive to the Force–and he was getting several major advantages that only grew over time. Soon enough he was known in many circles as the quickest and most efficient hire available, though he wasn’t known for being reliable enough to bring a bounty back alive and it was common knowledge he only went after the “criminal type.”

It was not long before he had the luxury of choosing between multiple bounties. He was nowhere new the level of infamy that Boba Fett was, which actually brought him more lucrative offers that could only be done by the low-key type of hunters. He amassed a small fortune, not only through the bounties themselves but seizing estates and assets of targets. If he was able to do it, he would take on small time warlords or gang leaders, slave rings, spice dealers…anyone that would be sitting on top of a small fortune in itself. Jinx would complete the bounty, wipe out the second in command and often third in command, then bring in Bay’rinn–his partner and talented slicer–to seize their credits for themselves. He would hire locals to loot their homes and bases of operation, taking a quarter of the proceeds for himself as well.

Eventually the need for money was surpassed by the thrill of the hunt. Jinx married Bay’rinn and they settled down on a large lot of land on Corellia, in the outskirts of Kor Vella. There Jinx made one of the first mistakes he had made since running with the gangs on Coruscant…he made his home his base of operations. While the fact wasn’t advertised, several clients visited him there and the same circles that knew how well-worth he was for his price also now knew where he and his Wife lived.

Jinx took his first bounty from the Rebel Alliance not long after the Empire had obliterated their base on Hoth, assassinating a Grand Moff near the galaxy core. It proved to be a remarkable test of the limits of Jinx’s abilities (and growing powers), soon heading home successful. Not long after his return, however, the Empire retaliated and Bay’rinn was burned alive inside their home. Jinx fought his way free of the assault and vowed revenge on the Empire.

The Officer

Jinx enlisted in the Rebel Alliance not long before the Battle of Endor, leading a group of commandos responsible for hitting major supply lines for the Imperial war effort. He used his contacts and resources from his former career to full advantage and help win the war of attrition on many battlefronts. After the Battle of Endor Jinx was reassigned to the Rebel Squadrons, a special task force that ran autonomously from the main Rebel–and later New Republic–fleets. He started out there in the Commando Division, where one of his first missions was a long-term find & destroy objective against a major slave trading ring that encompassed an entire quadrant of the Outer Rim territories. The mission came to a somewhat lackluster ending when they found and shut down the command center of the ring, freeing several dozen female Twi’lek sex slaves. Jinx spent time with one in particular, Sienn, then parting ways a few days later as the unit moved on to their next assignment.

He would later fill additional positions in the Renegade Fleet and Intrepid Battle Group as a pilot, as the primary nature of the Rebel Squadrons saw it’s member filling multiple billets in the many internal organizations (called fleets). For a short time he oversaw the creation of a special joint Squadron-Platoon unit called “Draco,” which had specialized pilots that were capable of space & ground operations. The versatility of the unit brought many unique missions, though it eventually proved difficult to maintain and was dissolved.

Jedi Knight

Jedi training for Jinx was given to him by Master Rek’paar, a Jedi Master that had escaped the Great Jedi Purge and disguised himself as a small-time smuggler in the farthest reaches of the Outer Rim. Master Rek’paar followed alongside Jinx during his duties, instructing him and guiding him in the ways of the Force while teaching him about Jedi culture in the Old Republic. Though trying to leave his opinion out of his teachings, it was no secret he had disagreed with many of the rules the Jedi had come to live by over the many centuries…Masters only teaching a single Padawan, discouragement for Jedi to have families and offspring, and many others.

Through meditation Jinx learned of his relationship to the famous Kyle Katarn, his half brother, and established a personal–though infrequent–relationship with the man. He had the opportunity to meet several high-profile members of the New Republic through his brother, though Master Rek’paar preferred to keep his presence hidden from them during said visits. The only explanation Jinx had ever received was “they have already made their own minds up about the Force, son.” Three years after his training had begun, Jinx was Knighted and shortly after Master Rek’paar disappeared. He never heard of his former Master again.

Not unlike his bounty hunting career, Jinx made quite the name himself as one of the few Jedi in the New Republic. He tended to disagree and almost resent Luke Skywalker, who spoke with anyone that showed promise as a force-sensitive, thanks in no small part to his former Master. He distrusted the man and felt he had a narrow view of the galaxy and the Jedi’s return to it. With a rising number of Force Sensitive individuals in the Rebel Squadron’s ranks, however, he spent a short time opening a small academy to try and instruct others how to control their abilities.

Jinx took on a long-term operation to train a group of locals and run a resistance effort there against an Imperial outpost. The New Republic was stretched thin at the time and couldn’t support a build up of troops in the area, so the solution had come to training the locals how to defend themselves. The mission started off poorly, Jinx’s long-time transport–the YT-2400 Storm–crashing into the ocean and killing his entire crew and rendering the months of supplies and weapons useless.

The locals took Jinx in and nursed him back to health, and as promised he taught them how to fight and led them in an assault on the Imperial Outpost. The fight took on a new meaning though when a Dark Jedi was found waiting for them on the flight deck of the outpost. Jinx fought back wave after wave of Stormtroopers to buy his assault force time to take the Outpost, and then took on the Dark Jedi himself. Ultimately the wear of the previous fight got the better of him, and Jinx died by his opponent’s blade as it rammed through his chest.

When the assault was over and the Imperials defeated, Jinx’s body was nowhere to be found.

Jinx Katarn, the Clone

It would seem that the Force had decided it was not done with Jinx Katarn, however, or at least that was what he believed when he emerged from a cloning chamber over a year later. The Rebel Squadrons had received a tip about illegal cloning facilities on a backwater planet, sent in a strike force led by Slate Mallar which found the cloning facility and was shocked to find the only clone occupying a chamber was Jinx.

An explanation as to who had cloned him, or how he managed to retain every memory and habit from jinx Katarn was never explained. Jinx himself believes his essence in the Force had transferred into the new body, for some unknown fate that lay ahead of him. Regardless, while he was debriefed multiple times by every intelligence agency and Jedi known to the galaxy–the same conclusion everyone came to was that it was, indeed, Jinx Katarn.

Jinx formed a stronger relationship with his half-brother Kyle and his then-pupil, Mara Jade, whom Jinx grew a secret crush on. Feelings were far from ever being returned though, and Jinx disappeared shortly after to further his own training and control over the Force. He had shown a unique ability to manipulate the elements, specifically wind and water, and decided he would try to fine-tune that control as it may prove a decisive advantage over potential opponents in the future.

His career in the New Republic shifted primarily to Aurora Force over time, running more and more missions with elite Commando unit. While he missed the piloting mission that had come with his multiple billets in the Rebel Squadrons, Jinx began to realize how much more he could do on the ground with his lightsaber in hand and chose to pave the way there as best he could. This is the point in history where he began to develop his “hero complex,” where he developed the bad habit of jumping into the middle of a firefight to do little more than save his comrades from being shot at. While it was appreciated in the extreme cases, it was also somewhat annoying in others. The Commandos had a habit of enjoying the kills they tallied, and he was taking all the kills.

Jinx developed a romantic relationship that had been growing for years with a fellow Commando, Janet Skyy. Though destined to be short-lived, the relationship flared up to some tangible during an under cover operation and for some time he felt he had found true happiness once again in his life. Given their many experiences with danger together their relationship started as if it had been going on for ages, which he would never quite feel again with another woman.

Jinx vs. Hammer – Round One

If Jinx was asked who the most difficult opponent he had ever faced was, his likely answer would be “Hammer.”

Hammer, hidden behind a face mask, had hunted Jedi for years during the great purge and after, proudly maintaining a large collection of lightsabers as trophies. As such, he had trained his body hard to fight against Jedi, and though he swore up until his death he held no talent in the Force Jinx always believed deep down the other had to have had some kind of connection…perhaps as consolation for how badly beaten he was during their first encounter.

Hammer had set out to destroy Aurora Force through tainting their appearance with propaganda via the HoloNet, which had been extremely successful in turning the local population against them. Jinx and Janet learned of where he had been broadcasting his taunts to the task force, infiltrating his base of operations in Jinx’s transport and working their way up to the top levels of the building. Formulating a clever plan, they drew Hammer to the rooftops and got him talking–as he loved to do–about his grand plan. The one obvious Hammer had was boasting of his own grandeur, and as he laughed and boasted about his plot to destroy Aurora Force small holocams recorded him and showed the confrontation live using his own broadcasting equipment over the HoloNet.

His plan crushed instantly, Hammer and Jinx started an intense battle with their lightsabers. Though he got a couple of strikes in and a surprise crack on Hammer’s mask, Hammer thoroughly pounded on Jinx and after crushing nearly all of his bones turned his attention to Janet. Jinx caught his attention with an explosive device, using the last of his strength to put up a force shield around himself as the charge tore apart the rooftop and sent Hammer running away. Jinx flew off the side of the roof, saved by the quick thinking of Janet who dove off the rooftop to save him, firing a grappling hook through his shoulder and slowing the pair down enough to not die when they hit the ground below.

Recovery was slow and delicate at best for Jinx. His body would eventually recover, though his mind would never be the same again. Everyone seemed to know that, though Janet was especially sensitive to the situation.

Exodus

Jinx left Aurora Force and the New Republic with no warning, heading out on a self-imposed exile. At first he had no idea why he had felt the need to get away, though over time he chose to believe it was to further his own powers. Revenge burned like fire in his blood for Hammer, and he feared that if he were to face the man again he would ultimately lose whether or not he actually defeated the man.

At first he fled to the StarForge station, a traveling space station hidden among an asteroid field that specialized in modifying starships in all manners–legal and illegal–for their clients. Jinx had taken a bounty for a Duros mechanic there in exchange for services performed on his YT-2400 earlier on in his bounty hunting career, and upon his return found the station just as he remembered it. He convinced the station’s managers that they needed changes in their security–which they did–and was hired to oversee a massive rebuilding effort on the station to increase security measures. With protest, they disagreed with the need for increasing their space-based defenses though they allowed him free reign with the station’s internal defenses. Over several months he developed a relationship with a communications officer on the station, Cherity Jenrikk, and the two hastily married a year after he had left the Republic behind.

StarForge station was attacked not longer after the wedding by a pirating outfit, the possibility of owning the station and the infamous mechanics with it too great of a target to pass up. They broke through what little space defenses there were quickly, though halted trying to get into the station and were eventually wiped out completely. Several battleships and a Nebulon-B frigate now patrol the StarForge station’s perimeter, guns bristling all over them.

Word reached Jinx that his Mother had been killed on the job, which brought him back to Coruscant–now under the New Republic’s control–for the first time since he had fled it as a teenager. She had left a large fortune behind for him in credits alone, and he liquidated her other assets and invested them into multiple high-risk markets as a gamble to earn a ten-fold return on them. His mother’s personal assistant, Kindarin Chiin’Tal, helped him through the process and the two quickly became friends.

Realizing the potential to become a great Jedi in Kindarin, Jinx took him as his Padawan learner and setting out to do some good in the galaxy. Through Kindarin Jinx learned of many of his own flaws as a Jedi, both in training and ideology, and the two grew a bond through the Force he had never known before. The two left StarForge station on regular missions to help small populations out, wiping out small crime rings and learning how to fight together all at once. The relationship grew more and more important for Jinx, who came to think of Kindarin as a little brother.

Upon one return trip to StarForge they found Cherity had been abducted quietly from the station. Kindarin received a secret transmission from an alien, Knishaarik, who told the young apprentice where he might be found. Jinx learned of the message not long after Kindarin had taken off and pursued. Kindarin arrived well ahead of his master to learn Knishaarik was a lightsaber-wielding Force user of some kind himself and the two fought, Cherity being killed in the process and the fight being interrupted by Jinx’s arrival. Knishaarik told Jinx it was not his fight, though the two blades clashed and Jinx was quickly overwhelming the other. Knishaarik activated explosives that he had rigged throughout his hidden temple, escaping in the chaos that followed.

Kindarin left Jinx after the conflict, and for a few years Jinx became something of a hermit wandering the galaxy while seeking more knowledge about the Jedi Order of the Old Republic. While he knew that Palpatine had worked hard to erase any records of the Jedi, Jinx understood the absurdity of truly cleansing an entire galaxy in only a couple of decades of an order that had been around for thousands of years. He did not learn as much as he had hoped, but Jinx did learn much more about the old ways than he had through Master Rek’paar and most of it without the negative commentary his Master had on his tongue. Jinx took on a small crew to run his transport with him, taking the odd bounty here and there is the money was right and the target bad enough, though this was more to keep the crew happy than for financial benefit…he had billions of credits now through his inheritance, investments and interest alone…far more than he would ever spend.

Knishaarik contacted Jinx three years after Cherity’s death, inviting him to an unpopulated planet Jinx had not heard of before. Jinx arrived in the system and his YT-2400 was mortally wounded by a series of mines floating in orbit, riding the transport as close as he could to the coordinates Knishaarik had left for him and forced to ditch the ship–the only true home he had–in the ocean along with it’s crew. Alone again, he set out on foot to find answers. Little did Jinx know at the time that Knishaarik had also brought Kindarin there and when Jinx stumbled upon the two in a fierce lightsaber battle he intervened. Anger swept over Jinx as he fought Knishaarik back, who was doing little more than deflecting blows and refused to fight back for an unknown reason. The battle led to Knishaarik being thrown across a small riverbank by Jinx, and before he was able to recover his lightsaber he was pinned by Jinx’s own aqua-colored blade.

It was then Knishaarik explained that he was a Guardian of the Force, meant to protect the essence of the Force and destroy those who would abuse or taint it with their negative energies. He told Jinx that Kindarin had been the one who killed Kayiin, having not known Jinx even existed and thinking he would be the sole proprietor of her fortunes. On top of that, his former Padawan had been in an affair with Cherity and the two were going to run off together…Knishaarik’s initial contact to them had stopped them just days before their plans. Jinx, not wanting to believe him, killed for the first time as a Jedi in cold blood…he had wanted the flow of truth spewing from the alien’s mouth to stop, and yet as his blade ended the others life it also brought the weight of truth to his words. He had not lied, Jinx knew.

As such Jinx hunted Kindarin down in the woods, who had been making a mad dash to the old Z-95 Headhunter he had stashed away, and they fought. Kindarin knew he wouldn’t be the victor in a fight, breaking off in the heat of their lightsabers clashing to bury his blade in the power plant of the starfighter. The ship exploded and Kindarin tried to crawl to some kind of cover in the brush, Jinx coming up behind him and smashing his skull in with the hilt of his lightsaber. The act was savage and dark, though Jinx was well-convinced he would live out the remainder of his life on the planet alone and justified it as such. He spent months traveling the surface, meditating and reflecting on his place in the Force and the words Knishaarik had given him.

After being stranded for nearly five months Jinx found the ruins of a temple, and inside found what had been a Jedi temple. By the small size he judged not very many students had been instructed there, and soon found lessons left behind by the temple’s former caretakers telling of the “Guardians of the Force,” as Knishaarik had called himself. It was a secret order of Jedi–unsanctioned by the Jedi Order proper–that acted as a sort of internal affairs. They found those who dabbled in the teachings of the dark side or abused their powers for self-gain, and killed them. The idea was interesting and the more Jinx meditated on their purpose he realized the necessity of it. He followed the teachings left behind in their holocrons, learning how to become sensitive to the thoughts of those around him and their intentions. He would practice at first by reaching out to minds back at the StarForge station he knew, then moving on to touch those of his comrades back on Xenen.

A year after his crash, Jinx flew away from the planet in one of the many Jedi starfighters that were stationed in the temple and returned to Xenen, having sensed Hammer’s presence.

Guardian of the Force

Jinx’s return to Xenen and his confrontation with Hammer was somewhat quick. Out of a sense of duty he later abandoned he reported in to Vice Admiral Indiana Bridger, quickly realizing that had been a bad idea (he was technically a deserter, after all) and after an uncomfortable reunion with Janet and her husband Mark Wyler he made his way through the city in his Jedi starfighter to Hammer’s command center. The fight was quick, Jinx more than prepared this time as a fully trained Jedi Master and he quickly ended the fight and threw the corpse of Hammer out a window to watch him fall. Janet walked in on the speech Jinx gave to Hammer before killing him, talking of the Guardians of the Force, and he was forced to ask her to keep the issue quiet.

He returned to Indy and cleared up the deserter status after several discussions with New Republic Intelligence, then building himself a small castle into the mountainside overlooking the base and more distant city beyond it. Inside he built several hidden rooms, some for training and others for storing the many treasures he had found in his travels…these rooms were hidden to anyone that did not know they were there, and even once known about only a Force user could open them with the internal mechanisms built away from eyes or hands. He built a special room, shielded and reinforced enough to be inside of a bank which served as his trophy room for the abusers of the Force he would kill. Kindarin’s lightsaber was placed proudly in the first slot, follow by Hammer’s.

Jinx filled several display cases with lightsabers over the years, meditating for weeks at a time before finding his next target. A half-trained Jedi that liked to use the Force to force himself upon women, a serial killer, dark side users…he was surprised how many there were out there waiting to be found. Occasionally he would find a chance for salvation in some of them and let them go, though he paid special attention through the Force to these ones and more often than not he paid them a second–and final–visit. He took on a more lighthearted outlook on the Force as a whole, having come that far thinking the worst a Jedi could do was give in to anger or fear and now understanding there was so much more than that. Those feelings, left unchecked, were merely the gateway into the behaviors of those he now hunted.

A New Hope

Though somewhat awkward to Jinx at first–given the history–Jinx accepted the training of Janet & Mark’s son, Les Wyler. As Master Rek’paar had been with him, Jinx was a serious and unforgiving Master…firm but fair, as his former Master had always said to him. The training regimen was intense, dawn to dusk they trained his agility and lightsaber skills and into the late night worked on mediation and focusing exercises. Jinx was amazed at how quickly Les took to the training and absorbed the lessons, which he came to the conclusion were a direct result of the boy essentially being a clean slate for him to work with. Unlike himself, having killed hundreds of beings as a bounty hunter and formed heavy opinions of his own…or Kindarin, who was already tainted with the seeds of the dark side…Les was open to new ideas, learning them and making them his own.

Sooner rather than later, Jinx felt Les was ready to be promoted to a full Jedi Knight. The two would still work together side by side for many years as Les still had much to learn about practical application in combat, however Jinx was of the opinion that Knighting him would give him a boost of self-confidence and purpose that a Padawan could not truly have on their own. Janet, Mark and their daughter Asya Wyler were invited to the Knighting ceremony, plans were made and everything seemed to be going perfectly.

One morning Jinx received a message from the planet Ryloth, a woman calling herself Sienn asking him to come see her immediately. It took him some time to realize who it was–a good eighteen years having passed–though once he did he knew he had delayed too long. He cut the Knighting ceremony short with Les, then racing off of Xenen to Ryloth. There he discovered the call had been made in distress, and fought his way through a underground den of slavers and spice dealers to find Sienn on her deathbed with a beaten-up young girl beside her. Sienn explained the girl, Kiiara Katarn, was his daughter before passing away. Jinx carried Kiiara out of the den and away from Ryloth.

He nursed her back to health and began training her as a Jedi, her potential in the Force far greater than Jinx’s ever would be. She took to the training quickly, especially the lightsaber training and she adopted the use of twin lightsabers much to his surprise. He purchased a Corellian Engineering VCX-820 hot off of the assembly lines, taking it on her maiden voyage straight to StarForge station. Chidee was ecstatic about the opportunity to modify the new transport, and the new family continued her aggressive training. Jinx felt now he had reached peace with his inner self and the Force, and dropped the nickname of Jinx and return to his proper birth name. Jeir learned of calls for help to local mercenaries coming from the Braxant sector–which was under control of the Imperial Remnant–and traveled there to the Ill’iare system with Kiiara in their unnamed transport.

There was a small resistance effort in the Ill’iare system against a group of Imperial Warlords, the people trying to free themselves of the tyrannical rule. While Jeir had hoped they would petition for membership into the New Republic, he half expected them to rejoin the Imperial Remnant after they won the war. The Warlords had formerly been under the command of the sector’s Grand Moff, then making a run for this system with half of the Moff’s former fleet when he was executed for treason and replaced. As the system posed little to no advantage and presented a heavy loss of assets, the Remnant had left the Warlords alone. Jeir put the call out for mercenaries to help with the effort, screening backgrounds heavily before accepting a select few of them. He was paying from his private fortune for all of the weaponry, supplies and gear and would be signing the paychecks for the mercs as well.

Jeir found particular interest in a Mandalorian mercenary, Kal’or Kutin, who had a long history of fighting for the underdog and was known for his morals on the battlefield. Kal’or, Jeir, and Kiiara bonded well and became something of a family within themselves, and Kal’or oversaw the training of the resistance fighters as well as combat and espionage training for Kiiara.

Jeir was last seen leaving the Ill’iare system with Kiiara and Kal’or on his transport, heading for Xenen.

Behind the Scenes

Jinx Katarn was the name for a character made by Josh Parker, used to join the Rebel Squadrons in March of 1997. Jinx (and Jeir) he took from a character in an original story, and for the surname he had been playing a lot of game Dark Forces at the time and–not able think of an original name at the time–adopted Katarn from Kyle Katarn. Unfortunately, Josh got very involved in the gaming club and soon the interactive stories and was known as Jinx Katarn, so when it came to actually fleshing the character’s story out he had to find a way to explain the Katarn last name. Looking back, he wishes he had just chosen to take the road of “same last name, no relation” instead.

Josh joined the Marine Corps infantry in February of 1999, and convinced by his recruiter he would be off fighting in foreign wars for his life thought he wouldn’t be around ever again to write his character…and so killed him off in a series of short stories (the conclusion of which was Jinx Katarn’s death at the Imperial Outpost by the Dark Jedi). After he was stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, things settled down and he wrote his return as a clone about eighteen months after Jinx’s death.

The entire storyline of Kindarin & Cherity came from a fan film Josh had started filming in Hawaii, which ended up only being 75% completed before his enlistment was up and he was sent back to the mainland. Unable to film pickup shots with either the actors or locations, the film was a total loss and adapted as additional backstory for a large period of time away from active duty.

The character has had a long history of coming and going from active duty since in Aurora Force, originally due to military obligations (deployments) and then just due to the crazy ways of life. In the story, these turn out to be small “self discovery” periods of exile Jinx sends himself out on.

Real Life

Josh Parker…born July 5th, 1978. Proud husband and parent of two, working as a 3D Artist in the video game industry.

You can visit his online portfolio, Reverse Halo, to see examples of his work and learn more about him.