When we got our first look at Star Wars Outlaws, there was a new character in the reveal trailer that was very similar to another long-lost Star Wars character from Legends.
Kay Vess boards her ship to find a man named Jaylen, sitting in the cockpit claiming to offer her a way out. But when looking at Jaylen, it’s undeniable that he bears an uncanny resemblance to Katarn. Consider, for example, this comparison to the character model from Katarn’s appearance in the mobile game Galaxy of Heroes recently:
Katarn first appeared in the video game Dark Forces in 1995, and from there he became a major figure in the Legends storylines and a fan favorite. He was a former Imperial-turned-mercenary who began working for the Rebellion, and later became a respected Jedi Master in Luke Skywalker’s New Jedi Order. Though he eventually came to appear in a variety of mediums, Katarn’s story was especially important in a number of different video games – which makes this mysterious new character all the more interesting.
Now, to be clear, the fact that this character is named in the trailer most likely means that this is a brand new figure we have yet to be introduced to, and it’s entirely plausible that the reason for his name-drop is to put to rest any speculation about it actually being Kyle Katarn. But, at the same time, I just can’t believe that the look is a coincidence. Could it actually be Katarn, brought to canon and operating under an alias? I wouldn’t get your hopes up, but I also wouldn’t rule it out.
A character showing up in a video game at this point in the timeline looking eerily similar to Kyle Katarn isn’t random, that much I’m sure. We’ll have to wait and see whether there’s any more to it than that.
Star Wars Thoughts 