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When attempting to SoYouWantTo/WriteABadass, most authors run into a dilemma: how to make a character consistently awesome without turning them into a BoringInvincibleHero with all the personality of a brick? Well, here are a few lessons to be learned from the creators of Kyle Katarn:
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When attempting to SoYouWantTo/WriteABadass, most authors run into a dilemma: how to make a character consistently awesome without turning them into a BoringInvincibleHero boring InvincibleHero with all the personality of a brick? Well, here are a few lessons to be learned from the creators of Kyle Katarn:
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''"I'm no Jedi, just a guy with a lightsaber and a few questions."''
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''"I'm no Jedi, Jedi. I'm just a guy with a lightsaber and a few questions."''
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* '''A badass does not look for trouble.''' Instead, trouble always finds Kyle Katarn, whether it's a secret Imperial project, a fallen Jedi coming after his family's secret, or simply a particularly accident-prone student. Meanwhile, all Kyle wants to do is to live in peace, work an honest job, take care of his friends, and maybe pass on some of his life experience to the next generation.
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* '''A badass does not look for trouble.''' Instead, trouble always finds Kyle Katarn, whether it's a secret Imperial project, a fallen Jedi coming after his family's secret, or simply a particularly accident-prone student. Meanwhile, all Kyle wants to do is to [[HeroicNeutral live in peace, work an honest job, take care of his friends, friends]], and maybe pass on some of his life experience to the next generation.
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* '''A badass does not seek authority.''' He rejects any special treatment from his students and doesn't try to supplant Luke Skywalker -- though the respect the Jedi Grandmaster has for him is glaringly obvious. And if the Vjun mission is any indication, Kyle prefers to let his students lead, rather than having them follow him around, while he has got their backs.
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* '''A badass does not seek authority.''' He rejects any special treatment from his students and doesn't try to supplant Luke Skywalker -- though the respect the Jedi Grandmaster has for him is glaringly obvious. And if the Vjun mission is any indication, Kyle prefers to let his students lead, rather than having them follow him around, while he has got their backs.backs, rather than the other way around.
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* '''A badass does not look for trouble.''' Instead, trouble always finds Kyle Katarn, whether it's a secret Imperial project, a Fallen Jedi coming after his family's secret, or simply a particularly accident-prone student. Meanwhile, all Kyle wants to do is to live in peace, work an honest job, take care of his friends, and maybe pass on some of his life experience to the next generation.
* '''A badass knows that talk is cheap.''' At no point will you hear Kyle boasting about his powers and accomplishments, nor will you ever hear him talking too much--he is a DeadpanSnarker, at the very most. Kyle knows the value of each word he utters.
* '''A badass has a utilitarian approach to weapons.''' Note how even in games focused on lightsaber combat, Kyle never attaches any sentimental value to it. He still keeps his HyperspaceArsenal within reach and knows to use it when it's the more effective option. Furthermore, he sees both Light and Dark Force powers as [[GoodPowersBadPeople neither good]], [[BadPowersGoodPeople nor evil]] by themselves, and he is definitely not above bringing some GoodOldFisticuffs into a lightsaber duel.
* '''A badass is not invincible.''' Kyle regularly gets the crap beaten out of him, fails his loved ones and his students, and has his stuff taken away from him. However, that never stops him for long--he always gets up and continues the fight (unless he falls to TheDarkSide, see below).
* '''A badass does not seek authority.''' He rejects any special treatment from his students and doesn't try to supplant Luke Skywalker--though the respect the Jedi Grandmaster has for him is glaringly obvious. And if the Vjun mission is any indication, Kyle prefers to let his students lead, rather than having them follow him around, while he has got their backs.
* '''A badass keeps his emotions in check.''' Kyle learned that the hard way from his brief forays into TheDarkSide and from that one time his impulsive decision almost destroyed the Jedi Order. It's not that he doesn't have any strong emotions, he just expresses them with pinpoint accuracy and control--be it through a well-timed snark or a Force Lightning to the face.
* '''A badass knows that talk is cheap.''' At no point will you hear Kyle boasting about his powers and accomplishments, nor will you ever hear him talking too much--he is a DeadpanSnarker, at the very most. Kyle knows the value of each word he utters.
* '''A badass has a utilitarian approach to weapons.''' Note how even in games focused on lightsaber combat, Kyle never attaches any sentimental value to it. He still keeps his HyperspaceArsenal within reach and knows to use it when it's the more effective option. Furthermore, he sees both Light and Dark Force powers as [[GoodPowersBadPeople neither good]], [[BadPowersGoodPeople nor evil]] by themselves, and he is definitely not above bringing some GoodOldFisticuffs into a lightsaber duel.
* '''A badass is not invincible.''' Kyle regularly gets the crap beaten out of him, fails his loved ones and his students, and has his stuff taken away from him. However, that never stops him for long--he always gets up and continues the fight (unless he falls to TheDarkSide, see below).
* '''A badass does not seek authority.''' He rejects any special treatment from his students and doesn't try to supplant Luke Skywalker--though the respect the Jedi Grandmaster has for him is glaringly obvious. And if the Vjun mission is any indication, Kyle prefers to let his students lead, rather than having them follow him around, while he has got their backs.
* '''A badass keeps his emotions in check.''' Kyle learned that the hard way from his brief forays into TheDarkSide and from that one time his impulsive decision almost destroyed the Jedi Order. It's not that he doesn't have any strong emotions, he just expresses them with pinpoint accuracy and control--be it through a well-timed snark or a Force Lightning to the face.
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* '''A badass does not look for trouble.''' Instead, trouble always finds Kyle Katarn, whether it's a secret Imperial project, a Fallen fallen Jedi coming after his family's secret, or simply a particularly accident-prone student. Meanwhile, all Kyle wants to do is to live in peace, work an honest job, take care of his friends, and maybe pass on some of his life experience to the next generation.
* '''A badass knows that talk is cheap.''' At no point will you hear Kyle boasting about his powers and accomplishments, nor will you ever hear him talking toomuch--he much -- he is a DeadpanSnarker, at the very most. Kyle knows the value of each word he utters.
* '''A badass has a utilitarian approach to weapons.''' Note how even in games focused on lightsaber combat, Kyle never attaches any sentimental value to it. He still keeps his HyperspaceArsenal within reachand and, even as an NPC who would reasonably be expected to only be coded to use a single weapon, knows to use it when it's the more effective option. Furthermore, he sees both Light and Dark Force powers as [[GoodPowersBadPeople neither good]], [[BadPowersGoodPeople nor evil]] by themselves, and he is definitely not above bringing some GoodOldFisticuffs into a lightsaber duel.
* '''A badass is not invincible.''' Kyle regularly gets the crap beaten out of him, fails his loved ones and his students, and has his stuff taken away from him. However, that never stops him forlong--he long -- he always gets up and continues the fight (unless he falls to TheDarkSide, see below).
* '''A badass does not seek authority.''' He rejects any special treatment from his students and doesn't try to supplant LukeSkywalker--though Skywalker -- though the respect the Jedi Grandmaster has for him is glaringly obvious. And if the Vjun mission is any indication, Kyle prefers to let his students lead, rather than having them follow him around, while he has got their backs.
* '''A badass keeps his emotions in check.''' Kyle learned that the hard way from his brief forays into TheDarkSide and from that one time his impulsive decision almost destroyed the Jedi Order. It's not that he doesn't have any strong emotions, he just expresses them with pinpoint accuracy andcontrol--be control -- be it through a well-timed snark or a Force Lightning to the face.
* '''A badass knows that talk is cheap.''' At no point will you hear Kyle boasting about his powers and accomplishments, nor will you ever hear him talking too
* '''A badass has a utilitarian approach to weapons.''' Note how even in games focused on lightsaber combat, Kyle never attaches any sentimental value to it. He still keeps his HyperspaceArsenal within reach
* '''A badass is not invincible.''' Kyle regularly gets the crap beaten out of him, fails his loved ones and his students, and has his stuff taken away from him. However, that never stops him for
* '''A badass does not seek authority.''' He rejects any special treatment from his students and doesn't try to supplant Luke
* '''A badass keeps his emotions in check.''' Kyle learned that the hard way from his brief forays into TheDarkSide and from that one time his impulsive decision almost destroyed the Jedi Order. It's not that he doesn't have any strong emotions, he just expresses them with pinpoint accuracy and
Changed line(s) 12,13 (click to see context) from:
''"I am no Jedi, just a guy with a lightsaber and a few questions."''
to:
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* '''A badass does not look for trouble.''' Instead, trouble always finds Kyle Katarn, whether it's a secret Imperial project, a Fallen Jedi coming after his family's secret, or simply a particularly accident-prone student. Meanwhile, all Kyle wants to do is to live in peace, work an honest job, take care of his friends, and maybe pass on some of his life experience on the next generation.
to:
* '''A badass does not look for trouble.''' Instead, trouble always finds Kyle Katarn, whether it's a secret Imperial project, a Fallen Jedi coming after his family's secret, or simply a particularly accident-prone student. Meanwhile, all Kyle wants to do is to live in peace, work an honest job, take care of his friends, and maybe pass on some of his life experience on to the next generation.
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None
Changed line(s) 8 (click to see context) from:
* '''A badass does not seek authority.''' He rejects any special treatment from his students and doesn't try to outshine Luke Skywalker--though the respect the Jedi Grandmaster has for him is glaringly obvious. And if the Vjun mission is any indication, Kyle prefers to let his students lead, rather than having them follow him around, while he has got their backs.
to:
* '''A badass does not seek authority.''' He rejects any special treatment from his students and doesn't try to outshine supplant Luke Skywalker--though the respect the Jedi Grandmaster has for him is glaringly obvious. And if the Vjun mission is any indication, Kyle prefers to let his students lead, rather than having them follow him around, while he has got their backs.
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* '''A badass has his limits.''' There are things that will make Kyle lose his composure (like harming the woman he loves) and things that will make him quit (like nearly falling to the Dark Side), but he knows when to back down and is not above asking for help if that happens.
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* '''A badass has his limits.''' There are things that will make Kyle lose his composure (like harming the woman he loves) and things that will make him quit (like nearly falling to the Dark Side), but he Side). He knows when to back down and is not above asking for help if that happens.
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!!Kyle Katarn as an Ideal Badass
When attempting to SoYouWantTo/WriteABadass, most authors run into a dilemma: how to make a character consistently awesome without turning them into a BoringInvincibleHero with all the personality of a brick? Well, here are a few lessons to be learned from the creators of Kyle Katarn:
* '''A badass does not look for trouble.''' Instead, trouble always finds Kyle Katarn, whether it's a secret Imperial project, a Fallen Jedi coming after his family's secret, or simply a particularly accident-prone student. Meanwhile, all Kyle wants to do is to live in peace, work an honest job, take care of his friends, and maybe pass on some of his life experience on the next generation.
* '''A badass knows that talk is cheap.''' At no point will you hear Kyle boasting about his powers and accomplishments, nor will you ever hear him talking too much--he is a DeadpanSnarker, at the very most. Kyle knows the value of each word he utters.
* '''A badass has a utilitarian approach to weapons.''' Note how even in games focused on lightsaber combat, Kyle never attaches any sentimental value to it. He still keeps his HyperspaceArsenal within reach and knows to use it when it's the more effective option. Furthermore, he sees both Light and Dark Force powers as [[GoodPowersBadPeople neither good]], [[BadPowersGoodPeople nor evil]] by themselves, and he is definitely not above bringing some GoodOldFisticuffs into a lightsaber duel.
* '''A badass is not invincible.''' Kyle regularly gets the crap beaten out of him, fails his loved ones and his students, and has his stuff taken away from him. However, that never stops him for long--he always gets up and continues the fight (unless he falls to TheDarkSide, see below).
* '''A badass does not seek authority.''' He rejects any special treatment from his students and doesn't try to outshine Luke Skywalker--though the respect the Jedi Grandmaster has for him is glaringly obvious. And if the Vjun mission is any indication, Kyle prefers to let his students lead, rather than having them follow him around, while he has got their backs.
* '''A badass keeps his emotions in check.''' Kyle learned that the hard way from his brief forays into TheDarkSide and from that one time his impulsive decision almost destroyed the Jedi Order. It's not that he doesn't have any strong emotions, he just expresses them with pinpoint accuracy and control--be it through a well-timed snark or a Force Lightning to the face.
* '''A badass has his limits.''' There are things that will make Kyle lose his composure (like harming the woman he loves) and things that will make him quit (like nearly falling to the Dark Side), but he knows when to back down and is not above asking for help if that happens.
''"I am no Jedi, just a guy with a lightsaber and a few questions."''
That line from ''Jedi Outcast'' serves as the page quote for the entire series because it captures the very essence of Kyle's character. It also reflects many of the above points: it downplays the power and authority of the speaker and demonstrates peaceful intent, a pragmatic approach to weapons, and a tinge of that subtle self-deprecating humor that makes Kyle so likable.
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When attempting to SoYouWantTo/WriteABadass, most authors run into a dilemma: how to make a character consistently awesome without turning them into a BoringInvincibleHero with all the personality of a brick? Well, here are a few lessons to be learned from the creators of Kyle Katarn:
* '''A badass does not look for trouble.''' Instead, trouble always finds Kyle Katarn, whether it's a secret Imperial project, a Fallen Jedi coming after his family's secret, or simply a particularly accident-prone student. Meanwhile, all Kyle wants to do is to live in peace, work an honest job, take care of his friends, and maybe pass on some of his life experience on the next generation.
* '''A badass knows that talk is cheap.''' At no point will you hear Kyle boasting about his powers and accomplishments, nor will you ever hear him talking too much--he is a DeadpanSnarker, at the very most. Kyle knows the value of each word he utters.
* '''A badass has a utilitarian approach to weapons.''' Note how even in games focused on lightsaber combat, Kyle never attaches any sentimental value to it. He still keeps his HyperspaceArsenal within reach and knows to use it when it's the more effective option. Furthermore, he sees both Light and Dark Force powers as [[GoodPowersBadPeople neither good]], [[BadPowersGoodPeople nor evil]] by themselves, and he is definitely not above bringing some GoodOldFisticuffs into a lightsaber duel.
* '''A badass is not invincible.''' Kyle regularly gets the crap beaten out of him, fails his loved ones and his students, and has his stuff taken away from him. However, that never stops him for long--he always gets up and continues the fight (unless he falls to TheDarkSide, see below).
* '''A badass does not seek authority.''' He rejects any special treatment from his students and doesn't try to outshine Luke Skywalker--though the respect the Jedi Grandmaster has for him is glaringly obvious. And if the Vjun mission is any indication, Kyle prefers to let his students lead, rather than having them follow him around, while he has got their backs.
* '''A badass keeps his emotions in check.''' Kyle learned that the hard way from his brief forays into TheDarkSide and from that one time his impulsive decision almost destroyed the Jedi Order. It's not that he doesn't have any strong emotions, he just expresses them with pinpoint accuracy and control--be it through a well-timed snark or a Force Lightning to the face.
* '''A badass has his limits.''' There are things that will make Kyle lose his composure (like harming the woman he loves) and things that will make him quit (like nearly falling to the Dark Side), but he knows when to back down and is not above asking for help if that happens.
''"I am no Jedi, just a guy with a lightsaber and a few questions."''
That line from ''Jedi Outcast'' serves as the page quote for the entire series because it captures the very essence of Kyle's character. It also reflects many of the above points: it downplays the power and authority of the speaker and demonstrates peaceful intent, a pragmatic approach to weapons, and a tinge of that subtle self-deprecating humor that makes Kyle so likable.
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