Star Wars: Jedi Knight and the Dark Forces

Star Wars: Jedi Knight and the Dark Forces (mistakenly billed as Star Wars: Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight in its theatrical release poster) is a 1997 computer-animated epic space opera film written by Lisa Ginsburg and directed by Scott Ewers, based on the video game series by. It was the second photorealistic computer-animated feature film and the most expensive video game-inspired film until the release of. The film features the voices of and  as  and Jan Ors respectively, and focuses on Katarn, a former Imperial officer who becomes a mercenary working for the  and later a Jedi.

rendered the film using some of the most advanced processing capabilities available at the time. A render farm of 960 workstations was tasked with rendering each of the film's 141,964 frames. It took a staff of 200 about a year to complete Jedi Knight and the Dark Forces.

Produced by for  and Lucasfilm Feature Animation in association with  and TVE Animación, the film was released in the United States by  on October 9, 1997, to generally positive reviews from critics and fans, who praised the animation, action sequences, story and voice performances. The film was a box-office success, grossing $400 million against a $132 million. On the, it was nominated for and.

Plot
Jedi Knight and the Dark Forces begins with Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors being hired by the Alliance to recover the plans to the, the Empire's space station outfitted with a superlaser capable of destroying an entire planet. The Rebels use the plans to find a weakness in the station, and eventually destroy it. One year later, the Alliance hires the pair again, this time to investigate an assault on one of their bases by a new type of Imperial soldiers. Kyle's investigation unveils the Dark Trooper Project, headed by General Rom Mohc. His mission to stop the project takes him to the sewers of Anoat City, where he captures Moff Rebus, an Imperial weapons specialist who developed the weapons used by Dark Troopers. Rebus' interrogation leads him to a weapons research facility in the mountains of Fest and the Gromas mines where minerals are extracted for the Dark Troopers.

Kyle and Jan later learn that Crix Madine, a former Imperial Commander who defected to the Alliance, has been captured by the Empire, and the former infiltrates a high security detention center on Orinackra to rescue him. After Kyle saves him from his execution, Madine informs the Alliance of an operation to smuggle Dark Trooper materials, leading Kyle and Jan to investigate the Ramsees Hed docking port on Cal-Seti. Afterward, Kyle also destroys a robotics facility on the icy planet Anteevy, the second stage of the Dark Trooper production line. Kyle and Jan's mission is temporarily halted when they are captured by the crime lord, one of the main financiers of the Dark Trooper Project. After their escape from Jabba's clutches and an encounter with the bounty hunter, hired by General Mohc to kill Kyle, the pair travel to , where Kyle infiltrates a computer vault which reveals the location of the Ergo fuel station, the final stage of the smuggling route.

Masquerading as a smuggler, Kyle infiltrates the Super Star Destroyer Executor and then the Arc Hammer starship, General Mohc's headquarters and the location of the Dark Trooper Project's final stage. After killing Mohc (who is wearing Dark Trooper armor), Kyle destroys the ship and escapes, while watches from the Executor, commenting that the Dark Trooper Project's destruction is an unfortunate setback and that the Force is strong with Katarn. For his bravery and heroic actions, Kyle is awarded the Star of Alderaan by the Alliance.

Four years later on Nar Shadda, Kyle, now working a mercenary for the recently-established New Republic, learns from an information broker droid named 8t88 that Jerec is the one who killed his father six years prior. 8t88 shows Kyle a data disk from Morgan containing data he can't decipher, and then attempts to escape, but Kyle chases him to a landing pad, where he shoots off the droid's arm holding the disk. A TIE bomber attacks Kyle, but he is rescued by Jan, who destroys the bomber using their ship's, the Moldy Crow, laser cannons. After recovering the disk from Nar Shaddaa's lower levels, Kyle is taken by Jan to a medical frigate. While recovering, he is visited by Jedi Master Qu Rahn's spirit, who reveals that Jerec seeks the Valley for its ancient power and that the data disk contains information to lead Kyle to the Valley and on the path to become a Jedi.

On Sulon, Jerec's Dark Jedi remove the map to the Valley from Morgan's workshop as Kyle and Jan arrive. Kyle fights his way past Tusken Raiders to reach the workshop, where finds his family's droid, WeeGee. The droid decodes the disk showing a recording of Morgan Katarn, who reveals that the map to the Valley was carved into the ceiling tiles of the workshop and that he has left Kyle a lightsaber which had belonged to Rahn. Travel to the city of Barons Hed, which has been turned into an Imperial fortress, Kyle fights his way to 8t88's chambers, where he finds the droid is sending the deciphered map to Jerec. Before he can retrieve the map, Kyle is attacked by the youngest of Jerec's Dark Jedi, Yun, whom he defeats, but chooses to spare his life.

Kyle and Jan follow 8t88 to Jerec's ship, the Sulon Star, where he was told to meet the Dark Jedi to collect his payment. The ship is docked at a refueling station, so Kyle infiltrates it through the fuel lines, only to find 8t88 has been destroyed by Jerec. He is then attacked by two more of Jerec's Dark Jedi, Pic and Gorc, but kills them and takes 8t88's head, which still contains the map to the Valley. After WeeGee downloads the map, Kyle and Jan travel to the Valley, and find the Sulon Star docked above it. Kyle fights his way through canyons to board the ship, where he battles another Dark Jedi, Maw, whom he kills in anger. Jerec appears holding Jan hostage, and orders Kyle to kill her, but not when he refuses to do so. Enraged, Jerec uses the Force to incapacitate Kyle and disable the Sulon Star. As the ship crashes into the canyon below and explodes, Kyle narrowly escapes in the Moldy Crow.

Kyle awakens to find Jerec's remaining Dark Jedi surrounding him: Sariss, Boc Aseca and Yun. Boc destroys Kyle's lightsaber, but before Sariss can kill him, Yun sacrifices himself to save Kyle. Using Yun's lightsaber, Kyle kills Sariss before pursuing Boc into the Valley's ruins, where he defeats and kills him as well. Finally, Kyle confronts Jerec, who is meditating in the center of the Valley while absorbing its power, and the two battle. Having been interrupted before he could absorb the Valley's full power, Jerec is ultimately no match for Kyle, who defeats him.

Kyle spares Jerec, but the Dark Jedi tries to attack him from behind and is swiftly killed as a result. Afterwards, Kyle reunites with Jan and builds monuments to his father and Rahn in the Valley.

Voice cast

 * as
 * as Jan Ors
 * as General Rom Mohc
 * as Jerec
 * as 8t88
 * as Picaroon C. Boodle
 * as Maw
 * as Sariss
 * Time Winters as Boc Aseca
 * as Yun
 * as Rebus
 * as Crix Madine
 * as Qu Rahn
 * Jacob Witkin as Morgan Katarn
 * as
 * Larry Ward as
 * as
 * as