Who is Cade Skywalker? Understanding His Role in Star Wars Legends

Cade Skywalker, an important character in Star Wars: Legacy, is one of the most complex and rebellious figures in the Star Wars Legends. He was the direct descendant of Luke Skywalker and always carried this heavyweight with him. His journey, however, is marked by rejection, rebellion, and constant struggle between light and dark. Born into the Skywalker legacy, Cade turned his back on the Jedi Order after the tragic incident of the Ossus Massacre and embraced a life as a bounty hunter. Even after this, he found himself drawn back into the galactic conflict between Jedi, Sith, and the Empire.

His Skywalker's Legacy and Jedi Training Days

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Cade Skywalker was the son of the infamous Jedi Master Kol Skywalker and Morrigan Corde. His father was a member of the Jedi High Council while his mother was an Imperial Agent. His direct ancestors included Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, and Ben Skywalker. 

When Cade was a baby his mother left him and his father to focus more on her job as an Imperial Agent. Cade was raised by Kol on Ossus, where he was trained in the Jedi arts. His Jedi training was overseen by Wolf Sazen, who had once been Kol Skywalker’s apprentice. Some of Cade Skywalker's childhood was also spent within the New Jedi Temple on Coruscant. It was there that he came to learn its secrets with the help of his friend Shado Vao. Other close ties for him on Ossus were formed with another Padawan named Azlyn Rae.

One significant trip during Cade’s training took him, his father Kol Skywalker, his Jedi Master Wolf Sazen, and Shado Vao to the planet Wayland. This was one of the key planets involved in Kol Skywalker’s Ossus Project, an initiative to use Yuuzhan Vong biotechnology to heal planets ravaged by the war with the Vong. Unfortunately, the project had been sabotaged, and Wayland became overrun with Vong-like creatures. Mistaking the Jedi for enemies, the planet’s natives attacked them. The group managed to escape and was rescued by an Imperial Star Destroyer which was commanded by Moff Nyna Calixte, who was secretly Cade’s mother. Cade, however, remained unaware of her true identity at the time.

Tragedy of Ossus

As a young Padawan, Cade Skywalker took part in the battle defending the Ossus Jedi Academy from the Sith. While obeying an order given by his father Kol, Cade felt his father's passing. This filled him with rage and he swore to hunt down the Sith, Darth Nihl who had murdered his father. Driven by rage, Cade used the dark side power Dark Transfer to save his mortally wounded master, Wolf Sazen. This act deeply unsettled him.

After his father’s death, Cade fled Ossus, cutting himself off from the Force to evade the Sith and also abandoning his Jedi path. This marked the beginning of his descent into a life of piracy and bounty hunting.

A Life of Rebellion: Bounty Hunter and Pirate

After becoming a bounty hunter and a pirate, Cade Skywalker became the captain of the Mynock, a starship that he used to travel the galaxy alongside his crew. His companions included Jariah Syn who was a skilled sharpshooter and loyal friend, and Deliah Blue, a talented mechanic who also became his romantic partner. Together, they worked as bounty hunters, taking on dangerous missions for profit and living on the fringes of society. Cade's disillusionment with the Jedi Order, combined with the lingering guilt over his father’s death during the Ossus Massacre, made him a deeply conflicted individual. He was constantly torn between his past and his desire to escape the expectations of his lineage. Cade sought refuge in a life of rebellion and survival, distancing himself from both the Jedi and the galaxy’s larger conflicts.

Confrontation With the Sith

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When Cade resurrected his Master using the Darth side of the Force, a Sith called Darth Krayt saw this as an opportunity to corrupt the Jedi and turn him to the dark side of the Force. Cade was ultimately captured by Darth Krayt and he had to use his powers to heal Krayt and his men. Krayt tried his best to lure Cade to the Dark Side, but the bounty hunter resisted all the attempts. He ultimately escaped captivity after wounding Darth Talon and Darth Nihl.

Reunion With Family and Betrayal By Azyln

After his escape, Cade is reunited with his uncle and childhood sweetheart, Azlyn Rae who was an Imperial Knight. They escaped to Taivas' Hidden Temple, where they were not relieved of the Imperial Knights that followed them there. Cade felt betrayed by Azyln but quickly came to realize her circumstances upon discovering she could not turn against her position as an Imperial Knight. He and Azlyn, with the Jedi Masters K'Kruhk, Tili Qua, and T'ra Saa, finished the mission that led to Darth Krayt's death. However, Darth Krayt's death seemed obvious to Sith's duplicitous advisor Darth Wyyrlok who took the power of the Sith Empire. 

Cade's relationship with Azlyn took a turn for the worse. He had saved her life against her wishes which drove them apart. Now, covered in guilt and frustration over the destruction his actions caused, he escaped to Tatooine to begin raiding Black Sun shipments. This brought him the unwanted attention of his mother, Genuredor Son, and half-sister, Gunn Yage.

Fighting Against the One Sith Order

While operating as a bounty hunter, Cade Skywalker and his crew undertook a cargo retrieval mission to the planet of Wayland. The mission brought Cade into contact with Darth Maladi who was a Sith scientist and spymaster known for her expertise in torture, mental manipulation, and Sith experimentation. Maladi was infamous for creating devastating Sith bioweapons designed to further the Sith's domination of the galaxy.

During the events on Wayland, Darth Maladi planted a deadly Sith bioweapon in Deliah Blue as part of her experiments. Desperate to save her, Cade attempted to use his unique Force abilities, particularly his Dark Transfer, to cure her. At this point in the story, Cade struggles with the temptation of the dark side, as the Dark Transfer is a power fueled by the dark side's energy.

Cade’s former Jedi Master, Wolf Sazen, tracked him to Wayland and he urged him to return to the light side and embrace his Jedi heritage. After this interaction something in Cade reignited his determination, enabling him to mend Deliah Blue and resist the pull of the dark side. This moment was pivotal for Cade as he demonstrated his struggle to balance his Skywalker legacy with his desire to forge his path. Ultimately, Cade rejected returning to the Jedi Order but he resolved to destroy the One Sith Order, believing that this was his true destiny.

Final Battle With The Resurrected Darth Krayt

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Cade Skywalker gathered his friends and set out to take revenge on the Sith. At Utapau, he killed the Sith scientist Vul Isen and learned that Darth Krayt was back from the dead. Later, Cade Skywalker found his mother and reunited with her on the Wheel. Having power from the spirit of his father, he forgave his mother and healed her.

Not much later, Cade returned to the Jedi Hidden Temple on Taivas to help defend it against an attack. The battle went disastrous for the Jedi and its allies. It also resulted in his uncle, Nat Skywalker, sacrificing his life to rescue Cade Skywalker. Cade grieved over his uncle's death as he led a team in disabling Coruscant's planetary defenses for the final battle of the war. He lost one of his former masters, Wolf Sazen in the battle but remained true to the Jedi way of life to finally kill Darth Krayt for good.

To ensure Darth Krayt would never return, Cade flew toward the sun in his mother's ship with Krayt's body. He was planning to sacrifice himself but was guided by the spirit of Luke Skywalker at the last minute to choose life, and he escaped. His friend and lover, Jariah Syn and Deliah Blue alongside R2-D2, a loyal Skywalker's droid, rescued him. With the war over, Cade and his crew resolved to leave it all and find a peaceful life, far away from the galactic conflict.

FAQ's

Did Cade Skywalker avenge the murder of his father by Darth Nihl?

No, Cade Skywalker wasn't able to outright kill in revenge for his father Kol Skywalker's murderer, Darth Nihl. While Cade Skywalker wanted to slaughter the Sith who had killed his father at a larger play, he wanted to demolish the whole order of One Sith. He did so by targeting and being able to kill Darth Krayt, leader of the One Sith and other Sith Lords. 

Does Cade Skywalker return once more to the Jedi Order?

No, Cade Skywalker did not officially become a part of the Jedi Order again. Although he was trained as a Jedi, sometimes demonstrating redemption but ultimately shunning the traditional path of a Jedi. Instead, Cade Skywalker chose to forge a different future and overthrow the One Sith using both Jedi and Sith powers at times.

What does Cade Skywalker do when he encounters Darth Krayt?

Cade Skywalker eventually came face to face with Darth Krayt in a conclusive duel of the Sith's war against the Jedi. The dark side continued on a quest to consume him, but Cade Skywalker resisted all of it as he killed Darth Krayt at last with one long-range shot. Even though he wanted to make sure that he'd never have to see Darth Krayt again, Cade attempted to incinerate Krayt's body by chasing it to be thrust into the sun.

How did Cade Skywalker respond to the death of his uncle Nat Skywalker?

Cade Skywalker was deeply mourning over the death of Uncle Nat Skywalker who saved him in the final battle and died saving his nephew. It was a heavy emotional shock as it made Cade Skywalker come up in the leader's position and further lead an attack team to turn off the planetary defense of Coruscant during the battle of the war.

What was Cade Skywalker's last move at the end of the war?

Now that the war had ended, Cade Skywalker decided to give up on all the commotion and go into a distant peaceful place so he and his friends could live. Since the war had ended, he no longer cared about staying amid the incessant fighting and started to crave a life far away from the shackles of the Sith and the Jedi.