Star Wars has introduced some of the greatest cinematic characters. It’s also introduced some really weird people, and that’s where Don-Wan Kihotay comes into the picture.
Kihotay was introduced in Star Wars #8, two issues after the series wrapped up the film adaptation and had begun creating new stories. The character was originally known as Hess Korrin, a human with some Force abilities, particularly some mind tricks. He was a librarian on Obroa-skai who was obsessed with the Jedi Order, studying and immersing himself in their adventures, culture, and goals. When he wasn’t reading their history, Korrin fantasized about being a Jedi Knight so often that it warped his sense of reality.
But the Imperial Security Bureau shut down the antiquities wing on Obroa-skai and he became overwhelmed by grief and disappointment. He fashioned himself as Don-Wan Kihotay, believing that he was, indeed, a Jedi and swore to protect the Republic.
He evaded the Imperial Security Bureau and traveled to Aduba-3 where he became something of a jester for the locals. When Kihotay learned of a group gathering to protect the innocent, he heeded the call, meeting Han Solo. Though he considered himself above the gathering rogues, he joined Han’s team, the Star-Hoppers of Aduba-3, to defend the farming village of Onacra from Cloud-Riders. Sporting his makeshift Jedi armor and using his lightsaber, Kihotay battled the attackers and helped to defend the town.
When the giant monster known as a Sithspawn entered the fray, Kihotay believed only a Jedi Knight could defeat the beast. While attempting to fight the Sithspawn, the old man was interrupted by Han who used the lightsaber to kill the monster.
As his delusion became even more powerful, he settled at the Anglebay Station on Telos IV where he sought treatment. But when the bounty hunter Beilert Valance and a group of thugs infiltrated the station, he perished when it was destroyed. A few years later his adventures were added to the Alliance to Restore the Republic’s historical records, considered to be the strangest member of the Star-Hoppers of Aduba-3.
