"In your blood runs a legacy of warriors that tasted Ashla and Bogan and found the middle in their end. Destroyers and defenders, conquerors and liberators, and now only one remains."
— The Bendu, to Jarik Shan
The Shan family was a famous Jedi family whose lineage dated back to the days of the Old Republic. They came to prominence when famed Jedi Knights Revan and Bastila Shan fell in love, birthing a long line of descendants for the next few millennia. Although the Shan bloodline nearly became extinct during a targeted purge, the family would eventually return to galactic prominence in the form of Jarik Shan, a legendary Jedi Master who opposed the Galactic Empire.
History
Old Republic era
"The bloodline of Revan is littered with great warriors of the Jedi... heroes of the Republic... conquerors, yes, but saviors also."
— Darth Plagueis, to Darth Sidious
In the days of the Old Republic, a human woman named Helena and her husband had a child together on the planet Talravin, a daughter named Bastila. Helena decided to give Bastila to the Jedi Order, believing that would be a better lifestyle for her.
As a Jedi Knight, Bastila Shan would play a major role in several events, her proficiency in battle meditation proving to be invaluable to the survival of the Galactic Republic against the Sith Empire. She would also be responsible for capturing Revan who, at the time, was a fearsome Sith Lord. Following Revan's redemption from the dark side of the Force, he and Bastila would fall in love with each other, though Bastila would later fall to the dark side herself before being redeemed as well by Revan. By this point they had become a dyad in the Force, a powerful Force-bond that made them one in the Force. After the Jedi Civil War, Revan and Bastila would marry and conceive a child together, although Revan would end up disappearing on a quest before their son, Vaner, would be born.
Due to Revan's role in the Mandalorian Wars, in which he killed Mandalore the Ultimate and greatly scattered the surviving Mandalorians, he and his descendants would be despised and hated by all Mandalorian warriors for the next several thousands years. This feud would only begin to heal after the last surviving member of the family, Jarik Shan, took steps to resolve it.
Bastila Shan and Revan's descendants would lead to the birth of Satele Shan three centuries later, a prominent figure who rose to become the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. Satele Shan led the Jedi them through many crises, even discovering the lost world of Tython, and in secret rediscovered the planet Ahch-To.
On the brink of destruction
"That whole family of Jedi or Sith who believe themselves so gifted in the Force... well no longer. I killed them all, proving once and for all who truly mastered the Force."
— Darth Bane (illusion), to Yoda
Millennia before the rise of the Galactic Empire, the Shan family would face a terrible fate at the hands of the Sith Lord Darth Bane. Although respectful and enlightened by the legacy of Darth Revan, Bane was envious of the power held by Revan's descendants, and opted to prove his superiority by inciting a purge that resulted in the slaughter of all of the descendants of Revan and Bastila. In the aftermath of the Shan Massacre, only one survivor managed to escape the carnage of Darth Bane. For the next thousand years, the Shan bloodline would continue on in secret, while the significance of the name would be lost to the galaxy as it faded from memory and legend.
Fall of the Republic era
"All the great warriors hailing from Revan's bloodline have opposed the dark side, even the Sith Emperor himself. And I sense young Jarik carries a great deal of similar power in his future."
— Darth Plagueis, to Darth Sidious
In the years leading up to the fall of the Republic, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious would discover the survival of the Shan family, and its newest member in the form of Jarik Shan. Seeking to acquire the child for his potential as a descendant of Revan, Sidious sent his apprentice Darth Maul to kidnap him. Maul would end up unsuccessful in his task as Jarik's parents, Lara Shan and Marcus Sohl, sacrificed themselves to ensure their son's survival. A year later, Jarik would be found by Qui-Gon Jinn in an orphanage and be brought to the Jedi Temple. Throughout much of his early life, Jarik was unaware of the significance his family held until he journeyed to the World Between Worlds in the final months of the Clone Wars, learning the truth from the spirits of Revan, Bastila, and Satele Shan.
Age of the Empire
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, the first non-human member of the Shan family would be recognized in the form of Ahsoka Tano after her marriage to Jarik Shan. The two would also adopt a young girl named Mara Jade after rescuing her from an Inquisitor, making her a part of the family in all but blood.
