Blackstar
Rojan Lhar from the planet Aljor was among the chosen few, those worthy of becoming Star Knights, defenders of peace and justice throughout the galaxy. Sri Rojan, although an extremely capable Star Knight, faced ongoing conflicts with Mentor and the Inner Circle regarding policy and his own actions in the field. Rojan was convinced the Star Knights could accomplish more, much more, if they didn’t allow themselves to be shackled by policies of non-interference. The Grue Unity, for example, continually defied them, but the Knights did nothing to deal with the Grue, merely keeping watch over their activities and stepping in when the Grue violated interstellar law. The same was true on primitive worlds where the Star Knights did not put an end to wars, or work to uplift primitive races from superstition and barbarism, preferring to let them “develop naturally on their own.”
Sri Rojan thus took it upon himself to demonstrate to Mentor and the Star Knight Inner Circle the sort of things the Knights could accomplish. He quickly and easily conquered a primitive world in his assigned sector of the galaxy, setting himself up as its supreme ruler and god, then set about creating order and advancing civilization. He intended to present the whole matter to the Inner Circle as a fait accompli, but another Star Knight, A’Lan Koor, discovered Rojan’s activities before he was able to complete his plans. Although Rojan attempted to convince his fellow Star Knight of the rightness of his intentions, Sri A’Lan was aghast at the celebrated knight’s violation of their code.
Desperate to avoid his inevitable punishment, and convinced his plan could still succeed, Rojan infiltrated Citadel and attempted to seize control of the Star Stone. With its power, he could bring order to the galaxy, eliminating crime, barbarism, and all threats to civilization. Thanks to the warning of A’Lan Koor, he failed, and was forced to flee. A’Lan Koor was appointed the task of bringing the first and only rogue Star Knight to justice.
Rojan Lhar fled to a backwards world known as Earth, in an isolated part of the galaxy, arriving there in the Earth year 1969. His foe A’Lan Koor became known to the people of Earth as Star Knight and joined a group of Earth heroes, the Freedom League. Rojan adopted the name Blackstar, and made several attempts to eliminate his hated rival and acquire the power to storm Citadel and claim the Star Stone’s power. Toward that end, Blackstar worked with various super-criminals on Earth, even joining an incarnation of The Crime League, the Freedom League’s deadliest foes.
Star Knight thwarted Blackstar’s schemes each time, although the rogue always managed to escape to fight another day. Finally, in 1977, Star Knight captured Blackstar and brought him to Citadel for trial. Mentor stripped Blackstar of his armor and sentenced him to imprisonment for life on an asteroid specially modified to hold him, with robotic jailers to care for his needs.
For over twenty years, Rojan Lhar stewed alone in his interstellar prison. What news he was allowed only deepened his bitterness. He saw his hated enemy A’Lan Koor advance to the Inner Circle of the Star Knights, lauded as a great hero. He heard about the voyages of the human Daedalus and the conflict between The Lor Republic and Star-Khan. He even managed to escape on two occasions, although he was always captured not long thereafter and returned to his exile.
Then Blackstar made covert contact with Omega, the Lord of the Terminus. Omega granted Rojan Lhar assistance in the form of a pair of ancient weapons: metallic wristbands that allow Lhar to tap into and channel a powerful “shadow force.” Blackstar arranged the destruction of his asteroid prison, hoping to convince his former jailers he perished in a cosmic disaster. Since then he has rejoined the Crime League on Earth and fought Earth’s new Star Knight.
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