BIOGRAPHIES
Originally a Stormtrooper, later a Rebel mercenary and finally a respected Jedi battlemaster, Kyle Katarn was one of the most skilled Jedi in the new Order, instrumental in the Yuuzhan Vong war, Second Galactic Civil war and, earlier, stopping a wayward dark Jedi from resurrecting the fearsome ancient Sith lord, Marka Ragnoss, a powerful force of evil that lead the Sith Empire into it's golden era, even being feared thousands of years later. However, what if the ritual had succeeded, and the esteemed Jedi master found himself facing one of the darkest Lords of all time? That is what we are going to see today.
MARTIAL ARTS
The New Jedi Order's Battlemaster, Katarn was undoubtedly skilled with the blade, with his skill being well renowned. Although he primarily focused on Lightsaber Form five, Katarn had practical knowledge in all seven Lightsaber Forms. Katarn had a good deal of natural skill with the blade, defeating seven powerful dark jedi in a row with very little training. Later in life, Katarn's ultimate test of dueling skill arrived in the form of Darth Caedus. Although the Jedi Master managed to keep pace with the skilled Sith lord, Katarn was eventually defeated, although it was principally due to the Jedi master exposing himself to save a fellow Jedi. Katarn was also known to be a superior duelist to many of his compatriots, including Jaden Korr and Mara Jade, although the latter eventually surpassed him in my opinion.
although little beyond his infamous reputation is actually known about legendary Sith Lord Marka Ragnoss, beyond his leadership keeping the stagnite Sith Empire in a golden age for over a hundred years. Unlike future Sith, Ragnoss (and most of the Sith of his time) Chose to wield a Sith sword, as opposed to a Lightsaber, even though he remained practiced with the energy weapon as well. Although, if I remember correctly, the seven forms of Lightsaber combat were not created at this point, Ragnoss most likely dueled in a strong, wildly offensive style, as did most Sith. Mostly known for his Force powers, Ragnoss was also a fearsome warrior, decapitating fellow Sith lord Simus in a duel and, via possession, held his own against Jaden Korr.
A rather clear cut edge. Kyle Katarn may or may not be top tier level, but he has been involved in some of the most brutal conflicts in galactic history, not to mention a well documented amount of extreme skill with a blade. On the converse, Ragnoss is hinted to be an extremely skilled warrior but he was mostly on par with Jaden Korr, who was below Kyle Katarn in skill level. From where I'm standing, there is little choice but to give Katarn the major edge in Lightsaber dueling and martial arts.
FORCE POWERS
Unlike most Jedi (new and old) Kyle Katarn had a much more liberal view on the Force, believing that no Force power is inherently evil, with it depending on the morality of the person using the powers instead. Thus Katarn was skilled in both Dark side skills like Force Lightning and Force Crush and Light side Force powers like Force absorb and Force healing. As with all Jedi Masters, he was also relatively highly skilled in telekinetic, telepathic and augmentative powers. All this said, Katarn's focused remained on his skills with the blade.
As previously mentioned, Marka Ragnoss was most infamous for his unparalleled strength in the Dark Side of the Force. A known Master of Sith magic, Marka Ragnoss has nethertheless not appeared enough to establish just how potent his abilities really are. However, it is obvious Mark Ragnoss was an exceedingly powerful wielder of the Dark Side, having the strength to preserve his spirit for thousands of years and several of his personal objects (Such as his scepter and tomb) having a good deal of residual power.
Much tougher to call then the first category, I fell something of a controversy here. Yes, every indication is that Ragnoss was a Sith of legendary power, being a grand scale master of Sith magic. However, he has very little in the way of actually demonstrated Force powers, and Sith magic (nine times out of ten) is extremely impractical and by and large ineffective in a pitched duel. Katarn, however, has more standard and low key powers, but remains a viable Force wielder nonetheless, bolstered by the duality of his powers. Thus, I give Kyle Katarn the edge in Force powers as well.
PHYSICAL SKILL
A roughly middle aged human male, Katarn is, on the surface, a pretty standard warrior. However, appearances can be deceiving and, although he was past his prime, Katarn remained extremely physically fit and tough, owing to his rigorous martial arts training. Katarn was also fast enough to keep pace with Darth Caedus.
Marka Ragnoss was a hybrid between a Sith pureblood and a human. This not only gave Ragnoss the distinctive appearance of the Sith race, but also made him stronger, tougher and more agile than normal beings. Although his exact age is unknown, it is known that he was well over one hundred years of age at the time of his death.
It is completely unknown how or even if Ragnoss was affected by his age and emersion in the Dark Side, although since I am using him from his physical prime, this point is moot. Katarn has displayed much more speed, Ragnoss is most likely just as agile and much stronger and tougher than the ageing human, thanks to his Sith blood. All in all, I would have to say the ancient Sith lord gets a signale edge here, although I wouldn't call Katarn out of the physical fight completely.
EQUIPMENT
For most of his life, Kyle Katarn was a mercenary and preferred the use of blasters. Once a Jedi Master however, he came to have a preference for his green bladed Jedi Lightsaber.
Marka Ragnoss wielded an ancient Sith sword that was embedded with several enhancements via alchemy and Sith magic. He could also conceal his weapon in his scepter.
No contest here. Lightsaber are quite possibly the most effective melee weapons from any series (except perhaps Thor's hammer) and are fare more viable tools than archaic swords. the Jedi Battlemaster secures yet another edge.
THE VERDICT
This battle suffers the same problem many prospective versus match ups face: A lack of information. We simply know next to nothing about Marka Ragnoss, barely enough to draw up a script about. On the converse, Kyle Katarn was the original Video game Jedi (before both Revan and Galen Marek) and has had many stories and opportunities to show his skill. Although he has clearly shown a good deal of strength with Sith magic, for reasons already outlined, Katarn has more diversity and skills at his hands. As far as martial arts goes, Katarn gets the clear edge, being one of the best duelists of his time and with a clear advantage over his opposition. Going further, Ragnoss may be physically imposing, but Katarn has faced enemies of relatively close to his build before, not to mention the possibility of Katarns blade breaking Ragnoss's, leaving him defenseless. All in all, although it would, admittedly, be an extremely hard fight on Katarns part, this battle ends with the Battlemaster adding another achievement to his track record. I declare Kyle Katarn the victor.
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