Kyle Katarn - EU - Basic

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It is a period of civil war. The Rebel Alliance struggles to free the galaxy from the clutches of the evil Galactic Empire. Discovering that Imperial forces have begun developing a new type of stormtrooper, the Rebels call on mercenary Kyle Katarn. His mission: seek out and destroy the secret Imperial project called Dark Trooper.

A rogue mercenary loyal to no one, Kyle Katarn has accepted a near-impossible mission to destroy the Empire's ability to develop an army of unstoppable stormtroopers known as Dark Troopers.

If there is one figure that Expanded Universe fans may have had a problem with, it would be Kyle Katarn from the Dark Forces video game (and subsequent other Expanded Universe sources since). It’s not that he wasn’t an exciting character choice, it’s just the action figure interpretation didn’t match the character all that well. Some observant fans have noticed that even the likeness of the character drawn onto the back of the figure’s packaging is really just a modified version of the character from the original Dark Forces game. (A beard was added.) The action figure looks very little like any visual interpretation of the character via video game or drawing, but it looks cool nonetheless and will undoubtedly grip the fans of the video games. With a decent sculpt and a fair amount of accessories, Kyle Katarn may have been better off as an exclusive figure, thus leaving an open spot for one of the more popular characters in the Expanded Universe which was neglected in favor of this one instead.

Kyle Katarn is one of the few figures in the Expanded Universe line to come with a slightly exaggerated action pose. It’s not terribly action-oriented, but it seems to successfully capture the spirit of the character in the video game quite well, despite some of the problems we feel exist with his likeness. That doesn’t mean we don’t like the figure, because he is a great looking action figure. Whether you choose to accept him as the Kyle Katarn you’ve come to adore or not, he will function excellently in the back of a cantina display if you’re looking to add a little more variety into your dioramas. The paint operations are excellent and the colors aren’t too bright. In fact, we’d go so far to say they’re quite muted for an Expanded Universe character. But that is perhaps what makes him so versatile. And speaking of versatility, Kyle Katarn comes with two different blasters. They don’t fit into his hands perfectly, but with a little time you can get them to situate themselves in his paws rather well.

If we had to pick an issue with this figure, we’d have to address his extraordinarily large feet. We’re not sure if this is inherent to his boot design, or if it is some strange caricature inspired interpretation of the video game character, but we feel it looks a little too odd. Despite this, Kyle Katarn is still an interesting action figure. We’re quite fond of him regardless of his so-called issues. All Expanded Universe basic figures come with a 3D diorama housed inside of their packaging. These are truly wonderful premiums to have included with basic figures, and we wish Kenner would do this with the action figures based on the Original Trilogy as well. Kyle Katarn’s backdrop is an Imperial shuttle (how cool is that), and while there isn’t a ton of room to create an elaborate scene with him, the gesture and the small display area works wonders for the action figure. Perhaps Kyle Katarn is the weakest of all the Expanded Universe figures, but he will undoubtedly reach the hearts of insatiable fans who love the Star Wars video games. They now have a figure to accompany that.