Melek nar Kiranka

Melek nar Kiranka is a fictional character from the Wing Commander game series. He appears in both Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger (1994) and Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom (1996). He was a member of the Kilrathi, a fictional felinoid race.

Historical Background
Melek was the senior chee'dyachee, or retainer, of Crown Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka, the heir of the Kilrathi throne, at least since 2669. It's unknown when he started acting as Thrakhath's primary retainer. He oversaw Kilrathi fleet actions and kept Thrakhath updated on the actions of their enemy, the Terran Confederation, during the final years of the Kilrathi War. He served alongside Thrakhath onboard the Kilrathi flagship, the KIS Hvar'Kann. Melek clearly feared his superior whenever the Crown Prince lost his temper, and was careful not to insult or disappoint him. Melek proved to be an effective leader, but respected his human enemies as a worthy adversary, which almost cost him his position.

Melek served with Thrakhath during many of the final battles of the War. He informed Thrakhath that the Kilrath-controlled Locanda System was depleted of natural resources after years of purging the human colonies there and enslaving the civilian population. Although it was still a source of slave labor, Thrakhath reminded him that they had plenty of slaves, and should therefore give up the system to the humans, but not without rendering the system uninhabitable first. This later led to the bioweapon attack on Locanda 4, which forced the system into permanent quarantine. Later, the TCS Victory attacked the Kilrathi fleet in the Ariel System, but later fled to friendly space after being spotted. It was Melek who informed the Crown Prince that Colonel Christopher Blair, a.k.a. the "Heart of the Tiger," was on the vessel. This prompted Thrakhath to chase the Victory and send a transmission that coaxed Colonel Ralgha nar Hhallas, a friend of Blair's, to betray Confed. After the Kilrathi destroyed the TCS Behemoth in the Loki System, Confed rescued Dr. Philip Severin on Alcor 5, a Kilrathi prison planet. He later would create the Temblor Bomb used to destroy Kilrah. Melek personally told the Emperor of the humans' success in this mission, but Thrakhath disregarded this, as he was personally preparing an attack on the Earth.

Melek helped Thrakhath oversee the assembly of the Kilrathi fleet that would destroy Earth, and would have accompanied his leader to the planet. However, Christopher Blair delivered the Temblor Bomb to Kilrah less than 48 hours before the attack began, destroying Kilrah and demolishing the Kilrathi fleet. Blair killed Thrakhath above Kilrah, so Melek took control of the KIS Hvar'Kann, which barely escaped Kilrah. He captured Colonel Blair and almost killed him, but chose to surrender instead, preferring not to risk the extermination of the now weakened Kilrathi at the hands of the humans. He personally signed the Treaty of Torgo alongside Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, officially ending the Kilrathi War. Afterwards, he declared himself chancellor of the Kilrathi, but few Kilrathi pledged their loyalty to him despite some support from surviving members of the royal family. One of his supporters was Murragh Cakg dai Nokhtak, who was Thrakhath's nephew and the last heir to the throne. Melek had to deal with a massive civil war ravaging the surviving Kilrathi clans, who were fighting for control over the remnants of the Empire of Kilrah. One such opponent was Warlord Ukar dai Ragark, who fought the Free Republic of the Landreich. Melek tried to stop him from destroying the fragile peace between the humans and the Kilrathi, but ultimately, the Landreich were the one who stopped him.

In 2673, the Black Lance Conspiracy started and the Black Lance harassed Kilrathi ships, including Melek's personal shuttle in one raid. After being rescued by the Union of Border Worlds, Melek reunited with his old enemy, Christopher Blair, who left the Confederation in favor of the Border Worlds. The two of them made peace with each other and Blair helped Melek return home to Pasqual 10, a Kilrathi colony. Before this, Melek told Blair that he was a hero to many Kilrathi, for the Kilrathi grew too corrupt and murderous over the centuries. They were denied victory by their wargod for adopting human war policies. Blair's role in Kilrah's destruction allowed them to rebuild their culture and adapt to peaceful rule. It is unknown what Melek's position was after 2673 or in 2681, when the Nephilim attacked the newly-formed Kilrathi Assembly of Clans.

Behind the Scenes
In the FMVs, Melek was voiced by Tim Curry in WC3. In WC4, Melek was voiced by Barry Dennen and played by Christopher Bergschneider in a costume.