starwars by shailen grade 4
 
  Anikin
    Anakin skywalker landed on tatowen when he was three.  He saw a slave running away and getting shot.  This was not a warm welcom for Anakin because anikin was also a slave.              A child born of prophecy, possibly conceived by the will of the Force itself, Anakin Skywalker has left an indelible mark on the history of the galaxy, leading it through periods of lightness and dark.
A child slave on Tatooine, Anakin and his mother Shmi were sold by their owner, Gardulla the Hutt, to the unscrupulous Toydarian junk dealer Watto. While in Watto's employ, Anakin learned valuable mechanical and technical skills. He earned the reputation of being able to fix anything. So technically inclined was he that at the young age of nine, he cobbled together a working protocol droid -- C-3PO -- to help his mother.

Anakin was a kind, selfless child. He had no thoughts of greed or malice in him. Though that is not to say the boy was docile. When his adrenaline surged, Anakin had an aggressive competitive streak. Anakin's participation in the foolhardy sport of Podracing is testament to this.

Anakin Skywalker was the only known human capable of handling the extreme speeds of Podracing. His small frame allowed him to sit in the tiny cockpit, and his superhuman reflexes gave him the advantage he needed to keep up with alien competitors better suited to the sport. Anakin's reflexes were actually the product of Force-intuition -- the boy could see events before they happened, and respond to them in kind.

Anakin's sensitivity to the Force and his racing talents caused him to cross paths with the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and the young Naboo royal, Queen Amidala. They were fugitives from the Trade Federation blockade of Naboo that desperately needed passage to Coruscant. In order to win the needed parts for their damaged vessel, Anakin figured into a cleverly crafted wager that depended on the outcome of the Boonta Eve Classic Podrace.

Anakin pitted his racing talents against the scheming Dug Podracer, Sebulba. The young boy ultimately bested the treacherous alien, winning not only the race and the needed starship parts, but also his freedom. He also garnered the attention and admiration of Queen Amidala, who was disguised as a simple handmaiden at the time. Despite their age difference -- she was fourteen and he, nine -- he professed someday that they would marry and he carried a devoted crush on her.

Unfortunately, Anakin was unable to win his mother's freedom. Qui-Gon sensed incredible Force potential in the boy, and Anakin's bloodstream held a record number of midi-chlorians. When he departed with Qui-Gon to proceed with his Jedi training, Anakin was forced to leave his mother behind. Although a new life of adventure awaited him offworld, his thoughts dwelled on the kind and quiet Shmi.

Qui-Gon Jinn believed Anakin to be the Chosen One spoken of in an ancient prophecy, the one who would bring balance to the Force. The Jedi Council was reluctant to train the boy, feeling his future to be clouded and that Anakin was too old to begin Jedi training.

After the liberation of Naboo -- wherein Anakin bravely piloted a starfighter into the heart of the Trade Federation Droid Control Ship -- the Council rescinded its original decision, and allowed Obi-Wan Kenobi to take Anakin as his Padawan learner.



Over the next decade, the two forged a strong bond. Under Obi-Wan's careful guidance, Anakin became a confident, headstrong 20-year old with an impulsive nature and a flair for adventure. His reckless ways would often wear down even Obi-Wan's patience, but the two were close friends. In many ways, Anakin looked to Obi-Wan as the father figure he never had.
Anakin and Obi-Wan were assigned to protect Padmé Amidala, who was now Senator of Naboo, from assassination attempts possibly linked to Separatists threatening the Republic. It was the first time Anakin and Padmé had seen each other in a decade. He had thought of her every day since their last parting, but she seemed aloof and far too occupied with the more important matters at hand.

This was a challenge to Anakin. Had he been schooled in the Jedi ways from infancy, he would have had a tighter rein on his emotions. Instead, his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Padmé or thoughts of his mother. He had not mastered the detachment so necessary to the Jedi order.

When he was assigned to escort Senator Amidala to Naboo, where she would be sequestered from further attacks while the Jedi investigated the situation, Anakin could barely contain his emotions. In the quiet solitude amid the beautiful surroundings of a hidden Naboo lake retreat, the affectionate friendship and deeper emotions shared by Padmé and Anakin began to grow.

It was Padmé who remained pragmatic in the face of rising emotions. The two had other, larger commitments -- he to the Jedi order, she to the Republic. There was simply no time to indulge their desires.

One night, Anakin was overcome with nightmares about his mother. Defying the strict orders given him by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin left Naboo to return to Tatooine and seek out Shmi Skywalker. Padmé accompanied him to Mos Espa, where he discovered that his mother had been freed by a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars. Visiting the Lars Homestead, Anakin also learned terrible news. His mother had been attacked by Sand People, and she had been missing for a month.

Anakin searched the desert for Shmi, finding her in a Tusken encampment. Sneaking into her guarded hut, Anakin freed her broken form and cradled her body as she died. Again Anakin's emotions boiled out of control. He was possessed with a dark rage that controlled his very actions. Anakin brandished his lightsaber and emerged from the tent.



He slaughtered the entire encampment. Every single Tusken Raider man, woman and child died by his hand. But even that did not sate his rage. He still felt a deep hatred toward all of them.

Anakin returned to the Lars Homestead with his mother's body. In private, he confessed his actions to Padmé. Shamed at his actions and inability to save his mother, Anakin collapsed, sobbing at what he did. Padmé comforted him as much as she could.

A quiet funeral was held at the Lars Homestead. Anakin said his final farewell to Shmi, promising that he would never fail her again. Someday, he knew, he would be powerful enough to not fail the ones he loved. Perhaps someday, he could even stop people from dying.

Anakin and Padmé next voyaged to Geonosis, where Obi-Wan's investigations had taken him. Kenobi had been captured by Separatist forces, and Anakin sought to rescue him. Sneaking into a droid foundry on the planet, Anakin barely escaped the dangerous machines of the assembly line. He and Padmé were eventually captured, and joined Kenobi in an execution arena. Faced with overwhelming evidence of her mortality, Padmé lowered her emotional guard and professed her love to Anakin, a love he was willing to return regardless of the consequences.

The Jedi and Padmé were able to escape certain death from the dangerous beasts unleashed by their Geonosian executioners. The spectacle was cut short with the arrival of Jedi reinforcements, and then the opening battle of the historic Clone Wars.

Obi-Wan and Anakin attempted to intercept Count Dooku, mastermind of the Separatists, before he escaped to foment even further rebellion against the Republic. In a darkened hangar, the two confronted Dooku. Though Obi-Wan insisted they work together, headstrong Anakin rushed into the fray. Dooku nearly incapacitated him with a powerful blast of dark side lightning.

Obi-Wan was forced to face Dooku alone, but the elder Jedi Master was clearly the more-skilled combatant. He wounded Kenobi, and was ready to deliver the deathblow, but Anakin jumped in to intercept. Dooku and Skywalker dueled with fierce energy, but Dooku proved far too powerful for even the Chosen One. The renegade Jedi slashed through Anakin's parries and severed the youth's arm. Anakin collapsed, but was spared death by the timely arrival of Jedi Master Yoda, who battled Dooku.

After a brief convalescence wherein Anakin's severed arm was replaced with a mechanical one, he accompanied Senator Amidala back to Naboo. There, at a secluded lake retreat, the two were secretly wed by a Naboo holyman in a ceremony witnessed only by C-3PO and R2-D2. It may have been the start of a new life, but it was another step to Anakin's eventual destruction.



If Anakin felt his time as a Padawan was a trying exercise in restraint, the Clone Wars would prove to be an ever greater challenge that would mold his character. Apprenticed to Obi-Wan in the thick of the fiercest fighting the Republic had faced in centuries, Anakin became a man against the backdrop of seemingly ceaseless war.

Despite Jedi platitudes about peace and patience, Anakin found the battles of the Clone Wars invigorating. He felt alive in combat, and his incredible Force abilities were further honed. It was Anakin who single-handedly transformed inevitable defeat into victory on numerous occasions. Encounters on worlds such as Cato Neimoidia and elsewhere cemented Anakin and Obi-Wan's legendary reputations. Throughout the Republic, citizens would spread tales of the two Jedi heroes -- Anakin's hologenic features and daring exploits earned him the moniker of "The Hero With No Fear." Skywalker became a celebrity of the state, despite Jedi ascetics frowning upon such accolades.

Impressed by Anakin's skill with the Force, the Jedi Council quickly conferred upon him the status of General and Jedi Knight at the war's outset. True to his pre-Jedi nature, Anakin was bold and aggressive, but he quickly learned that sometimes a well-chosen word proves more effective than a flashing lightsaber. Though resourceful and even cunning if the situation demanded it, Anakin generally trusted his superior Force-abilities to bail him out of a tight squeeze. Anakin's confidence was his greatest asset, and, at times, also his greatest liability. Indeed, Anakin's emotions often landed him in hot water. Never hesitant to risk it all, Anakin's passions consistently led him into dangerous situations and, according to some, questionable decision-making.

Anakin's brash nature and bold talk often placed him at odds with the other Jedi, many of whom view Anakin as a loose-cannon -- albeit an exceptionally talented one. In an effort to teach Anakin responsibility, Master Yoda gave him a Padawan learner, 14-year-old Ahsoka Tano. Though they were as different as a Master and his apprentice could be, Anakin and Ahsoka quickly found a common ground, which left Yoda wondering whether the responsibility of mentorship would actually calm Anakin's wild ways, or if he'd simply pass them on to his new Padawan.

Time and again, the Separatists pushed, and Anakin would find himself restrained by his oaths to the Jedi. He couldn't share his darker thoughts with his fellow Jedi -- the thoughts that overwhelmed him that night in the Tusken Raider village. He knew that such a path was a gateway to more power, but it also led to the dark side. The only person he felt comfortable confiding such troubles to was a friend he had since his days as a child hero on Naboo: Chancellor Palpatine.

Palpatine encouraged Anakin's talents. In many ways, Anakin felt Palpatine was the only one not asking anything from him. He was simply letting Anakin be, and appreciating him for his efforts and talents -- he wasn't imposing boundaries nor begging for aid.

Another ache for Anakin was the absence from his wife. Long weeks would stretch into months wherein Anakin would not see Padmé. As a devoted Senator, she kept a watchful eye on the war, but much of her interest on the scattered reports of the ongoing conflict was deeply personal. The five months they were apart during the Outer Rim Sieges tore at their hearts.

In the last year of the Clone Wars, Anakin and Obi-Wan were stationed in the Outer Rim when word came of a shocking development. Coruscant was under attack. Not only was the planet that held his beloved wife targeted, but also his close friend the Chancellor had been kidnapped by the merciless General Grievous and his droid forces.

It was with a fierce determination that Obi-Wan, Anakin, and their Republic forces launched towards Coruscant, to parry the blow to the Republic's heart. Infiltrating General Grievous' flagship, Obi-Wan and Anakin worked their way into what was surely a trap. Aboard the vessel, they found the captive Palpatine and were confronted once again by Count Dooku.

In the lightsaber duel that ensued, Obi-Wan was knocked unconscious by a withering telekinetic blow delivered by the Sith Lord. Anakin continued to hold his own alone, urged to the offensive by Palpatine's goading. Anakin sliced off Dooku's hands, rendering the Sith Lord harmless. At Palpatine's insistence, Anakin killed Dooku, decapitating the Separatist leader. He instantly regretted the decision, despite the surge of power he felt in doing it. Palpatine tried to reassure Anakin that it was necessary -- Dooku was too dangerous to be taken alive.

Kenobi, Skywalker and Palpatine then attempted to make their way off the starship, only to be captured by General Grievous' droid forces. Marched before the General within the ship's bridge, it was Anakin who surprisingly recommended patience as a tactic. Sure enough, his reliable astromech droid, R2-D2, provided a mechanical distraction that allowed Anakin and Obi-Wan to overpower their guards and reclaim their weapons.

Grievous escaped the encounter, but the flagship sustained far too much damage during the Battle of Coruscant to remain in flight. The planet's gravity pulled the ship further down into the atmosphere, and it was up to Anakin to pilot the splintering craft to safety. True to his reputation, he succeeded. He once again proved to be a hero -- having rescued Palpatine, defeated Dooku, and returned home safely.

Finally back on Coruscant, Anakin was reunited with Padmé. The reunion was bittersweet, for while Padmé brought Anakin the news that she was pregnant, this only complicated matters. They wondered how they could continue to keep their relationship a secret with this new development. Anakin tried to focus on the positive, but was soon plagued with nightmares that he deeply feared were prophetic. He kept dreaming that Padmé would die in childbirth.

In addition to this heavy burden, even more weight was put on young Anakin's shoulders. He found himself in the middle of a political power struggle between the Jedi Council and the Chancellor. Throughout the Clone Wars, Chancellor Palpatine was gaining increased executive powers in the name of security. Those in the Jedi Council, including Mace Windu, grew increasingly suspicious of Palpatine's motives. They suspected Palpatine would soon attempt to make the Council an exclusive instrument of the Chancellor's office.

Palpatine trusted Anakin. Their friendship caused the Chancellor to appoint Skywalker to the Council, as his special representative. Ordinarily, the Jedi Council would not allow such an outside influence to dictate their appointments, but the Jedi had a plan. They would use Anakin to report on the Chancellor's activities. Though not documented in any official records, Anakin was asked by the Council to spy on the Chancellor. Specifically, Obi-Wan Kenobi made the request personally.

Anakin was outraged. Bad enough the Jedi Council should involve itself in such treason, but to ask in such an unorthodox fashion -- and to have it be his former mentor nonetheless! Further angering Skywalker was that the Council accepted his appointment, but refused to grant him the rank of Master. Such an insult was unheard of. Deep down he believed he was more powerful than these outdated Jedi Masters. Anakin imagined that they feared his power, notions that Palpatine helped nurture with his advice.

It was at these moments of Skywalker's greatest confusion that Palpatine opened up to him. During a quiet conversation at the Galaxies Opera House, Palpatine recounted an old Sith legend of Darth Plagueis the Wise. Palpatine explained that Plagueis, a Sith Lord, had abilities that some would describe as unnatural. Like an ancient alchemist, he could coax life out of midi-chlorians, either for the purpose of creating new life, or staving off death in others. This was the promised power of the Sith, suggested Palpatine. Anakin, who had been searching for a way to prevent Padmé from dying, listened intently.

Anakin confronted Palpatine about this arcane knowledge, accusing the Chancellor to be a Sith Lord. The Chancellor did nothing to dissuade Anakin of this idea. He instead offered Anakin the knowledge and power that the dark side promised. He promised Skywalker a path to the Force that had no rules, no code, no boundaries.

Anakin reported the Chancellor to Mace Windu, earning the Jedi Master's trust. Windu brought a team of capable Jedi warriors to arrest the Chancellor, but he refused to let Anakin come along. Left alone to stew in his tempestuous thoughts, Anakin realized that Palpatine could be his only chance at saving Padmé. He rushed to the Chancellor's office, to discover that Mace Windu was about to kill the Sith Lord.

Palpatine cried out for help, calling Mace a traitor, and explaining how the Jedi had engineered a coup to topple the Republic's leadership. Mace denied this loudly, identifying Palpatine as the traitor. With these shrill arguments vying for his loyalty, Anakin felt torn. He snatched his lightsaber, and brought an end to the standoff.

Skywalker's blade neatly cleaved through Mace Windu's arm. With his defenses stripped, Windu was easily overpowered by Chancellor Palpatine. The Sith Lord -- now revealed to be Darth Sidious -- killed the Jedi Councilor with a massive burst of Sith lightning that propelled Mace Windu out the shattered window of the Chancellor's office.

With the death of Mace Windu, Anakin had committed himself to the dark path. He knelt before Darth Sidious, proclaiming himself to be a servant of the Sith. Pleased, Sidious granted Anakin a Sith name: Darth Vader. With the promise of newfound powers, Sidious dispatched Vader to destroy the Jedi Temple.

On that terrible night on Coruscant, Darth Vader became the scourge of the Jedi. He led a column of clone troopers into the heart of the Jedi Temple. They killed all those within. His eyes burning with Sith intensity, it became clear that Anakin was no longer the same hero he once was. He was firmly entrenched in darkness, even bringing his blade to snuff out the bright lives of the Jedi younglings.

Skywalker was no more. He could not hear the entreaties of his friends and loved ones to return from the darkness. As Darth Vader, he killed the leadership of the Separatists, bringing an end to the Clone Wars. In his rage, he would bring about the death of his wife, fulfilling the terrifying vision that prompted his turn to forbidden knowledge. When his former mentor tried to stop his spree of destruction, Vader suffered grievous injuries in the lightsaber duel on Mustafar that followed.

Vader required cybernetic enhancements and replacements to sustain him. His pure innocent self seemingly lost forever, Darth Vader cast a dark pall over the galaxy, as he was one of the foremost agents responsible for the spread of the Emperor's draconian New Order.

Obi-Wan survived long enough to begin the training of Luke Skywalker -- Anakin's son -- in the path of the Jedi. The young Skywalker sought to turn his father away from the grip of the dark side. In the end, Luke stirred the spirit of Anakin that dwelled deep within the black armor, and Anakin turned against his master. Anakin killed Emperor Palpatine, but was mortally wounded in the attempt.

Aboard the second Death Star at the Battle of Endor, Anakin Skywalker lay dying. He asked his son to remove his life-sustaining helmet, so that he could look upon his long lost son with his own eyes. Having saved his son's life, and reclaimed his soul from the dark side, Anakin died and became one with the Force. As he shed his corporeal form, he found the spectral forms of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda ready for his return. Through compassion and selflessness, Anakin discovered the secret knowledge of the Shaman of the Whills, a technique that allowed him to retain his identity in the netherworld of the Force.

Anakin's spectral form looked upon his two children -- the twins Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa -- during the celebration at Endor.

obi-wan-kenobi
A dedicated and legendary Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi had a long and tumultuous career that has helped shape the fate of an entire galaxy. When he was 25 standard years old, he was caught up in the important events of the Battle of Naboo. At the time he was a Padawan learner, apprenticed to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
At the behest of Supreme Chancellor Valorum, Obi-Wan and his Master secretly voyaged to Naboo to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the tense Trade Federation blockade of the planet. Aboard a Trade Federation vessel, the scheming Neimoidians sprung a trap on the Jedi, and attempted to kill them. Kenobi and his Master escaped and stowed away on Trade Federation invasion craft landing on Naboo's surface.

Following his Master, Obi-Wan voyaged from Naboo to Coruscant and back during the intrigue that surrounded the Battle of Naboo. When Qui-Gon Jinn brought a freed young slave boy, Anakin Skywalker, before the Jedi Council, Obi-Wan was taken aback. Qui-Gon claimed that Anakin was the Chosen One of an ancient Jedi prophecy, and that he was to be Jinn's new Padawan learner, replacing Obi-Wan. The council refused Jinn's proposal to train the boy.

This was just one of many disagreements that Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn had during their time together. Jinn, a proponent of the living Force over the more serene unifying Force, had long been a maverick in the eyes of the Jedi Council. Obi-Wan implored his Master not to go against the Council, but Qui-Gon always responded by saying that he must do as the will of the Force advises.

During the liberation of Naboo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were challenged by a deadly Sith Lord. A forgotten menace, the Sith had returned after centuries of seeming extinction. For the first time in ages, Jedi and Sith dueled. The dark warrior, Darth Maul, used his incredible speed, rage and his double-ended lightsaber to fend off both Jedi. As the duel progressed, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon became separated. Kenobi watched helplessly as Maul killed Qui-Gon, and he rushed to kill the Sith Lord in turn.

Qui-Gon's dying words were a request for Obi-Wan to train Anakin, despite the Council's objections. The Council ultimately agreed with Obi-Wan taking Anakin as a Padawan -- though Jedi Master Yoda had strong reservations about it. The Council also bestowed upon Obi-Wan the title and rank of Jedi Knight.



For over a decade Obi-Wan guided young Anakin on the path to Jedi Knighthood. Having to rein in an adventure-seeking youth made Obi-Wan wise -- and cynical -- beyond his years. True to his role, Obi-Wan recognized both Anakin's strengths and weaknesses, and he tried to impart his lessons with the patience and understanding that his mentor, Qui-Gon, did.

As Anakin progressed, Obi-Wan grew increasingly concerned that the young Padawan's raw power had fostered a dangerous arrogance. He frequently expressed these reservations to the senior members of the Jedi Council, but they continued to trust in Kenobi's mentorship.

After returning from a border dispute on the world of Ansion, Obi-Wan and Anakin were called by the Supreme Chancellor to protect the life of Senator Padmé Amidala. Though Obi-Wan carried a less-than-favorable impression of politics, he nonetheless took the assignment very seriously. A failed assassination attempt left Obi-Wan with a valuable clue -- an exotic weapon not recognized by the analysis droids of the Jedi Temple.

As Anakin voyaged offworld on his first mission, escorting and protecting Padmé Amidala on her home planet of Naboo, Obi-Wan continued the investigation. He journeyed to Coruscant's Coco Town, a shabby stretch of city where an old friend, Dexter Jettster, lived and worked. Dex, the proprietor of a simple diner, was a wealth of knowledge, and was able to identify the weapon as a Kamino saberdart.

In searching out Kamino, Obi-Wan discovered a dangerous and disturbing mystery. The vaunted Jedi Archives, perhaps the largest repository of lore in the galaxy, had no record of the planet that Dex described. Conferring with Yoda, Obi-Wan learned that Kamino had been erased from the archives.

Aboard a Jedi starfighter, Kenobi journeyed to the storm-shrouded world of Kamino. There, he made contact with the Prime Minister, Lama Su, and the mystery surrounding the planet became even more tangled. As explained by the Kaminoans, Obi-Wan was expected. A decade prior, the Kaminoans had begun crafting an immense clone army on the behalf of the Jedi for use by the Republic. Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, believed dead at the time, had apparently commissioned the army.

The courteous Kaminoans gave Kenobi a tour of their cloning facility in Tipoca City. Obi-Wan saw hundreds of identical clone troopers, training and preparing, encased in modern, white armor. This seemed to have nothing to do with the assassination attempt on Amidala, until Kenobi met with the original genetic template for the clones.

Jango Fett, notorious bounty hunter, had called Kamino home for a decade. Obi-Wan, never breaking his cover story of inspecting the clones, had a brief yet tense conversation with the hunter. Kenobi recognized the man's armor from the assassination attempts on Coruscant, and was tasked by the Jedi Council to take Fett into custody for questioning.



This resulted in a fierce brawl between Kenobi and Fett. Jango Fett's weapon-covered suit aided him in landing blows on the Jedi, and the bounty hunter also benefited from cover fire from his young son, Boba. Ultimately, Jango escaped aboard his starship, Slave I, but not before Kenobi was able to secure a homing device to his ship.

Kenobi shadowed Jango to the ringed world of Geonosis before he was discovered pursuing Slave I. A dangerous chase ensued through the rocky rings of the red planet, and Kenobi's starfighter sustained light damage from a blistering hail of laser fire. Fett again thought he lost his pursuer and proceeded to land, but Kenobi continued his chase.

Obi-Wan secretly landed on Geonosis, and snuck into one of its massive spire-complexes. Inside, he found a gathering of Separatist minds, including the leader of the movement, Count Dooku. He learned that Dooku was gathering the heads of the commerce guilds and pooling their military resources, making one huge army to challenge the Republic. Kenobi returned to his ship to make contact with the Jedi Council. He warned of the impending Separatist action, but his communication was cut short when he was taken captive.

Held in a Geonosian dungeon, Kenobi was approached by Dooku. The charismatic renegade Jedi spoke fondly of Kenobi's old mentor, Qui-Gon Jinn, who had once been Dooku's apprentice. Dooku seemed to genuinely regret that events had escalated to their current level. His disillusionment with the Republic seemed sincere. Dooku even revealed to Kenobi that the Senate was under the control of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious. Kenobi refused to believe the words of the elder Jedi, and refused, too, an invitation to join Dooku in battle against the Sith.

As per Geonosian custom, Kenobi was sentenced to be executed. Joining him were Anakin and Padmé, who had journeyed to Geonosis in a vain rescue effort. The trio was chained to pillars in a massive Geonosian execution arena, and three horrible beasts were unleashed upon them. The Jedi and Padmé, however, proved difficult to kill. Unarmed and shackled, they were resourceful enough to escape certain death. Kenobi avoided the deadly cutting swipes of a vicious acklay creature long enough for Jedi reinforcements to arrive.

A hundred Jedi Knights infiltrated the arena, and the Separatists countered by unleashing many more battle droids into combat. Jedi fell by the dozens, but Obi-Wan fought valiantly and survived. This was but a prelude to the start of the Clone Wars, as the newly formed Republic military stormed Geonosis.

Dooku attempted to escape the battle, but Obi-Wan and Anakin gave chase. They caught up with the old Jedi in a hidden hangar. Though Obi-Wan instructed Anakin to join him in a coordinated attack against Dooku, the headstrong Padawan rushed in only to be incapacitated by Dooku's surprising dark side attack.

Kenobi moved in for the attack, but Dooku proved far too powerful. The rogue Jedi's lightsaber skills outpaced Kenobi's parries, and Obi-Wan fell to the ground, wounded in the arm and leg from glancing saber strikes. As Dooku was about to administer the deathblow, Anakin leaped forward and saved his master. Skywalker and Dooku dueled, but again the Count proved his superiority. Anakin was maimed and collapsed in an exhausted heap, joining his helpless master.

Finally, Jedi Master Yoda arrived and attempted to stop Dooku. Though Yoda's withering lightsaber attack nearly stopped the evil Jedi, Dooku was able to distract the diminutive master by endangering Obi-Wan and Anakin with a fallen pillar torn free by the Force. Yoda used his telekinetic abilities to stop the pillar before it crushed the two younger Jedi, and Dooku was able to escape.

Kenobi healed, and had brief moments to reflect upon the immense changes in the galaxy that had occurred. He conceded that the Jedi had needed the clone army, otherwise the Separatists clearly would have won at Geonosis. Yoda sadly noted that the victory on Geonosis was in fact no victory at all. It was only the start of the darkest times ever to be faced by the galaxy.



As with the other Jedi in the order, Obi-Wan became a high-ranking general in the clone army. Disciplined and courageous, Obi-Wan fought to preserve the Republic, which he considered the ultimate protector of galactic peace. Though he was a deadly warrior and a skilled tactician, Obi-Wan also possessed a softer side. Merciful and even empathetic, Obi-Wan preferred to debilitate his enemies rather than slay them outright. Despite his skill with a lightsaber, Obi-Wan would always end a battle with words before bloodshed if given the option to do so, earning him the moniker, "the Negotiator." In large measure, Obi-Wan's success as an intermediary stemmed from his innate likeability. Even when beset by the direst circumstance, Obi-Wan's dry wit always elicited a chuckle.

In stark contrast to his volatile former-Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi would remain calm in the most perilous of situations. After seeing Anakin graduate to the status of Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan found endless delight in watching his one-time student struggle with a strong-willed learner of his own, Ahsoka Tano.

Kenobi had the control of a complete army of clone troopers and the latest military hardware. His most trusted clone soldier, Commander 2224 -- also known as Cody -- served him well during close calls on Christophsis, Cato Neimoidia and elsewhere.

During the Clone Wars, Kenobi ascended to the rank of Jedi Master, and he occupied a position in the Jedi Council. He was able to contribute to the highest levels of Jedi strategy, and such a vaunted position allowed him to witness the strain between the Jedi order and the Office of the Chancellor firsthand.

Whatever reservations Kenobi had about Palpatine had to be discarded when the Jedi undertook the important mission to rescue the Chancellor from the clutches of General Grievous. The cyborg general of the droid army led a bold strike against Coruscant, and managed to abduct the Chancellor. Obi-Wan and Anakin came racing into the battle aboard their Jedi starfighters.

High above Coruscant, an enormous battle raged, as capital ships from the Republic tangled with the escaping forces of the Confederacy. Weaving through the chaos were Obi-Wan and Anakin, backed by Squad 7 of the clone starfighter forces. An attack by a swarm of buzz droids did little to change Obi-Wan's attitude about piloting -- the tiny mechanical vandals stripped his ship in mid-flight, leaving him to land hard in the hangar bay of General Grievous' flagship.

Aboard the starship, Anakin and Obi-Wan cut their way through droid forces as they raced to free the Chancellor. It was certainly a trap, but the Jedi had no shortage of confidence in their abilities, as indicated by Obi-Wan's strategy: "Spring the trap."

They found the Chancellor bound to a chair in the spacious observation deck of the General's quarters. Waiting for them was Count Dooku, and unlike the impulsive and disorganized attack of their last confrontation with Dooku, Obi-Wan and Anakin challenged the Sith Lord as a team.

Dooku proved a formidable opponent. He Force-pushed Obi-Wan with terrible strength, tossing the Jedi Master like a ragdoll against the wall of the quarters. Kenobi was knocked unconscious. Out cold, he never saw the final moments of the duel, where Anakin killed an unarmed Dooku in cold blood at the Chancellor's goading.

When Kenobi recovered, he woke up in a canted turbolift shaft, draped over Anakin's shoulder. The Jedi and the freed Chancellor were not only fighting battle droids, but also the ship itself as the massive vessel fell apart around them due to damage suffered from the prolonged space battle. As they tried to reach the hangar bay, the three fugitives were captured in an energy shield, and marched before General Grievous aboard the ship's bridge.

Obi-Wan and Anakin were able to break their bonds and overpower their captors. Grievous escaped, leaving the prisoners on the abandoned bridge as the starship succumbed to Coruscant's gravity well and began plunging to the surface of the planet. It was Anakin's piloting skills that saved the day, landing the wreck of the starship in an abandoned industrial area.

With the death of Dooku, the Republic could claim a major victory, yet the Chancellor was not willing to relinquish any of the power he had attained during the threat of war. General Grievous still remained at large, so the state of emergency could not be lifted. The Jedi Council next focused their attentions on bringing the cyborg general to justice. That task fell to Kenobi.

But before that, Obi-Wan was given another tough task; challenging not for its tactical difficulty, but for the awkward strain it put on his relationship with Anakin. At the Chancellor's behest, Skywalker was put on the Jedi Council. Ordinarily, the Council would not allow the Chancellor to dictate the affairs of the Jedi, but they accepted Anakin. They refused to grant him the rank of Master, though, a decision that angered the powerful young Jedi.

Fueling that anger all the more was the reasoning behind the Jedi Council's acceptance. Obi-Wan explained it to Anakin outside of Council sessions, so that it would remain off official Council records. The Council wanted Anakin to report on the Chancellor's dealings -- he would in effect be spying on the leader of the Republic. Anakin was torn; he counted Palpatine and Obi-Wan among his closest friends, and now both were asking to spy on the other.

Obi-Wan grew concerned about Anakin's moodiness. He approached Padmé to discuss the troubled man's dilemmas, to gain any insight into Anakin's stresses. Unfortunately, his presence and closeness to Padmé would only fuel Anakin's irrational suspicions that everyone was conspiring against him.

When clone intelligence reports indicated that Grievous had fled to Utapau, Obi-Wan took three battalions to the planet. He flew ahead of them, to scout out the area by himself before his troops arrived in force. Landing in a massive sinkhole city of the Outer Rim planet, Kenobi made contact with Port Administrator Tion Medon. The tall Utapaun revealed that the world had been under Separatist martial law, and that General Grievous and the Separatist leadership were on planet, on the Tenth Level of the sinkhole city.

Kenobi, riding atop a loyal lizard named Boga, climbed to Tenth Level and found Grievous. He confronted the droid general, backed by his Republic forces led by Commander Cody. The Battle of Utapau commenced, with Obi-Wan squaring off against Grievous.

The droid general had been trained in lightsaber combat by Count Dooku. Grievous lacked the finesses of a master swordsman, and instead used brute and whirlwind tactics against Kenobi. Grievous' artificial anatomy allowed him to wield four lightsabers at once, and spin them like deadly buzzsaws. But, since he could not use the Force, Kenobi was able to anticipate his blows, and counter them. Obi-Wan sheared off several of Grievous' lightsaber hands, and forced the General to flee.

Grievous climbed aboard his waiting wheel bike and tore off into the alleys and corridors of the sinkhole city. Kenobi gave pursuit atop Boga, jumping onto Grievous' vehicle andwrestling him to the ground. In a knuckle-crunching brawl that followed, Grievous and Kenobi traded fierce blows on the General's secret landing platform. Grievous had the advantage of raw physical strength and an armored body. Kenobi was nearly bested, but in the course of the brawl, the Jedi had loosened the plates that protected Grievous' organic innards.

Snatching Grievous' blaster pistol, Kenobi fired at the General. The blast pierced Grievous' pressurized gut sac and burned its way through his vital organs. The General was dead. The Clone Wars were over.

But the betrayal of the clone forces had begun. Unbeknownst to Obi-Wan, back on Coruscant, Palpatine had put his master plan into motion. The Chancellor enacted Order 66, a secret command that turned every clone commander against their Jedi Generals. Absolutely loyal to the Republic, Cody believed that the Jedi were conspiring against the Republic. The clones opened fire on Kenobi. He barely escaped Utapau.

Fleeing the sinkhole planet aboard General Grievous' starfighter, Kenobi made contact with Bail Organa and Jedi Master Yoda. The loyalist Senator reported that the Jedi Temple had been attacked by clone forces, while Yoda also confirmed that the clones had turned against the Jedi all over the Republic. The emergency beacon contained within the Jedi Temple was calling all the Jedi home. This signal was luring the scattered Jedi into a trap. Yoda and Obi-Wan realized that they needed to shut off that signal if the Jedi order was to be preserved.

Returning to Coruscant, Kenobi and Yoda found the ruins of the temple. Dead Jedi littered the once polished corridors. The corpses were burned by blaster fire, but several exhibited slashes from a lightsaber. Kenobi realized the terrible truth, a suspicion verified by holographic records of the attack. Anakin Skywalker had caused this destruction. He had succumbed to the dark side. The Chancellor was Darth Sidious, and Skywalker was his new apprentice, Darth Vader.

Kenobi rushed to Padmé, to tell her this horrific news and determine Anakin's whereabouts. Padmé was shocked, and though she knew where Skywalker was headed next, she did not divulge this to Kenobi. She knew that Kenobi's next mission would be to stop Anakin -- perhaps even kill him. Protecting the man she loved and the father of her unborn children, Padmé secretly departed Coruscant to confront Anakin. Kenobi stowed away aboard her vessel.

Arriving on Mustafar, Kenobi emerged from Padmé's ship as the two lovers reunited. Padmé was distraught by Anakin's transformation. She pleaded for him to return from the dark side. When Anakin saw Kenobi aboard her ship, he snapped. Anakin accused Padmé of betraying him, and used the Force the strangle her. Kenobi witnessed the evil in Anakin, and attacked his former apprentice.

The lightsaber duel that followed was the stuff of legends. The two incredible warriors crossed blades throughout the barren industrial facility on Mustafar, oblivious to the volcanic danger surrounding them. The duel spilled over onto Mustafar's fiery surface, with Kenobi and Vader clashing atop automated platforms floating on the molten rivers of lava. The duel returned to solid ground as Kenobi leapt to the black-sand shores of one of the lava flows. He had the high ground, the tactical advantage. He urged Vader not to press on in a fight he could not win, but the Sith Lord's arrogance got the better of him.

Anakin leapt towards Kenobi, and Obi-Wan sheered off his legs and one of his arms in a single swipe. Anakin's maimed body rolled down the embankment, towards the river's edge. Obi-Wan was crushed. The supposed Chosen One was no more, but only after wreaking so much destruction on the galaxy. The Jedi were gone. The Chancellor now ruled the galaxy, and the young hero he had come to regard as his beloved brother lay dying on the charred gravel of a hellish world. The heat from the river washed over Anakin, and he burst into flames. His last words professed his utter hatred for Kenobi.

Kenobi picked up Skywalker's dropped lightsaber and returned to Padmé's starship. She was dying, but the life of the babies she carried within her still glowed brightly through the Force. They flew to the nearest refuge, the asteroid mining colony of Polis Massa. The alien medics tried to save her life, but it was no use. She died as she gave birth to twins: Luke and Leia.

Yoda, Bail and Obi-Wan were the only ones who knew of the children's fate. They recognized that should the Emperor ever discover that Anakin had offspring, they would be in danger. Obi-Wan was instrumental in hiding the children, so that the Dark Lords would not know of their whereabouts. He took the young boy, Luke, to live with Owen and Beru Lars, moisture farmers on Tatooine. The young girl, Leia, was taken to Viceroy Bail Organa of Alderaan.

As the Jedi's ranks were wiped out by the machinations of the emergent Empire, Obi-Wan went into hiding on Tatooine. He would stay there for decades, adopting the name of Ben. The locals would refer to him as a "crazy old hermit," and gave the eccentric old man a wide berth. During this time, Kenobi spent years communing with the Force. Through meditation, he made contact with the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn. His former Master had discovered the secret of immortality, a way of preserving his identity in the netherworld of the Force. Obi-Wan studied from him, learning this ability.

During the height of the Galactic Civil War, Leia Organa secured plans to the Empire's most diabolical weapon -- the Death Star. Her mission was to contact Obi-Wan Kenobi, and bring both Kenobi and the plans to her adoptive father on Alderaan. Captured by the Imperial agents, Leia was unable to complete either goal. She instead placed the plans into the memory systems of an R2 unit, and dispatched the droid to Tatooine.

The droid R2-D2 and his companion C-3PO came into the ownership of Owen Lars. R2-D2 was adamant in continuing his mission of getting the plans to Kenobi, and fled the Lars Homestead. When Luke Skywalker pursued the little droid, he came face to face with Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan explained to Luke about his father, though the Jedi didn't reveal the whole truth to the lad. Uncertain that Luke would be ready for the burden, Kenobi explained to him that Anakin Skywalker was an amazing pilot, a great warrior and a good friend. Obi-Wan attributed Anakin's death to a rogue pupil of his, Darth Vader, who betrayed and murdered Anakin. Since, Kenobi reasoned, Anakin ceased to be upon the emergence of Vader, what he told Luke was true, from a certain point of view. Obi-Wan even gave Luke a gift from his father: Anakin Skywalker's blue-bladed lightsaber. Thus began Luke's journey into the world of the Jedi.

Obi-Wan tried to train Luke as much as he could in their short time together. As testament to the desperation of these dark times, Kenobi knew full well that Skywalker would never have been trained in the old days of the Jedi. He was far too old to begin training. Nonetheless, Kenobi saw a chance to redeem his fallen pupil through Luke.

Having taken the mission to rescue Princess Leia from the Empire, Obi-Wan and Luke hired Han Solo's Millennium Falcon as transportation to Alderaan. During the trip, Kenobi began Luke's lightsaber training. The brief session was cut short as the Falcon emerged from hyperspace to find Alderaan destroyed by the Death Star.

The tramp freighter was captured by the Empire and taken aboard the Death Star. Once aboard, it was Kenobi's mission to disable the tractor beam terminal responsible for holding the ship. Kenobi did so, carefully sneaking through the labyrinthine corridors of the battle station. Though his skill in the Force kept his presence a secret from stormtroopers and Imperial officers, it only served to draw the attention of Darth Vader.

The Dark Lord confronted Kenobi as the Jedi was returning to the Falcon. After decades of delay, Vader finally squared off against his former master. As a diversionary tactic to help the others escape, Kenobi sacrificed himself to Vader. The Dark Lord struck the Jedi down, and Kenobi became one with the Force. He left behind no body, just empty robes and his own Jedi weapon.

Kenobi's death strengthened Skywalker's resolve to serve both the Rebellion and the Force. At times of great trial, Kenobi's voice would reach out to Luke, offering counsel. Later, the spectral form of Kenobi would appear to Luke. The ghost-like image advised young Skywalker to venture to Dagobah, where he could complete his training under the guidance of Yoda.

Later, Kenobi appeared to Luke and revealed the truth of his lineage. Though Kenobi felt that the dark side could only be defeated by bringing about the deaths of Anakin and the Emperor, Luke strongly believed that his father still had good in him. Luke set out to turn Anakin away from the dark side and succeeded, though at a great price. Anakin suffered grievous wounds in his final battle, and died having returned to the light. His spectral form joined that of Kenobi and Yoda during the Rebel's celebration of the Empire's defeat.
yoda
Yoda, the ancient and revered Jedi Master, lived his final years hiding on the swamp planet of Dagobah. Nine hundred years old, Yoda had trained Jedi for eight centuries, and was very powerful in the Force. Among his last pupils were the most important (and reckless) Jedi in recent history, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker.
In the waning days of the Republic, Yoda was a respected senior member of the Jedi Council. Serving alongside such luminaries as Mace Windu and Ki-Adi-Mundi, Yoda was present during the turbulent events that would eventually unravel the centuries-old Republic and seal the fate of the Jedi order.

Yoda served an important role in the Jedi Council. When young Padawans began their first foray into Jedi training, they did so under Yoda's guidance. Many of the Republic's greatest Jedi trained under Yoda when they were children -- schooled in groupings called clans. Once the Jedi hopefuls grew older, approaching their teenage years, they would then be paired to an elder Jedi Knight or Master to continue training one-on-one.

The pall of the dark side fell over the Republic during its twilight years, and Yoda grew increasingly concerned. The emergence of the dark side created a disturbance in the Force strong enough to cloud the Jedi's insights into important matters. Sensing the grave uncertainty of the future, Yoda recognized the need for answers. The Jedi Council dispatched Obi-Wan Kenobi to investigate an assassination attempt apparently carried out by Separatist forces. What he found was all the more troubling.



An entire clone army had been secretly created for the Republic, by decree of a late Jedi, Sifo-Dyas. None in the Council knew of this development, nor had they foreseen it. Further investigation revealed that the Separatists were gearing up for war. Count Dooku, one of Yoda's former Padawans, was consolidating a military force out of the droid armies of the commerce guilds. Something needed to be done.

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, newly granted emergency powers, took possession of the Clone Army, and ordered the Jedi into action. Yoda voyaged to the distant world of Kamino to gather the newly created Republic Military, and arrived on Geonosis to rescue the survivors of an ill-fated Jedi taskforce.

As Republic clones engaged Separatist droids, the Clone Wars began. Yoda, acting as general, oversaw the battle from the forward command center. The clones handily defeated the Separatists on Geonosis, but many escaped. Yoda followed his instincts to a darkened hangar where Count Dooku had grievously wounded Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

Yoda and Dooku engaged in battle. First, their powers in the Force were put to test, as Dooku attempted to crush the tiny Jedi Master with hurled debris. Yoda easily deflected such assaults, and even repulsed Dooku's Force lightning attacks. The contest came down to a duel of lightsabers. In a climactic battle, the two master combatants displayed amazing speed and agility. Yoda, empowered by the Force, leaped through the air, twirling and battering at Dooku's defenses. Dooku only managed to escape by using the Force to once again jeopardize Anakin and Obi-Wan. Knowing that Yoda's nobility would buy him time, Dooku fled as the ancient Jedi Master saved his younger compatriots.

This first battle of the Clone Wars was a victory for the Republic, but Yoda was troubled. Too much had been clouded by the dark side, and the judgment of the Jedi order was perhaps sullied by complacency and arrogance. Not only had many Jedi died on Geonosis, but the very nature of death itself was now unclear to the wise old master. While meditating, Yoda had felt a traumatic event befall young Anakin Skywalker. At that very moment, he also heard the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn, a Jedi Master slain a decade previous. It was impossible for a Jedi to retain his identity after becoming one with the Force, yet he had heard it.



It was another dangerous and disturbing puzzle for Yoda to solve while the Republic collapsed around him. Through meditation, he was able to commune with the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn. The dead Jedi Master had discovered an esoteric yet powerful technique to preserve identity even after death. A Force ability honed outside the Jedi order, this method was developed by a Shaman of the Whills. In the years to come, Yoda would study these techniques, learning the ability in a role he had not played in centuries: an apprentice.

But before that, Yoda had to survive the Sith resurgence. After years of plotting, Darth Sidious emerged and put into motion his final plan to eliminate in the Jedi. Sidious, the shadowy Sith Lord who had escaped Jedi attention for ages, was in fact Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. In his position of increasing power, Palpatine was manipulating events such as the Clone Wars to exterminate the Jedi. With the Jedi scattered across the galaxy leading the clone army, Sidious enacted Order 66. The coded order identified the Jedi as traitors to the Republic, and the loyal clones executed their Jedi leaders in cold blood. Many Jedi died in the assault.

Through the Force, Yoda felt the sudden loss of life across the galaxy. It was nearly a crushing blow, but Yoda recovered in time to stop the attempt on his life. It was on Kashyyyk, the home of the Wookiees -- one of the many battlefronts of the Clone Wars -- that troopers turned against Yoda. His once loyal officer, Commander Gree, tried to open fire on Yoda, but the Jedi Master sprung into action and quickly decapitated Gree and his accomplice with his lightsaber. With the help of the Wookiees Tarfful and Chewbacca, Yoda was able to escape Kashyyyk and make contact with Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan.

Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Organa regrouped, having witnessed Palpatine's terribly expedient extermination of the Jedi and their allies. A coded signal emanating from the conquered Jedi Temple was drawing Jedi survivors back to Coruscant into a trap. Kenobi and Yoda were determined to disable this deadly beacon before more Jedi were led to their deaths.

Returning to Coruscant, they infiltrated the Jedi Temple. There, they discovered terrible evidence of what had transpired in their absence from the capital. The Chancellor was now Emperor Palpatine, and the once-promising Jedi warrior Anakin Skywalker was his new apprentice, Darth Vader. As the only known survivors of Order 66, it was up to Yoda and Kenobi to put a stop to the Sith. Kenobi was dispatched to track down Skywalker, now known as Darth Vader. Yoda paid a visit to Emperor Palpatine.

Inside the spacious interior of the Galactic Senate chambers, Yoda challenged the Emperor. The two entered into a spectacular duel -- a contest between the most powerful practitioners of the Force's light and dark sides. The Emperor proved too powerful to defeat. Though Yoda held his own for much of the duel, in the end, the Sith bested him. He realized that directly confronting the Sith would be doomed to failure. Defeated, Yoda slinked away into the shadows of the Senate chamber's cavernous depths, leaping into a waiting getaway speeder piloted by Bail Organa.

The Jedi had failed to stop the Sith, though Kenobi had crippled Vader on the fiery world of Mustafar. A new hope would arrive in the form of newborn twins. Skywalker's wife, Padmé Amidala, was pregnant with Force-powerful children. On the remote sanctuary of Polis Massa, Padmé gave birth to Luke and Leia before dying. Yoda, Bail Organa and Obi-Wan Kenobi were witness to these births, and immediately began planning for the future.

Knowing that these children would pose a threat to the Emperor, the Jedi were determined to keep their existence a secret. The twins were separated -- baby Luke Skywalker was taken to live on the Lars Homestead on Tatooine; baby Leia Organa was spirited to Alderaan to be raised as the adoptive daughter of Bail and his wife, the Queen of Alderaan. The Jedi would bide their time, sensing through the Force when the moment was right to oppose the Empire. In the interim, Yoda and Obi-Wan would study the Shaman of Whills' knowledge from the disembodied form of Qui-Gon Jinn.

Yoda went into hiding on the distant swamp world of Dagobah. There, he waited patiently for a new hope to arise and end the dark side threat to the people of the galaxy. Three years after the Battle of Yavin, it arrived. Guided to Dagobah by a vision of his former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker discovered Yoda without even knowing it. Stranded on the swampy world, Luke met a comical elfin creature that promised him aid. The creature's antics wore thin on Luke's short patience, but it was the first of many tests -- tests that Luke would fail.

Revealing himself to be Yoda, the Jedi Master began Luke's training in earnest. Telekinetic challenges, challenges of the will and body, more challenges than Luke had ever faced before helped mold the reckless youth into a Jedi. Still, Luke failed to "unlearn" his preconceptions. When asked to raise his sunken starfighter from the Dagobah swamps with the power of his mind alone, he responded he would try. "No," scolded Yoda. "Do, or do not. There is no try." Luke did not believe the Force could lift such a massive object. He was proven wrong when Yoda telekinetically lifted the X-wing fighter and placed it on dry land. Again, Luke was incredulous -- he did not believe; that is why he failed.

When Yoda taught Luke how to "farsee" into the future, a chilling vision of his friends in danger caused the young Skywalker to abandon his training. Luke promised he would return, and rocketed off to rescue his friends. In the end, Luke failed, having to be rescued himself. Yoda feared all would be lost in the effort to stop Vader and the Emperor.

About a year later, Luke did return to conclude his training. Having faced the hardship of confrontation with Vader, and having learned that Vader was actually his father, Luke learned from Yoda that his training was complete. In Luke's absence, Yoda had become quite ill. As he lay dying, Yoda shed some light on Luke's distant past: there was another Skywalker. Yoda died shortly thereafter, disappearing as his body became one with the Force.

Luke would learn that Leia Organa was his sister, and he would also reclaim his father from the dark side. At the celebration after the Battle of Endor, Luke saw the specter of Yoda, joined by ghostly images of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker, his father, who had died in the light.
master windu
A respected Jedi on par with the venerable Yoda, Mace Windu was a senior member of the Jedi High Council. His wisdom and experience were legendary, and his words carried great weight.
In the later years of the Republic, Windu spent most of his time in the Jedi Temple of Coruscant. He regularly conferred with Yoda and the ten other members of the Council, contemplating the very nature of the Force and the affairs of the Jedi Knights.

Windu was well schooled in Jedi philosophy and history. He knew of the ancient prophecy of the Chosen One who would return balance to the Force. When maverick Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn approached the Council with a prospective candidate to fulfill that prophecy, Windu was hesitant. With reservations, he agreed that the child, Anakin Skywalker, could be tested for Jedi potential.

Though Anakin had the highest midi-chlorian count on record, and indeed showed great potential, the Council and Windu decided that he was not to be trained. He was too old to begin the life of a Jedi. After Qui-Gon's death, the Council rescinded their original decision, and granted Obi-Wan Kenobi permission to train Anakin Skywalker. Still, Windu fostered a mistrust of Skywalker, feeling that he was too powerful for his age and too unpredictable.

Windu, a diplomat by nature, believed in the power of words over action. But as the galaxy found itself increasingly fragmented by the rise of a powerful secessionist movement, he grew to question some of his firmest held beliefs.



He thought it impossible that the Separatist leader, former Jedi Count Dooku, could be behind the escalating flashpoints of violence in the galaxy. Such aggression was not in his character, Mace reasoned.

When an intelligence report from Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi revealed the Separatists gearing up for war, Windu came to realize that the time for negotiation had passed. Though he reminded the Supreme Chancellor that the Jedi were peacekeepers and not soldiers, as the Clone Wars began, the Jedi found themselves leading platoons of clone troopers into battle.

Reversals such as these troubled Master Windu, for they came about too suddenly, and the usually prescient Jedi were unprepared. Something was clouding the future, and the order's very connection to the Force was weakening. That a Sith Lord existed somewhere in the galaxy, was not in doubt but could this shadowy villain really bring this much imbalance to the Force?



At the first engagement on Geonosis, Windu arrived ahead of the clone trooper army with a Jedi taskforce. He was there to free Jedi held captive by Count Dooku. In the battle that ensued, Windu faced Dooku's hired gun, bounty hunter Jango Fett. Though Fett had proven himself deadly against other Jedi, he was no match against Windu. The Jedi Master repeatedly deflected Jango's incoming blasts, and quickly decapitated the hunter with his lightsaber.

As the Clone Wars erupted on Geonosis, Windu led a special squad of commando clone troopers into the thick of battle. He would be one of the few Jedi to return unscathed from that first engagement... at least physically. His spirit would suffer in the years that followed.

Though the Jedi were loyal protectors of the galaxy, facing war on the battlefronts in command of the clones, Windu felt uncertain about the direction of the Republic. As the war carried on year after year, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine amassed more political power, modifying the Galactic Constitution in the name of security. A wary Windu grew to distrust Palpatine, and he feared that the Chancellor would make a move to take direct control of the Jedi Council.

Palpatine's first step in that direction appeared to be the installation of a personal representative on the Jedi Council. The Chancellor requested that Anakin Skywalker, his close associate, be appointed to the ruling body. The Council, surprisingly, agreed. They hoped to use Anakin as a conduit of information, to learn of the Chancellor's dealings. It was a difficult decision, indicative of the stressful times. Windu had deep reservations -- it was very dangerous, he sensed, to keep Anakin and Palpatine close together.

His concern was justified. Chancellor Palpatine was, in fact, Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord that had escaped Jedi detection all this time. It was Anakin Skywalker who loyally delivered news of this discovery to Windu, though the Jedi Master still did not fully trust the young Jedi. Mace gathered a team of his finest Jedi warriors -- Saesee Tiin, Agen Kolar and Kit Fisto -- to arrest the Chancellor. Though Skywalker wished to accompany Windu, the Jedi Master forbade it. He ordered Skywalker to stay in the Council chambers until the matter was resolved.

The Jedi barged into Palpatine's most private offices. Mace attempted to arrest the Chancellor, but Palpatine sprang into action. Brandishing a lightsaber, Palpatine dropped the guise of harmless politician and emerged as deadly Sith Lord. Sidious quickly killed Tiin, Kolar and Fisto and forced Windu back into the main office chamber. Just then, Anakin Skywalker arrived, disobeying Windu's direct order.

Windu had disarmed Sidious and cornered the treacherous Sith Lord into the frame of his expansive office window. Fearing that Sidious was too powerful to take prisoner -- the Dark Lord still had control of the Senate and courts -- Windu moved to deliver a deathblow. Torn between his loyalties, and needing Palpatine alive to fulfill his quest for arcane knowledge to preserve the life of his beloved, Anakin acted. In an emotionally charged action, Anakin ignited his lightsaber blade and sheared off Mace Windu's weapon hand before he could strike Palpatine.

Defenseless, Windu was bombarded with Sith lightning as Sidious unleashed a torrent of deadly energy at the Jedi Master. The forked bolts of lightning penetrated Mace's body, illuminating his form from within. The final blast bodily lifted him into the air, sending his form hurling into the Coruscant skies, to crash lifelessly somewhere in the vast cityscape below.
luke skywalker
The path of a Jedi is often difficult, filled with conflict and pain. Luke Skywalker's life which began as a simple farmboy and saw him become the greatest hero the galaxy has ever known is an amazing example of this. Skywalker spent his restless childhood on the backwater desert planet of Tatooine, toiling away on his uncle's moisture farm. His guardians, Beru and Owen Lars, never told Luke of his true heritage. While Luke believed his father to have been a navigator on a spice freighter, he never suspected that Anakin Skywalker was once a famed Jedi Knight and incredible starpilot.
Luke was born during the chaos as the galaxy transitioned from Republic to the tyrannical Empire. He and his twin sister, Leia, were secretly spirited away from his father and the Emperor. Luke was taken to live with Owen and Beru while his sister was taken to Alderaan to be raised by Viceroy Bail Organa.

On his uncle's moisture farm, Luke learned the essentials of desert survival and droid repair. Boredom was not as scarce as water on Tatooine, and Luke often dreamed of adventure and excitement. He had a circle of friends who would loiter around Tosche station in Anchorhead when not occupied by their chores. Luke never quite fit in with his friends; they often teased him and called him "Wormie." Biggs Darklighter, though, was different and Luke considered him a true friend.

Luke honed his piloting skills alongside Biggs in Tatooine's infamous Beggar's Canyon, racing his T-16 skyhopper. Biggs and Luke often spoke of joining the Imperial Academy. Despite his dreams, Luke was not allowed to attend. His uncle needed him on the farm, and so when Biggs went away to the Academy, Luke was stranded on Tatooine.

Luke's life changed when his uncle purchased a pair of used droids from Jawa dealers visiting his homestead. The droids, Artoo-Detoo and See-Threepio, were Rebel property fleeing from the Empire. The Rebel droids led Luke on an adventure, uniting him with Obi-Wan Kenobi, a desert hermit and war hero whom Luke knew as Old Ben.

Imperial forces in pursuit of the droids murdered Owen and Beru Lars and destroyed Luke's home. With nothing left on Tatooine, Luke decided to follow Kenobi. The wise man taught Luke in the ways of the Jedi Knights and the Force, ways for which Luke showed an affinity. Kenobi gave Luke Anakin's lightsaber.

Luke and Kenobi hired the smuggling duo of Han Solo and Chewbacca for transit off planet. They were destined for Alderaan, to return the Rebel droids to their owner, Princess Leia Organa. They discovered Alderaan destroyed by the Imperial superweapon, the Death Star, and were taken captive aboard the monstrous station. There, Luke discovered that Leia was also held captive.

Luke helped free the Princess from the clutches of the Empire. Using data stolen by Rebel spies, Alliance tacticians formulated an attack plan capable of destroying the battle station. Luke piloted an X-wing starfighter in the final attack against the Death Star, and fired the proton torpedo volley that, with the aid of the Force, destroyed the Imperial weapon.

Luke eventually accepted a commission in the Alliance military, and achieved the rank of commander. On the new Rebel base on Hoth, Luke served as a scout on the frozen plains of the ice planet. While on patrol, Luke was injured by a wampa ice creature, and dragged to its lair. Using his growing expertise in the Force, Luke escaped. Han Solo eventually rescued Luke from the frozen wilderness.

Luke then led Rogue Group's snowspeeder pilots in the delaying actions taken to hold off an Imperial invasion of Hoth. After narrowly escaping death by Imperial walker, Luke boarded his X-wing fighter with R2-D2 to leave the ice planet. Instead of going to the scheduled Rebel fleet rendezvous, Luke went to a planet mentioned to him by the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi: Dagobah.

On the swamp planet of Dagobah, Luke learned the ways of the Force from Yoda the Jedi Master. Yoda honed Luke's Jedi abilities, but his training was cut short as Luke had to go rescue his friends on Bespin. Little did Luke know that it was all an elaborate trap devised by Darth Vader. Luke confronted Vader in Bespin's Cloud City, and was bested by him in a lightsaber duel. Luke suffered the loss of his hand, and the revelation that Darth Vader was in fact his father. Luke was rescued from Cloud City by Leia, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian, and eventually returned to the Rebel fleet. Droid surgeons equipped Luke with a cybernetic replacement hand.

Luke returned to Tatooine to construct his new lightsaber in the abandoned hut of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke concealed his Jedi weapon inside R2-D2. This was all part of the plan to infiltrate the palace of Jabba the Hutt and free the captive Han Solo. Sending the droids in first, Luke then challenged Jabba the Hutt for the return of Solo. Jabba refused, sending Luke to fight his hideous pit-beast, the rancor. Luke, Han Solo, and Chewbacca were then sentenced to death at the Great Pit of Carkoon. Artoo delivered Luke's weapon to him, and Skywalker was able to destroy the Hutt's forces and escape with his friends.

Before returning to the assembled Rebel fleet, Luke went to Dagobah to complete his Jedi training. There, he found Yoda sick and dying. Yoda and the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi told Skywalker he had one trial remaining before achieving the rank of Jedi, and revealed the truth about his past. Luke found out that his father, Anakin Skywalker, had succumbed to the dark side and became Darth Vader, and that Leia Organa was his sister. For Luke to become a Jedi, he must face Darth Vader again.

Once back at the Rebel fleet Luke joined General Han Solo's strike team to the moon of Endor. This team was to deactivate the deflector shield protecting the new Death Star from Rebel attack. Skywalker feared he was a danger to the strike team since his presence could be felt through the Force. Before leaving, Skywalker confided the truth about their relationship to Leia, and left Endor to face Vader one last time.

Luke believed there was good in the Dark Lord, and that was why Vader offered Luke a chance to join forces rather than kill him outright. Luke turned himself in to the Imperial forces, and Vader brought his son before the Emperor on the Death Star. There, the Emperor planned to turn Luke to the dark side by goading his hatred and forcing the young Jedi to kill his father, thus sealing his future as the Emperor's student. The Emperor almost succeeded; in a fit of rage, Luke viciously wounded Vader. His thoughts and feelings recollected, Skywalker refused the Emperor's promised power. The Emperor, enraged, used the dark side to cast deadly lightning at the young Jedi. The Emperor almost killed Skywalker, but Darth Vader arose to save his son and hurl the Emperor down the Death Star's reactor shaft.

Luke took his father's crippled body to the Death Star hangar bay. In his final moments of life, Vader ceased to be, and Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, returned. Luke removed Vader's mask so that Anakin could see his son with his own eyes before becoming one with the Force. Luke then commandeered an Imperial shuttle and flew to Endor. He built a funeral pyre to commemorate the Jedi, and to destroy the Dark Lord's empty armor. He returned to the victorious Rebel Alliance, and could see the spirits of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Anakin that night at the Ewok celebration.
vader
Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, was the scourge of the Jedi, a master of the dark side of the Force, and one of the Emperor's most trusted servants. He wasn't always a fearsome enforcer, however.
He began life as Anakin Skywalker, a young slave from Tatooine skilled in piloting and strong in the Force. Anakin's very origins are mysterious. His mother, Shmi, revealed that there was no biological father. Inexplicably, she became pregnant with the Force-prodigy and carried him to term. Some among the Jedi believed this to be part of an ancient prophecy of a Chosen One, willed into life by the midi-chlorians, who would bring balance to an increasingly darkening Force. There was another possibility, though. The child could have been the creation of sinister Sith manipulations, as the Dark Lords Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious conspired to bring about the perfect apprentice by coaxing life from lifelessness.

Once discovered by maverick Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin was taken before the Jedi Council to be trained. There was some controversy on the subject -- despite Jinn's adamant assurances that Skywalker was one spoken of in the prophecy, the council was hesitant to allow his training at the age of nine.

Finally, the Council agreed that Anakin should be trained, and he was assigned to Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kenobi recklessly thought that he could be as skillful a master as Yoda. His mistakes had dire consequences for the galaxy.

Skywalker was seduced by the dark side of the Force. His boundless abilities fueled a sense of pride that hastened his fall. He chafed under the rigid strictures of the Jedi Code, and would discreetly transgress from the Jedi teachings to suit his wants. Despite it being forbidden, Skywalker secretly married his love Padmé Amidala. It was his deep-rooted concern for her safety that became his greatest weakness, one that the Sith Lord Darth Sidious was able to exploit.

Skywalker was plagued with prophetic visions of his wife dying in childbirth. His friend and confidant, Chancellor Palpatine, revealed to the troubled young Jedi that a pathway to immortality lay among the teachings of the Sith. Palpatine revealed himself to be the shadowy Sith Lord Darth Sidious, and poisoned Anakin's faculties with well-crafted words of praise and conspiracy. Anakin, who had reason to doubt the Jedi's capabilities and intentions, began to lean more and more to the dark side. When it came time to make the fateful decision, he agreed to follow Sidious' teachings and knelt before the dark master.

Anakin was renamed Darth Vader. The Sith conspiracy, which had been festering in the shadows of the Republic for a thousand years, sprang into action. Palpatine elevated himself to the position of Emperor, and dispatched Vader as his ultimate enforcer. With his unparalleled Force abilities, Vader swept through the Jedi Temple. He led his elite clone trooper forces through the polished corridors, cutting a swath of death and destruction through the remaining Jedi on Coruscant.

Vader brought an end to the Clone Wars by slaughtering all the masterminds of the Confederacy of Independent Systems on Mustafar. In his twisted perception, he was bringing peace and order to the new Empire, wiping away the corruption and chaos of the Republic's twilight.

Padmé followed Anakin to Mustafar, to plead for him to return from the dark side. When Obi-Wan Kenobi emerged from Amidala's ship, Vader was consumed with rage. He saw treachery at every corner. Distraught, he began to telekinetically throttle Padmé. She gasped for air before collapsing, unconscious, on the Mustafar landing platform. Shocked at how far his apprentice had fallen, Kenobi vowed to stop Vader and the two entered into a fierce lightsaber duel that traversed the burning Mustafar landscape.

Despite his newfound power bestowed by the dark side of the Force, Anakin was grievously wounded in the fight. Kenobi's blade sheared from him his lower legs and his left arm, and his crippled body tumbled onto the searing black sands below. Vader caught fire, and he was severely burned all over his body. His anger kept him alive, and he was forever scarred not only by his wounds but also by betrayal. Vader abandoned his former identity. Sidious took him from Mustafar to an Imperial rehabilitation center where he was rebuilt. When metal coupled with flesh in the form of cyborg implants and enhancements required to sustain him, Skywalker's transformation was complete. He was no longer Anakin -- he was Darth Vader.

At the time of his transformation, Vader never knew that Padmé had given birth to twins. Obi-Wan Kenobi hid the children from the Dark Lord and Emperor Palpatine. Vader somehow discovered that he had a son, Luke Skywalker, but never suspected he had a daughter, Leia, who was secretly taken to be raised by Bail Organa, Viceroy and First Chairman of Alderaan.

In the chaos that accompanied Palpatine's rise to power, Vader became one of the Emperor's most loyal servants. The Emperor entrusted him with the elimination of the Jedi Knights. During these dark times, Vader and his agents destroyed the remnants of Jedi order.

When the Galactic Civil War raged across the Empire, Darth Vader was tasked with discovering the location of the Rebel Alliance's secret base. Vader captured Rebel operative Princess Leia Organa and had her tortured to reveal the location of the hidden fortress. Vader also sought technical plans stolen by the Rebels which contained the complete schematics of the Empire's most powerful weapon, the Death Star battle station. When a rescue team successfully liberated the princess, Vader found himself face to face with his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Vader defeated the aged Jedi Knight in a lightsaber duel.

Using the stolen plans to pinpoint the Death Star's weakness, Rebel forces launched a starfighter attack on the station. Entering the battle, Vader piloted his own specially modified fighter. He managed to destroy the most Rebel pilots in the battle, but was forced out of the conflict when his own vessel was crippled by the Millennium Falcon.

Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, Vader led an elite squadron of Star Destroyers headed by his flagship, the Super Star Destroyer Executor. He was to seek out and capture the Rebels responsible for the Death Star's demise. Eventually, Vader tracked the Rebels down to the ice-world of Hoth. There, he launched a ground attack destroying the base. His quarry, the Millennium Falcon, escaped.

During the Hoth campaign, the Emperor commanded Vader to track down the "son of Skywalker," and have Vader turn him to the dark side of the Force. Vader planned to use Skywalker's friends as bait to lure him into a trap. He hired a motley gang of bounty hunters to track down the Falcon, and drew Luke to Bespin's Cloud City. He and Luke clashed in a lightsaber duel that Vader won by ruthlessly severing Luke's sword-hand. Vader then revealed to the broken young Jedi that he was his father, and that they would rule the galaxy as father and son. Luke refused to succumb to the dark side, and escaped his father. Vader was left empty-handed.

After these incidents, Palpatine reassigned Vader from the Imperial fleet, and instead put him in charge of overseeing the new Death Star operation. The Emperor began to distrust his once loyal servant. Vader's contact with his son sparked something within him, something the Emperor did not like.

Palpatine was scheduled to arrive at the second Death Star. The Emperor foresaw that Skywalker would come before the two, and then they would seduce young Luke to the dark side, just as Anakin had been drawn to its power decades earlier.

When Luke surrendered, and was taken before the Emperor, Palpatine pitted father and son in a lightsaber duel. Skywalker refused to fight and give into the temptation of the dark side. Vader, probing his mind, learned of his daughter, Leia Organa. He threatened to turn her to the dark side. At this threat, Luke gave into his hatred and attacked his father. In the ferocious assault that followed, young Skywalker nearly killed Vader.

Horrified by what he had become, Luke abandoned his newfound dark side rage, and refused Palpatine's offers of power. "I am a Jedi, like my father before me," Skywalker proudly claimed.

Palpatine unleashed a deadly barrage of dark side energy at the young Jedi. Lightning bolts spawned from pure evil tore into Luke's body with searing pain. Vader stood helplessly, watching his son writhe in agony from torture delivered by his master. Unable to watch anymore, Vader turned against the Emperor. He grabbed a surprised Palpatine from behind, hoisted him above his head, and tossed his evil master down a bottomless reactor shaft. Vader was bombarded by the Emperor's Force lightning, mortally wounding him.

As he lay dying, Vader ceased to be. Anakin Skywalker returned. He asked his son to remove the cumbersome, fearsome mask that had concealed his face for decades. His mask and life support removed, Anakin looked upon Luke for the first and last time. He then died, his body disappearing into the light side of the Force. Luke burned the dark armor that had encased Anakin's crippled body in a quiet funeral pyre on the forest moon of Endor that night.
leia
Leia Organa had accomplished much at a young age: a leader in the Alliance to Restore the Republic, a former member of the Imperial Senate, and a member of the Royal Family of Alderaan. Yet despite her stature, for many years, Leia herself was not privy to much of her true heritage.
It was common knowledge throughout the court that Leia was adopted into the Royal Family. What wasn't common knowledge was that Leia was born to Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi pupil who succumbed to the dark side and became Darth Vader. She was one of a set of twins, born in secrecy and protected from Vader and the Emperor. The Jedi hero and general, Obi-Wan Kenobi, saw to it that Leia was secretly transported to the planet Alderaan, where she was to be raised by Kenobi's friend Bail Organa. The boy, Luke, was taken to the distant world of Tatooine. Leia has few memories of her true mother, Padmé Amidala. All that Leia can recall is that she was beautiful, but sad.

Leia followed in her adoptive father's footsteps, and entered politics. She became the youngest senator ever in the Imperial Senate, representing Alderaan. As a senator, Princess Leia ran a number of "diplomatic aid missions" that were fronts for Rebel resupply missions. She used her diplomatic immunity and her consular ship to gain access to restricted areas.

One such mission saw Leia's ship intercepting vital Imperial plans stolen by Rebel spies. These plans, the complete technical readouts of the Death Star battle station, could be exploited by the Alliance to secure a sizable victory over the Empire. Armed with the Death Star plans, Leia was given a mission by her father to find one of the Republic's greatest heroes and recruit him into the Alliance. En route to the planet Tatooine to find General Obi-Wan Kenobi, Leia's ship was attacked by Imperial forces, and she was taken prisoner by Lord Darth Vader. She barely had time to hide the stolen plans into the memory systems of an R2 unit, and ordered it to find Obi-Wan on Tatooine.

As a prisoner of Vader, Leia underwent terrible torture aboard the Death Star. In addition to the mind probes, the Imperials forced her to witness the destruction of her home planet of Alderaan. Despite this, she refused to reveal the location of the hidden Rebel base, or the whereabouts of the stolen plans. Shortly thereafter, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo rescued her from the battle station and carried her and the stolen plans to the Rebel base on Yavin's fourth moon. Due to Leia's efforts, and the help of her companions, the Death Star was eventually destroyed.

Three years later, the Alliance had set up a new base on the frozen world of Hoth. Princess Leia was one of the commanding members of Echo Base. When the Imperials attacked Hoth, Leia took the initiative, and acted in a number of command roles, ordering the evacuation of the base. Leia's access to her own escape transport was cut off, but she managed to escape in Han Solo's Millennium Falcon.

Evading Imperial pursuit, the Falcon landed in an asteroid field so that its crew could repair the vessel. It was during these quiet moments that Princess Leia Organa fell in love with Han Solo. The two voiced their love on Cloud City of Bespin, where the Imperial forces tracked them. Darth Vader captured Han Solo, and Leia was forced to watch as the Dark Lord froze him in carbonite, and then handed him over to the bounty hunter, Boba Fett. Leia escaped Cloud City with the aid of its administrator, Lando Calrissian.

The Rebels eventually tracked down Boba Fett as the bounty hunter delivered Han's carbon-frozen form to Jabba the Hutt. Leia participated in Luke's plan to free the captured Solo from the clutches of the vile gangster. She posed as Boushh, an Ubese bounty hunter and infiltrated the palace, freeing Solo from his carbonite imprisonment. Her identity was revealed, and for a time, she had to endure the humiliation of being made one of Jabba's slaves. She repaid the gangster, however, by strangling the Hutt with the very chain that bound her.

Leia rejoined Alliance High Command in time to accompany General Han Solo's strike team on the moon of Endor. Their mission was to destroy the shield generator protecting the second Death Star. While on Endor, Leia became separated from the strike team, and befriended an Ewok tribe. Her diplomatic skills aided in convincing the Ewoks to help the Rebel force. It was shortly thereafter that Luke revealed their true lineage to her. For a time, Luke and Leia kept their true relation and their parentage a secret from all but their most trusted friends.

During the ground battle at the Imperial complex, Leia sustained a slight blaster wound. After the victory at Endor, Leia continued to demonstrate some ability in the Force, being able to sense her brother's presence.

Leia is a driven, dedicated individual. She has a forceful, some would say abrasive, personality. She is professional in all respects, but occasionally relaxes her guard to let her strong compassion and quirky sense of humor show. Leia is a petite, fair-skinned human female with brown eyes, and long brown hair that she often wears in an elaborate fashion.Situated in the heart of the galaxy, Coruscant was the seat of government for the Galactic Republic and the Empire that supplanted it. Over thousands of years of civilization, the planet has been entirely enveloped by cityscapes and urban sprawl. Immense skyscrapers reach high into the atmosphere, and stretch down deep into the dark shadows. Crisscrossing the skyline are streams of unending repulsorlift traffic. Even in the depths of night, Coruscant is alive with glittering lights and rivers of traffic, a bustling megalopolis that refuses to sleep.
Some of the most important decisions, affecting the lives of trillions, have been made on Coruscant. It has long been the center of government, and the site of residence for the galaxy's Supreme Chancellor. From a towering high-rise overlooking a gleaming range of mountainous edifices, rulers such as Valorum and Palpatine have carefully plotted the future of the Republic.

Though the Chancellor steered the government, issues were ultimately settled in the cavernous rotunda of the Galactic Senate. Thousands of Senators and galactic representatives from the far-flung worlds of the Republic would debate pressing issues and push forward countless agendas.

As Coruscant was the center-point for decisions affecting the massive engines of commerce in the galaxy, it was also a nexus of graft and corruption. Vast fortunes were spent to ensure that corporations were allowed to operate without profit-stunting restrictions. Entities such as the Trade Federation and the Commerce Guild held incredible sway over the inner workings of Coruscant politics.

Removed from this corruption and encased in a gleaming tower was the Jedi High Council. Coruscant was home to the Jedi Temple, and the august order was answerable to the Senate, until Supreme Chancellor Palpatine assumed total control of the Republic.

A quite different world exists beneath the shimmering surface of the city-planet. In the lower levels, where sunlight never reaches, is a haze of artificial lights and flickering holograms, promising entertainment catering to a myriad of alien species and the full spectrum of morality. Citizens from above and below intermix in countless establishments offering escape, anonymity, jubilation and more than just a hint of danger.

Insulated by layers of defenses, the citizenry of Coruscant felt largely untouchable by the horrors of the Clone Wars. Nonetheless, the threat of the enemy provoked numerous changes on Coruscant in the name of increased security. Huge stretches of cityscape were transformed into military staging areas, and clone troopers were everywhere. This made it all the more of a shock when General Grievous, leaders of the Separatist droid army, staged a daring attack on the capital. He broke through the barriers that protected the city planet, and managed to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The violent strike resulted in the deaths of thousands of Coruscant inhabitants.

Proving that danger lurked in every corner, Chancellor Palpatine found it easy for the Senate to accept his proclamation of a New Order -- a new government that would stand for peace and security, as the First Galactic Empire. Coruscant continued as the capital of the galaxy under this new regime.Homeworld:
Iridonia

Species:
Zabrak

Gender:
Male

Height:
1.75 meters

Weapon:
Sith lightsaber

Vehicle:
Sith Infiltator, Sith speeder

Affiliation:
Sith

Associations:
Sidious, Darth


 

Darth Maul was a weapon forged by the hateful energies of the dark side to ensure the victory of the Sith over the Jedi order. A creature of pure evil, Maul had no personality beyond his ultimate devotion to his master, Darth Sidious. His goal was singular -- to exact vengeance upon the Jedi for the decimation of the Sith ranks.
The Republic first came to know of Maul only as a mysterious attacker. While Qui-Gon Jinn was escorting the fugitive Queen Amidala from Tatooine to Coruscant, Darth Maul swept down from above, lunging at Qui-Gon from his rocketing Sith speeder. Maul's attack was relentless; he hammered down lightsaber strikes against the accomplished Jedi Master, forcing him back time and again. It was only the timely interception of Qui-Gon by the Queen's Royal Starship that spared him.

Qui-Gon was utterly surprised and unprepared for such an attack. The Sith, everyone knew, were extinct, disappeared from the galaxy for a millennium. Yet the evidence was there -- a dark attacker, trained in the Jedi arts, brandishing a lightsaber no less.

Maul was dispatched by Darth Sidious to track down the Queen, a feat he accomplished through mysterious yet effective means. Traveling aboard his sleek Sith Infiltrator, Maul scouted the galaxy for the missing monarch, and reported his findings to his master. When Amidala returned to Naboo, Maul was there, waiting to face the Jedi once more.

As an undeniable example of his skill and devotion, Maul plunged headlong into battle against two Jedi warriors. Using his double-bladed lightsaber, Maul held off both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn in the heart of the Theed Royal Palace. When the Jedi became separated, Maul killed Qui-Gon with a well-placed saber strike. Kenobi, enraged, attacked Maul. This barrage was deflected by Maul who used Obi-Wan's touching of the dark side as a conduit for a Force attack; using the Force, Maul pushed Obi-Wan into a deep mining pit. Kenobi held onto an outcropping for dear life. Calming himself by calling upon the light side of the Force, Kenobi was able to surprise Maul, and cleave him in half with his saber.

A pained look of bewilderment crossed Maul's tattooed face as death overtook him. His body fell into the melting pit, splitting in two as it tumbled into oblivion.

It was only a matter of time before Sidious acquired a new apprenticeAn idyllic world close to the border of the Outer Rim Territories, Naboo is inhabited by peaceful humans known as the Naboo, and an indigenous species of intelligent amphibians called the Gungans.
Naboo's surface consists of swampy lakes, rolling plains and green hills. Its population centers are beautiful -- Naboo's river cities are respendlent with classical architecture and greenery, while the underwater Gungan settlements are a beautiful display of exotic hydrostatic bubble technology.

Naboo is a geologically unique world. It lacks a molten core, indicative of an ancient world. The planet is a conglomerate of large rocky bodies permeated by countless caves and tunnel networks. This causes numerous swampy lakes on the surface, which lead deeper into the planet's structure. The native Gungans have developed transports that exploit these cave networks, but even these hardy explorers pause at venturing too deep into the planet core, for it is infested with gargantuan sea beasts with ravenous appetites.

When the senate enacted a measure that would increase taxation along outlying trade routes, the credit-hungry Trade Federation protested by blockading Naboo. A screen of huge warships surrounded the planet, cutting off supplies to the Naboo. The world's leaders, Queen Amidala and Governor Sio Bibble, were taken captive by the Trade Federation's droid armies.

Jedi Knights sent by Supreme Chancellor Valorum freed Queen Amidala, and she then journeyed to Coruscant, to request the senate's intervention in the blockade. Even Naboo's representative, Senator Palpatine, could not get past the bureaucratic stalling tactics of the Trade Federation.

Disheartened with the senate's inability to act, Queen Amidala took actions into her own hands. She returned to Naboo and recruited the help of the Gungans. Together, Naboo's two cultures were able to repel the Trade Federation invasion, and bring peace back to the serene world.Born Padmé Naberrie, Queen Amidala was the formal name of the royal leader of Naboo. As a child, Amidala was prodigiously talented and extremely well educated. She had long been interested in public service, volunteering in the Refugee Relief Movement as a youth. Her efforts helped in the Shadda-Bi-Boran exodus. At the age of eight, she joined the Apprentice Legislature and became an Apprentice Legislator at age 11. By 14, she was elected Queen of Naboo.
During the Trade Federation siege of Naboo, the scheming Neimoidians tried to force the strong-willed Amidala to sign a treaty that would legitimize a brazenly illegal occupation. Amidala refused, and was sentenced to a prison camp. En route to incarceration, Amidala was freed by Jedi ambassadors. They took the Queen and part of her retinue to Coruscant, to plead her case before the Senate with the help of Naboo's galactic representative, Senator Palpatine.

On Coruscant, Amidala learned of the inefficiencies of galactic politics, watching as Trade Federation political maneuvering stalemated her plea. Following advice from Senator Palpatine, Amidala called for a Vote of No Confidence in Supreme Chancellor Valorum.

Fed up with the Senate, Amidala returned to Naboo. She requested aid from the native Gungans in freeing her captured capital. During the Battle of Naboo, Amidala infiltrated her own palace, and forced Neimoidian Viceroy Nute Gunray to end the occupation. The cowardly Neimoidians, having their armies defeated, capitulated and freedom was brought back to Naboo.

While Queen Amidala was the ruler of Naboo she had a large staff of advisors and aides that handled the day-to-day affairs. Sio Bibble, for instance, was Naboo's governor. Captain Panaka was Amidala's loyal bodyguard and head of security. Ric Olié was the pilot of the Queen's gleaming Royal Starship and leader of Bravo Flight.

Perhaps most important in Amidala's entourage were her five handmaidens. Saché, Yané, Rabé, Sabé and Eirtaé not only helped the Queen with her intricate gowns, hairstyles and make-up, but they were also trained in self-defense. When in danger, Queen Amidala disguised herself as one of her handmaidens, and adopted her less formal name of Padmé. When disguised as Padmé, Sabé assumed the role of Queen in her place.

When her terms ended, Amidala was constitutionally obligated to step down as Queen, although the public would have easily backed an amendment allowing her to serve longer. Though she had every right to retire and concentrate on her personal life, Amidala continued to be passionate about public service. At the request of the new Naboo monarch, Queen Jamillia, Amidala served as Senator of Naboo, taking the position once occupied by Palpatine. In a galaxy undergoing tumultuous changes, her outspoken nature shone as a beacon of reason and rationality in an increasingly fragmented Senate.

With the rise of a Separatist movement that threatened the stability of the Republic, Amidala was one of the few championing a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Alarmist Senators rallied to create a military force to protect the Republic, but Amidala led the opposition against the Military Creation Act. She believed such a measure would inevitably lead to hostilities against the Separatists.

On the day of the Military Creation Act vote, Amidala's starship was attacked upon arrival at Coruscant. Seven people, including her decoy Cordé, died in the explosion. Some suspected that disgruntled spice miners from the moons of Naboo were the culprit, but Amidala believed that it was actually Count Dooku, leader of the Separatists, behind the attack. In truth, it was an old enemy, Nute Gunray, who was behind the bounty hunters hired to finally silence the young woman from Naboo, though that would go undiscovered for some time.

At the behest of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Amidala was placed under the protection of the Jedi Knights. Amidala was once again reunited with Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker, whom she had not seen in a decade. A second assassination attempt by the bounty hunter Zam Wesell revealed just how gravely in danger Amidala was.

Anakin escorted Padmé to Naboo, where she would be sequestered while the Jedi investigated the attacks against her. In moments of quiet solitude against the beautiful landscape of Naboo's Lake Country, Anakin and Padmé bonded, rekindling an affectionate friendship that had been interrupted ten years ago, and falling into a deeper love.

It was a love forbidden to both. As per the tenets of the Jedi Code, Anakin could not enter into a romantic relationship, and Padmé needed to focus on her career. Despite their strong feelings, it was Padmé who remained the realist, rebuffing Anakin's overtures while attempting to still her own heart.

Anakin's love for Padmé was not all that was troubling him. He suffered from terrible nightmares of his mother in danger. When he could bear it no more, Anakin returned to Tatooine, with Padmé in tow, to find Shmi Skywalker.

Anakin did find his dying mother, and lashed out in vengeance against the Tusken Raiders that had tortured her. When he returned to Padmé, he confessed his actions, and he collapsed with shame and despair over what he had done. Padmé saw the wounded, sobbing youth, and let her compassion guide her heart as she comforted him.

Shortly thereafter, Anakin and Padmé voyaged to Geonosis, to rescue Obi-Wan who had been captured by Separatist forces. Padmé hoped to use her diplomatic skills to parley with the Separatists, but she and Anakin were captured by the Geonosians. Placed on trial for espionage, Amidala and Anakin were sentenced for execution.

Faced with overwhelming evidence of her mortality, Padmé lowered her emotional guard and professed her love to Anakin. The two were then placed in an execution arena alongside Obi-Wan, and three deadly beasts were unleashed upon them, much to the delight of the Geonosian spectators. Though sustaining a glancing slash from a ferocious nexu, Padmé held her own, and disappointed her would-be executioners.

The spectacle was cut short with the arrival of Jedi reinforcements, and then the opening battle of the historic Clone Wars. Despite her initial objections to a Republic army, Padmé nonetheless fought alongside the newly created clone troopers against the Separatist droid forces.

After the Battle of Geonosis, Anakin escorted Padmé Amidala back to Naboo. There, at a secluded lake retreat, the same place where their forbidden love began to blossom, the two were quietly wed in a ceremony witnessed only by C-3PO and R2-D2. This tranquil expression of love preceded some of the darkest moments to be faced by Amidala and by the galaxy as a whole.

Amidala continued to serve the Senate faithfully, though she was often distracted by the growing career of her secret husband. Anakin was becoming a war hero known throughout the Republic, and while the citizens thrilled at his exploits, she was deeply worried for his safety. The few moments they could snatch together were all too brief. The war was concentrated in the Outer Rim, far from Coruscant, and Padmé saw very little of Anakin. By the time the Outer Rim Sieges ended, Padmé had stunning news to deliver to Anakin --- he was to be a father.

The war years saw the continued transformation of the Republic. To efficiently battle the Separatists on numerous fronts, Chancellor Palpatine enacted executive decrees that saw more power funneled to his office, stripping away the last of the Senate's lackluster ability to wage war. Many welcomed the handover of power, particularly the corrupt politicians.

A small group of Senator grew increasingly wary of Palpatine's amendments. Senators Bail Organa and Mon Mothma spoke of drastic alternatives in clandestine gatherings. Padmé was one of these secretive idealists, along with Senators Fang Zar, Giddean Danu, Chi Eekway, Terr Taneel and Bana Breemu. They swore to keep their discussions absolutely secret, even from their closest associates. Padmé agreed, even though she feared Anakin would sense her duplicity... and perhaps misconstrue it for something else.

Though early talk of action against Palpatine was carefully couched and measured so as not to border on extreme acts of sedition, Padmé favored a diplomatic solution within the boundaries of the law. She even asked Anakin to use his relationship with Palpatine to press for a peaceful resolution to the war, but her beleaguered husband resented the request. He wanted such overtures to remain in political circles, where they belonged. Her doubts about the system troubled Anakin. To his ears, she was starting to sound like a Separatist.

Padmé began collecting the pledges of what would become the Delegation of 2,000, a group of disaffected Senators formally critical of Palpatine's rule.

She presented the Delegation's concerns to Palpatine, who disregarded them. Palpatine carefully planted seeds of doubt of Padmé's intentions in Anakin's mind, even as he continued to exploit Skywalker's fears about losing her.

Anakin was plagued with terrifying nightmares of Padmé dying during childbirth. Given his prophetic dreams that predicted the death of his mother, these visions greatly unsettled Anakin. He could not stand to lose Padmé, and would do anything to keep her with him. A gateway to dark powers that could unnaturally preserve life beckoned to Anakin -- it was a power that could be achieved by allying himself to Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith.

Padmé, like the rest of the Republic, was unaware that Chancellor Palpatine was in fact a Sith Lord. He lured Anakin to the dark side, and Skywalker knelt before him, becoming Darth Vader, his apprentice. As Vader, Anakin led an ambush on the Jedi Temple, and traveled to Mustafar to kill the leadership of the Separatists, effectively bringing an end to the Clone Wars.

It was Obi-Wan who told Padmé the truth. He had seen evidence of Anakin's transgressions. Padmé was stunned. Unable to grasp this dark reality, she traveled to Mustafar to confront Anakin. Unbeknownst to her, Obi-Wan Kenobi stowed away aboard her ship.

It was just as Obi-Wan described. Padmé could not reason with Anakin. In his twisted perception, he had done all of his wicked deeds to better the galaxy for their union, to make the corrupt Republic into a just Empire for their children. Deluded with power, Anakin even promised that he could depose the Emperor, and make the galaxy exactly what he and Padmé wanted it to be.

Padmé was devastated by Anakin's transformation. When her enraged husband witnessed Obi-Wan emerging from her starship, he jumped to the worst of conclusions. Anakin saw the most stinging in a long line of betrayals -- now his wife had brought his former mentor to Mustafar to kill him. Anakin raised his hand and caught Padmé in a telekinetic chokehold. Padmé gasped for breath as life began to escape from her.

Anakin released his grip as he faced Obi-Wan, and Padmé collapsed. As Kenobi and Skywalker dueled in the Mustafar collection facility, C-3PO and R2-D2 faithfully carried her inert form aboard her starship. Despite the abbreviated medical suite aboard her ship, or the full medical facility at a refuge on Polis Massa, her life signs continued to dwindle.

Padmé never knew what had become of Anakin. She never saw the damage he suffered from Kenobi's blade or the lava of Mustafar. She still felt there was good within him. With her dying breath, she tried to convince Obi-Wan of this.

Before slipping away, Padmé remained strong enough to give birth. In the strange alien facility of Anakin's nightmares, she gave birth to twins -- Leia and Luke Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Bail Organa vowed to keep the children safe.

Amidala's body was returned to Naboo. At a state funeral, thousands of Naboo citizens came to pay their respects to their beloved representative.

R2-D2

Homeworld:
Naboo
Species:
Droid
Height:
.96 meter
Manufacturer:
Industrial Automaton
Type:
astromech droid
Weapon:
arc welder, buzz saw
Vehicle:
X-wing, Naboo N-1 starfighter
Affiliation:
Rebel Alliance

 
A resourceful, spunky and adventurous astromech droid, R2-D2 has saved the day time and again. His little .96-meter tall frame is packed with all sorts of tool-tipped appendages that make him a great starship mechanic and computer interface specialist. It's his bravery, however, that has made him an invaluable asset to his owners and friends.

R2-D2 comes from the peaceful world of Naboo, where he and a team of astromechs served the elected monarch aboard her Royal Starship. When the greedy Trade Federation invaded Naboo, Queen Amidala rushed away from her world and ran afoul of a blockade. When the Royal Starship sustained damage to its shields, it was R2-D2 who repaired the ship, allowing it to escape into hyperspace. The droid used his magnetized rollers to cling tenaciously to the chromed surface of the ship while deadly turbolaser blasts rained overhead. For his courage, Artoo was personally thanked and recognized by Queen Amidala.

To complete further repairs, the Royal Starship set down on the barren Outer Rim world of Tatooine. Artoo-Detoo accompanied Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Royal Handmaiden Padmé Naberrie to the port city of Mos Espa to gather spare parts. Artoo carried the technical details for the necessary parts. While waiting out a sandstorm in a local hovel, Artoo-Detoo met the homemade protocol droid C-3PO, and struck up a friendship that would eventually last decades.

Artoo later returned to Naboo with the Queen. He served as onboard astromech to Anakin Skywalker, a young rookie pilot who, despite not being authorized to do so, flew an N-1 starfighter into the Battle of Naboo.

Artoo would be reunited with Anakin a decade later. The little droid continued to loyaly serve Amidala, who was no longer Queen, but now Senator of Naboo. The droid acted as a little bodyguard, using his scanners to seek out any danger that might befall Padmé. His laser field sensors failed to detect a deadly kouhun attack against a sleeping Padmé, but Anakin's heightened Jedi awareness did. He was able to kill the poisonous creatures, but the Jedi weren't able to determine who wanted Padmé dead.

Amidala left for Naboo, to hide while the Jedi investigated. Artoo stayed by her side as she voyaged to Tatooine, where he was reunited with C-3PO, who again became Anakin's property. They all went to Geonosis, and as Padmé and Anakin wandered into a dangerous Geonosian droid factory, Artoo and Threepio followed. Artoo again came to the rescue, using his anti-grav boosters to fly to Amidala's aid and his computer interface to stop a deadly downpour of molten metal from killing the Senator. He even helped reassemble C-3PO after a decapitating tangle with droid factory machinery.

Years later, Artoo and Threepio would find themselves in the service of the Royal House of Alderaan. The influential family of nobles had secret ties to the burgeoning Rebel Alliance. While intercepting transmissions from Rebel spies, the Organa consular ship was suddenly attacked by an Imperial Star Destroyer laying in wait. The transmission carried information vital to the Rebellion -- the complete technical read-outs of the Empire's latest weapon of mass-destruction, the Death Star battle station. Unable to deliver the plans to Viceroy Bail Organa, Leia Organa instead hid them in Artoo's memory systems. She also tasked Artoo to continue her other mission, that of contacting the long-lost Jedi Knight and Republic General, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Artoo commandeered an escape pod, and rocketed away from the captured consular ship, all the while dragging along his bewildered counterpart, Threepio. The pod crashlanded on Tatooine. There, the droids were taken captive by Jawa traders, and sold to moisture farmer Owen Lars and his nephew Luke Skywalker. Determined to complete his mission, Artoo ran away in the middle of the night, leaving Threepio and Luke to search for him the next morning.

[ R2-D2 (Artoo-Detoo) ]

Threepio and Luke eventually found Artoo, as well as Obi-Wan Kenobi. This started an incredible chain of events that culminated in the Battle of Yavin. Artoo and Threepio were crucial in assisting Luke spearhead a rescue mission to free Princess Leia from the heart of the gargantuan Death Star. Both droids navigated the complex Imperial computer system to provide the rescuers with timely assistance and status updates.

Once Artoo returned to the Rebel base with the newly liberated Princess Leia, Alliance technicians downloaded the Death Star schematics. From these, they were able to pinpoint a flaw in the station's design that could be exploited for explosive results. A small thermal exhaust port allowed access to the Death Star's sensitive reactor core. If hit with a precise proton torpedo volley, the entire station could be destroyed. The Alliance launched all available starfighters in an attack on the station. Luke Skywalker piloted an X-wing fighter and R2-D2 served as his on-board astromech, much like he did for Luke's father a generation earlier. Although Artoo sustained some damage in the attack, Luke successfully destroyed the station. Artoo was refurbished in time for the celebration of the Rebel victory.

Threepio and Artoo continued to be mainstays with the core group of Rebel heroes. Despite their constant disputes -- like the time Artoo took Threepio's complaining of Hoth's subzero temperature as an invitation to turn the heat up in Princess Leia's quarters, thus flooding her compartment with melted ice -- the two remained friends.

During the evacuation from Hoth, Threepio and Artoo were separated. Artoo flew with Luke to the mysterious planet of Dagobah, where Luke would receive training from the enigmatic Jedi Master, Yoda. Artoo was witness to Luke's growing skill and power, as the young Tatooine farmboy continued on his path to Jedi Knighthood.

When Luke's friends fell into an Imperial trap on Bespin's Cloud City, Artoo accompanied the young Jedi to the floating metropolis. There, he became separated from Luke, but he did find C-3PO, Princess Leia, and Chewbacca. The Rebel heroes were worse for wear, especially Threepio, who had been blasted apart by an Imperial stormtrooper. While escaping Bespin, Artoo helped reassemble his friend.

During a daring mission to rescue a captive Han Solo from the loathsome gangster Jabba the Hutt, Threepio and Artoo were sent into the Hutt's palace on Tatooine. There, they became the gristly crime lord's property. Artoo served as a waiter, distributing drinks aboard Jabba's sail barge. Little did any of the criminal dregs suspect that Artoo carried in him Luke Skywalker's lightsaber, which he launched to the unarmed Jedi. Supplied with his weapon, Luke subdued Jabba's minions and freed his captive friends.

Shortly thereafter, Artoo accompanied the Rebel strike force that was sent to knock out the Imperial shield generator on Endor. The generator protected the half-completed second Death Star high in orbit. Artoo attempted to bypass the high security lock sealing the Imperial generator complex, but was shot by a stormtrooper before he could complete the task. Fortunately, the Rebels were able to make their way into the complex, and destroyed the generator. Artoo-Detoo was repaired in time to witness the destruction of the second Death Star.  Astromech droids are a series of versatile utility robots generally used for the maintenance and repair of starships and related technology. These small droids are often equipped with a variety of tool-tipped appendages that are stowed in recessed compartments. The R2-unit is a popular example of an astromech droid. 

Homeworld:
Toola
Species:
Whiphid
Gender:
Male
Weapon:
Lightsaber
Affiliation:
Jedi

 
A hulking Whiphid Jedi, K'Kruhk was once the Padawan of Lilit Twoseas. In the waning days of the Old Republic, the two were part of a Jedi taskforce sent to the Yinchorri system to put down a native uprising. His master died in the mission, and K'Kruhk brought her body back to the Jedi Temple.

Passing the trials and achieving the rank of Jedi Knight, K'Kruhk matured into a introspective Jedi. Despite his fearsome countenance and the Whiphid reputation for fierceness, he had strong pacifist ideals.

This made the Jedi's transition from a peacekeeping force to military leaders very difficult for K'Kruhk. He lost many of his troops in a battle on Teyr. Disillusioned, and feeling that the war betrayed the very ideals of the Jedi, K'Kruhk joined a small dissident Jedi schism that was growing in the early months of the war. His apparent death on Teyr facilitated the abandonment of his military duties. Jedi Master Mace Windu found K'Kruhk and the other dissidents on Ruul, a Sriluurian moon, when he came to parley with the rogue Jedi.

The leader of the schism, Sora Bulq, was actually a disciple of the dark side. This became apparent to K'Kruhk when Asajj Ventress attacked the dissident camp in an attempt to sew confusion and distrust among the Jedi. K'Kruhk did battle with Ventress. After she fled and the battle subsided, [ K'Kruhk ]the Whiphid agreed to return to the Jedi order.

His next assignment was to Hypori, as part of an elite Jedi taskforce dispatched to destroy a secret Separatist foundry on the industrial world of Hypori. The Jedi unit was decimated by the Separatist leader General Grievous, and K'Kruhk was gravely wounded in battle with the General.

Homeworld:
Coruscant, Ossus
Associations:
A99 aquata breather
Allie, Stass
Barrek, Daakman
Bear Clan
Billaba, Depa
Bindo, Jolee
Brakiss
Bulq, Sora
C'baoth, Joruus
Callista
Corobb, Roron
Dooku, Count
Durron, Kyp
Fisto, Kit
Gallia, Adi
Gi, Sha'a
Horn, Corran
Ilum
Jedi Archives
Jedi starfighter
Jedi starfighter, Anakin Skywalker's customized
Jedi Temple hangar
Jinn, Qui-Gon
Juhani
Jukassa, Zett
K'Kruhk
Katarn, Kyle
Kenobi, Obi-Wan (Ben)
Ki-Adi-Mundi
Kolar, Agen
Koon, Plo
Koth, Eeth
lightsaber
Monn, Voolvif
Moudama, Foul
Nu, Jocasta
Offee, Barriss
Pablo-Jill
Piell, Even
Poof, Yarael
Qel-Droma, Ulic
R4-G9 (Geenine)
R4-P17
Rancisis, Oppo
Republic Cruiser
Saber-class fighter tank
Secura, Aayla
Seirr, Tarr
Shan, Bastila
Sing, Aurra
Skywalker, Anakin
Skywalker, Luke
Skywalker, Mara Jade
Solo, Anakin
Solo, Jacen
Solo, Jaina
Swan, Bultar
Tachi, Siri
Ti, Shaak
Tiin, Saesee
Trebor, Coleman
Unduli, Luminara
Veld, Tru
Vergere
Vos, Quinlan
Windu, Mace
Yaddle
Yoda
Ysanna, Jem

 
A noble order of protectors unified by their belief and observance of the Force, the Jedi hearken back to a more civilized, classical time in galactic history. Their order is ancient, spanning over a thousand generations. As the Galactic Republic throve and grew over the centuries, the Jedi came to serve it as guardians of peace and justice.

Headquartered on Coruscant, the Jedi trained, studied, and planned from the impressive Jedi Temple, a towering edifice rising high above the surrounding structures on the city-planet. They are governed by a High Council of 12 Jedi -- most of them Jedi Masters -- who contemplated the very nature of the Force.

To become a Jedi requires the deepest commitment and most serious mind. It is not a venture to be undertaken lightly. As such, Jedi instruction is rigidly structured and codified to enforce discipline and hinder transgression. Only 20 Jedi have ever voluntarily renounced their commissions. It is with great regret that the Jedi order recognizes the so-called "Lost Twenty." A Jedi who fails in his training can be a very serious threat. The dark side of the Force beckons to the impatient, and students in the past have been lured to its call with devastating consequences.

Jedi candidates are detected, identified and taken into the order as infants. One method of detection is through blood sampling -- those with great Force potential often have high midi-chlorian counts in their bloodstream. A prospective Jedi begins training in infancy. All connection to previous family life is lost. In this early stage of training, a single master instructs groups, or clans, of Jedi hopefuls.

As the Jedi mature, the apprentice is paired with a master to continue the next phase of the training. According to the Jedi Code, a Jedi Master may only have one Padawan at a time. Near the end of the Padawan's training, she must undergo trials before ascending to the rank of Knight.

The next level of rank in the Jedi order is the Jedi Master, reserved for those who have shown exceptional devotion and skill in the Force. It is from the ranks of the Jedi Masters that the High Council is chosen, which is the main interface between the Jedi and the government of the Republic.

The Jedi dress in simple robes and carry specialized field gear for their missions. Their signature weapon, the lightsaber, is both elegant and deadly when in the hands of a trained master.

The sworn enemies of the Jedi are the Sith -- a cult-like order bent on domination through subservience to the Force's dark side. Founded by former Jedi, the Sith abandoned the precepts of knowledge and defense, and instead seek abandon and strength through the Force's hateful energies. Centuries ago, the Jedi destroyed the Sith order. A dangerous complacency set it, wherein the Jedi believed the Sith extinct. Little did they know the order would arise anew, to destroy their ranks.

At first, the signs were few. The sudden appearance of a Sith attacker during the Battle of Naboo was startling to the Council, but that threat was dispatched. Still, according to Sith lore, the dark villains always traveled in pairs -- a master, and apprentice. For a decade, there was no physical sign of the remaining Dark Lord, but evidence of his power began to appear.

[ Jedi Order, The ]

The Jedi ability to use the Force inexplicably began to diminish. This, coupled with increasing violence in the galaxy sparked by a Separatist movement overburdened the valiant protectors. Their ranks were spread thin trying to maintain the peace, and many Jedi fell during the crisis. When it came to war, and the first shots of the Clone Wars were fired on Geonosis, only a scant 200 Jedi were readily available for the conflict. Most of this taskforce was killed in the battle, but reinforcements, in the form of the Republic's new military, secured a victory against the Separatists.

The Clone Wars were a trying time for the Jedi. They transformed from an order of peacekeepers to military commanders, serving as battlefield generals for the Republic's new clone army. With their perception so focused on the war and so clouded by the pall of the dark side, the Jedi failed to see the truth: that the Sith were the masterminds behind the conflict.

In truth, the Sith Master was hidden in the very heart of the Republic. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was actually Darth Sidious. With his position of absolute authority over the galaxy, Palpatine enacted Order 66 -- a command transmitted to the fiercely loyal clone troopers that identified the Jedi as traitors to the Republic. Across the galaxy, clone troopers opened fire against their Jedi generals, killing many of them.

[ Jedi Order, The ]The Jedi were branded as enemies of the state. Palpatine's new Sith apprentice, Darth Vader, razed the Jedi Temple in a nighttime attack carried out by loyal clones. As the Empire came to power, the Jedi were all but extinct. A few survivors, Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Jedi Master Yoda, were able to train the first new Jedi in a generation. As a sign of the desperate times, Luke Skywalker was taken into the Jedi fold well past the traditional age requirements -- he was already an adult when he first picked up the lightsaber. Nonetheless, his raw talent in the Force -- inherited from his father -- was such that his age didn't matter.

Luke Skywalker scored numerous major victories against the Empire, and was able to lure Darth Vader from the grip of the dark side. Vader, once again Anakin Skywalker, defeated Emperor Palpatine, bringing an end to the Sith reign of terror that had seized the galaxy.

Homeworld:
Kamino
Species:
Human
Gender:
Male
Height:
1.83 meters
Weapon:
Blaster rifle
Vehicle:
AT-TE walker, Republic attack gunship, SPHA-T walker, BARC speeders, Republic assault gunboat, clone turbo tank, AT-RT walker, AT-AP walker, AT-OT walker, swamp speeders, Republic artillery transport
Affiliation:
Galactic Republic
Associations:
All Terrain Open Transport (AT-OT walker)
All Terrain Recon Transport (AT-RT walker)
ARC troopers
Bacara, Commander
BARC speeder
Bly, Commander
Clone commando
Clone SCUBA trooper
Clone trooper pilots
clone turbo tank
Cody, Clone Commander
Gree, Commander
Neyo, Commander
Republic assault gunboat
swamp speeder
Thire, Commander

 
At the time of their introduction, the Republic clone trooper represented the future of galactic warfare. Far superior to the battle droid armies of the era, the clone troopers formed the backbone of the Republic's new military initiative that battled against the forces of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. So pervasive and symbolic were they of the times, the galaxy-wide conflagration that saw their debut took its name from their ranks: the Clone Wars.

Identical in form, physical prowess, stamina and mental capacity, each of the first generations of clone trooper was grown in the cloning facilities of Tipoca City, on the storm-drenched world of Kamino. Within the hermetic confines of the secret facility, the politically ambivalent Kaminoans applied their mastery of genetic sciences to craft what they deemed the finest of clone armies.

According to Jedi investigations, the clone army was apparently commissioned by one of their own, the late Master Sifo-Dyas, a decade previous to their introduction on the battlefield. The original source of genetic material was an extremely skilled bounty hunter named Jango Fett. Using his genetic code as a template, the Kaminoans carefully tampered with the material to produce clones with diminished independence and accelerated growth.

Growth acceleration is essential to the production of clones, otherwise it would take almost two decades for a soldier to reach combat maturity. In a decade's time, the clones were constantly trained in fighting techniques, vehicular skills and battlefield tactics. Yet they still maintained a spark of independent and creative thinking, making them far better suited than droids to handle unexpected turns of warfare.

Clone troopers were fully encased in hard white armor, their identical faces concealed behind a t-shaped visor. In the first units, color-coded flashes on the armor denoted rank, with green troopers being sergeants, blue being lieutenants, red being captains, and yellow being commanders. The clones designated for command duty were specifically trained in that capacity. By the end of the war, color-designation came to signify not rank, but individual units, who often became more customized with mission specific gear and armor modifications. Units such as the Galactic Marines, the Shock Troopers, the Attack Battalion and the Star Corps had distinct armor variations that made them stand out.

During the increasing tensions of the Separatist crisis, Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered the secret clone army on Kamino. The Jedi Council was surprised to learn of its existence, and of the involvement of Sifo-Dyas. Nonetheless, when it became clear the Separatists were gearing for war, the clone army was desperately needed to protect the sanctity and stability of the Republic. The Supreme Chancellor was granted emergency powers, and as his first act, he activated the clone troopers as the grand army of the Republic.

On the barren plains of Geonosis, a major Separatist stronghold, the first battle of the Clone Wars erupted. The clone troopers, equipped with advanced armor and air support, stormed the Separatist forces, and cut through the battle droid ranks. Led into battle by Jedi commanders, the clone troopers secured the first victory of the war.

It would be a long and bloody conflict in the years to come, but the efficiency of the clone trooper infantry would be proven time and again on many scattered worlds. The Jedi became their generals, waging a long and destructive war against the Separatists. Clones assigned to specific Jedi grew to develop strong working relationships that bordered on friendship, but to each clone, the achievement of victory in war was of single-most priority, and their ultimate loyalty was to the Republic.

So it was that a duplicitous Chancellor took advantage of this unswerving allegiance. Palpatine, who was in truth Darth Sidious, had masterminded the Clone Wars from its very inception, having arranged the creation of the army through the dead-end front of Sifo-Dyas. As part of a contingency, there were a series of emergency protocols that each clone commander was specifically trained to enact.

[ Clone Troopers ]Order 66 identified the Jedi order as traitors to the Republic that had to be eliminated with all haste and with extreme prejudice. With his shadowy plot fully in motion, Sidious used his wide-spanning communications network to make contact with his loyal clone commanders, and executed Order 66.

The clones turned on their Jedi leaders. They opened fire on the unsuspecting Jedi Knights, bringing to an end Clone War engagements on such varied worlds as Cato Neimoidia, Saleucami, Mygeeto, Felucia, Kashyyyk and Utapau.

With their Jedi leaders taken out, the chain of command placed the clone troopers under the Chancellor, who would regroup and reform his galaxy-spanning armed forces into the stormtrooper ranks that came to symbolize the oppressive might of the Galactic Empire.

Species:
Battle droid
Height:
1.91 meters tall
Manufacturer:
Baktoid Combat Automata
Type:
Battle droid
Weapon:
Blaster rifle
Vehicle:
AAT, MTT, STAP, Trade Federation battleship
Affiliation:
Trade Federation, Techno Union, Confederacy of Independent Systems
Associations:
battle droid
Dark troopers
dwarf spider droid
hailfire droid
homing spider droid
Neimoidian
super battle droid

 
While critics would be quick to point out a battle droid's mindlessness as a fault, the proponents of the mechanized soldiers would counter that it is instead a virtue. A mindless soldier is a loyal soldier, unquestioning of orders, easily controlled, and absolutely fearless.

It was the invasion of Naboo by the Trade Federation that showed the galaxy not only the effectiveness of battle droids, but also the glaring oversights in their design. Against a peaceful populace, the Trade Federation army of battle droids was able to quickly conquer and take control of the Naboo population centers. These droids would blindly obey orders spoken to them by their commanders or transmitted to them from an orbital Droid Control ship. The efforts of Bravo Squadron, and Anakin Skywalker in particular, destroyed the Droid Control Ship, thereby rendering the army useless.

Battle droids are tall, gaunt humanoids with exposed joints and bone-white metal finishes that gives them an eerie resemblance to animated skeletons. Battle droid infantry is frightening in its uniformity -- only a numerical marking on the back of a comlink booster pack serves to distinguish one droid from another.

Droids with specialized functions have distinct colored markings on their armor. Blue denotes pilot droids. Red denotes security droids. Yellow denotes command droids, which function with increased autonomy compared to the standard infantry.

Battle droids are very efficient. Their humanoid builds allow them to operate machinery and pilot a wide variety of war craft designed for organic pilots. For the Trade Federation, the battle droid infantry piloted STAPs, MTTs, and AATs as well as their colossal battleships. For ease of storage and transportation, battle droids could compress into less than half their size.

Following the Naboo debacle, the Galactic Republic enacted strict legislation that prohibited the use of battle droid armies. The Trade Federation has shown its disrespect for Republic law in the past, and for years, many feared that the numerous foundries scattered throughout the galaxy were still churning out assembly lines of tireless soldiers.

Size:
9.75 meters long
Manufacturer:
Baktoid Armor Workshop
Type:
Repulsorlift battle tank
Weapon:
Laser cannons, energy projectile launchers
Affiliation:
Trade Federation
Associations:
battle droid
Podracer, Ben Quadinaros'
Quadinaros, Ben
Trade Federation AAT (Armored Assault Tank)

 
The marriage of repulsorlift and heavy armor has resulted in formidable floating tanks known as AATs. These assault tanks form the frontline of Trade Federation armored infantry divisions. A crew of battle droids drives the battle tank and operates the array of laser and projectile weaponry carried by the vehicle.

Homeworld:
Coruscant
Associations:
Aak, Ask
All Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE walker)
Amedda, Mas
ARC troopers
Bar Gane, Edcel
Binks, Jar Jar
Clone trooper pilots
Clone troopers
Coorr, Ronet
Coruscant
Dio, Lexi
Dowmeia, Tundra
Farr, Onaconda
Galactic Senate
Moe, Aks
Moore, Sly
Organa, Bail
Paddie, Ister
Palpatine
R4-P17
Republic assault ship
Republic attack gunship
Republic Cruiser
Ryyder, Horox
Self Propelled Heavy Artillery - Turbolaser (SPHA-T walker)
Taria, Sei
Valorum, Supreme Chancellor Finis

 
The Old Republic was the Republic of legend, greater than distance or time. Before a cruel and ruthless Empire supplanted it, the Old Republic was the democratic union that governed a galaxy for thousands of years. Those who lived in it knew it as the Galactic Republic, or more simply, the Republic.

Ruling the Republic was the Galactic Senate, a governing body comprising elected or appointed representatives from across the galaxy. From within that Senate, a Supreme Chancellor was elected. Justice and peace in the Republic was protected by the Jedi Knights, a noble order of Force-sensitives.

As the Republic grew more and more powerful, many of the bureaucrats and Senators that ran the government grew increasingly corrupt or complacent. The bureaucracy that had grown and festered over millennia choked any attempt at proactive government. Furthermore, partisan politics and personal agendas also hampered effective governing.

Into this mire stepped the ambitious Senator Palpatine from Naboo. His homeworld was under siege by the greedy Neimoidian Trade Federation, as protest to increased tariffs and taxation to outlying trade routes. Despite the full-scale invasion of the planet, the call to react was tied up in procedure. When Queen Amidala -- the elected leader of the sovereign system of Naboo -- spoke before the Senate, calling for action, she also called for a Vote of No Confidence in the leadership of the Republic.

The well-meaning but politically clumsy Chancellor Valorum was voted out of office. In his place, Palpatine was elected Supreme Chancellor. Despite promises of bringing order and compassion back to the Republic, the first decade of his term was blighted by great political upheaval. A separatist movement, led by the charismatic Count Dooku, began splitting the Republic, and it was all the Jedi could do to maintain order.

This chaotic political climate precipitated the dark times that overcame the galaxy. The Republic crumbled and was rebuilt in the guise of the New Order.

Homeworld:
Coruscant
Associations:
Aak, Ask
All Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE walker)
Amedda, Mas
ARC troopers
Bar Gane, Edcel
Binks, Jar Jar
Clone trooper pilots
Clone troopers
Coorr, Ronet
Coruscant
Dio, Lexi
Dowmeia, Tundra
Farr, Onaconda
Galactic Senate
Moe, Aks
Moore, Sly
Organa, Bail
Paddie, Ister
Palpatine
R4-P17
Republic assault ship
Republic attack gunship
Republic Cruiser
Ryyder, Horox
Self Propelled Heavy Artillery - Turbolaser (SPHA-T walker)
Taria, Sei
Valorum, Supreme Chancellor Finis

 
The Old Republic was the Republic of legend, greater than distance or time. Before a cruel and ruthless Empire supplanted it, the Old Republic was the democratic union that governed a galaxy for thousands of years. Those who lived in it knew it as the Galactic Republic, or more simply, the Republic.

Ruling the Republic was the Galactic Senate, a governing body comprising elected or appointed representatives from across the galaxy. From within that Senate, a Supreme Chancellor was elected. Justice and peace in the Republic was protected by the Jedi Knights, a noble order of Force-sensitives.

As the Republic grew more and more powerful, many of the bureaucrats and Senators that ran the government grew increasingly corrupt or complacent. The bureaucracy that had grown and festered over millennia choked any attempt at proactive government. Furthermore, partisan politics and personal agendas also hampered effective governing.

Into this mire stepped the ambitious Senator Palpatine from Naboo. His homeworld was under siege by the greedy Neimoidian Trade Federation, as protest to increased tariffs and taxation to outlying trade routes. Despite the full-scale invasion of the planet, the call to react was tied up in procedure. When Queen Amidala -- the elected leader of the sovereign system of Naboo -- spoke before the Senate, calling for action, she also called for a Vote of No Confidence in the leadership of the Republic.

The well-meaning but politically clumsy Chancellor Valorum was voted out of office. In his place, Palpatine was elected Supreme Chancellor. Despite promises of bringing order and compassion back to the Republic, the first decade of his term was blighted by great political upheaval. A separatist movement, led by the charismatic Count Dooku, began splitting the Republic, and it was all the Jedi could do to maintain order.

This chaotic political climate precipitated the dark times that overcame the galaxy. The Republic crumbled and was rebuilt in the guise of the New Order.

Terrain:
Rocky mesas, deserts and spires
Associations:
acklay
Geonosian
Geonosian solar sailer
Geonosian sonic blaster
Geonosis droid factory
Geonosis execution arena
massiff
orray
Poggle the Lesser

 
A harsh rocky world less than a parsec away from Tatooine, Geonosis is a ringed planet beyond the borders of the Galactic Republic. Its uninviting surface is marked by mesas and buttes, and barren stretches of parched desert hardpan. The rocks and sky are tinted in red, and the creatures that evolved on Geonosis are well equipped to survive in the harsh ecology.

The most advanced lifeform are the Geonosians, sentient insectoids that inhabit towering spire-hives. The Geonosians maintain large factories for the production of droids and weapons. Save for attending to clients that venture to the planet to place orders, the Geonosians typically keep to themselves.

The droid foundries and the planet's remote location made it an ideal base of operations for the Separatist movement that spread through the galaxy in the later years of the Republic. The Archduke of Geonosis, Poggle the Lesser, hosted an important meeting of the heads of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The commerce barons in attendance pledged their mechanical military forces to Count Dooku, the charismatic leader of the Separatist movement. The Separatists were ready to wage war, but their plans were overheard by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The Jedi was taken captive, though he managed to dispatch a distress call to the Jedi Council. With their forces spread throughout the galaxy in an effort to maintain the peace, the Jedi Council was only able to dispatch 200 of their ranks to Geonosis. Obi-Wan, meanwhile, was sentenced to death in a huge execution arena. He and his compatriots, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, had to face down three terrible arena creatures before the Jedi reinforcements arrived.

While the Jedi could easily contend with the Geonosians, they had not counted on the sheer size of the droid army laying in wait. Scores of battle droids poured into the arena, slaying many Jedi. A scant few Jedi remained before even more reinforcements arrived -- in the form of the newly created Republic clone army. With the arrival of these forces, the first battle of what was to become known as the Clone Wars began on Geonosis. The Republic military, led by the Jedi, were able to drive the Separatists into retreat. Despite rosy recollections of a greater past, the Galactic Republic succumbed into undeniable decay. Its cumbersome bureaucracy slowed down any attempts at reform, and too many of its constituents had grown corrupt and complacent to enact any change. A feeling of disenfranchisement grew in the galaxy, particularly in outlying systems where heavy taxation was not balanced by improved services.

Into this disarray stepped a charismatic man named Count Dooku, a former Jedi, who sought to teach the Republic a lesson. The status quo could be upended and there was an opportunity for change -- radical change. Dooku led a popular Separatist movement that gained increasing momentum, and in two short years, he had a following of several thousand solar systems.

For the first time in a thousand years fear of open warfare crept into the Republic. The valiant Jedi Knights were too few to prevent the scattered flashpoints of violence sparked by the Separatists. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was confident in peaceful resolution through negotiation, but not everyone was so levelheaded.

Alarmist Senators called for the creation of an Army of the Republic. The Military Creation Act was to be put to a vote, and many believed that the establishment of a Republic military would merely be the catalyst for an all-out civil war. The vote was delayed following an assassination attempt on the opposition leader, Padmé Amidala.

What none in the Senate knew was that the Separatists were gearing up for war. Count Dooku courted the massive engines of commerce in the galaxy -- institutions such as the Corporate Alliance, the Trade Federation, the Techno Union, InterGalactic Banking Clan and Commerce Guild -- with promises of reform and unyielding devotion to capitalism. In exchange, these bodies would commit their immense armies to the Separatist cause. With their droid armies scattered throughout the galaxy, the Separatists would overwhelm the Republic. Dooku felt confident that ten thousand more systems would join the Separatists.

In a darkened conference room on the Techno Union foundry world of Geonosis, Count Dooku made his offer, and the Confederacy of Independent Systems was formally established. This meeting of the minds was overheard by Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, who warned the Republic of this alarming new development.

The Republic responded with a pre-emptive strike against the Separatists, attacking their world with a newly created clone army. In the explosive ground battle that ensued, the Clone Wars between the Separatists and Republic began.

For three long years the Clone Wars spread across the galaxy. While Count Dooku was the public and political face of the Confederacy, its military arm was led by the deadly General Grievous. In the last months of the conflict, the fighting was most intense in the Outer Rim Sieges. It was during this time that the leadership of the Confederacy, the Separatist Council, was always on the move.

After leaving their sanctuary on Utapau, the Council fled to Mustafar, a fiery world in the Outer Rim Territories. There, their secret benefactor Darth Sidious advised them that his new apprentice, Darth Vader, would take of them.

Despite their shrewd business sense, the Separatists did not see their betrayal coming. The war was a sham, engineered by Chancellor Palpatine who was in truth, Darth Sidious. Having achieved his objective of building a New Order in reaction to the threats posed by the Clone Wars, Sidious liquidated his allies. Darth Vader arrived on Mustafar and slaughtered the Separatist Council. He then ordered a command signal that shut down the battle droid military. The huge commerce entities that made up the Confederacy became the spoils of war, as the newfound Empire nationalized them and absorbed them into its growing war machine.

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Climate:
Temperate, windy and arid
Terrain:
Desert surface and sinkholes
Associations:
Boga
dactillion
Medon, Tion
P-38 starfighter
Utapaun

 
Ringed by numerous moons, the remote sanctuary of Utapau is a planet pitted with enormous sinkholes. Its windswept surface is dry and desert-like, but deep in the porous crust, at the bottom of the sinkhole are pools of life-giving water. Many of the sinkholes on one of the planet's small continents are lined with intricate cities that stretch deep into caves and crevices beneath the planet's surface.

The world served as a base-of-operations for the ever-mobile Separatist Council, the assembled trade and commerce barons in command of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Confederacy had conquered the native Utapauns, who peacefully submitted to their rule.

Following a daring yet failed attempted to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine from Coruscant, General Grievous fled to Utapau to lie low. A converted Trade Federation coreship served as a command center, perched on the tenth level of one of the largest sinkhole cities on the planet. Here, thousands of droids -- including battle droids, super battle droids, vulture droids, octuptarra droids and crab droids -- stood ready to defend the outpost.

A diplomatic packet from the Chairman of the Utapau system was intercepted by one of the Republic's elite clone intelligence units. Though the Separatist Council was safely shuttled away from Utapau, General Grievous was confirmed to be on the planet. The Jedi Council dispatched General Obi-Wan Kenobi and his clone forces to Utapau in the hopes of capturing Grievous and finally ending the Clone Wars.

Kenobi arrived on Utapau, making contact with Port Administrator Tion Medon. Medon quietly informed the Jedi of Grievous' whereabouts, and Kenobi voyaged to the tenth level on the back on a loyal native lizard named Boga. There, clone forces engaged the Separatists, and the underground Utapaun resistance joined the fight.

Though Grievous was killed, sweeping political changes on Coruscant rippled outwards to Utapau. Chancellor Palpatine declared the Jedi enemies of the state, and the clone troopers attacked Kenobi. They then occupied Utapau, rounding up the local resistance fighters.

Homeworld:
Utapau
Species:
Utapaun
Gender:
Male
Height:
2.06 meters

 
Greeting Obi-Wan Kenobi during his search for General Grievous on Utapau was Port Administrator Tion Medon. The tall Utapaun initially feigned ignorance about Grievous' whereabouts, but then whispered a warning to Kenobi. Grievous was indeed on the planet, hiding on the tenth level of the sinkhole city with an army of thousands of battle droids.

Kenobi offered a secret in kind -- the time for Utapau to prepare its resistance forces was now. The Utapauns refueled Kenobi's starfighter, which the Jedi sent on an automated decoy voyage off the planet while he surreptitiously continued his search for Grievous.

Medon passed on Kenobi's veiled message to the local resistance and anxiously awaited a signal. He didn't have to wait long. Two full Republic brigades dropped in from the skies, blazing into the sinkhole city to do battle with the Separatist occupational forces. The Utapaun resistance, made up of local warriors on foot and on dactillion wing, bolstered the clone troopers in whatever way they could.

In one of the most bitter reversals of the war, though, Utapau's liberation was shortlived. With the defeat of the droid forces, the clone troopers in turn occupied the planet, rounding up the Utapaun resistance. Tion Medon was one of the captives.

Homeworld:
Kalee
Species:
Kaleesh
Gender:
Male
Height:
2.16 meters tall (at full height)
Weapon:
lightsabers, blaster pistol, electrostaff
Vehicle:
Wheel bike, General Grievous' starfighter, Trade Federation cruiser
Affiliation:
Confederacy of Independent Systems
Associations:
Grievous, General

 
When the greedy corporate titans and the disenfranchised systems of the galaxy pooled their resources together to leave the aging Galactic Republic behind, they became the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Their military assets formed a droid army of seemingly limitless size -- a weapon that needed a military mastermind to be wielded effectively.

From within the ranks of the Confederacy came General Grievous, a brilliant strategist unhindered by compassion or scruples. His lightning strikes and effective campaigns caused his reputation to grow in the eyes of a frightened Republic. To many, he eclipsed the threat posed by Count Dooku, the charismatic leader of the Confederacy's political battlefields -- Grievous was the face of the enemy.

A twisted melding of flesh and metal, General Grievous' body is a deadly weapon forged by the cutting edge developers of the Confederacy. Grievous' living matter was encased within his precision-engineered artificial body; inside the hardened carapace beat the heart of a remorseless killer. A pressurized gut-sack held his vital organs, while his skull-like mask contained his living eyes and brain. Making the horrific amalgam more unpleasant was a persistent wet, hacking cough coming from his ravaged lungs.

Grievous hunted Jedi for sport and kept his victims' lightsabers as trophies of his conquests within his cloak. His unorthodox fighting form and mechanical enhancements gave him an edge in close-quarter combat. Each of his six-fingered arms could split in two, resulting in an array of four limbs, each armed with a lightsaber. Grievous could spin these arms in a whirling storm of deadly lacerating light that few could withstand. Only against opponents he deemed worthy did he enter into combat. Grievous often preferred to let his electrostaff-wielding bodyguard droids do the fighting.

In the final stages of the Clone Wars, Grievous orchestrated a daring strike against the heart of the Republic. His flagship led a fleet of massive warships to Coruscant, where an immense battle raged in the upper atmospheres of the capital world. The supreme commander of the droid army had managed to kidnap the leader of the Republic, Chancellor Palpatine. Fleeing with his valuable hostage, Grievous was determined to be victor, and hoped to add the lightsabers of the most famous Jedi warriors -- Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi -- to his grisly collection.

Skywalker and Kenobi infiltrated Grievous' Trade Federation cruiser flagship, and were successful in liberating the captive Chancellor and killing Count Dooku. Yet the Republic fugitives were soon trapped by Grievous' droid forces, and marched before the general. In the bridge of the cruiser, the Jedi fought back, engaging Grievous' bodyguard droids. This bought Grievous time to flee the doomed flagship by throwing an electrostaff at the viewport window, shattering the pane and escaping into space. Grievous clawed along the hull of his falling flagship to make for the escape pod bay.

Grievous fled Coruscant to rejoin the Separatist Council on their secret stronghold of Utapau. There, he received a transmission from Darth Sidious, the Sith mastermind behind the Clone Wars. Sidious ordered Grievous to move the council to Mustafar, and not to fret about the loss of Dooku -- Sidious expected a new Sith apprentice to emerge, one younger and far more powerful than Darth Tyranus.

[ General Grievous ]Ordering the council to Mustafar, Grievous stayed behind on Utapau. A Republic task force led by General Obi-Wan Kenobi voyaged to the sinkhole-riddled world to bring Grievous to justice. Kenobi confronted Grievous and the two engaged in a lightsaber duel. Grievous had received training in the Jedi arts from Count Dooku -- and unleashed a withering assault on Kenobi with four lightsaber blades. Kenobi held his own, shearing off some of Grievous' extraneous limbs, and brutally shoving the droid general with a Force push. Disarmed, Grievous skittered away to his waiting escape vehicle.

The cyborg fugitive fired up his ground-tearing wheel bike, fleeing down the twisting avenues of Utapau's sinkhole city. Kenobi gave chase, riding atop a fearless lizard steed named Boga. The Jedi was able to keep pace with Grievous, leaping onto his vehicle and wrestling control of the difficult-to-pilot contraption away from the general. The wheel bike spun out, dropping into the sinkhole abyss.

Its two occupants tumbled to a stop on Grievous' secret landing platform, the one that contained his personal starfighter. The tenacious Kenobi still fought with Grievous, even though he had his lost lightsaber in the pursuit. The fight degraded to bare knuckles and brutal kicks, and the metallic servo-powered Grievous had the clear advantage. He tossed Kenobi aside, throwing him off the platform. The Jedi caught the lip of the platform and with a free hand, dragged Grievous' discarded blaster pistol to him with the Force.

As Grievous closed to deliver a deathblow, Kenobi opened fire with the blaster. The shots tore into Grievous' open carapace. The blasts cracked the pressurized organ jar, igniting the preservative fluids. Grievous' vital organs exploded in an oily blaze, shooting jets of fire from his helmet's eyeholes.

Grievous' artificial body collapsed on the platform, no longer driven by life, hatred or the compulsion to destroy. The lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi, an elegant armament of a more civilized time. In comparison, blasters are crude, inaccurate and loud affairs. To carry a lightsaber is an example of incredible skill and confidence, dexterity and attunement to the Force.

When deactivated, a lightsaber appears as a polished metallic handle, about 30 centimeters long, lined with control studs. At the press of a button the energy contained within is liberated and forms as a shaft of pure energy about a meter long. The saber hums and scintillates with a distinct sound. Its shimmering blade is capable of cutting through almost anything, save for the blade of another lightsaber.

In the hands of a Jedi, a lightsaber is almost unstoppable. It can be used to cut through blast doors or enemies alike. Using the Force, a Jedi can predict and deflect incoming blaster bolts, and reflect them back at the firer.

After the extermination of the Jedi ranks, lightsabers became rare relics. The knowledge of their construction disappeared with their masters. Luke Skywalker, the last of the Jedi, built his own lightsaber as the culmination of his training.

Although use of the lightsaber is strictly reserved to the Jedi -- the only ones capable of handling the difficult weapon -- it is also used by their sworn enemies, the Sith.

Homeworld:
Korriban, Coruscant
Weapon:
Lightsaber
Associations:
Bandon, Darth
Darth Vader's suit
Dooku, Count
Karath, Admiral Saul
Kun, Exar
Leviathan
Malak, Darth
Massassi Temple
Maul, Darth
Palpatine
Sidious, Darth
Sith fighter
Sith Infiltrator
Sith lightsaber
Sith probe droid
Sith speeder
Skywalker, Anakin
Star Forge
Vader, Darth
Yavin 4

 
An ancient order of Force-practitioners devoted to the dark side and determined to destroy the Jedi, the Sith were a menace long thought extinct. The current incarnation of the Sith is the result of a rogue Jedi dissident from the order. Two thousand years ago, this Jedi had come to the understanding that the true power of the Force lay not through contemplation and passivity. Only by tapping its dark side could its true potential be gained. The Jedi Council at the time balked at this new direction. The Dark Jedi was outcast, but he eventually gained followers to his new order. Awakening beliefs from the dark past, the new Sith cult continued to grow. With the promise of new powers attainable by tapping into the hateful energies of the dark side, it was only a matter of time before the order self-destructed. Internecine struggle by power-hungry Sith practitioners dwindled their numbers. Weakened by infighting, the Sith were easily wiped out by the Jedi.

One Sith had the cunning to survive. Darth Bane restructured the cult, so that there could only be two -- no more, no less -- a master, and an apprentice. Bane adopted cunning, subterfuge, and stealth as the fundamental tenets of the Sith order. Bane took an apprentice. When that apprentice succeeded him, that new Sith Lord would take an apprentice.

Thus, the Sith quietly continued for centuries, until the time of Darth Sidious. It was Sidious who was responsible for the revenge of the Sith against the Jedi. His measured and carefully engineered plot spanned decades. Sidious was apprentice to Darth Plagueis, a wise Sith Lord whose knowledge of arcane and unnatural arts was reputed to extend to manipulating the very essence of life. By Sith tradition, Sidious killed Plagueis in his ascent to Master from apprentice. This left an opening for the fearsome Darth Maul to become Sidious' Sith apprentice.

In this age, the final decades of the Republic, the galaxy at large had believed the Sith to be extinct, a fabled threat from the past. Qui-Gon Jinn's report of a Sith attack on Tatooine was met by the Jedi Council with hesitation and skepticism. Surely if the Sith had returned, the Jedi would have detected it, they reasoned.

[ The Sith ]The dark side, for all its power, is ultimately hard to detect if so desired. A shadowy master like Darth Sidious was able to keep his presence a secret, even though he maintained a guise as a very public figure. Sidious was a politician, a seemingly humble Senator from Naboo. Though he would eventually rise to the position of Supreme Chancellor, and worked closely with the Jedi during the Clone Wars, they failed to detect his true nature until it was too late.

With the death of Darth Maul at Naboo, the Jedi Council realized that the Sith menace was true. What they hadn't puzzled was whether Maul was the master, or the apprentice. Years would pass before the Sith menace arose once more, a menace that would eventually come to engulf the entire galaxy.

It began with a Separatist crisis that threatened to split the galaxy. Count Dooku, a former Jedi, became a political firebrand, fanning the flames of secession across a disillusioned Republic. Unbeknownst to the Jedi at the time, Dooku was a Sith Lord -- Sidious' next apprentice after Maul. As Darth Tyranus, Dooku engineered the vast armies that would fight on both sides of the Clone Wars: the assembled droid armies of the united Confederacy of Independent Systems, and the secretly created clone army of the Republic.

The Clone Wars were an elaborate and costly sham: a massive ruse that spread the Jedi ranks thin across the galaxy, and drew more political power to Darth Sidious. When the time was right -- when Sidious had in his grasp his ideal apprentice, the powerful Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker -- he dispatched a command to the clone forces that identified their Jedi generals as traitors to the Republic. The Jedi were wiped out by their loyal clone underlings. What few survivors remained were branded as enemies of the state.

With Sidious as the Galactic Emperor, and Darth Vader as his loyal apprentice, the Sith ruled the galaxy and plunged it into darkness. It remained so for years until a new hope arose to bring Darth Vader back from the dark side and extinguish the menace of the Sith once and for all.

Homeworld:
Naboo
Species:
Human
Gender:
Male
Height:
1.78 meters
Affiliation:
Sith, Galactic Republic, Galactic Empire

 
Behind a curtain of secrecy lurked Darth Sidious, a mysterious Sith Lord and puppet-master of the tumultuous events that brought an end to the Republic. The Sith order had been extinct for a millennium, yet somehow, two survived -- the Master Darth Plagueis and his apprentice, Darth Sidious. Plagueis, the wise, was an adept of some of the most arcane and unnatural applications of the Force. As Sidious described, Plagueis had uncovered a path to immortality through the manipulation of the dark side of the Force. Plagueis could, it was said, coax the midi-chlorians present in all living cells to create life from nothingness.

But for a Sith, immortality was a futile pursuit. The secretive Sith order counted upon the death of a master and the rise of an apprentice to further itself. True to tradition, Sidious killed Plagueis upon learning his Master's secrets. It was then that Sidious took an apprentice, who would eventually become Darth Maul. Maul would be Sidious' blunt instrument, his deadly weapon to carry out his plans while he remained in the shadows, conspiring to take over the Republic in its waning years.

Sidious arranged for the cowardly Neimoidians to brazenly blockade and invade the peaceful planet of Naboo in protest over increased taxation from the senate. Sidious never contacted the Neimoidians directly. Instead, he relied on holographic communication. Such long distance transmissions coupled with obscuring dark robes kept his identity and location a secret to all of his accomplices. The Neimoidians never suspected Sidious's public persona -- a highly placed Republic official who would benefit handsomely from the Naboo invasion.

Sidious ordered the Neimoidians to kill the Jedi ambassadors sent to negotiate a settlement. When they failed, Sidious dispatched Darth Maul. Throughout the invasion, Sidious was manipulating both ends, egging on the normally non-confrontational Neimoidians into combat, and somehow stalling procedures in the Senate to keep the Republic from interfering.

Eventually, though, Naboo's young monarch Queen Amidala returned and led a resistance movement that defeated the mechanized Trade Federation army. Darth Maul was killed by Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Though on the surface it would appear the Sith agenda was defeated, the invasion had long-lasting implications for the Republic. In the resulting political upheaval, Supreme Chancellor Valorum was voted out of office, to be replaced by the ambitious Senator Palpatine. And despite the death of his prized apprentice, none of the Jedi knew for sure of Sidious' existence, or of his true identity.

Having lost his apprentice, Sidious' next gambit centered not on the raising of a new apprentice, but the converting a suitable Jedi candidate. His selection was the legendary yet disillusioned Jedi Master Count Dooku. Sidious lured Dooku to the dark side, granting him the Sith title of Darth Tyranus. Unlike Maul, Tyranus possessed more guile and craft in meeting Sidious' aims.

Darth Tyranus led a Separatist movement that split the Republic and created a tense era of political upheaval. He also saw to the creation of a secret clone army that would figure in Sidious' plan to destroy the Republic. When the time was right, Count Dooku emerged as the leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a militarized force of dissidents challenging the Republic for autonomy. The Republic responded with their newly discovered army, and the Clone Wars erupted.

During the Clone Wars, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine seized further political power in the name of galactic security. Sidious was pleased -- for in truth, he was Palpatine, a secret he had kept from the galaxy for decades.

His identity was exposed during his quest for the ultimate Sith apprentice. Having closely monitored Anakin Skywalker for years, Sidious felt he was the ideal Sith to make true his vision of new society built upon Sith principals. As Palpatine, he befriended Skywalker, becoming a close friend and a fatherly authority to a youthful warrior often confused by the seemingly boundless power and abilities he had at his disposal. Sidious's silken words of advice would steer Anakin away from the guiding tenets of the Jedi Code. Skywalker grew to trust Palpatine, believing that the friendly politician had his best interests at heart.

Sidious carefully engineered Anakin's fall. To test Skywalker's mettle, Sidious' ruse involved the "kidnapping" of Chancellor Palpatine by his Confederacy underlings. During the mission to rescue the Chancellor, Anakin confronted Darth Tyranus. The two dueled, and at Palpatine's goading, Anakin killed the Sith Lord. Anakin had the power and was ready to use it, Sidious grinned. Anakin would be his.

While the leading Jedi Masters concentrated on tracking down the military commander of the Confederacy, Sidious further ensnared Anakin. Skywalker was torn by prophetic visions of his wife dying in childbirth. Knowing of these premonitions, Palpatine revealed to Anakin he was the gateway to arcane Sith knowledge, including the ability to prevent others from dying.

[ Sidious, Darth ]The Jedi eventually discovered Palpatine's Sith leanings and confronted the Chancellor. Sidious lashed out with blinding speed, brandishing a previously hidden lightsaber blade in a sudden strike that killed all of the Jedi Masters Mace Windu had assembled to arrest the Chancellor. With Anakin Skywalker's help, Sidious was able to defeat Mace, though he was severely scarred by the reflected power of his dark side lightning. To conceal his disfigured visage, Sidious returned to his simple Sith robes.

With Anakin committed to the dark side, Sidious took him as his apprentice. He renamed him Darth Vader and dispatched him to destroy the Jedi Temple. Then, using his authority as Chancellor Palpatine, he contacted the clone commanders scattered throughout the galaxy to enact Order 66 -- a secret, executive decree that identified every Jedi as a traitor to the Republic. The loyal clone troopers executed their treasonous Jedi generals in cold blood.

Sidious then concocted a tale of his disfigurement at the hands of rebellious Jedi, and went before the Senate. By the end of his rousing speech, supported by the thunderous applause of fervent patriots, the Republic was no more. Sidious had declared his new order as the first Galactic Empire. He was now known as Emperor Palpatine, supreme ruler of the galaxy.





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