Characters:

Anakin Skywalker










Homeworld:
Tatooine



Species:
Human


Gender:
Male


Height:
1.35 meters as a child, 1.85 meters as an adult


Weapon:
lightsaber



Vehicle:
Radon-Ulzer 620C Podracer, N-1 starfighter, hotrod speeder, custom modified Jedi starfighter, Jedi starfighter


Affiliation:
Jedi, Boonta Eve Classic



Associations:
C-3PO (See-Threepio)
Imperial probe droid
Jabitha
Jedi starfighter, Anakin Skywalker's customized
Podracer, Anakin Skywalker's
Podracer, Teemto Pagalies'
Sebulba







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 junkdealer 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 is 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 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 those whom 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 cleary 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 Niemoidia 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.
That is not to suggest the war was without its difficulties. 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 to 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. The planet that held not only his beloved wife, but also his close friend the Chancellor, was in the crosshairs of 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.
As turmoil engulfed the galaxy during the transition from Republic to Empire, Anakin fell to the dark side of the Force. Consumed by evil, Anakin abandoned his past and his humanity. He became Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, apprentice to the evil Emperor Palpatine.
Obi-Wan-Kenobi:

A dedicated and legendary Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi has 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. He watched helplessly as Maul killed Qui-Gon, and 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 droids of the Jedi Temple.
As Anakin voyaged off-world 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 previous, 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 by 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 escaped 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 dozen, 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 death blow, 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 was able 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 a General in the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi served the Senate and the Republic heroically, on numerous historic battlefronts. Despite his misgivings, he became a seasoned starfighter pilot, learning several tricks from his unorthodox Padawan as the duo blazed a trail of victory through Separatists lines.
The exploits of Skywalker and Kenobi became legendary throughout the Republic. While Anakin was elevated as the “Hero Without Fear” for his daring heroics, Obi-Wan's more measured tactics earned him the reputation as “the Negotiator.” Many times Kenobi was able to cease hostilities without the raising of a single blaster. When diplomacy failed and it did come to violence, the General was ready. 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 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.
Anakin Skywalker was one of many casualties as the galaxy was enveloped by darkness. Obi-Wan incorrectly believed that he could train Anakin as skillfully as the revered Yoda. He would later admit that he was wrong. His arrogance had grave consequences for the galaxy. Anakin Skywalker succumbed to the temptations of the dark side, and was reborn as a Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader.
Obi-Wan was instrumental in hiding Anakin's offspring, so that neither the Dark Lord, nor his master, the Emperor Palpatine, knew 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, whom Obi-Wan had served during the Clone Wars.
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 wouldrefer to him as a “crazy old hermit,” and gave the eccentric old man a wide berth.
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.

Chancellor Palpatine:









Homeworld:
Naboo



Species:
Human


Gender:
Male


Height:
1.73 meters


Weapon:
Dark-side lightning


Vehicle:
Imperial shuttle


Affiliation:
Galactic Senate, Galactic Republic, Empire, Sith







Palpatine was the supreme ruler of the most powerful tyrannical regime the galaxy had ever witnessed, yet his roots are extremely humble, traced back to the peaceful world of Naboo.
Before his rise to power, Palpatine was an unassuming yet ambitious Senator in the Galactic Republic. Palpatine saw the Republic crumbling about him, torn apart by partisan bickering and corruption. All too common were those unscrupulous Senators taking advantage of the system, growing fat and wealthy on a bureaucracy too slow to catch them.
Palpatine's moment of opportunity came as a result of a trade embargo. The Trade Federation, in protest of government measures that would tax their outlying trade routes, blockaded and invaded Naboo. Naboo's planetary leader, Queen Amidala, rushed to Coruscant for Palpatine's aid. Together, the two pleaded to the Senate for intervention, only to see their request stalemated by Trade Federation filibustering. Frustrated by the government's inability to do anything, Queen Amidala acted upon Palpatine's suggestion, and called for a Vote of No Confidence in the Republic's leadership.
Chancellor Valorum was voted out of office, and Palpatine was soon nominated to succeed him. The crisis on Naboo prompted a strong sympathy vote, and Palpatine became Chancellor. He promised to reunite the disaffected, and bring order and justice to the government.
Despite his promises, the Republic continued to be mired in strife and chaos. A decade after his nomination, Palpatine's Chancellery was faced with the challenge of a popular Separatist movement led by the charismatic leader, Count Dooku. Many in the galaxy feared that the conflict would escalate to full-scale warfare, but Palpatine was adamant that the crisis could be resolved by negotiation.

The Separatists didn't agree. Upon the discovery of a secret army of droids, it became apparent that the Separatists were on the verge of declaring war against the Republic. To counter this, the Republic needed a military, and Palpatine required the authority to activate the Republic's newly forged army of clones. To that end, Senators loyal to Palpatine motioned that the Chancellor be given emergency powers to deal with the Separatist threat.
With spoken regrets, Palpatine accepted the new mantle of power. He promised to return his absolute authority to the Senate after emergency subsided. What no one realized was that the galaxy would undergo further upheaval, and that a state of crisis would ensure Palpatine's authority for decades.
The indications of his future regime were subtle at first. Palpatine's term as Chancellor ended during the rise of the Separatists, but that crisis allowed him to extend his stay in office. Once the Clone Wars erupted, the Senate's inability to efficiently wage war on scattered fronts forced him to enact executive decree after executive decree. He added amendments to the constitution funneling more power to him, effectively circumventing the bureaucracy of the Senate.
The public and the Senate willingly gave up their rights and freedoms in the name of security. Under Palpatine's guidance, the war would be won, and the Republic would be safe. The monstrous specter of General Grievous leading an assault ensured that few questioned Palpatine's growing authority.
The Jedi Council was among the wary. As an instrument of the Senate and the people, the Jedi order resisted Palpatine's direct control. This tension grew as the war escalated. Some in the Senate also quietly whispered their misgiving. Palpatine knew of a delegation of concerned Senators, and he would deal with them in time.
Palpatine instituted a military build-up unprecedented in galactic history. He created the New Order, a Galactic Empire that ruled by tyranny. The Jedi Knights, his biggest threat, were extinguished by his greatest dark side pupil: Anakin Skywalker, who had become Darth Vader.
During the Galactic Civil War, Palpatine ruled with an iron fist. He disbanded the Imperial Senate, and passed control down to the regional governors and the military. During the Hoth campaign, Palpatine expressed to Vader his concerns over Luke Skywalker, a young Rebel powerful in the Force. Vader suggested that the two convert the youth to the dark side of the Force, an idea the Emperor seconded.
The Emperor was a scheming ruler, planning events far in the future, using the Force to foresee the results. Palpatine allowed Rebel spies to learn of the location of the second Death Star, and foresaw their strike team and fleet assault. Palpatine crafted an elaborate trap that was to be the end of the Rebellion. He also concentrated on converting Luke Skywalker to the dark side of the Force, even at the expense of sacrificing Vader. In the Death Star, high above the Battle of Endor, Luke refused the Emperor's newfound dark side power, and so Palpatine used his deadly Force lightning to attack the young Jedi. Luke almost died in the assault, but his father, Darth Vader, returned to the light side of the Force, and hurled the Emperor into the Death Star's reactor core, killing him.
Palpatine was a gnarled, old man. An ancient-looking human, he had pale skin, and searing, sickly yellow eyes. He wore a heavy dark cloak, and carried a glossy black cane.
Yoda:









Homeworld:
Unknown


Species:
Unknown


Gender:
Male


Height:
.66 meter


Weapon:
lightsaber



Affiliation:
Jedi







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.
When the Empire arose from the ashes of the Republic, the Emperor's agents set out to slaughter the Jedi. 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, that new hope 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.
Mace Windu:









Homeworld:
Haruun Kal



Species:
Human


Gender:
Male


Height:
1.88 meters


Weapon:
Lightsaber



Affiliation:
Jedi Council







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.
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.

Genaral Grievous:









Gender:
Male


Height:
1.904 meters (default configuration)


Weapon:
Blaster pistols, lightsabers



Affiliation:
Confederacy of Independent Systems







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 wield 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. Within the hardened carapace beats the heart of a remorseless killer. Grievous hunted Jedi for sport and proudly displayed his victims' lightsabers around his belt as trophies of his conquests. His unorthodox fighting form and mechanical enhancements gave him an edge in close-quarters combat, and his strategic ingenuity and flawless cunning rendered him almost invincible against the Jedi.
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 fighting had gone on long enough – one way or another, this strike would lay the foundation for the end of the war. 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.


Locations:
Coruscant
Hasyyyk
Mustafar
Naboo
Polis Massa
Tatooine
Utapau