Jard Dooku

"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent."

- Jard Dooku to Jar Binks

Jard Dooku was born as the Count of before he was taken in by the Jedi Order where he became a. As a Jedi Master, he was one of the most renowned swordsmen of the galaxy. He trained Obi-Wan Kenobi in the ways of the, during which time they were forced into participating in the Stark Hyperspace War. After Obi-Wan passed his trials and became a Jedi Knight, an act that Dooku was not in favor of as he saw Obi-Wan as being arrogant and reckless, Dooku was sent with Obi-Wan to Utapau to settle a Trade Federation blockade, though the Federation attempted to assassinate them and he was forced to fleet with Obi-Wan to the planet. Once there, he and Obi-Wan met with Jar Binks who agreed to take them to the hidden city of Otoh Gunga, the capital of the Gungan Empire. While the Gungans were less then helpful, they did agree to spare Jar's life and to give them a transport which they used to travel through the ocean core to the city of Theed.

Early life
Jard Dooku was born as the count of, though he was forced to relinquish that title when he was taken in by the Jedi Order. Like all Jedi, he was trained by Yoda until he became the apprentice of Thame Cerulian at the age of thirteen. Cerulian shaped Jard into an immensely powerful Jedi, causing Yoda to take notice of it and help train him in the later years of his Jedi training. During that time, Dooku became close friends with another padawan named Qui-Gon Jinn.

After becoming a, Jard became an instructor on Coruscant. Many other Jedi Knights and Jedi Padawans took notice of his teaching methods and many of his principles were well-received, though many others were not. He told students that acceptance of others was not a guarantee and, like everyone else, a Jedi would be accepted or not accepted based on their behavior. He said that a Jedi who believed that he was more important than others would only demonstrate that his opinion should and would be ignored.

Others noticed that, despite his lessons, Jard felt that he would become the greatest Jedi in history. Because of that, many of his other theories were not accepted. One such theory was that one could draw from both sides of the equally to achieve perfect balance. He told many of his fellow Jedi that so long as they were not tempted to one side or another, they would be able to maintain a balance and harness the powers needed to alter the face of the galaxy for the better.

Many Jedi took note that his own pride, expressed in his very goals, brought him closer and closer to the Dark Side when attempting to study both sides. It was one of the reasons that Jard was not a member of the, something that he could never forgive the order for.

One afternoon, Jard visited the padawans that had turned thirteen years old and were awaiting a master. He took notice of Obi-Wan Kenobi and watched as he fought against a competitor, though the fierce offensive made Obi-Wan appear to be too dangerous for training so Jard did not select him. Later that day, Jard boarded a shuttle headed for to track down his former padawan, Xanatos. Obi-Wan was also on the shuttle headed for the AgriCorps, and he was able to help Jard realize that Xanatos had set a trap for him to assassinate him. Jard believed that Obi-Wan was worthy to be his apprentice, and after the completion of the mission he officially took Obi-Wan as his padawan learner.

Stark Hyperspace War
Over the years, Jard and Obi-Wan had very different views on the nature of the Jedi Order and its relationship to the Supreme Chancellor and the Galactic Senate. This caused a great strain in their relationship, and Obi-Wan’s training often became awkward to the point of downright tension and ferocity. Even so, the Stark Hyperspace War proved that, when necessary, they could be each other’s strongest ally and that they could work together under any situation.

The Stark Hyperspace War was a small regional military conflict fought in the Quotile system, and it was one of the many minor conflicts that the Republic faced after the Ruusan Reformation. The Republic and the Jedi were forced to fight against the forces of the Stark Commercial Combine, a fierce group of pirates, mercenaries, bounty hunters and assassins that had united together under the leadership of Iaco Stark. The Combine received some aid from the Trade Federation during the conflict.

The conflict began with a series of raids in the Outer Rim and was solved by peaceful negotiations by the Republic’s diplomats, most notably Senator Finis Valorum and Jedi Master Tyvokka. The conflict escalated into a full scale war through the aggressions of Senator Ranulph Tarkin and the actions of the Combine and the Trade Federation. The entire war was fought in five battles that took place around Troiken, except for one battle on the planet Thyferra. At the end of the war, Stark decided to defect and help the Republic end the war. Soon after, the war official ended.

Jard, Obi-Wan and Quinlan Vos had been a member of Tyvokka’s negotiation team and were forced to fight in the Fourth Battle of Quotile, a conflict in which Obi-Wan risked his life to save the life of Jard. It was at that point where they proved that, despite their differences, they could work together.

The war had numerous consequences for the Republic. Tyvokka and Ranulph Tarkin were both killed, and their seats on the Jedi Council and the Galactic Senate, respectively, were left vacant and had to be filled. Nute Gunray also used the position to solidify himself as Viceroy of the Trade Federation. Finally, because of his handling of the negotiations during the war, Finis Valorum was elected Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic by his colleagues in the Galactic Senate.

Despite the fact that Jar and Obi-Wan were able to prove that they had a somewhat strong relationship of trust as master and apprentice, the tensions between them continued to grow until their relationship became one of bitterness. Obi-Wan confided in a Jedi Council Member named Qui-Gon Jinn, and Jinn advised him on the situation. Though he was on the council, Qui-Gon was somewhat of a maverick Jedi and believed deeply in the Living Force while others did not. Qui-Gon attempted to teach Obi-Wan its philosophies, but Jard recalled that he allowed the training to continue. From that point on, Jard saw Obi-Wan simply as a student rather than an apprentice.

Utapau Crisis
Many years after the war, the Galactic Senate passed a law that declared all forms of slavery illegal in the outlying systems. The Trade Federation, which relied heavily on slave labor, was outraged by the measure and blockaded the peaceful world of Utapau. Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum tasked Jard and Obi-Wan with traveling to Utapau as ambassadors and negotiating for the release of the planet from the blockade. Jard and Dooku accepted the assignment and secretly left Coruscant, leaving only the Jedi Council to know where they were.

Shortly after they arrived on the Trade Federation command ship, they were targeted for assassination. Obi-Wan was forced to fight off a battle droid squadron while Jard attempted to break in to the bridge, but in the end there were too many droids so they were forced to flee. They made their way into the ventilation system which led them to a docking bay where they found an invasion army preparing to make its way to the surface. They agreed to stow aboard separate ships and meet each other on the planet’s surface.

When the Federation ship Jard had stowed aboard made its way to the surface, he managed to jump out and land in the swamps. Because of his old age, he had trouble making his way from the troop transports, but he was saved by a Gungan named Jar Binks, though Jard refused to admit that the Gungan had saved his life. Shortly thereafter, Jard saw Obi-Wan run through the forests without his lightsaber, which had shorted out in a lake, while being chased by battle droids. Once Jard destroyed them, Obi-Wan met Jar Binks, who that said he was the Crowned Prince of the Gungan Empire. Jar offered to bring them to his city or safety, but quickly rescinded the offer when he told them that he had been banished. However, Obi-Wan was able to convince Jar otherwise and he brought them through the swamps to the underwater city.

When they arrived in the city, they were immediately arrested by Gungan guards who brought them to the Gungan High Council. When they arrived, they requested their assistance in helping defend against the droid army, but the Gungans refused as they did not like the Humans of the planet. However, Jard was able to convince them to provide them with a transport to reach the capital city. Obi-Wan was also able to save Jar from execution, as he would have been pounded to death for breaking his exile. Immediately after leaving, they were given a bongo transport and took it to the ocean core, the quickest way to the city, where they learned that Jar had been banished for carelessly letting the Humans steal the Kaiburr Crystal, an artifact supposedly given to the Gungans by their gods. Jar told them that the Human legend regarding the crystal was that a minion of a Dark Jedi named Xendor left it on the planet and the Gungans simply came across it. The story was interrupted when the transport was attacked by a large sea creature, but an even larger sea creature attacked it which allowed the transport to safely escape into an underground route that would bring them to Theed, the capital of the planet.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One