Depa Billaba (Powerstaark)

Depa Billaba was a chalactan Jedi Master and Council Member before the Clone Wars. She was the former Padawan of Jedi Master Mace Windu who considered her to be like a daughter to him; she was perhaps the only person Mace displayed any attachment to. During the first five months of the Clone Wars Depa fell to the dark side on Haruun Kul and duelled with her former Master before committing suicide out of shame of what she'd become.

Early life
When Depa was very young, her family left their home planet of Chalacta in search of a new place to live. While traveling, the transport they were on was attacked by pirates, and in the ensuing fight Depa's parents were killed. The infant girl and her sister, however, were saved from the space pirates by the respected Jedi Master Mace Windu. He brought the six month old Force-sensitive child and her sister to the Jedi Temple, and, when she was of age, took Depa as his Padawan. Windu was the creator of the lightsaber combat form Vaapad and he trained Depa to use the style, and she became as close to him as a daughter.

Depa's sister was also trained as a Jedi and was given the name Sar Labooda. Why Depa and Sar have different surnames is unconfirmed but it may have been a Chalactan tradition, or an attempt to prevent the two sisters from becoming attached to each other; they knew they were sisters but having the same surname may have increased their attachment.

Depa embraced the teachings of the Chalactan Adepts, making her attuned to the minds and personalities of her peers. Decorating the bridge of her nose were the Chalactan Greater and Lesser Marks of Illumination, a testament to her spirituality. http://

Jedi Council member
Known for her wisdom, bravery, and loyalty, Depa was widely considered to be one of the most enlightened Jedi of her time. As such, she became one of the youngest Jedi ever to be appointed to the High Council selected over a decade before the Clone Wars. Shortly before the Invasion of Naboo, Depa was dispatched to Asmeru to investigate an attempt on the life of Supreme Chancellor Valorum. While on the planet, she and her fellow Jedi were attacked by Nebula Front terrorists, but fended them off.

Like her sister Sar Labooda Billaba was a soft-spoken spiritual individual, but capable enough to take quick action if need be. A talented lightsaber duelist, she mastered the Vaapad fighing style which completed the (to the Jedi) incomplete Juyo style but also posed a grave spiritual threat to its wielder.

Ten years before the Clone Wars, Depa, along with the other Jedi Masters on the Council, was confronted by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi. She watched as Qui-Gon requested that young Anakin Skywalker be tested for admission into the Jedi Order. According to Jinn, the boy was the Chosen One of the Jedi prophecy. After testing the boy, the Council decided that the boy was not to be trained due to the emotional attachment to his mother. Following the Invasion of Naboo, Billaba attended the funeral of the maverick Jedi and participated in the festivities that followed. She and the majority of the other Council members decided to let Anakin be trained by Obi-Wan.

Shortly after the discovery of young Skywalker and the death of Qui-Gon, Depa embarked on a mission to rescue her former Master, Mace Windu, who had gone alone to Nar Shaddaa to investigate an animal smuggling ring. Journeying to the Smuggler's Moon, Depa found Mace and reached him just as he was being surrounded by a large number of underworld thugs. After aiding him against the thugs, she helped him with his mission. One particularly harrowing part of this mission involved fighting deranged akk dogs, but Depa and Mace defeated them and were ultimately successful. http://

Clone Wars
"Her mind broke. Shattered. Lost in the dark."

- Mace Windu

When Mace Windu and 212 other Jedi journeyed to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan Kenobi, his apprentice Anakin Skywalker, and Senator Padmé Amidala from execution by the Separatists, Depa stayed at the Jedi Temple to safeguard the younglings while the other Jedi were away. Although she possessed formidable fighting prowess, Depa was chosen to stay at the Temple as she was one of the principal instructors of young Jedi clans, such as the Bear Clan. Depa's sister Sar Labooda was unfortunately killed on Geonosis.

Not long after the Battle of Geonosis, which marked the start of the Clone Wars, Depa was dispatched to Mace Windu's home planet of Haruun Kal to stop Separatist activity and possibly recruit Korunnai militia to aid the Republic. She became a leader of the Upland Liberation Front (ULF), along with Kar Vastor, but was tormented by nightmares and by the atrocities she had witnessed in the brutal jungle war. Though her nature seemed to be perfectly suited for this test, Billaba turned to the dark side of the Force due to the horrific nature of the guerrilla war and the influence of Kar Vastor. Eventually, a message composed by Depa was delivered to Yoda and Mace Windu, who were quite concerned for Depa's condition.

Mace Windu journeyed to Haruun Kal and tried to save her, but Depa was weakened under the influence of Vastor, and had committed war crimes while leading the ULF. Significantly, her Chalactan Mark of Greater Illumination had been torn out somehow, signifying a lack of spiritual strength and clarity to Mace. Mace took himself hostage in order to reach her, after enduring a series of ordeals and attacks to reach her. He caught up with her and had intended to take her to safety, but a massive militia attack forced Depa into combat, which was the peak of her final turn to the dark side.

Defending against the militia, Mace, Depa, and some of the Korunnai decided to take the fight to the enemy and hijacked enemy gunships. Receiving aid from clone trooper reinforcements, Depa and Mace led an assault on the main militia base. After seizing the control bunker in the capital city of Pelek Baw, Depa, Vastor, and his Akk Guards sealed themselves inside and waited for Mace Windu to return from his mission to find Lorz Geptun, the leader of the militia.

Having found and brought Geptun back with him, Mace found Depa and believed she was dead, but she was faking and attacked him, as the clone troopers battled Vastor and his Akk Guards. Depa's mastery of Vaapad made her one of the only people who was able to fight Mace as an equal and almost defeated the Jedi Master but Mace suddenly switched off his lightsaber and dropped to his knees, asking his former Padawan if she was really going to kill the man who had given her a life and a purpose. Realizing what she had done, Depa stabbed herself in the chest and as Mace threw himself down beside her she apologised for betraying him and quietly called him 'father' before dying. Depa's death actually reduced Mace to tears and that was the only known time that Mace Windu expressed grief and sorrow. With his adopted daughter dead, Mace arrested Kar Vastor and took Depa's body back to Coruscant for a funeral. It is unlikely Mace ever truly recovered from Depa's death.

Personality and traits
Due to her Chalactan spirituality and Jedi training, Depa was known for being contemplative and an excellent problem solver. Her unique mental conditioning gave her virtual immunity to torture but although she was a strong minded individual she wasn't strong enough to resist the pull of the dark side. As a Jedi Knight, Depa was noble, brave, and wise, leading to her young appointment to the Jedi Council. She was soft-spoken and spiritual.

After turning to the dark side on Haruun Kal, Depa almost could not walk. She went insane, and eventually attacked Mace Windu. However she came to her senses just before she killed the Jedi Master and, out of the shame she felt from attacking the man who had been like a father to her, stabbed herself in the chest with her lightsaber. Depa was perhaps the only person Mace Windu had a true attachment to and her death and fall to the dark side would continue to haunt the Jedi Master for the rest of his life.

Depa also appeared to be good with children sometimes looking after the Jedi younglings, most notably when most of the other Jedi were fighting in the battle of Geonosis.

Powers and abilities
Depa Billaba was an incredibly powerful Jedi and was one of the very few who was able to fight Mace Windu as an equal. In fact she very nearly defeated Mace on Haruun Kul a feat that very few others could match. She was considered a Master of Vaapad but although her skill in Vaapad made her one of the most formidable Jedi alive, she ultimately turned to the dark side and was therefore not a true master of Vaapad. Nevertheless Mace Windu believed that Depa would have beaten him on Haruun Kul if he hadn't surrendered and reminded her that she was like his daughter and that it was because of him that she had a life and a purpose.