Luminara Unduli was a Mirialan Jedi Master before and during the Clone Wars. Though she was not a member of the Jedi Council, she was the equal of most members of the Council and was a trusted advisor to the Council, the Senate and the Supreme Chancellor.
Biography[]
Life before the Clone Wars[]
Luminara Unduli was born on the planet Mirial, a cold, dry, and despondent world oppressed by the Trade Federation. She was taken into the Jedi Order at a young age, and so lived through little of the misery known to most Mirialans.
As a Jedi, she dedicated herself to physical disciplines; her patterned tattoos were a traditional Mirialan reflection of this somatic commitment. She trained heavily to improve her corporal prowess, working over the course of years to enhance her flexibility and agility in combat.
She became a Master in the years prior to the Invasion of Naboo. Honoring the cultural traditions of her native people, which required that any Mirialan child given to the Jedi Order be trained by Mirialan masters, she took only Mirialans as apprentices.
She was a close friend to fellow Masters Shaak Ti and Quinlan Vos. At some point before the Clone Wars she took fifteen year old Barriss Offee as her Padawan after the younger Mirialan defeated Ahsoka Tano in the last round of a duelling tournament.
Mission to Ansion[]
Luminara Unduli and her Padawan, Barriss Offee.
Shortly after Barriss turned seventeen, Luminara and her Padawan were sent to the previously galactically insignificant world of Ansion, where they were met by Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. The four Jedi were charged with forestalling any incipient local separatist movement.
Their mission was made difficult by the cultural division which gripped Ansion: one part of the planet's population dwelt in cities and towns and engaged in trade with other worlds in the Republic; the other part lived in a loose confederation of nomadic clans on Ansion's vast, windy plains. The two factions were bitterly mistrustful of one another, and had been in conflict for more than a thousand years.
Luminara and her Padawan were ambushed not long after they arrived in the modest Ansionian capital, Cuipernam, by employees of Soergg the Hutt, a local crime lord whose services had been retained by the separatists. Luminara was cornered against a wall but then Obi-Wan and Anakin arrived and helped her defeat her attackers, who had expected only two Jedi.
Secure in their persons for the time being, Luminara and the other Jedi proceeded to the Ansionian council building, where they conducted initial negotiations with the Unity of Community Council, which represented the city-dwelling Ansionians. Like Ansion, the council was deeply divided. Roughly half its membership favored the Separatists, having been promised a quick and forceful end to the conflict with the prairie-dwelling Alwari nomads by the Separatist leadership and an escape from Republic taxes and regulations.
After a particularly unorthodox demonstration of the Force on the Armalat delegate Tolut, and a promise of a very favorable settlement with the Alwari, Luminara was able to persuade the Council to provisionally agree to remain in the Republic—so long as the Jedi delivered on her promise.
The quartet's new focus was interrupted when Barriss was captured by two mentally disabled Ansionian gangsters in the employ of Soergg, Bulgan and Kyakhta. The young Padawan was able to convince her captors to help her escape Soergg's men by offering to heal them of their injuries. Restored to their former selves, the pair quickly aided Barriss in eluding the Hutt's clutches. Unsurprisingly, Luminara located her escaped Padawan before Obi-Wan or Anakin sensed her presence.
Bulgan and Kyakhta, grateful to and in awe of Barriss—and sensing an opportunity—appointed themselves guides to the four Jedi. Luminara and her colleagues accepted the aid of the Ansonian pair, not least because the two were both outcast members of Alwari clans.
In short order, the Jedi set out on an expedition to locate the scattered Alwari clans, particularly the Borokii overclan. Luminara, Barriss, their two colleagues and their guides, crossed out of Cuipernam into Ansion's vast prairie, riding on magnificent suubatar animals recommended by Bulgan and Kyakhta as much for their prestige among the Alwari as for the very practical advantages of the beasts.
As the expedition progressed, Luminara noticed a clear tension between Barriss and the confident Anakin, and discussed the brash Padawan's unusual case with Obi-Wan. On the way, they had to fend off attacks by gairk at a river crossing, and seek shelter from a large flock of suicidal kyren. At the camp of the first Alwari clan they encountered, the Yiwa, Luminara and the others were welcomed, but were required to provide entertainment that evening. After gaining a deeper understanding of the Alwari sense of tradition, Luminara contrived an entertainment that would satisfy the Yiwa. Taking a handful of sand from the ground, she let it fall through her fingers, but against the wind. Turning the stream of sand into a coil with expert manipulation of the Force, Luminara lifted twirling columns of sand around her in glittering spirals. Then she also began to twirl herself, until she was rapidly whirling around with spirals of sand forming a vortex around her as she rose off of her feet into the air. Climatically, the sand was formed into a globe around her as she spun in mid-air. Her dizzying performance completed, she returned to her place among the other Jedi amid the Alwari equivalent of applause. Even her companions were impressed by this feat.
Luminara again had cause to worry about Barriss when the Padawan disappeared chasing a Gwurran thief Tooqui. However, the Padawan was found, this time surrounded by rambunctious, inquisitive Gwurrans. Tooqui insisted on coming along with them, and Luminara reluctantly agreed, passing off responsibility for him to Barriss. The Gwurran would prove his worth when he rescued all four Jedi and the two Alwari after the Qulun clan used a scented perfume to send the Jedi to sleep and capture them in order to receive a payment from Soergg. After they escaped with their mounts, Luminara would later save Anakin's life when he was attacked by two predatory shanhs.
After being led to the Borokii clan, the Jedi were required to retrieve a tuft of wool from the exceedingly rare albino surepp herd animals without modern technology. Luminara went into the herd at night, bouncing off the top of each animal and retrieved the wool before returning to the other Jedi and proceeding with the negotiations. The Borokii agreed to the settlement, but the Jedi were required to deal with their traditional enemies, the Januul clan. Under the leadership of Obi-Wan, the Jedi agreed, although Luminara was flabbergasted. When the two clans drew up to engage each other, the Jedi went in between of them and declared their intention to not fight either side. Luminara and the other Jedi then fended off attacks launched against them by both sides, but they parried only weapons, killing none of the combatants. Stunned, both clans agreed to the Jedi's proposition.
Returning to Cuipernam to inform the Unity Council, Soergg again tried to ambush the Jedi, who were then aided by an honor guard of both Januul and Borokii clans. Luminara then proceeded to the negotiations, where Ansion—a vital hub of alliances—agreed to stay in the Republic. Her hard work, research, ingenuity and skill had helped keep the world in the Republic.
Clone Wars[]
Battle of Geonosis[]
Shortly after Luminara and Barriss returned from the mission to Ansion, it became apparent that a full-fledged military conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems would occur. Obi-Wan Kenobi was captured by the Confederacy on Geonosis, and Luminara and her Padawan joined Master Mace Windu's quickly launched rescue mission.
Luminara and Mace were the vanguard for the approaching Jedi. The pair slipped past the planet's significant anti-orbital defenses and commandeered newly landed TX-130S fighter tanks which they used to destroy Geonosian gun emplacements blocking the way to the arena. When Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Senator Padmé Amidala were brought to the Geonosis arena, Luminara, Barriss, and many other Jedi revealed themselves to Count Dooku, the leader of the Confederacy, who was personally overseeing the planned execution. A heated but short battle followed and many Jedi Knights fell in battle before Master Yoda arrived with the newly-created clone army in several LAAT gunships to rescue the thirty-two Jedi who remained. Luminara and Barriss survived, although Barriss was separated from Luminara in the confusion and teamed up with K'Kruhk to escape, also finding a bacta tank containing Qymaen jai Sheelal before the two Mirialans were reunited.
Battle of Falleen[]
Five months into the Clone Wars, Luminara, Barriss, Saesee Tiin and Carilia Conrose fought in the month long battle of Falleen. Barriss learned more about Force healing from Carilia during the battle.
Encounter with Asajj Ventress[]
About a month later, while Barriss was overseeing an operation on Geonosis, Luminara traveled to Rodia to escort captured Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray to Coruscant for trial. The Jedi Master was joined by Anakin Skywalker's Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Aboard the Venator-class Star Destroyer Tranquility, Unduli spearheaded the interrogations of the viceroy, whose denial of information cost Tano her patience. The Padawan threatened Gunray with her lightsaber, and though Unduli scolded the Padawan for using fear as a weapon, the viceroy agreed to "negotiate." Before any information could be gleaned, the Tranquility was attacked by Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress and a battle droid squad, who had arrived to rescue Gunray.
After Luminara and Clone Commander CC-1004, nicknamed "Gree," managed to destroy the army of B2 super battle droids, the Jedi Master sensed that Tano was in danger and rushed to meet with her. Unduli arrived to assist the Padawan in confronting Ventress, who was cornered. However, while "surrendering," Ventress activated thermal detonators that she had planted in the Star Destroyer's engine room, crippling the cruiser, and escaped to the ravaged engine room. Although Tano offered to help, noting her past encounter with Ventress and stating that the assassin was too powerful for Luminara, the Jedi Master unwisely pursued the assassin on her own, leaving Tano to guard Gunray.
Finding and engaging Ventress in a lightsaber duel, Unduli was hampered by a wound to the left eye early in the battle and was eventually trapped beneath several pipes the Dark Acolyte collapsed on her from the ceiling. As Ventress moved to deal the killing blow, the Jedi Master was saved by the timely arrival of Tano, who had decided to disobey her orders in the interest of helping Unduli. The Mirialan accepted the Padawan's help for the continuing duel, but in the end, Ventress escaped with Senate Commando Captain Faro Argyus, who had defected to the Separatists and freed Gunray from Republic custody. Unduli and Tano transmitted the signal of the Consular-class cruiser that the Separatists had used to escape the Tranquility to Jedi Master Kit Fisto, who tracked Gunray to the third moon of Vassek. Unduli apologized to Tano for not taking her advice before the Padawan departed to rendezvous with her own Master.
Personality and traits[]
Luminara Unduli was calm and patient and her Padawan, Barriss Offee noted she was a good teacher. Luminara sometimes scolded people but rarely actually lost her temper with them. She cared for Barriss but generally kept their relationship formal and, keeping in mind the Jedi sense of detachment, was prepared to let Barriss go if she died. Quinlan Vos thought that she was one of few Jedi to easily connect with and she complemented her companions during battle.
Luminara was confident in her abilities but this confidence became arrogance during her duel with Asajj Ventress. Convinced that she was more than capable of dealing with Ventress, Luminara underestimated the Dark Acolyte and was nearly killed as a result. Ahsoka Tano rescued her at the last moment and Luminara thought that she'd never been so happy to have someone disobey her orders. She apologised to Ahsoka after Ventress escaped and thanked her for saving her life.
Powers and abilities[]
Luminara Unduli was trained as a Jedi Guardian and was one of the best swordswomen in the Jedi Order. She was a practitioner of Djem So, Ataru and Soresu and by combining all three styles together she was a formidable opponent. She had also trained herself to be very flexible allowing her to twist and bend her body away from any attack she didn't block. This, combined with her considerable prowess in Soresu, made her extremely difficult to defeat as even if an attack did get past her lightsaber she could twist or bend to avoid it.
Luminara was able to hold her own against Asajj Ventress, even with an injured eye. However she made the mistake of getting overconfident and even taunted Ventress about her fighting style and was nearly killed as a result.
Though Unduli focused mainly on lightsaber combat she was also a powerful user of the Force able to use it to leap huge heights and distances and move with great speed. She was skilled with telekinesis and her proficiency with the Force push power also proved to be the equal of Asajj Ventress and neither one of them was able to overpower the other whilst using the power. She also possessed a strong Force Sense being able to sense Asajj Ventress when she attacked Ahsoka Tano and also sensed Ventress just before the Dark Jedi attacked her in the Tranquility's engine room.