Plo Koon was a Kel Dor Jedi master and the former Padawan of the famous Wookiee Jedi Master Tyvokka. Plo gained a seat on the Jedi Council for his achievments during the Stark Hyperspace War. He was the Jedi that found Ahsoka Tano and brought her to the Jedi Temple and he was also good friends with Tom Norton.
Biography[]
Early life[]
«You always were the most humble, polite, stubborn, and difficult Padawan, Plo.»
―Tyvokka[src]
Plo Koon was the final Padawan of the famous Wookiee Jedi Master Tyvokka. Kel Dor had a reputation for making quick and clear distinctions between right and wrong and Plo was no exception, often taking swift, decisive action with little or no contemplation for repercussive effects. This attitude, combined with Koon's sarcastic wit, often tried the patience of his Master. Koon was a close friend of Qui-Gon Jinn, and believed that Qui-Gon deserved a seat on the Jedi High Council. He even suggested the idea to Tyvokka, though the elder Jedi disagreed. However, Koon soon came to realize that due to his rebellious nature, Qui-Gon would never find a place on the Council.
After training his first Padawan, Lissarkh Plo became a Jedi Master and Tyvokka believed he deserved a seat on the Jedi Council.
Stark Hyperspace War[]
«You...make me proud...Plo Koon...»
―Tyvokka's last words[src]
Before he could accept his former master Tyvokka's offer to join the Council, Koon accompanied the Wookiee to Troiken, where the Republic was to negotiate with the pirate Iaco Stark. Stark had been stealing bacta supplies from cargo vessels and selling them at lower prices than the Trade Federation could afford to offer. Rather than resort to military action, the Republic decided to negotiate, with Master Tyvokka as chief diplomat.
However, some factions in the government wanted more decisive action, and they organized an attack on Stark's forces, which caused the negotiations to degenerate into a firefight. Plo Koon watched in disbelief as Tyvokka was killed in the crossfire. Tyvokka's dying wish was that Plo would become a member of the Jedi Council. In the wake of his Master's death, Koon rallied the forces of the Republic and led them to a miraculous victory in the ensuing conflict, which came to be known as the Stark Hyperspace War. This triumph made Plo Koon a hero of the Republic. During the battle Plo befriended a Republic soldier, Jace Dallin, who later spoke of Koon's bravery and humility.
Jedi Council member[]
Plo Koon on the Jedi Council.
Following the Stark Hyperspace War, Plo Koon was promoted to Jedi Master and was given a life-time seat on the Jedi Council in honor of his Master's dying wish. Koon, ever humble, felt there were many others more qualified than he to serve on the Council. Plo was also a close friend of fellow Council member Micah Giiett and went on many adventures with him. Their constant verbal sparring made them appear as rivals, but those close to the two Jedi Masters understood that they were indeed good friends.
Sometime in the years before the Clone Wars, during a mission on Shili, Plo Koon found a Force sensitive Togruta named Ahsoka Tano. He took her to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to be raised as a Jedi. They became very close friends and Plo nicknamed her "Little Soka". Ahsoka began to consider Plo to be like a father to her and Plo felt that she was like his daughter. He also became close to Ahsoka's best friend Tom Norton.
A year before the Invasion of Naboo, Plo and Micah Giiett participated in a mission to quell an uprising on the planet Yinchorr, accompanied by Lilit Twoseas and her apprentice K'Kruhk.
During the fighting, Koon used a Force technique to conjure and manipulate clouds of dust to cloak the Jedi from their Yinchorri attackers. Due to Koon's effective smokescreen, they were rescued by Adi Gallia, Eeth Koth, and Tsui Choi, and soon embarked on a mission to rescue the remaining Jedi. During the conflict, Giiett was mortally wounded and chose to stay behind to distract the enemy. In honor of his fallen friend, Koon took over the training of Giiett's Padawan, Bultar Swan.
The invasion of Naboo[]
In most meetings with the Council, Plo Koon was a silent, enigmatic figure who rarely joined in with debates, but his knowledge was valued by the other Councilors. Plo was present when Qui-Gon brought the young Anakin Skywalker before them, asking for him to be trained as a Jedi. The Council's members were skeptical of the boy's suitability, and Qui-Gon's usual headstrong attitude did nothing to help matters. Before the Council came to a final decision, Qui-Gon was killed on Naboo, and Koon now had to mourn another friend. He, along with the rest of the Council, journeyed to Naboo for Jinn's funeral.
During the years after the Battle of Naboo, Plo traveled with fellow council members to Malastare to negotiate a truce between the Lannik royals and a terrorist group known as the Red Iaro. He also used his telepathic abilities to help Aayla Secura regain her memories following an incident with glitteryll on Ryloth.
Separatist Crisis[]
Plo enjoyed spending time with Ahsoka Tano and Tom Norton and gave them some private training. He taught them some hand to hand combat and probably taught them a few lightsaber techniques too.
Plo along with the rest of the Jedi Council witnessed a growing public discontent with the galactic government and the Jedi. A splinter group known as the Separatists emerged, led by a former Jedi Count Dooku. At the same time, a group calling itself the People's Inquest began enlisting support for a motion that would have forced the Jedi Order to be more accountable to the government. Plo Koon himself used a Jedi mind trick to disperse a crowd of student protesters who had infiltrated the Jedi Temple.
When an assassination attempt on Senator Padmé Amidala's life caused an uproar in the Senate, Chancellor Palpatine held a meeting with the Jedi and the Loyalist Committee—a meeting which Plo and fellow Council members Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Yoda attended. Plo was also present when Obi-Wan Kenobi contacted the senators when he uncovered Separatist activity on Geonosis.
Clone wars[]
Battle of Geonosis[]
Plo was one of the task force of Jedi who rescued Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, and fought during the Battle of Geonosis joining with Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi and a number of others in the Geonosian stands. Though he and Mundi survived they were captured and marched to the execution arena where the surviving Jedi awaited a seemingly imminent death. Just as the surrounding battle droids readied their blasters, the Jedi escaped with the timely intervention of the Republic Army. Plo Koon led a company of clone troopers into battle on Geonosis, and was among the few to survive the Battle of Geonosis. He served as a General in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars.
Ahsoka's promotion[]
Approximately one year after the Battle of Geonosis Plo witnessed Ahsoka Tano's promotion to Jedi Padawan. Since the majority of the Jedi Council were fighting in the war only Plo, Yoda and Mace Windu witnessed her promotion. All three of them had watched her over the last year (except for when they went into battle) and believed she was one of the most skilled younglings in the Order. Though the Kel Dor didn't show it he was very proud of his "Little 'Soka".
The Malevolence[]
Plo Koon later led a patrol fleet of three Venator-class Star Destroyers to discover an unknown Separatist super weapon that had killed many fleets of cruisers and left no survivors. During the Battle of Abregado, the Malevolence, commanded by General Grievous, wiped out his patrol fleet leaving Plo, Commander Wolffe, and the two clone troopers Sergeant Sinker and Boost as survivors in an escape pod. Plo and the survivors held off the "Pod Hunter" that destroyed all other pods, and were picked up by Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano in the Twilight. After being rescued, the group managed to evade a wave from the deadly ion cannons of the Malevolence, and Plo united with Skywalker's fleet and prepared the counterattack on the Separatist warship. Plo Koon was given the Blade of Dorin, a Delta-7B Aethersprite starfighter, by Skywalker at some point during the Malevolence crisis.
Skywalker took them through a shortcut through the Nebula which the Malevolence was circling to get to the medical station. However, when Skywalker mentioned it was a smuggler's route called Balmorra Run, Koon realized where they were and informed Skywalker that the Balmorra Run was the nesting ground of the Neebray mantas and that they must turn around. Unfortunately, Skywalker refused to give up and they arrived straight in the middle of the nesting ground. They managed to get out and beat the Malevolence to the station, but lost half their squadron to its ion cannon. A plea from Ahsoka and additional persuasion from Plo made Skywalker change targets from attacking the bridge to damaging the warship's ion cannons. When the Malevolence tried to fire its deadly weapon at the medical center, they exploded and caused further damage to the ship. Reinforcements then arrived to take down the Malevolence.
However, a Naboo ship carrying Senator Padmé Amidala and her assistant droid C-3PO arrived, led there by misinformation to be captured as a hostage by Grievous. She contacted the Republic ships, telling them to continue their attack, but Anakin ordered a ceasefire and he, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Tom Norton and Ahsoka headed to the Malevolence on a rescue mission (Ahsoka wouldn't have gone if Tom hadn't been there). Plo remained behind to command the fleet.
Personality and traits[]
Like many of his kind, Plo had a sense of justice. His species tended to see issues in black and white, and favored what was termed "rough justice," a method of solving disputes that to non-Kel Dor seemed overly retributive and too close to vigilantism. In his youth Plo's Master Tyvokka said that he was "humble, polite, stubborn and difficult". Plo felt there were Jedi better suited than him to join the Jedi Council though he got a seat after Tyvokka's death. He rarely participated in Council meetings though he was a wise Jedi.
Unlike most Jedi, Plo Koon did not disapprove of falling in love, though it is unknown if he ever personally had any romantic relationships. Having been a close friend of Qui-Gon Jinn who had fallen in love with Tahl, Plo learned that love was not the weakness most Jedi believed it was. He accepted Tom Norton and Ahsoka Tano's decision to enter a romantic relationship and helped Ahsoka come to terms with her feelings for Tom. However Plo warned Ahsoka that she mustn't let her emotions control her. In Plo's opinion love and attachment were not the same thing; however he also believed that a Jedi must not let love turn into attachment and allow it to control them. When talking to Ahsoka about this, he said that a Jedi needed to be prepared for the possibility of loosing a loved one. He also told Ahsoka that emotions were not black and white and although she may feel she was in love with Tom that didn't guarantee she would feel that way for the rest of her life.
During the Clone Wars, Plo Koon grew to care about the Clone troopers under his command, seeing them as individual people rather than expendable products. When his fleet was destroyed by the Malevolence, Plo claimed that he valued the lives of his clones more than finding the Malevolence.
Despite his wisdom and skill as a Jedi however, Plo Koon revealled a weak willed and selfish personality hidden beneath his facade due to his willingness to hand Tom Norton and later Ahsoka Tano over to the Senate without even making a serious attempt to defend them simply to maintain his own reputation and position on the Council. Even when they were almost executed he simply sat back and watched, showing appalling disloyalty to two people who had trusted him with their lives. Although he had kept their romance a secret, seeing no need to reveal it since it had not done any harm, he believed that Tom and Ahsoka had both committed crimes. In Tom's case it was true, although he had done it to save a planet, but Ahsoka had been completely innocent.
Relationships[]
Ahsoka Tano[]
Plo Koon had a very close bond with Ahsoka Tano who was grateful to him for finding her and bringing her to the Jedi Temple. Plo treated Ahsoka like a daughter and Ahsoka considered Plo to be her father since she had never known her biological father. Plo often called Ahsoka "Little Soka" as a sign of affection. Despite being a member of the Jedi Council, Plo allowed himself to become attached to Ahsoka and loved her very much.
During the crisis with the Malevolence, Ahsoka and Plo showed that they had a strong Force Bond since they were able to sense each other when Ahsoka came to find him. Ahsoka hugged Plo to comfort him about loosing so many of his Clone troopers. She was also happy when Plo said he would join the Shadow Squadron in order to destroy the Malevolence, having expected him to come since she knew how much he loved flying.
Ahsoka often turned to Plo for advice, and Plo always knew when something was troubling her. Ahsoka trusted Plo completely, even admitting that she had romantic feelings for Tom Norton and Plo helped her accept those feelings, telling her that they were part of life. Although Plo has never had any romantic relationships himself, he was very understanding about Ahsoka's feelings, possibly because he could get a vague idea of how she felt due to their Force Bond. Ahsoka also spoke to Plo about joining the mission to the Citadel. Plo did not encourage or discourage her from joining in the mission, simply saying that Anakin Skywalker, who had forbidden her from joining the mission, was just trying to protect her. Plo showed no disapproval about Ahsoka disobeying her Master and instead told Anakin that he had allowed her to join the mission.
When Ahsoka was kidnapped by Trandoshans, Plo was worried about her but unlike Anakin Skywalker he did not panic. He showed more faith in Ahsoka's abilities than Anakin did and was confident that his adopted daughter would find her way back to the Jedi Order.
Koon eventually revealled his weak nature by abandoning Ahsoka when the rest of the Council accused her of treachery, merely expressing doubt that she was guilty rather than making a proper attempt to defend her.
Tom Norton[]
Plo had a good relationship with Tom Norton, although he never became as close to him as he was to Ahsoka. Tom looked up to Plo as though he was an uncle and Plo treated Tom as though he was a favourite nephew, but they were never close enough for Plo to consider him a son, or for Tom to consider Plo a father. Tom was very worried about Plo when his fleet was destroyed by the Malevolence, being the only person apart from Ahsoka and Anakin who showed genuine concern for him.
After Tom allowed Captain Tarkin to die at the hands of Osi Sobek, Plo was devastated, unable to believe that the young Jedi would turn against the Republic. However Koon revealled his weak nature by abandoning Tom when the rest of the Council accused him of treachery, and just sitting back when the Senate sentenced him to death as well as not getting involved in Tom's rescue, all to maintain his own reputation.
Sha Koon[]
Sha Koon was Plo's niece and Plo cared about her more than anyone apart from Ahsoka. Although Sha was a biological member of Plo's family, the Jedi Master spent more time with Ahsoka than he did with her, implying that he might actually be closer to Ahsoka than he was to his niece.
Qui-Gon Jinn[]
Plo was close friends with Qui-Gon Jinn, and was one of the only Jedi who did not disapprove of Qui-Gon's headstrong and rebellious nature. On the contrary, Plo felt that Qui-Gon was better suited to a seat on the Jedi Council than he was. Plo knew about Qui-Gon's romantic relationship with Tahl and learned a lot about love from his friend, leading him to believe that love was not nearly as dangerous as the rest of the Council thought it was. It was because of Qui-Gon that Plo was happy to allow Ahsoka and Tom to get into a romantic relationship, despite the fact that Plo had never had a romantic relationship himself.
Tyvokka[]
Tyvokka was Plo's former Master and continued to be a close friend after Plo became a Jedi Knight. Although Tyvokka often scolded Plo in his youth, calling him stubborn and difficult (although he also said humble and polite in the same sentence), he cared greatly about the Kel Dor and was proud to be his Master. When Tyvokka was fatally wounded in the Stark Hyperspace War, Plo was by his side as he died and the Wookie Jedi Master's last words were to express pride in his former Padawan.
Powers and abilities[]
Lightsaber training[]
My saber is ready!
—Plo Koon
Plo Koon was trained as a Jedi Guardian leading him to focus mainly on his combat skills. A talented lightsaber duellist, Plo and a master of Djem So weilding his lightsaber with skill and strength, allowing him to overwhelm his opponents with powerful blows. This also allowed him to deflect blaster bolts back towards those that had fired them. Darth Maul considered Plo to be one of the greatest warriors of his time, although they have not faced each other in combat.
Force powers[]
Plo possessed a powerful connection to the Force and was a master of Telekinesis, able to move objects without even having to face them. He also possessed an extensive knowledge of the physical sciences. In particular, he used his expert knowledge of physics along with the Force to alter the environment—the resourceful Jedi could create small whirlwinds as well as a dense fog over a limited area, freeze tiny rivers and lakes, and raise or lower the temperature of his surroundings enough to incapacitate an opponent.
Plo was also a skilled telepath using this ability to help Aayla Secura regain her memories. He was also able to sense Ahsoka Tano after his fleet was destroyed by the Malevolence thanks to their strong Force Bond.
Other abilities[]
Possessing great physical strength, Plo was also a master of hand to hand combat and passed on some of his knowledge of unarmed combat to Tom Norton and Ahsoka Tano.
Plo Koon was also an extremely talented pilot, considered to be the best in the Jedi Order apart from Anakin Skywalker and Saesee Tiin. Plo could also survive in space for a limited time thanks to his thick Kel Dor hide.