Plo Koon/Legends

"He's an expert swordsman and a hard task master."

- Qui-Gon Jinn

Plo Koon was a male Kel Dor from Dorin who became a Jedi Master and member of the Jedi High Council, holding the position from before the Battle of Naboo to the end of the Republic in 19 BBY. During the Clone Wars, Koon served as a High Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Republic. Plo Koon was also an accomplished starfighter pilot.

Plo had a niece, Sha Koon, who was also a member of the Jedi Order, and served as a personal communicator between the Jedi strike force and the rest of the Republic during the Stark Hyperspace War. He was a close friend of fellow Masters Qui-Gon Jinn (whom he fought alongside during the Stark Hyperspace War), Micah Giett and noted fighter pilot Saesee Tiin.

Early life
Native to the planet Dorin, the Kel Dor species evolved in an atmosphere containing little oxygen. Hence, in order to survive on oxygen-rich worlds, a Kel Dor had to wear protective goggles and an antiox face mask. Kel Dors also possessed highly developed extrasensory organs that supplemented their mental powers and could enhance a Force user's power. This attribute of the species helped create the long line of Jedi that eventually produced Plo Koon. He studied the Jedi way under the tuteledge of legendary Wookiee Jedi Master Tyvokka.

Jedi Master
Kel Dors had a reputation for making quick and clear distinctions between what is right and wrong. Plo Koon 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 Jedi Master. In his career, Plo trained many Padawans, including Bultar Swan and the female Trandoshan Lissarkh, who was Koon's apprentice during the Battle of Naboo. 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.

Stark Hyperspace War


An adept and skilled warrior, Plo came from a long Kel Dor Jedi dynasty, including an uncle and Plo Koon's own niece, Sha Koon. 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 them. 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. 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. He was made a Jedi Master and would hold a life-time seat on the Jedi Council in honor of his Master's dying wish. During the battle Plo befriended a Republic soldier, Jace Dallin, who later spoke of Koon's bravery and humility.

Yinchorri Uprising
After the Stark Hyperspace War ended, Plo Koon was made a Jedi Master, and accepted a seat on the Jedi Council, where he served for many years. Plo 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 Giett 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. A year before the Battle of Naboo, Plo and Micah 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. Unfortunately during the conflict Giett was mortally wounded and chose to stay behind to distract the enemy. In honor of his fallen friend, Koon took over the training of his 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 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, went to Naboo for Jinn's funeral.

During the years after the Battle of Naboo, Plo used his telepathic abilities to help Aayla Secura regain her memories following an incident with glitteryll on Ryloth. He also traveled with fellow council members to Malastare to negotiate a truce between the terrorist group known as the Red Iaro and the Lannik royals.

Separatist Crisis
Koon remained on the Jedi Council for the next decade, witnessing a growing public discontent with the galactic government and the Jedi. A splinter group known as the Separatists emerged, led by former Jedi who had now taken the name 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 govenment. Plo Koon himself used a Jedi mind trick to disperse a crowd of student protesters who had infiltrated the Jedi Temple.

When an assasination 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&mdash; 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 Sepratist activity on Geonosis.

Clone Wars
Plo was one of the 200-strong task force of Jedi who fought at the Battle of Geonosis in 22 BBY, joining with fellow Jedi Ki-Adi-Mundi, amongst others, in a mission to deactivate the Droid Control Ship on Geonosis. Unfortunately, the Separatists had a backup control device, and Koon and Mundi were captured. They were marched to the execution arena where the surviving Jedi awaited 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 served as a General in the Grand Army during the Clone Wars. He was among the few to survive the battle of Geonosis.

During the war, he coordinated the Battle of Brentaal IV, advising Shaak Ti and joining her in meditating after the battle. Plo and Adi Gallia worked together for a while during the Clone Wars. They helped Anakin Skywalker and Ki-Adi-Mundi locate Obi-Wan-Kenobi and ARC trooper, Alpha, both of whom had been reported missing in action. During the search, the Jedi participated in a space battle against bounty hunters over Varonat. Also the double act rescued Senator Bail Organa when he was attacked by pirates.

Master Koon served as chief negotiator during the Battle of Rendili. Also present were Saesee Tiin, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan-Kenobi. Plo was accompanied by Captain Jan Dodonna when he boarded a Rendili Dreadnaught. During the negotiations he was reunited with his old comrade Jace Dallin, though both were taken hostage by Jace's lieutenant, Yago. Yago was planning to turn the Republic fleet over to the Separatists, and Jedi Master Saesee Tiin felt he had no choice but to destroy the Rendili Dreadnaughts. Fortunately, Anakin Skywalker had another plan, and was able to avoid this drastic outcome. Finally Plo, Jace and Dodonna were rescued by Obi-Wan and Quinlan Vos. He was also present during the Second Battle of Coruscant where his expert flying skills and swordsmanship paid off.



Plo was also involved in the mission to Boz Pity that sought to destroy the Separatist command. He fought on the ground alongside his fellow Jedi.

At the end of the Clone Wars, Plo Koon was leading a starfighter battle above the Neimoidian purse world Cato Neimoidia in his Delta-7 Aethersprite when Supreme Chancellor Palpatine activated Order 66. Captain Jag, along with an escorting squadron of ARC-170 starfighters opened fired on the unsuspecting Jedi Master before he could react. In a volley of laser blasts that struck the nimbler starfighter near its engine section on the starboard wing, Plo Koon lost control of his craft and the ship promptly went into a spin, clipping a spire-shaped clone staging area jutting up from the bridge city below and breaking apart. Internal explosions tore the rest of the ship apart before the remains plummeted into the city below, causing more explosions.

When the Galactic Empire emerged, official records compiled by Sate Pestage stated that Koon's death resulted from a suicide attack on a Neimoidian grub nursery.

Abilities and traits


Like many of his kind, Plo had a strong sense of justice and telepathic abilities. Koon was a master of telekinesis, considering he could move objects without even having to face them. He wore talons over his fingertips, allowing him to further augment his already prodigious Force powers. 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. Possessing great strength, Koon was a master of hand-to-hand combat. Darth Maul considered Koon to be one of the greatest Jedi warriors of his time. Somewhat controversially, Plo Koon employed a Force technique that he called Electric Judgment. To many Jedi, this seemed to be too close to the Force lightning employed by the enemies of the Jedi&mdash;the fearsome Sith Lords.

Plo Koon possessed an extensive knowledge of the physical sciences. In particular, he used his expert knowledge of physics along with the the Force to alter the environment&mdash;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 Koon's starfighter


Worth noting is the unique starfighter Plo Koon is seen flying. Unlike the other Jedi, in 19 BBY, Koon is still flying what appears to be a standard Delta-7 Aethersprite-class starfighter, with a customized paint job surprisingly similar to that of Anakin Skywalker's Azure Angel. There has been some discussion among fans about whether the starfighter is customized or not. As it has the cockpit of an Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor&mdash;due to the fact that the cockpit model was reused for each Jedi-piloted starfighter during the movie&mdash;and carries what appears to be a custom-made paint-job, it is most likely that the starfighter was modified. Whether it was modified by Koon for his own use or by some other Jedi, like Anakin Skywalker or Saesee Tiin, for general use, is unknown.

Portrayals
Plo Koon was played by Alan Ruscoe in The Phantom Menace, and by Matt Sloan in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. He was voiced by Gregg Berger in Jedi Power Battles and Star Wars: Obi-Wan.

Origin of the name
During construction and planning, Plo Koon was known as "Plonkoon", after the nickname of Nick Dudman's son. It was amended by George Lucas before filming to "Plo Koon".

Lightsaber

 * The lightsaber wielded by Koon in Attack of the Clones is the design same as the one worn by Mace Windu in The Phantom Menace. This Windu saber was also blue in the expanded universe.
 * Some fans have speculated that Koon may be a master of the powerful Form V technique of lightsaber combat, based on his abilities in Jedi Power Battles. However, this has never been explicitly stated in any canonical source.
 * In Jedi Power Battles, Plo Koon wields a yellow lightsaber, which was echoed in the Plo Koon figure for Episode I, under the Power of the Jedi series. He also wields a yellow lightsaber in his appearances in The Stark Hyperspace War and Jedi Council: Acts of War. The figure technically had a light greenish-yellow lightsaber but this matches the Jedi Power Battles video game closely and is probably meant to be yellow (like the Power of the Force 2 Darth Vader figures having pink lightsabers instead of a true red). These two instances were contradicted by Plo's use of a blue lightsaber in Attack of the Clones and all subsequent appearances. It is unclear if Plo Koon had a second lightsaber, replaced his lightsaber, or if the color change is a case of canon contradiction. In the latter case, the films outstrip the video game and toy.
 * Hasbro's toy electronic lightsaber credits Plo Koon with an orange lightsaber instead of yellow, although this presumably is not canon.

Appearance without mask

 * The official Star Wars database has an image of Plo Koon without his goggles exposing his closed eyes. The canon status of this is, however, in question, as the image appears in the Behind the Scenes section as a pre-production concept model and does not necessarily reflect the reality of the character.
 * In the Toys "R" Us exclusive comic Practice Makes Perfect, Plo Koon is briefly shown without his face mask. Most likely, this omission is not canon, since members of the Kel Dor species cannot survive in an oxygen-rich environment without special breathing equipment.  However, Koon's appearance in the comic is minor, and the lack of a mask does not affect the overall story.  It is unknown whether the comic portrays an accurate representation of the Kel Dor facial structure.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Republic: The Stark Hyperspace War
 * Jedi Apprentice: The Only Witness
 * Jedi Council: Acts of War
 * Cloak of Deception
 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * ''Star Wars: Obi-Wan
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Jedi Power Battles
 * Star Wars Republic: Emissaries to Malastare
 * Star Wars Republic: The Hunt for Aurra Sing
 * Star Wars Republic: The Devaronian Version
 * Star Wars Republic: Darkness
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * "Chapter 21"
 * ''Star Wars Republic 61: Dead Ends
 * Star Wars Republic: The Dreadnaughts of Rendili
 * Star Wars: Obsession
 * Reversal of Fortune
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Republic: Into the Unknown
 * Practice Makes Perfect