Zak

"I must get you to safety, General!"

- Zak to Yoda

Zak was the nickname of a clone naval officer, who served in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. He was tasked with transporting Jedi Grand Master Yoda to the neutral moon of Rugosa in a Republic frigate with the Toydarian King Katuunko, in order to urge the nearby planet of Toydaria to side with the Galactic Republic. In orbit of the neutral moon, the Republic ship was ambushed by two Confederate frigates, ordered there by the Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress to prevent the Jedi from negotiating with Katuunko. Yoda was forced to take an escape pod to the surface of Rugosa, leaving the ship to retreat under the command of Zak.

Biography
Zak was a clone trooper, bred on the planet of Kamino to serve in the Republic Navy. After the outbreak of the Clone Wars on Geonosis in 22 BBY, Zak and his clone brothers joined the war against the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

During the war, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine attempted to convince the planet of Toydaria, ruled by the Toydarian King Katuunko, to side with the Republic. Katuunko wasn't against the proposal, but he didn't want to negotiate "with an army over his head". Katuunko advised the Chancellor to send him a Jedi, as he had heard that a Jedi was worth a hundred battle droids in battle, and wished to meet one. Chancellor Palpatine, however, didn't want to risk the life of a Jedi by sending them near Confederate-controlled space, and Katuunko decided that the meeting should be held on neutral ground, on the coral moon of Rugosa. The conversation, however, was overheard by the Confederacy on their newly built listening post, Skytop Station.

Jedi Grand Master Yoda, along with several Coruscant Guards, was sent to Rugosa in a frigate under the command of Zak. Shortly after arriving in the system, Zak attempted to make contact with the Toydarian royal delegation, but the transmissions were jammed. Zak reported to Yoda that the Toydarians' communication station was active, but he wasn't receiving a reply. The ship was suddenly ambushed by two Confederate Munificent-class star frigates that dropped out of hyperspace. The were larger and more heavily-armed than the Republic ship, and quickly weakened the ship's shields. Zak wanted to retreat immediately, more concerned about protecting Yoda's life than completing his mission. The Jedi Master, however, ordered the captain to launch an escape pod to take him to the surface, so that he could continue his mission. Zak was concerned that the pod would be shot down by the frigates, but Yoda ordered the captain to launch all of the pods, so that the Separatists couldn't concentrate all of their fire on just one pod. Once Yoda had departed, the Republic frigate escaped into hyperspace. Yoda safely reached the moon's surface and successfully completed the mission, bringing Toydaria into the Republic.

Personality and traits
Zak was trained as a naval officer on Kamino, where he was raised to be loyal to the Republic, as well as his Jedi commanders. He was afraid of allowing Yoda to be killed, and would have aborted his mission in order to save the Jedi. His calmness also allowed him to bring the ship to safety.

Behind the scenes
Zak first appeared in "Ambush," the first episode in Season One of The Clone Wars television series. He was first identified in the young readers book based on the episode. Like all clone troopers in the television series, Zak was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Ambush
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Ambush