Ki-Adi-Mundi/Legends

"Of all living Jedi, have you only the skills to defeat Sharad Hett."

- Yoda

Ki-Adi-Mundi was a Cerean Jedi Master, and Jedi High Council member. He hailed from the planet Cerea and, due to the low Cerean birthrate, he was allowed by the Jedi Order to follow the Cerean custom of polygamous marriage. He had four honor wives, one son, and seven daughters, including Sylvn.

It was Mundi who was apparently the most surprised at Qui-Gon Jinn's 32 BBY report of a re-emerged Sith&mdash;being sure that the Sith were extinct. As a High General, he fought many battles during the Clone Wars. He was killed on Mygeeto during Order 66.

Early life and Knighthood
"Take him. We need a Jedi of our own, one who will be here always. This&hellip; must not go on."

- Ki-Adi-Mundi's father hands him over to An'ya Kuro



Ki-Adi-Mundi's potential was identified by a young An'ya Kuro, and he entered the order at the age of four&mdash;later than most of his peers. Despite this, he matured into a respected Jedi Knight under the tutelage of Yoda.

Having passed his Trials to become a Knight at the age of 25, Mundi returned to his homeworld of Cerea to liberate his people from Bin-Garda-Zon and his raiders, making good on a promise he had made to his father before leaving. However, he had learned that during his absence, Bin had grown old and blind and his daughter had taken over. Mundi was imprisoned and met with the old Bin, who had overheard everything and was prepared to slit his neck for such insolence. Mundi was able to fight his way out, defeating Bin's daughter and declared that the raiders disband. However, Bin attempted one last strike to regain leadership by throwing a knife at Mundi but he simply deflected it with the Force.

As Jedi Watchman of the sector to which his homeworld belonged, Ki-Adi-Mundi was responsible for the defense of Cerea and its simple, austere and pacifistic way of life. He was the only Jedi known to be allowed to marry before the New Jedi Order. He had married one bond wife and seven honour wives. Also, Ki-Adi-Mundi occasionally sat in on a number of Jedi Council meetings in the absence of other members. As such, Ki-Adi temporarily held a unique position on the Council as he had not attained the rank of Jedi Master.

Along with much of the older generation of Cereans, Ki-Adi-Mundi did not believe in the heavy use of technology, unlike the younger generation. When conflict broke out on Cerea, Ki-Adi-Mundi's daughter, Sylvn, was found to be involved with Maj-Odo-Nomor, which led to Ki-Adi-Mundi's personal entrance into the conflict. He was asked by the Council of Elders to track down the Band of Techrats, which led to his discovery of the smuggling ring led by Jabba the Hutt and Ephant Mon. Following the gangsters to Tatooine, Ki-Adi-Mundi rescued Sylvn and her friend Twin from the Hutt's clutches, but an ion storm allowed the criminals to escape and Mundi ended his search. While on Tatooine, Ki-Adi-Mundi felt a disturbance in the Force but did not search for it. Ki-Adi-Mundi would later believe that the disturbance had been Anakin Skywalker.

Jedi Master
"A person always takes his home with him, wherever he goes. Worlds are so vast&mdash;yet they fit easily into one's heart."

- Ki-Adi-Mundi



After his mission to Tatooine, Ki-Adi-Mundi learned that his wife Shea was with child and that he was nominated for a permanent Jedi Council seat as a result of Micah Giiett's death. Ki-Adi-Mundi was soon officially granted the rank of Jedi Master, even without having successfully trained an apprentice. Ki-Adi-Mundi was overwhelmed by the act of the Council and with modesty he continued to consider himself a "mere" Jedi Knight. This changed when he later trained his own Padawan, completing his own requirements for assuming the title of Master.

Ki-Adi-Mundi was present when the Jedi Council received a report from Qui-Gon Jinn about the existence of the Sith and the possible existence of the Chosen One. He was also present at the funeral for Qui-Gon Jinn on Naboo, and the victory celebration that followed it.



Following the Invasion of Naboo, Ki-Adi-Mundi again traveled to Tatooine, where he confirmed that a mysterious Tusken Raider chieftain was actually Sharad Hett. Ki-Adi-Mundi tried to convince Hett to return to Coruscant, but Hett refused, saying his place was with his people on Tatooine. When Hett was killed by Aurra Sing, Ki-Adi-Mundi took Hett's son A'Sharad as his Padawan and took him&mdash;among others&mdash;on missions to both Malastare and another mission to an uncharted world claimed by Quarren Senator Tikkes, though he would later turn him over to the Dark Woman for training.

Clone Wars
Just prior to the start of the Clone Wars, the Cerean was one of the members of the strike team assembled by Mace Windu to rescue Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Senator Padmé Amidala. Ki-Adi-Mundi survived the ensuing Battle of Geonosis, fighting alongside other such luminaries as Yoda, Aayla Secura, Plo Koon and Kit Fisto. With the latter two, Ki-Adi-Mundi led an unsuccessful assault on the Droid Control Ship.



He later led a strike team consisting of himself, Shaak Ti, Tarr Seirr, Aayla Secura, K'Kruhk, Sha'a Gi, and Daakman Barrek to Hypori. It was an ambush, as the Separatists knew they were attacking and had a massive army waiting for them, one led by General Grievous. Forced into battle against him, Ki-Adi-Mundi was the last Jedi standing when they were eventually rescued by ARC Troopers sent by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Ki-Adi-Mundi's duties as a General of the Grand Army of the Republic meant he was unable to go to the assistance of his own world, Cerea, when it was attacked. In the ensuing Battle of Cerea, Ki-Adi-Mundi's entire family&mdash;wives, and daughters all, were killed by the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Keeping the Jedi Code in mind, he grieved privately, but then returned to his duties.

For a brief time during the wars, Ki-Adi-Mundi took over as Anakin Skywalker's master when Obi-Wan Kenobi was presumed dead after the Battle of Jabiim. When Obi-Wan was later found to have survived, Ki-Adi-Mundi returned Anakin to his Master, happy to be relieved of such a difficult and headstrong student.



When the 21st Nova Corps became the Galactic Marines and were made independent of the 4th Sector Army, the Marines were placed under Ki-Adi-Mundi's command.

In the last months of the Clone Wars, Ki-Adi-Mundi fought alongside Commander Bacara of the Marines in the Battle of New Bornalex and the Outer Rim Sieges.

Death
"Just like the rest of them, though, he never caught whiff of what was really going on. Not until it was far too late."

- Entry from the Journal of the 501st



Surviving to the last days of the war, Ki-Adi-Mundi was one of the countless Jedi to fall to Order 66. During the Outer Rim Sieges, he was stationed on Mygeeto with Commander Bacara. He led the clones into the battle and told them to move forward, when they suddenly stopped. Ki-Adi-Mundi turned around, confused, to see that the clones had pointed their blasters at him. He managed to deflect three shots, killing two clones, however, the barrage of blaster fire from both the clones and the droid forces behind him overwhelmed the Cerean Jedi and he was hit eight times before falling.

When the Galactic Empire emerged, official records compiled by Sate Pestage stated that Ki-Adi-Mundi was executed because he was arming an explosive device on one of Mygeeto's bridges.

Abilities and traits


Ki-Adi-Mundi was trained as a Jedi Guardian, leading him to focus more on the physical aspects of the Force. He became noted among the Jedi Masters for his exceptional bravery and was considered one of the top ten swordsmen of his time, rivaling fellow Council member Kit Fisto. Unfortunately, his coordination was somewhat impaired, a characteristic of his species, but he compensated for this with heightened intuition. He was also known to be a skilled tactician and diplomat, which is why the Galactic Marines were reasigned to his direct command.

Like all Cereans, his binary brain made him extremely logical and insightful, and allowed him to uniquely weigh decisions involving matters of the Force, both light and dark. His distinctive head shape was often regarded with a certain curiosity by other species, and as a result, Ki-Adi-Mundi sometimes went to the extent of hiding it when on missions to remote, backwater worlds such as Tatooine.

Self-admittedly, he spoke Huttese "like a native". He had a second heart in his head to help nourish his brain.

He originally wielded a purple-bladed lightsaber, but later switched to a blue blade, the traditional color of Guardians.

Behind the scenes


Ki-Adi-Mundi was played by Silas Carson in the movies; voiced by Jess Harnell in the Star Wars: Obi-Wan, Jedi Power Battles and Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns video games; and voiced by Daran Norris in the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated television series. Carson also played Nute Gunray, Lott Dod and Antidar Williams.

Pre-Episode II videogames and the Episode I Ki-Adi-Mundi reveal that he had a purple lightsaber in 32 BBY, but later switched to a blue lightsaber. However, in Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns, he uses a purple lightsaber, which is most likely just a simple error as it appears in the Battle of Geonosis mission in the Republic Campaign.

The design of a powerful Jedi character, later becoming Ki-Adi-Mundi, began as a reinterpretation of the elder Obi-Wan Kenobi and was then given whale-like characteristics.

Ki-Adi-Mundi's marriage and children appeared in the comics before Attack of the Clones, and thus prior to the knowledge that Jedi weren't allowed attachments such as marriage. This has since been retconned so as to be explained by the gender ratio on his home world having been 20 females to 1 male, thus requiring him to have several wives to allow the continuation of his species.

A scene was planned for Attack of the Clones in which Ki-Adi-Mundi and Plo Koon led four other Jedi on a raid of a Trade Federation ship. This scene did not appear in the final version of the film, but the rough cut and animatics later became available on the official website for registered Star Wars Hyperspace customers.

Ki-Adi-Mundi is the only major Jedi Council member(other than Yoda and Windu) to have a speaking role in the first three films (with the exception of Shaak Ti's deleted scene in Revenge of the Sith). Ex-Council member Jocasta Nu also had some dialogue in Episode II, but she had already left the august body.

Ki-Adi-Mundi's name may have something to do with the mammal called the coatimundi, perhaps because there are several more females than males in their groups, just as Ki-Adi-Mundi has multiple wives.

In a few Expanded Universe sources such as the Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace scrapbook and The New Essential Guide to Characters, it is stated that Ki-Adi-Mundi was a Jedi Knight when he served on the High Council in Episode I. This conflicts with Episode III, in which Anakin Skywalker states that someone's being on the Council and not being a Master had never happened before in the history of the Jedi. As the films remain the highest level of canon (G-canon), the Expanded Universe has implemented a retcon which implies that Ki-Adi-Mundi's promotion to Jedi Master was still in progress right before the Naboo crisis. Later, Databank retcon locked Ki's promotion as being definitely before he took his first Padawan. To help smooth over this apparent conflict, fans have commonly suggested the possibilities that either Anakin was unaware of Ki-Adi-Mundi's history or was deliberately twisting facts in the vain hope of changing the Council's decision to refuse him the rank of Jedi Master.

In a probable error in Episode II, Ki-Adi-Mundi is shown fighting with a green-bladed lightsaber, caught in a shot of Padmé. Every other shot in the movie containing Ki-Adi-Mundi wielding a lightsaber shows him using a blue-bladed one. However since Ki-Adi was captured during the battle, it is likely he was deprived of his lightsaber by the Geonosians and he was given an extra one or took one from a dead Jedi.

In the Outlander story arc of the Star Wars: Republic series, Ki-Adi-Mundi can be seen wearing a conical hat similar to the one made famous by the Whiphid Jedi K'Kruhk.

Early concept art for Episode III shows Ki-Adi-Mundi with an eye patch over his left eye.

Non-canon appearances

 * Star Wars Episode I: I Am a Jedi
 * The Sith in the Shadow
 * The Lesson
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * Republic Commando: Order 66
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game