Bendu

"Jedi and Sith wield the Ashla and Bogan. The light and the dark. I'm the one in the middle. The Bendu."

- Bendu

Bendu was a Force-sensitive individual who resided on the remote planet of Atollon and represented the center of the Force, between the light side and the dark side. Bendu encountered Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus in the second year before the Battle of Yavin.

Mentoring Kanan
The Bendu was a mysterious being who represented the center of the Force. He stood between the light side and the dark side. Two years before the Battle of Yavin, the Bendu manifested on the planet Atollon where the Phoenix rebel cell maintained a base called Chopper Base. He called out to the Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus, who was meditating outside Chopper Base. Kanan had retreated into meditation after losing his sight during a mission to Malachor. The Bendu called out to Kanan and eventually led him into a series of mesas in the wilderness.

When Kanan finally arrived, the Bendu told the Jedi Knight that his presence had awoken him from his slumber. After introducing himself, he allowed Kanan to identify himself as a Jedi Knight. The Bendu listened as Kanan told him about his fear that his apprentice Ezra Bridger was falling to the dark side. When Kanan showed him the Sith holocron that Ezra had obtained on Malachor, the Bendu explained that any object could be used for both good and evil. However, he stressed that only a person could choose to change themselves. The Bendu then took an interest in Kanan's sensor marker, which the Jedi had used to ward off several krykna, arachnid predators that were indigenous to Atollon.

The Bendu then destroyed the sensor marker. When Kanan protested, he told the Jedi that he would never regain his sight but that he could teach Kanan to see through his other senses. When Kanan agreed to take his lesson, the Bendu instructed the Jedi to empty his mind, turn around, and walk forwards. Kanan was quickly surrounded by two krykna which did not attack him. The Bendu then explained that Kanan's bad experience with creatures stemmed from not seeing them for what they actually were. Kanan began to make peace with the krykna but was startled when he sensed that Ezra was in danger. After igniting his lightsaber, Kanan realized that the krykna had been feeding of his fear and emotions. When Kanan deduced that he had isolated himself from everyone and the Force, the Bendu commented that he had finally regained his Force connection. Before leaving to rescue Ezra, Kanan left the Sith holocron with the Bendu. The Bendu then inspected the object and laughed.

Behind the scenes
Bendu was first revealed in the trailer for the third season of the animated television series Star Wars Rebels, and made his debut in the season's first episode, Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow. The character is voiced by famed Doctor Who actor Tom Baker. The term "Bendu" first appears in the original script for Star Wars as the name of the Jedi Knights, the "Jedi-Bendu."

Appearances

 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow