Eeth Koth

"It would seem once again one of your Order has lost his way. And even better, a leading member of your Jedi Council."

- General Grievous, to Eeth Koth

Eeth Koth, a Force-sensitive Iridonian Zabrak male, was a Jedi Master who served on the Jedi High Council during the last years of the Galactic Republic. Like his fellow Jedi, he fought against the Confederacy of Independent Systems as a Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. After surviving the first battle on Geonosis that started the intergalactic conflict, Koth was captured by General Grievous and used as bait to lure other Jedi into a trap. However, he had narrowly escaped death upon being rescued by with the combined forces of Adi Gallia, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker at Saleucami.

Koth was eventually removed from the Jedi High Council and his seat was given to Agen Kolar, after which he left the Order. By the time of the Galactic Empire&mdash;the regime that came to dominate the galaxy in the aftermath of the Clone Wars&mdash;Koth was a priest in the Church of the Ganthic Enlightenment and had a wife, Mira, who gave birth to the former Jedi Master's infant daughter. Darth Vader, the Sith Lord who oversaw the Jedi Purge that began with Order 66, defeated and killed Koth in a lightsaber duel. Vader then abducted Koth's child, having chosen her as a potential candidate for Project Harvester.

Early life
Hailing from Nar Shaddaa, a crime-infested moon of the Outer Rim Territories, Eeth Koth was discovered to be Force-sensitive and was brought to the Jedi Temple to be trained as a Jedi at the age of four. He soon became a Jedi Master.

A new threat
Koth, a male Zabrak, served as a member of the Jedi High Council around the time of the Battle of Naboo in 32 BBY and the revelation of the new Sith presence of Darth Sidious and his apprentice Darth Maul. Koth was present when a nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker was presented to the council and tested by Mace Windu for his force abilities and midi-chlorian count. Because Koth had started his own training at an unusually late age, he was more receptive than his fellow councilors to Jinn's appeal to train Skywalker. After Jinn's death, his last words were for Skywalker to be trained so Koth and the rest of the Council consented. Later, he went to Jinn's funeral.

The beginning of the Clone Wars
Master Koth continued to sit on the Jedi Council during the Separatist Crisis, in 22 BBY. When Padmé Amidala had several attempts on her life, Koth approved Obi Wan Kenobi to investigate and Skywalker to serve as her bodyguard.

To rescue Kenobi, Skywalker and Amidala, Koth followed Master Windu and his assault team to the planet Geonosis. During the battle, Koth was believed to have been killed when his gunship took a direct hit. However, Koth survived and soon returned to active duty.

Kidnapped by Grievous
One year into the Clone Wars, Koth's flagship, the Steadfast, was engaged by Separatist forces under the command of General Grievous. Clone Captain Lock and his clone troopers held off the super battle droids for as long as possible, until Master Koth ordered him and his men to get to the escape pods. As the droid General boarded Koth's ship, the Zabrak Jedi was forced to confront the cyborg inside the bridge. Though he managed to be a worthy opponent for Grevious and possibly could have beat him, he was eventually overpowered by Grievous's IG-100 MagnaGuards and taken hostage. Grievous, having bested the Jedi Master, intended to torture him to death. Grievous sent a transmission to the Jedi Temple, gloating over the Jedi's capture and torturing him with his MagnaGuards. However, Koth was able to communicate with his fingers via a secret message his location, allowing a Jedi task force to be sent to rescue him.

Recognizing the coordinates as those of the Saleucami system, the council dispatched Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Adi Gallia to rescue Koth. Boarding Grievous's ship secretly, Gallia and Skywalker rescued the Jedi Master while Kenobi engaged Grievous in battle. Fighting their way through numerous droids, they managed to get Koth to safety. After Grievous' escaped via escape pod to Saleucami below, Skywalker and Kenobi followed him while Gallia brought an injured Koth to a medical frigate.

Making decisions
Master Koth continued to serve as a member of the Jedi council throughout the early years of the Clone Wars following the Battle of Geonosis. Shortly after the Senate hostage crisis, Koth was present in which Skywalker and Senator Amidala reported to the Council that Risha Synata had turned to the Separatists. After stating their report, Synata was found guilty of treason and put into custody.

In 20 BBY, he was present through holographic form in the Jedi High Council when they discussed about an ancient Jedi Code that was sent to them. They decided to send Kenobi, Skywalker and Skywalker's Padawan, Ahsoka Tano to see what was going on.

Later that year, the Festival of Light, a festival that celebrates Naboo's 847th anniversary for joining the Galactic Republic, he was present at the Jedi Temple communication center when the Council discussed about Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine's safety. Jedi Masters Windu and Yoda told everyone that Kenobi (who was presumed dead by the hands of bounty hunter Rako Hardeen), was still alive and undercover as Hardeen. Skywalker, determined, said that he wanted the mission completed.

Koth was present at the Jedi High Council when they were contacted by the Onderon rebels who asks them to help them defeat the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Council began arguing as they felt that this would lead to terrorism. However, after listening to Skywalker's argument and realizing that there would be no other way to help the rebels, they agreed to send Skywalker, Tano, Kenobi and Captain Rex to help them.

Bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar
In 19 BBY, the Jedi Temple hangar was bombed and Letta Turmond was put into custody for the incident. She asked to bring Tano in for her to tell something to her, but before she could, she was Force-choked to death. Tano was arrested as she was the only one in the room with Turmond, but she soon escaped.

Koth and the Council discussed about how they should catch Tano. Everyone present believed that she was guilty except for Skywalker, Kenobi, and Plo Koon. Because of this, Yoda decided to send them to catch Tano, though with some resistance from Mace Windu, who worried that Skywalker's emotional connection to Tano would further complicate the situation. Tano was ultimately captured.

After this, Koth was present when Wilhuff Tarkin told the Council that he and the Galactic Senate wanted the Council to expel Tano and bring her to a military trial, even though the Council wanted for her to have a standard Jedi trial. After a brief debate, the Council agreed, believing that if they stood by Tano, it would appear that they were defying the Senate. Tano was expelled from the Order after her trial at the Chamber of Judgment. However, during her trial, it was revealed that Tano was innocent and the actual traitor was Barriss Offee, who believed that the Order had lost their way from the light side of the Force.

Conspiracies
Later, Clone trooper Tup shot a Jedi General, Tiplar, and killed her and was sent for examination. Shaak Ti went to the Jedi High Council to talk about a tumor while Nala Se wanting to terminate him went with Prime Minister Lama Su. Koth was present while Ti was reporting the situation. Later, Tup's fellow clone trooper, Fives, secretly treated him and found a chip in his brain for Order 66, with Tup dying shortly afterward. Fives stuck with his beliefs, resulting in his death. Koth and his fellow Jedi had no idea that Five's beliefs were the truth.

Queen Julia of Bardotta contacted the Senate and told them of the disappearance of the Dagoyan Masters. Palpatine was about to send Senators Amidala and Organa, but she specifically requested Junior Representative Jar Jar Binks, confusing everyone. He was present when Palpatine reported this to the Council. The Council agreed to send Windu to supervise Binks.

Koth was with the Jedi Council when Koon said he found the lightsaber of Sifo-Dyas on the Oba Diah moon. Yoda confirmed this and decided to investigate. Later, Koth was present when it was revealed that Dooku was responsible for the purchase of the clones and were forced to keep it a secret so that no one would disrespect the Republic.

Koth was there when Yoda became distracted and said that he kept hearing the voice of the deceased Jinn. The Council decided to test if this was true, but Yoda didn't hear it. He decided to go to the hospital, but nothing was wrong with him. The voice of Jinn told him to go to Dagobah to find the secrets of immortality. On Dagobah, Yoda had a vision in which the Clone Wars never happened. However, he realized it was a vision when he saw Gallia and Jinn. After this, the vision of Koth vanished. Yoda left Dagobah, succeeding his task.

At some point, Kenobi and Skywalker were sent to Utapau after the death of Jedi Master Tu-Anh. Koth was present when Kenobi reported that the Sugi arm dealers were about to sell a giant kyber crystal. He later reported back when the crystal was destroyed, causing Yoda to talk about stories where the Jedi and Sith fought each other with weapons made of kyber crystals.

Forced into exile
Near the end of the Clone Wars, Eeth Koth was removed from the Jedi Council and consequently left the Order. He was replaced by Jedi Master Agen Kolar. Eventually, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, the public persona of Darth Sidious, destroyed the Jedi Order by issuing the execution of Order 66, forcing the clone troopers to kill the Jedi due to a control chip implanted in their heads. Aided by Anakin Skywalker, who became the Sith Lord Darth Vader, Palpatine established the Galactic Empire of which he became its Emperor. By the Emperor's order, the Jedi were hunted down and killed by Darth Vader and the Inquisitorius.

Hunted by Vader
"I am no Jedi. Not anymore. I am a husband. As of today, a father. And, to protect the ones I love&hellip;your doom."

- Koth duels Darth Vader

By the time after the hunt on Chandar's Folly, Koth had no allegiance to the Jedi Order, and became a priest in the Church of the Ganthic Enlightenment. He eventually had a child with a woman named Mira. Mere minutes after his child's birth, however, Darth Vader arrived at their home with three Inquisitors, and confronted Koth. He pleaded with Vader to allow him and his family to remain in peace, and told Vader that he was no longer a Jedi and had no loyalty to his former Order. He then attempted to bargain with Vader, offering him ways to find other survivors of the Purge. Vader ignored him, and a lightsaber duel ensued.

Koth quickly flung a medical droid at Vader and blasted a hole in the wall of the room in order to facilitate the escape of his child and wife. He then engaged Vader, who sensed emotions in Koth that had not been present when the Zabrak had been a Jedi; fear, anger, and resentment. He told Koth that these emotions gave him more power than he could have ever had as a Jedi, and Koth quipped that it was either his Zabrak nature shining through, or he fact that he now had something to lose. Vader replied that it was too late regardless and blasted Koth away with the Force.

Vader ordered the three Inquisitors to steal the baby, but remarked that the mother's fate was irrelevant to him. Koth regained his feet and attacked again, and rebuffed Vader's label of Jedi with the remark that he was now a husband and a father, and that he would protect his family. During their duel, one of the Inquisitors was able to steal the child from Koth's wife. Unaware of what had transpired, the battered Koth reiterated that he would save his family, and Vader pointed out the child in the grasp of one of the Inquisitors. The sight of his child distracted Koth, and Vader ruthlessly used the opportunity to impale the Zabrak through the back, killing him. The Jedi's lightsaber fell out of his hand as he died, and his child was brought to Coruscant and given to the Nursemaids to be used for Project Harvester.

Legacy
"The death of Eeth Koth should have served as a lesson to you about such things."

- Darth Vader to the Twi'lek Inquisitor

Two of the three Inquisitors on that mission toasted to Koth's death and each drank a shot of Dust Juice, the best drink the planet had to offer back at the Inquisitorius Headquarters. Shortly afterwards, Vader came and reprimanded them for sensing a connection between them, something he believed as a weakness, assuring that Koth's death should have served as a lesson about attachments.

Following the deaths of the two Inquisitors, after Vader reported of the Inquisitors' actions and was reprimanded by the Emperor due the death of a Gran senator, Vader's master congratulated him for Koth's death, stating that as a former member of the Jedi Council, he could have caused trouble for them. The Emperor then laughed at hearing Koth became a priest, stating that Koth was a fool who couldn't help himself and for such reason the Jedi deserved extinction.

Shortly after the Battle of Fortress Vader, Vader entered a portal constructed by Lord Momin to resurrect his wife Padmé Amidala. While walking through visions, he encountered Koth along with many Jedi with their lightsabers ready to battle him. However, Vader killed all the illusions, impaling Koth through the chest along with Ferren Barr as the words "Let the past die" resounded in his mind.

Personality and traits
"I will save my family."

- Eeth Koth to Darth Vader

A Zabrak male of 1.71 meters, having black hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. Eeth Koth served as a Jedi Master in the Jedi Order. When he sat on the High Jedi Council, Koth supported Qui-Gon Jinn's petition to train the young Anakin Skywalker as a Jedi despite being too old for training, as he felt identified with Skywalker given that he started his training at an unusually late age.

As a Jedi, Eeth Koth maintained a firm control over his emotions. His feelings were sufficiently tempered for him to sit for many years upon the Jedi High Council, the Order's governing body. At some point after his removal from the Council, Koth became disillusioned with the Jedi Order and turned his back on it. After his marriage, his priorities shifted to his family. Koth resolved to settle into a quiet life as a priest, officiating weddings and funerals for the Church of the Ganthic Enlightenment.

Following the Clone Wars, Koth became less concerned with controlling his feelings. During their confrontation, Vader recognized Koth's strong emotions - most notably, his fear, anger, and resentment. Koth insinuated that this was because he had "something to lose". In desperation, Koth even attempted to leverage the locations of his former comrades in exchange his family's safety, demonstrating a complete lack of any partiality toward the Jedi Order and its teachings.

Koth's newfound attachment to his family ultimately proved to be his downfall. Vader used the abduction of Koth's newborn daughter to divert his attention, allowing Vader to impale the distracted Zabrak with no resistance. Even before that, Koth showed Vader that he was willing to do whatever he need to save his family, even launching the very same medical droid who brought his daughter to the world against Vader to save her and his wife.

Powers and abilities
"Perhaps it's the Zabrak in me."

- Eeth Koth

Eeth Koth was one of the most skilled lightsaber duelists within the Jedi Order. He was able to defend himself against General Grievous despite having been shot in the arm moments before, and though he overpowered the General through the use of the Force rather than through swordplay, defeating him required the intervention of Grievous's Magnaguards. He had also effectively held his own against Darth Vader, appearing to be only somewhat battered from Force based attacks at the conclusion of the duel proper. His power in the Force was also quite substantial, as he was able to blast a large hole in a thick stone wall while simultaneously hurling a medical droid at Vader. He was also able to blast Grievous into a window with enough power to stun the General.

Equipment
Eeth Koth wielded a green lightsaber and used to wear Jedi robes. During the Imperial Era, he wore priest attire.

Behind the scenes
Eeth Koth first appeared in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, where he was originally intended to serve as the leader of the Jedi Council. Concept Artist Iain McCaig based early sketches of the character on Doug Chiang, the leader of the Art Department.

Koth was portrayed by actor Hassani Shapi in Episode I, and archival footage of Shapi was reused for the Jedi Council scenes in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. In his appearances during the mission to Geonosis, he was played by local performer Tux Akindoyeni, as the scenes were shot in Australia. Visual differences between the two portrayals eventually prompted Lucasfilm Ltd. to establish Akindoyeni's character as Agen Kolar, a new Jedi Master, although production paperwork such as scripts and call sheets continued to refer to both of them as Eeth Koth.

Koth was orginally written to die during the Battle of Geonosis when his gunship crashed after getting shot at.

Voice actor and comedian Chris Edgerly, who voiced Koth in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, stated he intended to give the character a soft Indian accent that was simultaneously graceful and noble, a feat he found tricky to accomplish.

Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded states that Eeth Koth's homeworld is Iridonia.