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 after his capture of Koth

Eeth Koth was a male Iridonian Zabrak Jedi Master who fought during the Clone Wars in battles such as the Battle of Geonosis. At some point in the war, Koth was kidnapped by General Grievous but was rescued by Adi Gallia, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. He was a member of the Jedi High Council during the Clone Wars and participated in many battles throughout the galaxy.

Early life
Hailing from Nar Shaddaa, a crime-infested moon of the Outer Rim Territories, Eeth Koth was discovered to be Force-sensitive and accepted into the Jedi Order at the age of four.

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 midichlorian 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 he and the rest of the Council consented. Later, he went to Jinn's funeral.

The Separatist Crisis
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.

The Clone Wars
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.

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.

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. Captain Lock and his men 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.

Following Koth's confrontation with Grievous, he remained a member of the council up to 19 BBY, when he was replaced by fellow Zabrak Jedi, Agen Kolar.

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.

The character returned in the 2010 episode "Grievous Intrigue" of Season Two of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series. Voice actor and comedian Chris Edgerly, who voiced Koth in the episode as his first Star Wars role, stated he intended to give the character a soft Indian accent that was simultaneously graceful and noble, a feat he found tricky to accomplish.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy – A Graphic Novel
 * Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones

Non-canon appearances

 * Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes