Yarael Poof/Legends

"Master Poof sacrificed himself not only to preserve billions of lives, but so the Republic itself would live on. I can think of no more fitting tribute than this: He gave his life for a cause he believed in."

- Mace Windu

Yarael Poof was a Quermian Jedi Master who served on the Jedi Council during the twilight years of the Galactic Republic. He trained Roron Corobb as his Padawan. While he carried a lightsaber, Yarael Poof preferred to use his mastery of mind tricks to avoid conflict.

Biography
Poof was a consummate master of Jedi mind tricks and could use the Force to quickly and mislead targets by conjuring false images in their minds. His connection with the Force was admired by all, and he was invited to be a member of the Jedi Council&mdash;a position he accepted. Yarael Poof was powerful and skilled in the rare art of battle meditation, which helped him to give courage to an army while the opposing army suddenly was mentally weakened. Although a member of the Jedi Council, Yarael Poof was also adept in a combat situation.

He was a member of the Quermian species, a race of sentient invertebrates related to the Xexto of Troiken. His long legs, body and neck caused him to stand some three feet taller than other humanoid species. Hidden beneath his traditional robes were four delicate arms which granted Yarael Poof remarkable dexterity. Poof's sensitive olfactory glands were located in his hands. He had two brains, one located inside his skull and the other in his chest cavity. He was the most senior of four Quermian Jedi in the years running up to the Battle of Naboo.

The Jedi Master was present when Qui-Gon Jinn brought young Anakin Skywalker before the Council for training. He trained at least one Padawan himself, an Ithorian named Roron Corobb.



In 27 BBY, Yarael's finest hour came after a chain of events that started with a crisis meeting of the Jedi Council. Mace Windu briefed the gathered Jedi luminaries that a threat had emerged that needed immediate action. A radical Annoo-dat General named Ashaar Khorda was planning to strike at one of the Republic's key worlds&mdash;Alderaan, Corellia or Coruscant. Most terrifying of all, the Council learned that Khorda had obtained an ancient artifact from the planet Seylott that was so powerful it could destroy a planet. A member of the Council would be chosen to watch over each of the planets.

Oppo Rancisis would go to Corellia, Eeth Koth to Alderaan and Mace Windu volunteered to watch over Coruscant. But Yarael Poof insisted he be given the task of watching over Coruscant. He reasoned that General Khorda's powerful artifact would create a disturbance in the Force, and so his particulary sensitive Force connection would be invaluable. The Council agreed. He did not have to wait long. Sensing a disturbance in the Force in the lower levels of Coruscant, Yarael started homing in on the source. On his way to the bowels of Coruscant, Poof came across a young boy being pursued by a gang of thugs. Such was the Quermian's sense of compassion that he made time to help the boy and created an apparition of a fearsome rancor to scare off the gang.



Before long, Yarael found himself within Coruscant's central power generator. Before him was Khorda, clutching a carved object that Yarael sensed was the source of the Force disturbance. Realizing how close the object was to releasing the power, Yarael stepped forward and demanded that Khorda and his followers surrender. At the same time, two bounty hunters appeared and demanded the same thing. Khorda's followers opened fire on them, forcing Yarael to resort to violence. Poof and the two bounty hunters, Zam Wesell and Jango Fett, defeated the terrorists, and Yarael obtained the artifact. He was about to use his Force powers to deactivate it when Khorda plunged a knife in his chest. Fett shot Khorda in return. Although he could have saved himself, he used his last ounce of Force to deactivate it&mdash;thus saving Coruscant at the cost of his own life.

A funeral was held for him at the Jedi Temple, attended by members of the High Council and three Quermian Jedi. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker also attended.

Behind the scenes

 * Yarael Poof would have been cast in Attack of the Clones, but George Lucas found this character too difficult and expensive to be animated, so he removed him from the Council. He imagined the Battle of Geonosis to be a battle where all the Council members would attend. Poof's absence in Episode II also helped avoid any confusion between his species and the newly-introduced Kaminoans.
 * Poof appears to anomalously be in the background of a scene involving a gathering of the Jedi Council in Star Wars Republic 53: Blast Radius. He can also be seen sitting on the Jedi Council in Star Wars Republic 61: Dead Ends.
 * It has been confirmed that Poof will be made into an action figure in December, 2006.

Appearances

 * Yaddle's Tale: The One Below
 * Children of the Force
 * Jedi Apprentice: The Threat Within
 * Jedi Council: Acts of War
 * Cloak of Deception
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Republic: Emissaries to Malastare
 * Star Wars Republic: The Hunt for Aurra Sing
 * Star Wars Republic: The Stark Hyperspace War
 * Star Wars Republic: Darkness
 * Star Wars: Obi-Wan
 * Star Wars: Zam Wesell