Jorus C'baoth

"We are the Jedi, the ultimate power in the universe. We will do as we choose. And we will destroy any who dare stand in our way."

- Jorus C'baoth

Jorus C'baoth was a male Human from the planet of Bortras who served in the Jedi Order during the final decades of the Republic Classic era. Like fellow Jedi Master Dooku, C'baoth was arrogantly sure of his own skills and talents, believed himself to be a peerless warrior and philosopher, and viewed non-Force users as inferior. A controversial figure among his own peers, C'baoth was regarded as the epitome of a Jedi Master by some, while others were distrustful of him.

During his exemplary, if unorthodox, career, C'baoth settled a number of conflicts. He notably participated in the demobilization of Ando, defeated a band of Dark Jedi in the Elrood sector, put an end to the Ascendancy Contention of Alderaan, and helped his colleague Tra's M'ins mediate the Duinuogwuin-Gotal conflict. Above all that, he also found time to train a Padawan, the young Human female Lorana Jinzler.

He was the main proponent of the Outbound Flight project, which he envisioned as being the precursor to the discovery of unknown species who could be taught the ways of the Jedi. However, C'baoth, like Outbound Flight, was ultimately doomed by his arrogance and events outside of his control. With the failure of his vision and the destruction of Outbound Flight at the hands of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force led by Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, also known as Thrawn, C'baoth eventually fell to the dark side of the Force when he submitted to his anger and attempted to kill Thrawn. He himself died when a Chiss radiation bomb exploded inside of the expedition's main starship, the Outbound Flight.

Darth Sidious, the Sith alter-ego of the authoritarian politician Palpatine, would later use recovered samples of C'baoth's DNA as the template for the insane clone named Joruus C'baoth. That clone became the guardian of Emperor Palpatine's private treasury, and later worked with Grand Admiral Thrawn during his campaign against the New Republic.

Early life
"Attended Jedi Training Center on Kamparas 2\15\90 to 8\33\8 PE. Private Jedi training begun 9\88 PE; Instructor unknown."

- Galactic Senate records on Jorus C'baoth

Jorus C'baoth was born of Human parents in 70 BBY, during the last century of the Galactic Republic. He hailed from Reithcas, the capital city of Bortras, a fertile planet located within the Reithcas sector, in the Outer Rim of the galaxy. It became quickly evident that the infant C'baoth was strong in the Force, and his untrained potential drew the attention of the Jedi Order, a group of warriors and philosophers who had been the guardians of peace and justice from the early beginnings of the Republic. As was traditional among the Jedi, C'baoth was claimed from his birth parents and brought to the Jedi Temple on the ecumenopolis of Coruscant, bright hub of the Republic and headquarters of the Jedi. In the Temple, C'baoth joined the other Jedi Initiates, and the members of the Order became his only family.

In 53 BBY, at the age of seventeen, C'baoth added to his Jedi studies with an education from Mirnic University. Upon his graduation, he traveled to the Jedi Training Center on Kamparas, home to many Jedi scholars,  to continue his instruction in the demanding ways of the Force. After training on Kamparas for two years, he was taken on as a private student. C’baoth's early life was an exception to the rule among Jedi of that time: in principle, Initiates who were not selected to be Padawans by the age of thirteen were shifted into one of the divisions of the Jedi Service Corps.

Jedi Knight and galactic diplomat
"Member of Ando Demilitarization Observation Group 8\82 to 7\81 PE. Member of the Senate Interspecies Advisory Comittee 9\81 to 6\79 PE"

- Galactic Senate records on Jorus C'baoth



Two more years of training would see C'baoth join the ranks of the Jedi Knights, whose numbers formed the backbone of the Order. He decided to follow the path of the Jedi Consulars, who chose to perfect the art of diplomacy and meditation over physical combat. The knighted Jorus C'baoth became a firm supporter of the Galactic Republic, and served it well in a number of ways, most notably as a negotiator and mediator for many of the galaxy's racially-charged conflicts. He notably served as part of the Demilitarization Observation Group stationed on the oceanic planet of Ando, where the native Aqualish subspecies endlessly feuded with each other over mineral rights. A primary observer within the group, the Jedi from Bortras encountered another member of the task force, the ambitious Senator Palpatine of the Chommell sector. The two got along, and when they returned to Coruscant, C'baoth and Palpatine established a long-standing friendship that helped shape the development of C'baoth's career.

A few years after the events on Ando, the Council of Reassignment appointed Jorus C'baoth as Palpatine's personal adviser on Jedi-related matters. During his tenure as a member of the senator's staff, the Jedi discussed the Extragalactic Society, often referred to as ExGal, a community of scientists devoted to the search for life outside the galaxy. The two friends shared a mutual interest for the ExGal's ambitious project. However, a couple of years before the Battle of Naboo in 32 BBY, C'baoth received visions of the dark side of the Force growing stronger. Intent on searching for the sources of his premonitions, the Jedi from Bortras chose to leave the service of Palpatine. He was reassigned once again and began his inquiries, which led him to the Elrood sector, in the Outer Rim. In that remote area of the galaxy, C'baoth discovered a group of marauding Dark Jedi who brought terror to the sector. With the help of a small strike team of fellow Knights, C'baoth vanquished the rogue Force-users. Unbeknownst to him, his old friend Palpatine himself was a powerful darksider, a Dark Lord of the Sith known as Darth Sidious.

Rise to masterhood
"Officially assumed the title of Jedi Master 4\3\74 PE."

- Galactic Senate records on Jorus C'baoth

Immediately following the victory in the Elrood sector, C'baoth bestowed the title of Jedi Master upon himself, a move that was quite unorthodox. In theory, the rank of Master was granted by the Jedi High Council to a Knight that had successfully trained several apprentices and brought them to the knighthood. However, the High Council was so pleased with C'baoth's victory in the Elrood sector that they regarded his self-imposed promotion as well-earned and valid. Decades later, the history of the Elrood insurrection would be confused with that of Grand Master Yoda defeating a band of Bpfasshi darksiders in 19 BBY. Historical facts were distorted by legend, and C'baoth was thought to have settled the Bpfasshi uprising.

In 33 BBY, Master C'baoth got involved in the Esseles droid starfighters affair, due to his privileged relationship with Palpatine&mdash;now a very influent senator. The High Council had received an anonymous datacard, alerting the Order that a factory named Trinkatta Starships had started building fifty experimental droid starfighters. Worried that these new ships were commissioned by an ally of the Republic plotting a civil war, the Councilmen sent Adi Gallia to ascertain the identity of the one who paid for the starfighters. Master Jorus C'baoth was summoned by the Council, who asked him not to notify Palpatine or any other Senators of Galia's secret mission until they have solid evidence identifying the buyer.

Jorus C'baoth's diplomatic career went on. He notably became a member of the Senate Interspecies Advisory Committee, was appointed as the ambassador-at-large to the Xappyh sector, and helped Jedi Master Tra's M'ins mediate the Duinuogwuin-Gotal conflict. In 32 BBY, C'baoth was made Jedi Watchman of the Alderaan sector, and was involved in the mediation of a crisis known to history as the Alderaan Ascendancy Contention. The question was whether the line of ascent to the function of Viceroy should go to the House of Organa or one of the other patrician bloodlines. After the third voting deadlock, the Alderaanians appealed to the Senate to resolve that matter. A delegation that included Master C'baoth was sent on Alderaan, and it took less than a month to decide that the Organas had the proper claim. C'baoth requested that the House of Organa and the rival House of Antilles join together in an arranged marriage, which settled the contention for good. The same year, Finis Valorum's second four-year term as Supreme Chancellor of the Republic came close to its end. Despite his long-standing friendship with Palpatine, who ran for the impending election, C'baoth offered his support to Senator Bail Antilles of Alderaan, another potential nominee. The Jedi Watchman was seen in the company of the Alderaanian senator during a gathering on the Perlemian Orbital Facility, a space station orbiting Coruscant.

At some point, the Jedi diplomat took a female Human named Lorana Jinzler as his Padawan to train. C'baoth's relationship with his good-natured and humble apprentice was unusually tense. His attitude that Jedi were superior to non-Force users disturbed Jinzler, but she was too timid to confront him or say anything to address the issue.

Birth of the Outbound Flight Project
"Highly influential in convincing Senate to authorize and fund Outbound Flight Project. One of six Jedi Masters attached to project 7\7\65 PE."

- Galactic Senate records on Jorus C'baoth

Around 29 BBY, C'baoth was inspired by the Extragalactic Society's example, and he conceived the idea of a massive expedition beyond the Galactic Rim, in an attempt to search for life outside the known galaxy. He gained support from his friend Palpatine, now Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. At first, the project excited both C'baoth and Palpatine, and the Jedi played a highly instrumental role in convincing the Republic Senate to authorize and fund what became known as "Outbound Flight Project". During its development, the whole project was maintained in secrecy. The Republic never made any information about the Outbound Flight available to the broader populace. Since the planned expedition would pass through the Unknown Regions of the galaxy, it was decided that its crew members would bring their families so they could plant a few colonies on the way. Although the Republic had its official policy regarding the mission of Outbound Flight, C'baoth had his own designs for the project &mdash; he envisioned it as being the catalyst for the discovery of other Force-sensitive species who might be taught the way of the Jedi.

However, as time went by, the enthusiasm of the political class about C'baoth's brainchild began to weaken. It soon became apparent that the Outbound Flight project was in jeopardy of being sidelined by the Republic's bureaucracy when the Financial Appropriations Committee of the Senate imposed a series of budget cuts. Furthermore, the Jedi Order also started to step back from the project. While Grand Master Yoda had agreed to assign several Jedi to the project, in the end of the day he was thinking of allowing only one or two. But Master C'baoth had not yet said his last word, and he was ready to spitefully fight back and raise a fuss in front of the Chancellor himself.

Mission to Barlok
"Actually, it was an inspired suggestion. Master C'baoth is quite good at the sort of mediation the Barlok situation so sorely needs. I should have thought of it myself."

- Palpatine

When C'baoth and his Padawan, Lorana Jinzler, met with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to discuss the Outbound Flight project, Palpatine told them that if C'baoth settled a dispute on the planet of Barlok, he would do all he could to make Outbound Flight possible.

After the first day of mediation, they met Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, who had been sent by Mace Windu, who was suspicious of C'baoth. C'baoth sent them away with Jinzler while he went to mediate. After Kenobi, Skywalker and Jinzler had discovered a terrorist threat, C'baoth had them stationed with Jerv Riske, a bodyguard hired by Passel Argente of the Corporate Alliance. They failed to stop the remote missile that targeted all the people involved in the meeting. C'baoth caught the missile in a Force grip and convinced the assembly to resolve their differences for the people of Barlok.

Following that mission, much to her own surprise, C'baoth asked the Jedi High Council to promote his Padawan Lorana Jinzler. She was knighted shortly before the departure of the Outbound Flight, which C'baoth forced her to board.

Launch of the Outbound Flight
After the Jedi Master thwarted the assassination attempt on Barlok, Palpatine and the Senate finally gave the Outbound Project the support that C'Baoth believed it would need. C'baoth, though, did not suspect that Palpatine would also be the one to secretly sabotage the project. Darth Sidious, the Chancellor's Sith persona, had C'baoth cloned in the disguise of a blood test shortly before the launch of the Outbound Flight project, knowing he would be of later use. Sidious also sent his henchman Kinman Doriana ahead of the Outbound Flight with the purpose of destroying it, thus effectively killing several dozen Jedi in one fell swoop.

As planned, C'baoth was one of the six Jedi Masters aboard the project when it departed from Yaga Minor in 27 BBY. Once the Outbound Flight was launched, C'baoth increasingly took control over all of the ship's aspects, even going so far as to take Force-sensitive children away from their parents in the middle of the night to be trained as Jedi. By establishing himself as the de facto leader over all aspects of the ship, even out ruling the captain of the vessel, he earned the resentment of the colonists who had initially joined the Outbound Flight to seek a better life.

When the Outbound Flight entered the Unknown Regions, it was encountered by two local species, the Vagaari as well as the Chiss. Mitth'raw'nuruodo, the leader of the Chiss picket force, contacted C'baoth and boarded the Outbound Flight to meet with him, but C'baoth refused to comply with Thrawn's request to leave Chiss Space. As the Vagaari fleet stormed towards the Outbound Flight, C'baoth performed a Force meld to trick the enemy. At that moment Thrawn launched Vulture droids to engage the confused Vagaari, creating a large disturbance in the Force which overwhelmed the meld participants.

During the disturbance, C'baoth and his fellow Jedi failed to detect the Chiss forces that were sneaking in, and Thrawn managed to systematically destroy the weapon clusters of the Outbound Flight, killing almost every Jedi aboard. Enraged, the Jedi Master gave into his anger, succumbed to the dark side and Force choked Thrawn across space from Outbound Flight bridge itself. His apprentice sensed his fall, and tried to reach her former master in time to help him, but it was too late. However, before C'baoth could kill Thrawn, Doriana saved Thrawn's life when he activated the secondary command layer pre-set in the Vulture droids, which then rammed and blasted open the Outbound Flight. The final wave of Vultures employed a radiation bomb of Chiss design on the ship. C'baoth, along with all but fifty-seven of the passengers and Lorana aboard, perished.

It was due to C'baoth's arrogance and draconian behavior that the survivors of Outbound Flight, who were discovered in 22 ABY, had such a resentment and hatred for the Jedi.

Legacy
"Who is it we've brought aboard the Chimaera? I should have thought that obvious. Joruus C'baoth&mdash;note the telltale mispronunciation of the name Jorus&mdash;is a clone."

- Grand Admiral Thrawn

In 9 ABY it was discovered that a clone of C'baoth, Joruus C'baoth, had been living on the world of Wayland since the time of the Clone Wars. He had inherited much of C'baoth's personality, including his desire to arbitrate disputes; he also inherited the original C'baoth's substantial ego.

Given that the Great Jedi Purge had destroyed most records relating to the Jedi and that Wayland itself was a carefully hidden secret, almost no one knew that Joruus C'baoth was a clone, except for Thrawn, who had killed the original when destroying Outbound Flight. Due to deteriorating sanity from the unstable Spaarti cloning cylinders as well as a long isolation, even Joruus C'baoth forgot his true origins and believed himself to be the original Master C'baoth.

Without formal Jedi training, Joruus openly used the dark side of the Force in his rule of the mixed population of Wayland. After being discovered by Grand Admiral Thrawn, he used his skills to coordinate Imperial attacks in an effort to ultimately find an apprentice of his own. Joruus met his death at the hands of Luke Skywalker and the former Emperor's Hand, Mara Jade.

In 22 ABY, a Chiss expedition to the remains of Outbound Flight occurred. That was partially a historical expedition &mdash; thus invitations were extended to the Jedi Masters Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker, as well as Dean Jinzler &mdash; and partially a ploy to lure Thrawn's old enemies, the Vagaari, into going on the offensive.

Personality and traits
"Let's dispense with the pleasantries, Chancellor. This isn't a social visit."

- Jorus C'baoth to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.

A wild-eyed Human with a chiseled face, Jorus C'baoth was a tall man of average build, and he was considered fairly muscular. By 33 BBY, he had hair as long as that of his colleague Qui-Gon Jinn, and a beard three times as long. At the time of the Alderaan Ascendency Contention, however, he had a neatly trimmed short beard. Walking with long loping strides, he simply expected others to make room before him. C'baoth would speak in a husky baritone voice.

C'baoth was known to have believed that the Jedi were above normal non-Force users and therefore had the right-to-rule. His attitude of superiority caused several Jedi to be disturbed by his views, including his own Padawan Lorana Jinzler, to whom he was especially brutal, considering he was her Jedi Master. However, due to his abrupt and often harsh attitude, it was a trait that very few individuals dared bring to C'baoth's attention.

He was also extremely arrogant in his dealings, not only with non-Force users, but also with his fellow Jedi. His arrogance, combined with his often severe attitude, divided many Jedi on their stance of the Jedi Master. Some believed that he was a model example of what it meant to be a Jedi, while others disagreed with his methods and instead chose to remain wary of him and his views. C'baoth was one of those few Jedi Masters who had taken a great admiration to Anakin Skywalker, as the boy was to him in return.

Powers and abilities
Jorus C'baoth was a very talented and gifted Jedi. It was known early on, even when Jorus was just a young child, that he was powerful in the Force. C'baoth was very proficient in telekinesis, as evidenced by his actions in the dispute on Barlok, where he caught the projectile used to target the negotiators in mid-air. He was also able to employ Force-Choke through a video transmission. His skill in Force Melding was such that he was able to anchor many Jedi in a row; while Obi-Wan Kenobi thought he should have been exhausted after that, C'baoth was seemingly unaffected after performing several.

His skill with the Force eventually culminated in an act which very few Jedi Knights dared to do: Jorus believed that he had moved beyond the talents of being a Knight, and therefore promoted himself to the rank of Jedi Master. Even though his promotion was self-imposed, it was a claim that no one objected to.

Behind the scenes
"'C'baoth,' incidentally, is pronounced 'SA-bay-oth,' with the first vowel pronounced like the 'a' in 'has.' If I'd realized how hard it was going to be for everyone else to figure out, I would have changed the spelling."

- Timothy Zahn

Creation
Jorus C'baoth was first mentioned in the 1991 novel Heir to the Empire, the first entry of the "Thrawn Trilogy" written by Timothy Zahn. While the Jedi Master didn't appear himself in the book, a mad clone of C'baoth served as one of the novel's main antagonists. The original Jorus C'baoth made his first brief appearance in Episode I Adventures 1: Search for the Lost Jedi, a 1999 novel written by Ryder Windham. He also appeared fleetingly in James Luceno's Cloak of Deception, which was released in 2001. Following those few cameos by other authors, Timothy Zahn fleshed out his character in 2006 by writing Outbound Flight, a novel centered on the events surrounding C'baoth demise.

Timeline and continuity issues
"Jorus C'baoth. Human. Born in Reithcas, on Bortras, on 4\3\112. Pre-Empire date."

- Galactic Senate records on Jorus C'baoth as shown in Dark Force Rising

The second installment in the trilogy, Dark Force Rising, included a very thorough biography of C'baoth, complete with a "Pre-Empire" dating system using a month\day\year notation. However, Zahn's original dating was based on when he believed the Clone Wars took place. At the time, George Lucas had not settled on the final time line, and Star Wars authors were told that the Clone Wars took place thirty-five years before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. However, with the release of the prequel trilogy between 1999 and 2005, it was revealed that the Clone Wars ended only nineteen years before Episode IV. Therefore, all the dates featured in the Thrawn Trilogy were off by at least sixteen years. In 2002, C'baoth's birth date was eventually retconned to 70 BBY in the Roleplaying Game Revised Core Rulebook.

According to The Essential Guide to Characters, C'baoth's last name is pronounced "Sub-Bay-Eth." However, Zahn has stated that it is pronounced "SA-bay-oth," with the first vowel pronounced like the a in has. Timothy Zahn commented that, had he realized how hard it would to be for everyone else to figure out the pronunciation, he would have changed the spelling.

Before the release of the Prequel trilogy in the 2000s, all the specifics of Jedi training during the waning years of the Old Republic were not known, which is why C'baoth's training differs from what has been established as the norm from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace on.

Jorus C'baoth was originally named as the Jedi who quelled the insurrection of several Bpfasshi Dark Jedi during the Clone Wars. After the exact date of the Clone Wars was revealed, that became impossible, as C'baoth had died five years earlier. Yoda was then named as the Jedi Master responsible for opposing the insurrection some time after the end of the war.

Appearances

 * ''Star Wars: Darth Plagueis
 * Cloak of Deception
 * Episode I Adventures 1: Search for the Lost Jedi
 * Outbound Flight
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Dark Force Rising
 * The Last Command
 * Survivor's Quest
 * Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial
 * Crosscurrent
 * Crosscurrent