Wullf Yularen

"It is said that no traitor escapes the eye of Yularen for long."

- Yogar Lyste, to Alexsandr Kallus

Wullf Yularen was a male human who served as a high-ranking officer in both the Galactic Republic and its successor state, the Galactic Empire. Serving the Republic during the Battle of Malastare Narrows, he was given an admiral's commission in the Republic Navy following the outbreak of the Clone Wars, assigned to Jedi General Anakin Skywalker. Yularen overcame an initially-rocky relationship with his Jedi superior to successfully combat the Confederacy of Independent Systems in several battles throughout the conflict, including Christophsis, the Kaliida Nebula, and Geonosis. Narrowly escaping the destruction of his flagship, the Resolute, by 20 BBY he was considered one of the preeminent naval officers of the time.

With the Republic's transition into the Galactic Empire, Yularen resigned his commission in favor of becoming a colonel in the Imperial Security Bureau, and in this capacity rooted out sedition in the Imperial Senate as well as served as a liason to the Naval Intelligence Agency. Following the events of the Berch Teller campaign, Yularen was eventually promoted to head the reformed NIA, with the rank of Deputy Director. However, he continued playing an important role in the ISB, and became an early ally of the Chiss Thrawn as he rose through the ranks of the Imperial Navy, assisting him in his campaigns against the rebel agent Nevil Cygni.

In response to the growing rebellion, Colonel Yularen assisted now-Grand Admiral Thrawn in hunting for the rebel mole Fulcrum, who leaked Imperial intelligence to the rebels. Working with Thrawn, Yularen discovered that the rebel mole was his former student Agent Alexsandr Kallus. Following the Battle of Scarif, Yularen was one of the officers assigned to the Death Star battle station, where he would be killed during the Battle of Yavin.

Early Career
"He tore our ships apart. We barely escaped with our lives. In the end, a Jedi-led task force moved in to settle the matter. Trench's ship was destroyed, and we assumed he went down with it."

- Wullf Yularen, on Trench and the Battle of Malastare Narrows

Wullf Yularen was a human male born on the planet Coruscant. Prior to the start of the Clone Wars, Yularen served as an officer in the Republic Navy. He participated in the Battle of Malastare Narrows, a conflict in which a fleet organized by the Corporate Alliance blockaded the planet Malastare. Despite his best efforts, the enemy fleet, lead by the brilliant Harch tactician Admiral Trench, proved impossible to break, and Yularen lost many of his own forces. Eventually, a dispatched Jedi task force turned the tide of the battle, defeating the Corporate fleet, vaporizing Trench's flagship, and seemingly killing him in the process. Despite the victory, Yularen left the battle with a lasting fear of the Admiral's tactical capabilities.

The Clone Wars
"Of all the Jedi, why did I have to end up with Skywalker?"

- Wullf Yularen, on his assignment to Anakin Skywalker's fleet during the Clone Wars

Following the eruption of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY and the formation of the Grand Army of the Republic, a war bargain struck between the Jedi Order and Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine ensured that the new Jedi Generals would be paired with veteran naval officers, such as now-Admiral Yularen, who would be assigned to Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Initially in command of a Venator-class Star Destroyer, this starship heavily damaged in the Battle of Teth, after which he would be posted to the cruiser Resolute, the flagship of General Skywalker.

Christophsis and Teth
During the Battle of Christophsis, Yularen initially failed to break through the Separatist blockade of the planet with supplies for Senator Bail Organa's force trapped on the planet. Recognizing his insignia on the Separatist flagship, the dreadnought Invincible, Yularen concluded that Trench had survived at Malastare and was facing him once again. Fearing his capabilities, Yularen regrouped on the far side of Leesis, Christophsis' moon. Reinforced by Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi's Negotiator, Yularen personally participated in a mercy mission aboard a new model of stealth ship to provide relief to the planet below.

The ship, fitted with an experimental cloaking device, easily slipped past the blockade. However, Trench, emboldened by the lull in the fighting, ordered a flight of Hyena bombers to attack Organa's position on the planet's surface in an attempt to draw out the Republic force and destroy it. Despite Kenobi's preparations, Yularen recognized that any counterattack would result in heavy casualties for their fleet. The Jedi, Skywalker, was able to outmaneuver Trench's attacks and destroy the Invincible. Despite his initial skepticism and friction with the Jedi, the Admiral was impressed with Skywalker's unorthodoxy, who commented that they made a good team. Yularen was later forced to withdraw due to a renewed Separatist blockade in orbit, but the destruction of the Separatist shield generator and ensuing surrender of General Whorm Loathsom allowed him to return with Master Yoda's reinforcements and secure a Republic victory.

Yularen then assisted General Kenobi in rescuing what was left of Captain Rex's troops holed up at Teth's B'omarr Monastery. He tried to allow Skywalker, his padawan Ahsoka Tano and Jabba the Hutt's son, Rotta to land on his ship but were unable to due to Vulture droids attacking the ship's hangar.

Hunt for Grievous
Yularen played a pivotal role in the search and destruction of General Grievous's secret weapon, the warship Malevolence . After it was revealed Grievous planned to attack the undefended Kaliida Shoals Medical Center, Yularen briefed the pilots of Shadow Squadron, flying BTL-A4 Y-wing assault starfighter/bombers, for their strike on the ship. With the destruction of the Malevolence's massive ion cannons and the disabling of its hyperdrive, Yularen pursued after the ship with three Venator destroyers, including the Resolute, trying to stop it from fleeing to Separatist space, until the ship finally was destroyed on impact with a nearby moon.

Admiral Yularen continued to assist Kenobi and Skywalker in their search for Grievous. Yularen then informed them that the Rishi Station had stopped transmitting and then had the fleet alerted to this problem, which turned out to be an attack orchestrated by Grievous. After discovering that Grievous planned to attack Kamino, the homeworld and production center for the Republic's clone army, Yularen was placed in charge of the planet's blockade fleet. The vigorous orbital defense was successful in damaging much of Grievous' fleet, only to discover the space battle was a Separatist ruse in order to launch a ground attack. Despite this, the planet was successfully defended from the attack.

Later battles
Yularen was involved in multiple other engagements as well throughout the war. He participated in the Battle of Quell, arriving to reinforce the beleaguered fleet of General Aayla Secura, but to no avail. After the Jedi's cruiser inadvertently disappeared into hyperspace, with Secura, Skywalker, Tano, and several clones onboard, Yularen was left to fight on until the battle was lost.

As the Republic moved to liberate Ryloth from the Confederacy, Yularen led the Republic fleet in engaging the blockade, commanded by Neimoidian captain Mar Tuuk onboard a modified Droid Control Ship. The initial engagement saw the loss of the Redeemer while both the Resolute and the Defender were severely damaged, however, he authorized Skywalker's plan to ram the crippled Defender into the Tuuk's flagship, allowing Kenobi's troops to land on the planet. The admiral also coordinated the aerial support for the three-pronged ground assault in the Second Battle of Geonosis, as well as being given command of a task force of Star Destroyers, Consular-class and Arquitens-class cruisers during the Battle of Saleucami, while the Jedi attempted to rescue the general Eeth Koth, as well as capture Grievous. He commanded the Republic fleet during the Battle of Sullust, where the Resolute was lost to heavy enemy fire. Yularen, however, was able to evacuate before its destruction.

In 19 BBY, Yularen, as one of the higher-ranking Republic naval officers, attended the Republic strategy conference at the starbase Valor over Carida, where he almost perished due to a Separatist plot to ram the station with a captured Star Destroyer. He returned to Coruscant to attend the memorial service for the victims of the Jedi Temple hangar bombing. He was a member of the prosecution, headed by lead prosecutor Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin, in the military trial of Ahsoka Tano, now exempt from prosecutorial immunity after being expelled from the Jedi Order, who was accused of orchestrating the bombing. However, moments before the Supreme Chancellor read the final verdict, the true perpetrator, fallen Jedi Barriss Offee, was brought before the court by Skywalker, and Tano was allowed to go free.

Yularen participated in the Battle of Ringo Vinda, directing Skywalker and his team towards the remains of the destroyed Nu-class transport that had been transporting CT-5385 to Coruscant.

Near the end of the Clone Wars, Yularen would take an interest in Count Dooku and his new right-hand man "Admiral Enigma", who was actually the former Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. After receiving intelligence that Dooku and Admiral Enigma had been sighted on a Providence-class dreadnought that was planning to attack Taris, Yularen informed the Jedi High Council, which had been engrossed in a meeting to discuss rescuing Vos. Using Admiral Yularen's information, the Council decided to rescue Vos and agreed to pardon the former Sith apprentice Asajj Ventress if she agreed to take part in the rescue mission. While the rescue mission was successful, Vos had secretly turned to the Dark Side and become Dooku's newest Sith apprentice.

Imperial Security Bureau
Following the conclusion of the war, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine transitioned the Republic into the Galactic Empire, with himself as Galactic Emperor. With this New Order, Yularen resigned his admiral's commission in favor of pursuing a career with the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order's Imperial Security Bureau (or ISB) with the rank of colonel. His first assignment was heading a division whose purpose was to expose instances of sedition in the Imperial Senate.

By 14 BBY, the fifth year of the Empire's reign, Yularen had been appointed the head liaison between the ISB and its main rival, the Naval Intelligence Agency, and was responsible for ensuring cooperation between the Empire's different intelligence agencies. During this time, he personally reviewed the reports of Naval Intelligence operative Commander Gallius Rax, bypassing NIA Vice Admirals Dodd Rancit and Terrinald Screed. Along with his direct superior, Harus Ison, he represented the ISB on Coruscant when Moff Wilhuff Tarkin arrived to give his report about the attack on Sentinel Base. As the Berch Teller campaign progressed, he continued to play an active role in the Imperial response from Coruscant, conferring with both Tarkin and the Joint Chiefs. After the death of Vice Admiral Rancit at Carida, the Emperor promoted Yularen to replace his rival's former role as head of the NIA when it was folded under Imperial Intelligence, with the position of Deputy Director. In this role, he continued to receive Gallius Rax's top-secret intelligence reports, which were marked "eyes only" for himself.

Working with Thrawn
"I would never have suspected one of my best students was capable of this betrayal.''" "''And that is why you and so many others have been deceived."

- Yularen to Thrawn

By 4 BBY, Yularen had returned to the ISB, again with the rank of colonel. ISB Agent Kallus, Yularen's "star pupil" from the Imperial Academy, was after a crew of insurgents known as the Spectres, and answered to Yularen at this time. In 2 BBY, Kallus would secretly join the rebels and provide them Imperial information under the name "Fulcrum." Shortly later, Yularen was invited by Grand Admiral Thrawn to help identify the rebel spy. As part of the screening process, Yularen questioned several Imperial sector command staff in the Lothal sector aboard Thrawn's flagship Chimaera including Captain Brunson, Commander Brom Titus, Lieutenant Yogar Lyste, and his former student Agent Kallus. Lyste and Kallus boarded Thrawn's Imperial Star Destroyer with a captured bounty hunter, who turned out to be the rebel Ezra Bridger.

During a meeting with Kallus and Lyste, Yularen urged his comrades to remain vigilant for any sign of rebel activity. Thrawn also informed the attendees that he was close to locating the Phoenix Squadron's Chopper Base on the planet Atollon. After exiting the meeting, Yularen chatted with Kallus about the identity of Fulcrum. Attempting to deflect attention, Kallus claimed that the rebel spy was an officer and suggested someone in the Communications Division. However, Yularen believed that was too obvious and suspected that Fulcrum had their own communication system. Kallus also promised to help his former mentor. During a private meeting with Thrawn and Governor Arihnda Pryce, Thrawn voiced his suspicion that the spy had attended their interviews. When Colonel Yularen reported that a coded message had been beamed off the Chimaera following the arrival of Lyste and Kallus' prisoner. Yularen then accompanied Thrawn and Pryce to interrogate the prisoner.

Upon arriving in the Chimaera detention block, Yularen and his comrades discovered that the prisoner had been freed. After Yularen found that the records had indicated that someone using Yogar Lyste's code cylinder was the last person to enter the brig, Yularen came to suspect that Lyste was Fulcrum. However, this was a ruse that had been set by Kallus in order to conceal his tracks. After Thrawn narrowly survived an assassination attempt in his office, Yularen was contacted by the Grand Admiral who told him to head towards the hangar with stormtrooper reinforcements. Yularen arrived too late to apprehend the rebels but accepted Kallus' account that Lyste was the rebel spy Fulcrum. Despite Lyste's protests, Yularen ordered his stormtroopers to lead the Lieutenant away.

Due to Kallus' planted evidence implicating Lyste, Yularen initially believed that Lyste was Fulcrum. In public, Yularen regarded Lyste's code cylinder as proof of the officer's guilt. After Kallus and Pryce had exited Thrawn's office, Yularen privately confided his doubts about Lyste's guilt to the Grand Admiral. Thrawn agreed and then presented Yularen with Ezra's helmet, which was inscribed with an image of a loth-cat. When Yularen asked Thrawn why Kallus had withheld Ezra's identity, Thrawn concluded that Kallus was indeed Fulcrum and had framed Lyste to cover his tracks. Yularen expressed shock that one of his former pupils was a traitor, which prompted Thrawn to remark that Yularen had allowed his fondness for his former pupil to deceive him. With Fulcrum "officially" captured, Thrawn decided to allow Kallus to continue operating in order to lure the rebels out of hiding.

Galactic Civil War and death
"Some of the Empire's top people were on that station. Grand Moff Tarkin. Colonel Yularen. So many good men and women."

- Iden Versio, to Gideon Hask following the Battle of Yavin

Yularen was present for a meeting of high ranking Imperial personnel aboard the first Death Star battle station, which concerned the security of the station in view of the recent theft of its technical readout by agents of the Alliance to Restore the Republic in the year 0 BBY. He remained quiet throughout the meeting, even when Grand Moff Tarkin announced that the Emperor had dissolved the Imperial Senate.

Along with another intelligence officer, he later passed by makeshift rebels Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Chewbacca, the former two disguised as stormtroopers in an attempt to rescue the imprisoned Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan. Yularen remained onboard the battle station during the Battle of Yavin, where he perished along with thousands of other Imperials when it was destroyed.

Personality and traits
Even by the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Wullf Yularen was regarded by his peers as a crisp, efficient veteran naval officer. Despite his disagreements with the brash and reckless General Skywalker, he held a sacred respect for the chain of command, a trait which made him assist his Jedi General in any way he could. Yularen took pride in the achievements of one of his former pupils Agent Kallus, a promising Imperial Security Bureau Agent. Yularen's investigative skills led Thrawn to enlist his help in exposing the rebel spy Fulcrum. Yularen's trust and respect in Kallus led him to overlook the ISB agent as a suspect. Kallus manipulated Yularen's trust by fabricating evidence which implicated another officer Lieutenant Yogar Lyste. While Yularen privately doubted that Lyste was Fulcrum, he was initially convinced by the presence of Lyste's cylinder code. Yularen was shocked that Kallus could become a traitor to the Empire.

Behind the scenes
Wullf Yularen first appeared as an unnamed background character in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, played by Robert Clarke, and he was given the name Wullf Yularen by the Star Wars Legends card game Star Wars Customizable Card Game. Yularen would later be adopted by the 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars film as a recurring character. In that film, the subsequent television series of the same name, and the Star Wars Rebels television series; he was voiced by Tom Kane. Yularen's backstory and subsequent rise to the position of an Imperial Security Bureau Colonel was fleshed out in several Canon novels including James Luceno's 2014 novel Tarkin and Chuck Wendig's 2016 novel Aftermath: Life Debt. Kane later reprised his role as Colonel Yularen in the Star Wars Rebels episode "Through Imperial Eyes", which premiered on February 25, 2017.

In the StarWars.com Encyclopedia and the Databank, Yularen's first name was spelled "Wulff," rather than Wullf as spelled in the Star Wars Customizable Card Game, thus making the new spelling part of the Star Wars canon. However, Tarkin, a 2014 novel by James Luceno, and Ultimate Star Wars, a 2015 sourcebook published by Dorling Kindersley, use the original Star Wars Legends spelling of his name. This issue was later remedied, with Yularen's Databank page being updated with the "Wullf" spelling.

The character's voice actor Tom Kane compared Yularen in Imperial times to General Erwin Rommel, a German commander in World War II. Rommel's opposite number on the battlefield, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery, respected the German commander and said that even though Rommel wore the Nazi uniform, he wasn't a Nazi. Kane believed that Yularen, a strict military officer, was simply following orders when the Republic transitioned into the Empire.