Unidentified failed Padawan

"But you said...''" "''I said what I said, and it was true. You heard what you heard, and it was false."

- The Padawan and Mace Windu

This failed Padawan was a member of the Jedi Order, apprenticed to Jedi Master Mace Windu.

History
"Not just the girl, this city... this planet! Master, these creatures&mdash;they follow the Sith!"

- The Padawan

A Force-sensitive male, this Padawan followed Jedi Master Mace Windu to a planet some time before the Clone Wars. The world was crumbling and broken, with nearly a third of it already gone. The native species watched the two Jedi with unease, and a young girl was frightened by the Padawan, dropping an armful of fruit. He moved to hand a piece of the fruit back to her, but then saw the Sith tattoos on her skin and reached for his lightsaber, causing her to flee. Windu asked the Padawan what he had witnessed, and the Padawan said that the whole world worshiped the Sith, and began to become fearful, noting that they were only two against a whole world. When one of the natives identified their allegiance to the crowd, the Padawan again reached for his weapon, but Windu stayed his hand. Instead of fighting, Windu approached the man and noted his Force-sensitivity, giving him the dropped piece of fruit and telling him to leave the dying world.

Windu brought the Padawan to a steep mountain and told him that it was time for him to lead the way, and that he was to find a nearby temple. The Padawan paused for a moment, sensing which way to go, then confidently led his proud Master up the slope. He then questioned Windu's treatment of the natives, asking that if feeding one's enemy was wise. Windu said that by feeding an enemy one only brought more strength to oneself and to the Force, while weakening the dark side. Reaching the top of the mountain, the Padawan discovered the temple he had sought, and Windu told him he had a task to complete. Windu ordered the Padawan to find an adversary within the Temple, one that Windu claimed to have battled for his entire life. As the Padawan turned to ask another question, he found that his master had disappeared from the mountaintop.

The Padawan entered the temple, using his ignited lightsaber to guide his path through the dark halls and past Sith markings. He soon came upon a cloaked figure kneeling before a fire, and carefully sneaked up behind him, then lashed out with his blade. The figure ably dodged his attack and quickly disarmed him, only to reveal himself as Windu. The Jedi Council emerged from the shadows of the chamber and Windu explained that the whole mission had been a test. The temple had been built by the Sith, but there was no darkness within it any longer, only the darkness within the Padawan himself. The Padawan had not seen the truth of the situation, instead giving in to emotions such as wrath, pride and fear. The Padawan offered that he could still learn, but Windu told him that it was time to leave&mdash;the Padawan had failed his training.

Behind the scenes
As this character appeared in an early Star Wars Tales issue, his appearance is ambiguously canon. Issue #1 to Issue #20 have been labeled Infinities, placing them outside the canon. This is not to say that the elements of these issues are outside of official continuity, only that they are not considered canon unless they are endorsed by a canonical source.

Appearances

 * The Sith in the Shadow