Joruus C'baoth

"But I really don't think he's a Dark Jedi. He's erratic and moody, but he doesn't have the sort of evil aura about him that I could sense in Vader and the Emperor. I think it's more likely that Master C'baoth is insane."

- Luke Skywalker to R2-D2

Joruus C'baoth was the sole known surviving unstable clone of the Galactic Republic Jedi Master Jorus C'baoth. He was cloned by Palpatine, and used as the guardian of the Imperial storehouse at Mount Tantiss. In 9 ABY Grand Admiral Thrawn discovered the existence of the storehouse, and traveled to the planet. He succeeded in recruiting C'baoth to join him in his campaign to destroy the New Republic. His battle meditation powers were used by Thrawn's forces as part of a renewed offensive against the New Republic. C'baoth also attempted to lure Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo to the dark side of the Force, as part of a plan to seize the Empire for himself. After taking control of the Imperials left to guard him on Wayland, he was confronted by New Republic forces including Skywalker and Mara Jade. The two dueled him, and Mara managed to kill the mad clone.

Creation
"Created from a tissue sample, probably sometime just before the real C'baoth's death."

- Thrawn explaining C'baoth's background to Gilad Pellaeon

It is believed that a tissue sample was procured from Jorus C'baoth shortly before he departed aboard Outbound Flight (27 BBY). Supreme Chancellor Palpatine requested, through his representative Kinman Doriana, that all personnel aboard the expedition&mdash;including Jedi&mdash;submit to the extraction of analysis-grade blood and tissue samples as part of their medical examinations. Doriana cited the possibility of hive viruses or potential epidemics as justification, and it is presumed that Doriana brought these samples back with him to Coruscant after Outbound Flight was destroyed.

During the Clone Wars, Palpatine took possession, again through Doriana, of several thousand Spaarti cloning cylinders from Cartao (20 BBY), and several clones were eventually grown from C'baoth's tissue sample using this method. Cloning techniques, especially techniques developed early in the war or techniques intended to rapidly grow clones, produced clones that were extremely mentally unstable&mdash;the Joruus C'baoth clones would prove to be no exception (it should be noted that the clone troopers produced during the Clone Wars did not manifest these problems as they were grown slowly, over a number of years, and were cloned with different technology).

Only one of C'baoth's clones would have a command of the Force comparable to the original and be mentally stable enough that Palpatine could twist him into a Dark Jedi. C'baoth might also have been cloned so that he, being a powerful Jedi like his predecessor, could train a new order of Dark Jedi to serve the Galactic Empire, although no specific reason has been discovered. Some time during the Galactic Civil War, this clone became the ruler of Wayland and the Guardian of Mount Tantiss after killing the previous one. This was according to C'baoth himself as well as the inhabitants of Wayland, who remembered a duel between C'baoth and another Force-user. The original Guardian's body presumably lay in the crypt in C'baoth's palace.

Discovery and entrance into Imperial service
"I killed them, of course. Just as I killed the Guardian. Just as I now kill you."

- C'baoth to Thrawn, before unleashing a salvo of Force lightning

In any case, several years after the Battle of Endor, Grand Admiral Thrawn finally tracked down the location of the Emperor's private storehouse on Wayland, intending to use the cloaking shield and the Spaarti cylinders there to pursue his war against the New Republic. He discovered that Joruus C'baoth was completely insane. Upon revealing himself to the Jedi, C'baoth told them that he had killed the guardian of the mountain years ago, and had taken control of the city, and ruling its people. Then he unleashed a deadly blast of Force lightning, attempting to kill Thrawn, Captain Gilad Pellaeon and the Admiral's Noghri bodyguard Rukh. Only the Grand Admiral's precautionary use of ysalamiri saved him from the death that had found all previous offworlders to visit the warehouse since the death of the Emperor. Thrawn managed to enlist the insane dark Jedi Master to his cause by promising him Luke Skywalker and his sister Leia Organa Solo, as well as her yet-unborn twins, to be his to mold however he desired.

Pellaeon revealed his doubts to Thrawn later, but Thrawn told him that he was confident he could control C'baoth until the time was right. He also revealed to Pellaeon that the Dark Jedi was not Jorus C'baoth, as he the captain believed, but a clone of his, and a highly insane one. Thrawn believed that with the ysalamiri and carefully calculated orders, he could keep C'baoth from rebelling until he no longer needed him.

Drawing deeply on the dark side and honing his skills at the art of Battle Meditation, C'baoth greatly increased the efficiency of Thrawn's forces. He could use his mastery of the Force to penetrate cloaking shields, to communicate with cloaked ships and coordinate devastating precision-timed attacks. C'baoth was used at the assault on Ukio, where several cruisers, invisible thanks to a cloaking device, sneaked under the planetary shield, and then prepared to fire. A group of Star Destroyers waited outside the shield, one of them, with C'baoth on it. When Thrawn gave the order, C'baoth sent a mental command to the other ships under the shield, at which point they fired down on the planet. As the people on the surface could not see the ships that were actual firing, they believed Thrawn had developed a weapon that fitted on a Star Destroyer that could penetrate planetary shields. Rumor of this swept throughout the galaxy, striking fear into the hearts of many loyal to the New Republic.

C'baoth would finally achieve one of his goals, the "capture" of Luke Skywalker, when the Jedi came to him on Jomark. At the Battle of Nkllon, which C'baoth was coordinating, his mind felt Skywalker's presence, and he told him that he knew he would come to him. At the same time, Imperial forces began spreading the rumor that a Jedi was on Jomark. C'baoth headed there and took up residence in High Castle, immediately establishing his dominance over the people there. Skywalker eventually went to Jomark, though he remained a little skeptical. There, he met C'baoth, who proclaimed he was a Jedi Master.

He began training Skywalker, teaching him many things contrary to what Yoda had taught the young Jedi, such as that Jedi were superior to others. He also taught that Jedi should use force and pain as teachers to keep non Force-sensitives under control. He revealed to Skywalker that he had sensed another being skilled in the Force, someone who Luke had met—Mara Jade. She landed on Jomark several days after Luke began his training, begging for his help to free Talon Karrde. C'baoth attempted to kill her by hurling boulders at her ship through the Force, but she managed to land. On the surface, he confronted her, but the use of a ysalamir by the former Emperor's Hand saved her. Though he refused to let his pupil go, Skywalker left anyway, sensing the dark side in C'baoth.

C'baoth later left Jomark in a fury, taking control of the minds of those onboard a Lancer-class frigate and ordering them to take him to the Chimaera. Once there, he confronted Thrawn, asking why he had not yet been given his Jedi. Thrawn retorted by asking why Luke Skywalker had been allowed to leave. He then promised the Jedi that he would soon have Leia Organa Solo and her newborn children, Jacen and Jaina, as he was already assembling a team to infiltrate the Imperial Palace and kidnap them. C'baoth relented, but was still unhappy. Later, he used his Force powers to control the mind of Gilad Pellaeon, and had him place an order for a very special clone, then ordered him to forget the incident.

Thrawn's team that infiltrated the Palace failed to capture Organa Solo, thanks to Mara Jade. Jade later revealed to Organa Solo that she new the location of the Emperor's storehouse on Wayland, and would be willing to take a team there. However, she was imprisoned in the Palace when the lone survivor of the Imperial team framed her. Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian hatched a plan to break her out, and have her lead them to Wayland. Their plan succeeded, though they were forced to leave Leia at home with the children, protected by the Noghri, whose loyalty had recently changed from the Empire to the New Republic. Unknown to the five headed to Wayland, they were followed by a group of Noghri, already working to pay off their debt to Leia and the New Republic.

Around this time, C'baoth's madness became even more evident, as he frequently exploded in anger at Thrawn (usually about "his" Jedi) and would then quickly calm down. He also believed himself to be head of the Empire, a belief Thrawn knew must be changed soon.

Showdown on Wayland
"So at last you have come to me. I knew you would. Together we will teach the galaxy what it means to serve the Jedi"

- C'baoth to Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker

C'baoth's mastery of the Force alerted him when Luke and Mara Jade plotted the destruction of Mount Tantiss. He was there and ready for them. Thrawn had ordered him imprisoned in the Royal Chambers of Mount Tantiss due to his realization that the clone was too powerful, power-hungry, and unstable to be safely used any longer&mdash;but the clone had out-thought even Thrawn. En route to Wayland, he corrupted the minds of the reinforcements for the garrison. Those reinforcements planted explosives on the ysalamiri within Mt. Tantiss, the very ysalamiri that were making it possible to grow clones in a score of days rather than months, and incidentally, blocking C'baoth's powers. C'baoth had realized that if he could take over the minds of the clones' "parents," he could mentally command every clone created from them, allowing him to personally command a huge section of the Imperial forces.

He then had "his" army place explosives on the thousands of ysalamir in the fortress. When they were detonated, the creatures were killed, restoring the presence of the Force to the mountain. Far below, Skywalker and Mara Jade realized that they could suddenly touch the Force again.

Meanwhile, Leia Organa Solo had come to the realization that Thrawn had left ysalamiri in Mount Tantiss to cancel out the clone madness. Incidentally, these ysalamiri also prevented Skywalker, Mara Jade and C'baoth from using the Force. Along with the smuggler Talon Karrde, she flew to Wayland to warn her brother.

When the heroes distracted the garrison after their sabotage, C'baoth prophesied that Jade and Skywalker would infiltrate the warehouse and come to the throne room where he awaited them. When they arrived in the throne room searching for a self-destruct switch, C'baoth revealed himself to them. He then attempted to turn them, but when they refused, he showed them his ultimate treasure, and his secret weapon—the clone he had ordered Pellaeon to have made weeks ago. It was a clone of Luke Skywalker, created from tissue from Skywalker's right hand, which had been cut off by Darth Vader during the Duel at Bespin, and later recovered by Imperial forces. The clone, Luuke, was armed with Skywalker's old lightsaber, which in turn had been belonged to his father Anakin Skywalker. Lost at Bespin, it had been recovered along with Skywalker's hand.

The clone attacked Luke, who countered. However, the simple fact that Luke's clone was near in proximity caused a strange buzzing in his head, distracting him, and making him struggle in their duel. After a violent fight, Luke was forced back up against a large viewscreen. When the clone swung his lightsaber at the Jedi, he ducked, and it exploded in Luuke's face. Mara took advantage of this to attack the clone, killing him and finally fulfilling the Emperor's last command to her—kill Luke Skywalker.

At this time, Leia Organa Solo, Han, and Talon Karrde entered the throne room. Han fired his blaster, but C'baoth used the Force to pull objects path, blocking them and then pulling it away from Solo. He then unleashed a Force scream, knocking everyone down and upsetting Karrde's pet vornskrs. In a rage, C'baoth began to bring the ceiling down on Mara Jade. However, Jade used Leia's lightsaber to cut holes in the floor, so the rocks fell through and leaving her a clear path to C'baoth. C'baoth then demanded Jade follow him to the cloning room, where he would make a clone of her that would bow to him. Mara Jade then charged towards C'baoth, guided by Organa Solo. When she reached the insane Jedi, she cut him down with the lightsaber. He exploded in a blast of dark side energy.

Far away, at the Battle of Bilbringi, Thrawn was killed by his bodyguard Rukh, ending the threat to the New Republic.

Personality and traits
"You don't understand power, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Conquering worlds you'll never even visit isn't power. Neither is destroying ships and people and rebellions you haven't looked at face-to-face."

- C'baoth

Like the original, C'baoth was very arrogant, believing he was superior to everyone else, simply because he was a Jedi. He thought that his Force-sensitivity gave him the right to rule others and judge them, and that non-Force sensitives were weak and incapable of independent thought. His madness showed towards the end of the Thrawn campaign, when he shifted personalities quickly, going from being furious at Thrawn to quiet and apologetic. He was very stubborn, but Thrawn was able to convince him of many things through reasoning and promises that soon things would go C'baoth's way. C'baoth had a very firm belief that Thrawn was mistaken in his definition of power, believing that power was not ruling worlds, but rather individual people, and knowing those people, knowing you had control over them.

Powers and abilities
"I serve no Emperor. My power is for myself alone."

- C'baoth

C'baoth was skilled in the art of battle meditation, using it to command Thrawn's forces and coordinate attacks. He was also talented with Force Lightning. However, his preferred ability was that of controlling the minds of others, bending them to his will. He had the power to take control of other's minds, and literally reshape them in his own image, a feat unmatched by anyone before. He very strong in this ability, taking control of the minds of everyone onboard the Chimaera, save for those in the ysalamir Force-bubble. Later, he used his abilities to control the Imperials left at Mt. Tantiss to guard him. He also had the ability to use Force Scream, a very powerful yell that could destroy buildings.

Behind the scenes
According to author Timothy Zahn, Joruus C'baoth was originally supposed to be a mad clone of Obi-Wan Kenobi that survived the Clone Wars, but Zahn was forced to change the character's origin when Lucasfilm objected. He then created a new character—Jorus C'baoth—and his clone.

"Sabaoth" is a Hebrew word meaning "armies" which may have served as an inspiration for C'baoth's name, given his role as a coordinator of forces in the Thrawn trilogy.

Although pictured with a lightsaber, the books never mentioned Joruus carrying or using one.

Appearances

 * Heir to the Empire
 * Heir to the Empire (comics)
 * Dark Force Rising
 * Dark Force Rising (comics)
 * The Last Command
 * The Last Command (comics)
 * X-wing: Isard's Revenge
 * Jedi Search
 * Dark Apprentice
 * Darksaber
 * Specter of the Past
 * Vision of the Future
 * Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream
 * Destiny's Way

Notes and references
Joruus C'baoth