Tohno

"Be still. Fear not for me. I am prepared for this. I will not throw my life away needlessly."

- Tohno to Anakin Skywalker

Tohno was a Human female who served as a Jedi Knight in the waning years of the Galactic Republic. Although she passed the trials into knighthood at a relatively young age, she was known to have had a deep understanding of the Force, and a maturity which was beyond her years. Her training also made her a proficient warrior, and she became well-versed in the use of a lightsaber, as well as the unique ability of telekinetic lightsaber combat.

During the Clone Wars, Tohno was among a significant number of young Jedi who were pressed into duty as field Generals for the Republic. Amidst the turmoil of this time, she served alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker during the Battle of Zaadja, a battle which saw the Republic launch a successful raid against a droid manufacturing plant.

Tohno was killed during the Battle of Zaadja when she detonated explosives around her, personally sacrificing her life to ensure a Republic victory.

Early life
Almost nothing is known about Tohno before the events which led to her death on Zaadja. However, it is known that she was around the same age as Anakin Skywalker and that she passed the trials of knighthood and was promoted to Jedi Knight during the early stages of the Clone Wars. During her Jedi training, Tohno's Master tended to make her focus her non-Force studies on architecture and engineering&mdash;skills which would prove useful in her later career.

Mission to Zaadja
"I go where my duty takes me&hellip;"

- Tohno



As the Clone Wars progressed, the Separatist Droid Army began expanding its ranks with a seemingly endless supply of droids. One of the many installations which had begun providing the Separatists with soldiers and war material was the manufacturing facility that had been established on the planet of Zaadja. Approximately eighteen months after the Battle of Geonosis, the Republic developed a number of plans aimed at destroying as many of these factories as possible. One of these plans called for a strike against the Geonosian plant on Zaadja. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Tohno were sent along with an army of clone troopers to gain control of the manufacturing world.

The Republic's order of battle was developed and approved by Masters Mace Windu and Oppo Rancisis: to act as a diversion, Obi-Wan and Anakin were tasked to lead a large scale attack against the Separatist forces on the planet, while the primary mission was given to Tohno. Her task was to infiltrate the Geonosian spire which was acting as both the planet's headquarters and the droid factory, and destroy it using military-grade explosives. Tohno was chosen for the mission because of her previous non-Force studies which had centered on architecture and engineering, skills that allowed her to understand and analyze the unique buildings of Zaadja and determine where best to place explosives for the greatest amount of damage. Once the first phase of infiltration was successful, the second phase of her mission called for her to get inside and determine the most vulnerable pathways and tunnels, then set explosives in positions that would bring the entire structure down swiftly.



Tohno managed to infiltrate the fortress successfully, but soon discovered that an entire nest of Geonosians was waiting for such an infiltration to take place. Using the Force to conceal her movements, she managed to get past the majority of the nest, but was seen by a sentry before she could set the explosives. Anakin, who had sensed that Tohno was in danger reassured her that he was inbound to her position with a gunship. Tohno, however, ordered Anakin and the other Republic forces to remain outside of the droid factory&mdash;despite the fact that her success in the mission would mean her own death. Although Anakin continued to press for permission to come to her aid, even going so far as to take a gunship against orders, Tohno convinced him that he needed to let her go in order for the mission to be successful, and with the least amount of life lost&mdash;she realized that she needed to come to accept her death on her own terms, and that it must not be clouded with any unnecessary causalities. Anakin reluctantly cut off his pursuit, and although she was eventually overrun by countless Geonosians, Tohno was able to set off the explosives which she had brought with her, by using her lightsaber. The force of the resulting explosion set off a chain reaction which completely destroyed the fortress and all the Separatist forces in and around it. Though the mission was a success for the Republic, Anakin continued to struggle with the need for so many Jedi to sacrifice themselves in the war.

Personality and traits
"If we stay true to our ideals, her sacrifice will not have been in vain. And we will keep the memory of it in our hearts."

- Obi-Wan to Anakin shortly after Tohno's death

Although Tohno was relatively young, having been close to the age of Anakin at this time, her maturity and wisdom in the Force allowed her to achieve knighthood while still a young woman. During the mission to Zaadja she continually demonstrated her wisdom of the Force through her interactions with Anakin, who was allowing his emotions to guide his actions. Near the end of the mission, when Tohno was discovered by the enemy, she remained calm and collected throughout the ensuing confrontation and fought the enemy with great skill; during the fight she warned Anakin not to give into his emotions and to stay where he was&mdash;his duty was to his clone troopers and the future of the Republic, not to her. Although he obeyed her orders and returned to safety, Anakin was forced to watch from afar as Tohno completed her mission, thus sacrificing herself for her beliefs.

Powers and abilities
Tohno's skills as a Jedi were proved beyond doubt in the Battle of Zaadja, when she was tapped for the very delicate and important mission which called for her to personally infiltrate and destroy a Separatist droid factory. This mission, with its low estimations of success, spoke to her bravery and dedication to not only the Republic, but also the ideals of the Jedi way.



During the mission to Zaadja, Tohno also demonstrated her exceptional skills with a lightsaber. Following a successful infiltration of the droid factory Tohno found herself completely surrounded and cut off by a superior force of enemies. During the ensuing fight, Tohno continually fought off wave after wave of enemy warriors as she made her way deeper into the fortress. Her skills with both the Force and a lightsaber allowed her to successfully complete her mission, allowing the Republic to gain control over Zaadja.

Tohno also possessed the Force talent of telekinetic lightsaber combat, which allowed her the use of her lightsaber with only her mind. Her infiltration of the droid factory during the mission to Zaadja allowed her the opportunity to utilize this talent when she was confronted by several large groups of Geonosians; also, during her final stand in the Zaadja factory, Tohno used her telekinetic talents to hurl her lightsaber at her pack of remaining explosives, thus causing a chain reaction which destroyed the entire compound.

Behind the scenes
The character of Tohno was created by Randy Stradley for the single issue Forever Young of the Star Wars: Republic series of comics.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Republic 67: Forever Young