Yarael Poof

Yarael Poof was a male Quermian Jedi Master who served on the Jedi High Council during the final years of the Galactic Republic. Both an expert practitioner of Jedi mind tricks and illusions and a skilled diplomat and teacher, Poof witnessed the reemergence of the Jedi's ancient enemy, the Sith, and the discovery of the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker, who was prophesied to bring balance to the Force. He perished on a mission sometime prior to the Battle of Geonosis and was replaced on the Council by the Vurk Jedi Master Coleman Trebor.

Biography
Originally from the Outer Rim world of Quermia, Yarael Poof was a revered Jedi Master who served on the Jedi High Council during the final years of the Galactic Republic. A celebrated diplomat and teacher, he was the most senior of the four Quermians enrolled in the Jedi Order during the Invasion of Naboo.

Shortly before the Battle of Naboo, Poof was present in the Jedi Council Chamber of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn came before the Council with news that the Sith, the ancient enemies of the Jedi Order, had resurfaced. He later observed Jedi Master Mace Windu evaluate the Force abilities of Anakin Skywalker, a nine-year-old boy from the planet Tatooine whom Jinn had discovered to be Force-sensitive and believed to be the Chosen One, a being who was prophesied to bring balance to the Force. Although the child was strong in the Force, the Council denied Skywalker entrance into the Order as they found his deep emotional attachments troubling and believed that he was too old for training. The Council reversed their decision, however, after Jinn was slain by the Sith Lord Darth Maul on Naboo, allowing Skywalker to become the Padawan of Jinn's former apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, per Jinn's dying wish.

Poof perished on a mission sometime prior to the Battle of Geonosis and was replaced on the Council by the Vurk Jedi Master Coleman Trebor.

Legacy
Shortly after the Battle of Fortress Vader, Vader entered a portal constructed by Lord Momin to resurrect his wife Padmé Amidala. While walking through visions, he encountered Poof along with many Jedi with their lightsabers ready to battle him. However, Vader killed all the illusions and chopped off Poof's head as the words "Let the past die" resounded in his mind.

Personality and traits
Poof was a male Quermian who stood at 2.64 meters tall and had pasty white skin and red eyes. Like other members of his species, Poof possessed two sets of arms and two brains, one in his head and the other in his chest.

Although appearing as a serene thinker among the Jedi Council members, Poof also had a mischievous side and enjoyed playing mind tricks on colleagues.

Powers and abilities
Skilled in teaching and diplomacy, Poof was an expert practitioner of illusions and Jedi mind tricks, which he could use to bring conflicts to a decisive end. He was also a dexterous combatant with a lightsaber and was able to perfect many incredible moves that only his spineless anatomy could allow.

Equipment
Poof carried a blue-bladed lightsaber and wore brown Jedi robes with a traditional Quermian cannom collar that concealed his second set of arms. He also possessed a comlink.

Behind the scenes
Yarael Poof first appeared in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, in which he was portrayed by a puppet operated by Michelle Taylor. Although his name was never spoken in The Phantom Menace, it was given in the film's credits. Poof was originally slated to reappear in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, but George Lucas was concerned that viewers would confuse him with the Kaminoans, a new species introduced in the film. As no new footage of the Jedi Council chambers were shot for Episode II, archive footage from Episode I was reused. In order to remove him from the film, Poof was digitally painted out of the footage and replaced by Coleman Trebor, a new Jedi Master designed for the movie.

According to both Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded and Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia, Poof died prior to the outbreak of the Clone Wars. Despite this, he later appeared as part of the Jedi Council in Jedi of the Republic – Mace Windu, Part V, a story that takes place during the aforementioned conflict. According to Matt Martin of the Lucasfilm Story Group, this was an error and the Council's composition should have been consistent with that previously seen in Jedi of the Republic – Mace Windu, Part I.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Journeys: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy – A Graphic Novel
 * Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 25: Fortress Vader, Part VII