Sha Koon

"She died at peace? Not despair? Are you certain of this, Lord Vader?"'' "''I am sure of what I felt, my Lord."

- Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, referring to Sha Koon

Sha Koon was a Kel Dor female who was born as the niece of Jedi Master Plo Koon. Her uncle&mdash;who shared a telepathic bond with her&mdash;brought Koon from her homeworld Dorin to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to begin her initial training under Jedi Grand Master Yoda. Koon eventually became the Padawan of Ithorian Master Saldith. In 44 BBY, Koon was involved in the Stark Hyperspace War between the Galactic Republic and the Stark Commercial Combine and assisted her uncle and the Jedi High Council in bringing an end to the conflict. After rising to the rank of Jedi Knight, Koon took and trained the Jedi Baylis Archan as her Padawan. During the Clone Wars, Koon fought alongside Jedi Knight Halagad Ventor and a battalion of Republic clone troopers in a battle on the planet Bal'demnic. In 19 BBY, the final year of the Clone Wars, Koon fought in a battle on Giju. During that engagement, Koon's entire command of troopers was killed, along with her Padawan. After the battle, Koon returned to the Jedi Temple and refused to resume fighting in the war.

Shortly after the death of the Sith Lord Count Dooku during the Battle of Coruscant, Koon was tasked by her uncle Plo to search the Jedi Archives for any information regarding the mysterious Sith Lord that Dooku had mentioned to be in control of the Galactic Senate. While at the Archives, Koon was targeted as part of the initial stages of Order 66&mdash;Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's order to the Republic's clone troopers to eliminate their Jedi Generals&mdash;and escaped the attack on the Jedi Temple, which was led by the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader. Weeks after Palpatine declared himself Emperor of the Galactic Empire, Koon lured Darth Vader into a trap in the Jedi Temple's underlevels. In the ensuing duel, Koon managed to injure Vader but was mortally wounded by the Sith Lord. Before she died, Koon experienced a vision of Vader's redemption, Palpatine's death, and the return of the Jedi Order through Vader's children, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.

Early life and Jedi training
"Saldith said it was urgent you speak with us. More urgent than sleeping?''" "''Yes, Masters. My uncle wants much to communicate with you."

- Mace Windu and Sha Koon

Sha Koon, a Kel Dor female, was born into the Koon family. At some point during her childhood, her uncle, Jedi Knight Plo Koon&mdash;who possessed a telepathic bond with her&mdash;brought Koon from her homeworld Dorin to the Jedi Temple on the galactic capital Coruscant for initial training under Jedi Grand Master Yoda. Koon was eventually assigned to be the Padawan of the Ithorian Jedi Master Saldith.

In 44 BBY, during the Stark Hyperspace War between the Galactic Republic and the Stark Commercial Combine, Koon was at the Jedi Temple when her uncle Plo Koon was on the planet Troiken with Masters Tholme and Qui-Gon Jinn and their respective Padawans, Quinlan Vos and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Shortly after the Fourth Battle of Qotile, Koon was contacted by her uncle through the telepathic bond that they shared. Plo Koon asked his niece to go to the Jedi High Council so that he could communicate with the Councilors through her. Koon and her Master, Saldith, met with the Council, and Koon informed the Masters of the Council that her uncle wanted to speak with them. Saldith told Jedi Master Mace Windu that he had felt it best to come to Windu and the Council on this matter. After Saldith reassured the Council that Koon's mind was calm, the Councilors joined their minds with hers, contacting Plo Koon and the Jedi on Troiken. After communicating with Plo Koon, the Council sent a Jedi strike force to assist his team, which ultimately helped to bring a resolution to the Stark Hyperspace War.

The Clone Wars
"They tell me you are recovered, Sha Koon"'' "''Physically, yes. Have you come to suggest it was time I returned to the war? I wil tell you as I have told the others&mdash;I will not go back."

- Plo and Sha Koon

After Koon passed the trials necessary to become a Jedi Knight, she took the Corellian Baylis Archan&mdash;who possessed telepathic abilities like she did&mdash;as her Padawan. During the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Koon was part of a task force sent by the Jedi Council to respond to intelligence that revealed the Separatists' intent to mine lightsaber-resistant cortosis ore on the Outer Rim world of Bal'demnic. The task force&mdash;which included Jedi Knight Halagad Ventor, several other Jedi, and a back-up squad of clone troopers&mdash;was assigned to investigate and terminate the CIS operation.

When Koon's forces arrived on Bal'demnic, they found the planet in chaos, with the native Kon'me species rebelling against the Confederacy. After the clone troopers landed, the Kon'me became furious and attacked all of the off-worlders. Although Koon and her forces were forced to retreat from Bal'demnic, the Confederacy was also forced to halt its mining operation on the planet. After the battle, the Republic assigned a fleet to protect Bal'demnic from further Separatist operations. In 19 BBY, Koon and Baylis Archan were sent with a clone battalion to the planet Giju. A battle ensued with the Separatists, and both Koon's battalion and her Padawan were annihilated. After the battle, she returned to Coruscant to recover from her wounds and to meditate on her actions.

Later that year, shortly after the death of Confederate Head of State Count Dooku during the Battle of Coruscant, Koon was assigned by her uncle to search the Jedi Archives for any leads regarding the Sith Lord that Dooku had claimed to be in control of the Galactic Senate. Koon met with Jedi librarian Jocasta Nu, who offered Koon her assistance. However, Koon refused, believing that the Jedi librarian would be unable to assist her. Nu went to check on her own Padawan, Jin-Lo Rayce, a friend of Koon's who had shown her the secret passageways underneath the Jedi Temple. As Koon was searching through the Archives, Plo Koon was murdered in Cato Neimoidia's atmosphere by his clone troopers when Supreme Chancellor Palpatine issued Order 66, a directive that instructed all Republic soldiers to eliminate the Jedi. Koon felt her uncle's death both through the Force and in her mind and lost consciousness.

Koon awoke to find members of the Grand Army of the Republic's 501st Legion attacking the Jedi Temple. The clones she ran into attacked her, and Koon deflected their blaster bolts with her lightsaber. While fleeing the soldiers, Koon witnessed Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker&mdash;who had recently been christened the Sith Lord Darth Vader&mdash;killing Jocasta Nu. Koon felt Skywalker's emotions and thoughts and immediately realized that he had fallen to the dark side and joined the Sith. Koon then fled from Vader and his legion by way of the secret passageways under the Jedi Temple.

Confronting Darth Vader
As time passed by in the Coruscant Underlevels, Koon befriended a group of zombie-like creatures called Cthons. She plotted to cripple the newly crowned Emperor Palpatine, the instigator of the Great Jedi Purge, by defeating his Sith apprentice, Darth Vader. Koon eventually contacted Palpatine over his secure holographic channel and lied to the Emperor, expressing her desire to become his Sith apprentice by offering to eliminate Vader. Although Palpatine was not deceived by Koon, he sent Vader to the Jedi Temple underlevels to confront her.

After Vader arrived in the underlevels, Koon was surprised to find that the person under Vader's mask was Anakin Skywalker. Vader recognized Koon's emotions and commented that he would have killed Koon if she had chosen not to flee during his raid on the Jedi Temple. Vader also stated that Palpatine saw through Koon's lies, claiming that Koon had only spoke via holocom to hide her true intent of killing Palpatine. However, Koon revealed to Vader that her fallback plan was to cripple Palpatine by killing the Sith apprentice himself instead. With that, Koon unleashed the Cthons on Vader.

As the creatures attacked the Dark Lord, Koon explained that they were easily controlled by the Force. The Cthons then threw an electroshock net on Vader, which damaged the life support systems on his armor. Vader managed to break free of the net and killed the Cthons, remarking that while the attempt was impressive, Koon had to face Vader then and there. The two combatants ignited their lightsabers, and Koon stated that she had been waiting to face him. Vader asserted that with her death, his mission to eliminate all the Jedi would be complete and added that she was the last Jedi alive to oppose the Sith.

As Koon and Darth Vader began a lightsaber duel, Koon contemplated the Sith Lord's claim that she was the last surviving Jedi. She became all the more determined to kill Vader, feeling that no one else would be able to do so if she failed. Koon managed to injure the Dark Lord by slashing him across his chest. However, Vader eventually gained the upper hand by gripping her throat with the Force. Vader then impaled Koon through the chest. Before she died, Koon experienced a vision through the Force of a rebellion against the Galactic Empire, Vader redeeming himself by killing Emperor Palpatine, and the rebirth of the Jedi Order through Vader's children, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. Realizing that the future did not depend on her, Koon died at peace.

Personality and traits
"Your emotions reveal you, Sha Koon. Yes, I remember you from that day in the Archives. I would have killed you then, but you chose to flee. My Master bid me come here. You want to kill me and take my place. Or so you said. Your lie amused Lord Sidious. You spoke via holocomm to hide your true intent&mdash;to kill him. Your plan is as pathetically simple as it is doomed."'' "I have a fallback plan. Cripple him by killing'' you."

- Darth Vader and Sha Koon

To the Kel Dor female Sha Koon, a telepath's images were more than words&mdash;they were bits of melody or explosions of feeling. She viewed her uncle Plo Koon's mind as rich and textured, yet full of contradictions. However, she knew that Plo Koon understood himself and what it meant to be a Jedi. After she rose to the rank of Jedi Knight, Koon was given a Padawan named Baylis Archan. Training Archan seemed natural to Koon, since Archan also possessed telepathic gifts. Koon viewed Archan's mind as playful, similar to a fast-moving river, and felt that Archan's thoughts were like fish in that river, darting and sparkling.

Koon believed that the Clone Wars were a violent and needless war. After her Padawan died in battle with the Separatists on Giju, she refused to return to combat against the Confederacy. When Darth Vader attacked the Jedi Temple, Koon chose to flee her attackers and was determined not to be killed like a mindless beast. Before Koon confronted Vader underneath the Jedi Temple, the Sith Lord told her that she was the last Jedi. After hearing this, Koon felt that her success in killing Vader was of the utmost importance&mdash;as she believed that if she did not manage to defeat Vader, no one else would be able to, and the Sith would rule the galaxy. Before Koon died from the fatal injury dealt to her by Vader, she initially saw her death as the mark of her mission's failure. However, after Koon experienced a vision depicting the Emperor's death, Vader's redemption, and the Jedi Order's rebirth through Vader's children, she realized that the future of the galaxy did not depend on her and died at peace with herself.

Because Sha Koon's species, the Kel Dor, were unable to breathe oxygen, she forced to wear a set of protective goggles and an antiox breath mask when not on her homeworld Dorin. Koon also wore a set of brown Jedi robes and used a lightsaber containing a green crystal.

Powers and abilities
Sha Koon possessed telepathic abilities and had a strong telepathic bond with her uncle, Plo Koon. When her uncle came to Dorin for her, she knew without a word being said that he had come to take her to Coruscant's Jedi Temple so that she could begin her training. Near the end of the Stark Hyperspace War, Koon was able to receive a telepathic contact from her uncle all the way from the planet Troiken while she herself was on Coruscant. When Order 66 was initiated, Koon sensed her uncle's death and temporarily slipped into unconsciousness. During the assault on the Jedi Temple led by Anakin Skywalker&mdash;who had taken up the mantle of Darth Vader&mdash;Koon was able to read Skywalker's thoughts and determine that he had joined the Sith.

Before they dueled in the underlevels of the Jedi Temple, Koon used her telepathic abilities to confirm that Vader was Anakin Skywalker. She utilized the ability to telekinetically push her enemies away with the Force. Koon was capable of using the Force to control the Cthons, who were easily dominated with the Force. She was also skilled in the use of a lightsaber and managed to severely wound Darth Vader before he gained the upper hand in their duel.

Behind the scenes
Sha Koon was created by John Ostrander for the fourth issue of The Stark Hyperspace War story arc of the Star Wars: Republic comic series. Koon was later mentioned in StarWars.com's Databank entry on the planet Bal'demnic. She was additionally mentioned in Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force and The Clone Wars Campaign Guide and received an entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. Koon was the central Jedi protagonist in the comic Star Wars Purge: Seconds to Die, written by John Ostrander and penciled by Jim Hall, which detailed her death during the Great Jedi Purge.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Republic 39: The Stark Hyperspace War, Part 4
 * Star Wars Purge: Seconds to Die