Valara Saar

Valara Saar, also known as the Prophetess, was a female Human Force adept from the world of Yashuvhu who lived sometime during the waning years of the Galactic Republic and into the reign of the Galactic Empire. When the Republic vessel Pathfinder III landed on Yashuvhu, Saar eagerly learned of the Jedi and sought to join the Jedi Order. Being skilled with the learning of language, she quickly acquired a facility with Galactic Basic Standard. As a result, she mediated between the native Yashuvhi and the Republic crew, and eventually convinced the first contact team to take her off-world to become a Jedi. In spite of her skill and eagerness to learn, she was unable to join the Order and proceeded to wander. After a period aimlessly traveling the galaxy, she returned to her native planet. There, living isolated in the Yashaka Mountains, she continued learning of the Force, and became a teacher to some of the Yashuvhi citizens. Her teachings, along with her encounter with the Chiss Ascendency, were rediscovered in 28 ABY by Luke Skywalker on his search for Zonama Sekot.

Saar also had two duuvhals, which she kept as pets, but were also her companions and trained to fight. The first duuvhal, Zeev, was adopted at a young age but died in a skirmish on Aargau during her time of wandering. She later adopted another duuvhal, which she named "Jedi" when she resettled on Yashuvhu.

Biography
Saar was a descendant of a Human Jedi who had crashed on the incommunicado planet Yashuvhu sometime during the time of the Old Republic. Saar's talents with the Force were evident when she was a small child; she also inherited the sacred scroll, a weathered document on which her long-dead relative had written a part of the Jedi Code. In addition, Saar adopted a duuvhal as a pet, early in her life, naming it "Zeev."

In the years leading up to the Clone Wars, the Republic exploratory vessel Pathfinder III landed on Yashuvhu in the course of its first-contact mission. They discovered that the Human population wanted to talk with the Jedi among the vessel's crew and learn about them. The first-contact specialists were able to teach the Yashuvhi some information about the Jedi, which was accepted with religious fervor. It was Valara Saar, however, who was the most interested of the Yashuvhi. Her ability to quickly learn and understand language enabled her to communicate with the explorers, who spoke Galactic Basic Standard instead of the native language.

Saar convinced the Pathfinder III crew to take her to other worlds, with the hope of following the path of the Jedi. Nevertheless, the Jedi were too restrictive for her free-spirited soul. While she was taught some important skills and worked diligently, she eventually left the Jedi without any hope of joining the Order. Disillusioned, Saar decided instead to look for her destiny elsewhere in the galaxy, becoming a wanderer. She exchanged her Force skills for passage to other planets. She helped those in need wherever she found them, and continued to learn more and more of the Force without the guidance of a master as she bartered her skills for passage from planet to planet. Saar also made a number of important friends during her travels. During one such mission on Aargau, however, her pet and companion duuvhal, Zeev, was killed.

After years of wandering, Saar eventually returned to her native Yashuvhu, even though her friends had promised to take her anywhere she would need or want to go. She isolated herself, living in a hut ensconced somewhere in the Yashaka Mountains. The Yashuvhi began referring to her as the "Prophetess" and protector of the people. She became a teacher of the Force, never teaching more than what she felt her students were ready to learn, and learning much at the same time. During this period, Saar developed her own philosophical tenets, which she taught to her students. Her teachings were recognizably derived from the Jedi Code and extended philosophies. She also took a new duuvhal pup to replace Zeev, calling it "Jedi." This pup was her only companion, as she never had a mate.

Although Saar lived in isolation, she was known as a defender of her people, particularly against the Chiss Ascendancy. In 28 ABY, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker discovered a series of documents in the Chiss Expeditionary Library on Csilla about Valara Saar and her home planet while searching for information regarding Zonama Sekot. Contained in the Cheunh text was a mention of a Chiss landing party that had "only recently" arrived on Yashuvhu. Saar&mdash;who had become advanced in years, according to the records&mdash;initially did not meet with the Chiss, even though some of her followers had. When the team approached her dwelling, however, she forcibly expelled them from the planet. The Chiss records strongly indicated that she wielded what appeared to be a lightsaber during the encounter.

Personality and traits
Valara Saar was a free-spirited Force adept, who was already accomplished as a Force-user by the time the Pathfinder III crew arrived on Yashuvhu. She was an eager learner of the ways of the Jedi, having been exposed to portions of the Jedi Code through the sacred scroll that had been passed down from earlier generations. After convincing the first-contact crew to take her off-world, she attempted to join the Jedi Order. After learning a few basic skills, however, she was not accepted&mdash;due in part to her free-spirited nature. As a result, Saar became somewhat disillusioned and believed that she could only grow in the Force when traveling the galaxy. After wandering for a time, she eventually resettled on Yashuvhu, but did consider traveling again with the assistance of those she met earlier in life.

Saar was also intelligent, being able to quickly learn new languages, as demonstrated by her ability to quickly learn Basic when encountering the crew of the Pathfinder III. She continuously sought knowledge, learning of the Force even without a master to train her. She also raised at least two duuvhals, which she trained for combat and were her constant companions.

Saar was considered a judicious instructor, only teaching her followers what they were prepared to learn. Even while teaching, she herself continued to grow in knowledge of the Force. Saar's teachings included many aspects derived from the Jedi Code and philosophical practices. These included patience, humility, and compassion, along with clarity of thought, balance between physical and mental prowess, strict observance of diet, and a solitary lifestyle. In leading the lifestyle of her teachings, she never took a mate or had any children.

Powers and abilities
When Valara Saar first came in contact with the Republic representatives aboard the Pathfinder III, she was already a skilled Force user, though untrained and considered a wild talent. She was able to learn some skills from the Jedi, before wandering the galaxy. During this time, she used her skills to barter for passage for herself to travel. Upon returning to Yashuvhu, she became a teacher in the Force and was revered for her ability in combat. Nobody could visit her if she was not willing, as her fighting skill was greater than any other, even apart from her Force abilities. She continued to grow in the Force and may have developed the ability to create Force illusions. Her ability to fight and use the Force was displayed when she drove a landing party of Chiss from the planet. The skirmish was well-documented in the Expeditionary Library.

Equipment
Valara Saar, during the era of the Pathfinder III encounter, was known to have used a quarterstaff and sling in combat. She was known to have been accompanied by Zeev, a pet duuvhal whom she had raised from a pup. The animal accompanied her and could bite someone upon her command, inflicting them with a poisonous venom. Zeev served Saar until his death in a skirmish on Aargau. Upon her return to Yashuvhu, she adopted and trained another duuvhal pup, which she named "Jedi." She was also known to have skill with a blaster and continued to use her quarterstaff. During the encounter with a team from the Chiss Ascendency, it was documented that she wielded what appeared to have been a lightsaber.

Behind the scenes


No definitive date has been established for the lifetime of Valara Saar. While the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, Saar's first appearance, covers the eras of the six Star Wars films, no date can be derived any more precisely than the era in which the events of her life took place. Discerning an exact date is further compounded by the text of Force Heretic II: Refugee, published the year following the web enhancement. In 28 ABY, the planet Yashuvhu is described as encountering the Chiss "only recently," while the following sentence states that Valara Saar was an "ancient woman called the Prophetess who oversaw the spiritual development of the colony." On the other hand, the novel states that she expelled the Chiss landing party when they attempted to approach her dwelling. The initial reference to the spiritual development of the colony might be analogous to Saar's original appearance in the role-playing supplement Meet Valara Saar: Force Adept, which states that an unidentified Jedi became marooned on the planet Yashuvhu "many thousands of years" prior to the lifetime of Valara Saar. This Jedi began a Force-sensitive bloodline and left a parchment containing part of the Jedi Code.

Valara Saar's image was first used in the Star Wars Roleplaying Game as an example of a first-level character from the Force adept class. Her background would be later provided by Wizards of the Coast on its website. The background information was written by Cory J. Herndon. Her likeness is also used in Star Wars Miniatures: Alliance and Empire to represent a "generic Human Force Adept."

While not definitively canon, Valara Saar also has a brief appearance in a web enhancement and help supplement to the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, titled Jedi Counseling 11: Illusion Confusion. In this supplement, Saar is used in an example whereby she casts a Force illusion of Darth Vader to frighten some guards. Also mentioned in this supplement is an encounter with at least one Yuuzhan Vong.

Appearances

 * Force Heretic II: Refugee

Notes and references
Valara Saar