Sha'a Gi

Sha'a Gi was a Human male from the planet Ord Biniir. As a child, his Force-sensitivity was discovered by Jedi Master Daakman Barrek. Taking Gi as his Padawan, Barrek accompanied him to Coruscant so the youth could begin his training as a Jedi. During his training, Gi was less than proficient in the martial skills of the Order, but excelled in computer system operation. As a result, he aspired to work in the Jedi Archives after passing his Jedi Trials. Gi and his Master formed an effective partnership, gathering intelligence and disrupting pirate activity throughout the Outer Rim Territories.

When the Clone Wars broke out in 22 ABY, Gi and Barrek continued their intelligence gathering operations, and discovered a Confederacy of Independent Systems droid factory in operation on the planet Hypori. Barrek called in a Republic task force to destroy the factory, but the reinforcements were ravaged by orbital mines and the entire force crashed onto the surface of the planet. Gi and Barrek regrouped with several Jedi survivors. Surrounded by droid forces, Barrek was killed by the leader of the Droid Army, a cyborg called General Grievous. As the remaining Jedi took cover in the wreck of a downed and waited for Grievous to engage them in battle, Gi&mdash;overcome by fear and the loss of his Master&mdash;panicked and rushed out into the open where he was killed by Grievous.

Biography
"It's all around us!"

- Sha'a Gi referring to Grievous' footsteps

Sha'a Gi, a Force-sensitive Human male, was born on Ord Biniir, a planet in the Relgim sector of the Outer Rim Territories. As a youth, his connection with the Force was discovered by Jedi Master Daakman Barrek. Taking the youth as his Padawan, Barrek escorted him to the Jedi Temple on the galactic capital of Coruscant so that Gi could be trained as a Jedi. During his training, it was evident that Gi's combat-related skills were not on par with those of his contemporaries, although he showed remarkable aptitude with computer systems. As a result, Gi hoped to take up a position in the Jedi Archives once he had completed his Jedi Trials.

Gi also found himself struggling with maintaining the mental disciplines needed by members of the Jedi Order, and he had trouble controlling his fear on the occasions he was required to work independently. However, the presence of his Master often acted as a stabilizing influence, and the pair formed an effective team. Gi and Barrek were often deployed to the Outer Rim Territories to gather intelligence on pirate activity and then counter the threat they posed.

In 22 BBY, the Clone Wars broke out across the galaxy as the Confederacy of Independent Systems took up arms against the ruling Galactic Republic. Gi and Barrek were on a mission in the Outer Rim, disrupting pirate activity when word came through that Barrek's first Padawan had been killed during the Battle of Geonosis. Barrek accepted the rank of General within the Grand Army of the Republic and dedicated himself to the war effort. As his Padawan, Gi followed his Master's lead.

Gi and Barrek continued their intelligence gathering operations in the Outer Rim Territories, and, shortly after the outbreak of the war, the pair discovered a droid factory operated by the Confederacy on the planet Hypori in the Ferra sector. Gi and Barrek reported their discovery, and the Jedi Council dispatched a force of Jedi and clone troopers to the planet. However, the arrival of the task force was countered by the Confederacy who used orbital mines to destroy all the incoming transport craft, causing them to crash behind enemy lines. Most of the clone troopers were killed during the crash landings, and the survivors were cut down by droid weapons fire. Gi and Barrek rendezvoused with the Jedi assigned to the mission; Masters Ki-Adi-Mundi, Shaak Ti and K'Kruhk, and Knights Aayla Secura and Tarr Seirr. The Jedi took refuge in the wreck of an, and were surrounded by droid forces under the command of the cyborg General Grievous, the supreme commander of the Confederacy's Droid Army.

During the fierce fighting, Master Barrek managed to contact Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had recently taken the planet Muunilinst for the Republic. Barrek informed his fellow general of the situation on Hypori before he was killed by Grievous. Without Master Barrek's presence, Gi began to lose his nerve as his self-doubt and fear started to overcome him. From inside the wreck, the Jedi could hear Grievous approaching, and Gi was visibly unnerved by the sound and the fact that they could not see the cyborg general. As the assembled Jedi waited for Grievous to assault them, Gi panicked and rushed out of the wreckage to face the enemy leader. Grievous appeared from above Gi, landing on the young Padawan and crushing him to death. Grievous went on to battle the assembled Jedi, killing Tarr Seirr and wounding the others. The survivors were eventually rescued by the Muunilinst 10, an elite squad of ARC troopers that had been dispatched from Munnilinst.

Personality and traits
"We can't face him!"

- Sha'a Gi to Ki-Adi Mundi, referring to Grievous

Awkward and full of self-doubt, Sha'a Gi found that maintaining the mental discipline required by Jedi was hard for him. He had difficulty controlling his fear, especially when working independently. However, Master Barrek's presence was enough to calm the young man, and the pair worked effectively together. Gi's martial skills were limited, although he had enough training to wield a lightsaber. When Barrek was killed by General Grievous on Hypori, Gi allowed his fear to overwhelm him, which led to his death at the cyborg general's hands.

Powers and abilities
Sha'a Gi was a young Padawan being trained to Knighthood. He was trained to use a lightsaber, despite having less proficiency in the combat arts than other Padawans at his level.

Behind the scenes
In the audio commentary included on the Star Wars: Clone Wars: Volume I DVD, director Genndy Tartakovsky states that the Human Jedi featured in Chapter 20 was inspired by the character Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo cartoons. This resulted in a similar appearance to that character, and initially Tartakovsy wanted the Jedi to have more of a high-pitched voice like Shaggy. However, Tartakovsky realized that the voice didn't fit and became "too goofy." The Clone Wars character was listed simply as "Padawan" in the end credits of the Volume I DVD, but soon received the name "Sha'a Gi" when StarWars.com added the character to their Databank. Since then, Gi has been referenced in other works, such as being a "hero unit" defending Hypori for the Republic in the turn-based strategy game Star Wars: Battle for the Republic released by THQ Wireless for cell phones, Unknown Soldier: The Story of General Grievous, and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

Sha'a Gi was voiced in his single appearance in the Clone Wars cartoon by John DiMaggio, a veteran voice actor known for voicing the role of Bender on Futurama.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Battle for the Republic
 * Star Wars: Battle for the Republic