Olana Chion

"She will grow wise in the ways of the Force, and her life will be one of service."

- Adi Gallia

Olana Chion was a Human Jedi Knight and General during the waning years of the Galactic Republic. Born on Kegan in 45 BBY as O-Lana, she was a point of contention between the Jedi Order and the Benevolent Guides. The Order sought to have her trained as a Jedi Knight, whereas the Guides foresaw that fraternization with the Jedi and the Republic would lead to devastation in the years to come. As a result, they kidnapped O-Lana, but their efforts were thwarted by the Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn, Adi Gallia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Siri Tachi. O-Lana was then accepted as a Jedi initiate, and taken to Coruscant.

Growing up in the Jedi Temple on the capital, O-Lana took the name of "Olana Chion" in order to more suitably fit in with her peers. When she came of age, Chion was apprenticed to Avan Post, who would train her for a decade. During the Clone Wars, Chion chose not to lead troops into battle, but devoted her attention to the refugees of ravaged worlds. When Order 66 was implemented in 19 BBY, Chion was amongst the first victims slain, perishing in Darth Vader's attack on the Temple.

Early life and kidnapping
O-Lana was born in 45 BBY on the oppressive and isolated world of Kegan, to V-Nen and O-Melie. Her parents realized, from an early stage, that their child was special, and, despite the taboo on contacting the Republic from Kegan, they requested that the Jedi Council test the child. The Council, understanding the fragile diplomatic situation on Kegan, dispatched four Jedi: Masters Adi Gallia and Qui-Gon Jinn, and their respective Padawans, Siri Tachi and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

However, the Benevolent Guidess that ruled the planet saw a grave future should the Jedi take the child. They had visions of white-armored soldiers raining destruction down upon their planet, and so they decided to avert this crisis before it could fester and become a reality. As a precaution, they spirited O-Lana away to the Relearning Circle, a prison-like compound that certain youths were banished to, and were fed anti-Republic propaganda. Luckily though, the two Jedi Padawans, Tachi and Kenobi, found their way into the Relearning Circle, and were, with the help of Jinn and Gallia, able to save O-Lana and, in the process, have the Circle shut down, and the Guides overthrown. The foursome then took O-Lana away from her parents, to be trained as a Jedi Knight.

Training
Seeking to break all ties from her conflicted and isolationist homeworld, O-Lana abandoned the gender-defined structure of her name and dubbed herself "Olana Chion". She spent her entire childhood in the temple, learning the Jedi arts, though never being accepted by a master. She greatly admired Kenobi, her rescuer from Kegan, and aspired to become his Padawan learner upon his promotion to the rank of Jedi Knight. Her chances for acceptance, though, grew less and less likely as she neared her 13th birthday, at which point she would likely be sent to the Agricultural Corps, or some other subdivision of the Order. Kenobi returned from his latest mission on Naboo, a Jedi Knight, but much to Chion's disappointment, he had already found his apprentice: Anakin Skywalker, a 9-year-old boy purported to be the Chosen One.

Though Chion was not alone in her suspicion of Skywalker, her reasons were significantly more personal. She disliked Skywalker, purely for the reason that he was Kenobi's Padawan, as opposed to her. She had banked thirteen years of training on being apprenticed to Kenobi, but her hopes had been dashed, due to the dying wish of Qui-Gon Jinn, another of her saviors from Kegan. But even as her situation looked dire, Chion was accepted by Avan Post, a Chandrilan Jedi Master, and began her life as a Padawan learner.

Apprenticeship under Avan Post
In 33 BBY, Chion began her apprenticeship to Post in earnest. For over a decade, she was instructed in the proper manner, and was successfully fitted to the Jedi Knight mold. Unfortunately, Skywalker, along with Kenobi and Senator Padmé Amidala, instigated the Clone Wars on Geonosis, sending the galaxy into turmoil. But whilst Skywalker would embrace the war fully and become a decorated hero, tragedy struck Chion early on. In 22 BBY, the first year of the war, Post perished in a dogfight over the ocean world of Ando, after destroying seven Hardcell-class interstellar transports.

Clone Wars


Despite the loss of Post, Chion had completed the bulk of her training under her former master, and was promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight with very little pomp and circumstance. Her promotion was out of necessity, as the Galactic Republic needed all the Jedi they could get, in order to give the newly minted clone troopers suitable battlefield commanders. But Chion was uneasy with war, feeling that it strongly conflicted with the Jedi teachings that she had been raised on. Though she was not opposed to using her skills to keep the peace, she chose to help coordinate the war effort behind the scenes.

Chion's dislike of Skywalker was enhanced by his barnstorming and dashing exploits across the Galaxy. He made himself the darling and hero of many worlds, but nothing he could do could shake Chion's doubt of his intentions, as she kept track of his progress and actions throughout the war. She distrusted him, seemingly more and more as he rose throughout the ranks of public and Jedi acclaim.

Away from the capital, Chion was placed in charge of the evacuation of endangered worlds, as the battlefronts continuously expanded and swept across the galaxy. As the war dragged on into 19 BBY, the CIS launched what it hoped to be a final strike, when General Grievous swept into Coruscant at the head of a massive droid army. Though the attack had the sole purpose of kidnapping Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the diversion of Grievous' army was no illusion. Many sectors of the city world were extensively damaged, forcing families out of their homes, and out of shelter. Chion was tasked with evacuating and coordinating the millions of homeless sentients, and keeping them safe until Grievous could be driven away.



With Coruscant successfully defended, the Clone Wars looked set to wind down and finally end, following the death of Count Dooku (at the hands of Skywalker, no less). The Outer Rim Sieges persisted, though, and Chion attended a briefing by Kenobi as to the situation on worlds such as Boz Pity and Saleucami. By pure coincidence, Chion's leaving of the briefing room coincided with the entrance of the object of her derision, "The Hero With No Fear", Anakin Skywalker. But still, Chion's concerns were not echoed by the upper echelons of the galactic community, and Skywalker was promoted to the Jedi Council as a liaison to Palpatine.

Operation: Knightfall
When Palpatine let Order 66 issue forth across the galaxy, Chion was staying at the Temple, with Shaak Ti and Cin Drallig. Anakin Skywalker, now dubbed Darth Vader, led a battalion of clones from the 501st Legion, with the intent to massacre all the Jedi within. Hundreds of Jedi fell to either Vader's blade or the troopers guns, and Chion's suspicions about Skywalker came full circle, as had the Kegan Guide's vision of white-clad troopers. She attempted to save as many younglings as possible, but eventually fell prey to the onslaught. Even though she had been among the first Great Jedi Purge victims slain, her image was posted (though marked as dead), and a fictional bounty placed on her head, as a propaganda tool in far-flung worlds.

Personality and traits
Perhaps due to the oppressed nature of her heritage, Chion was both fearful of new things and jealous of the more privileged. She had set her hopes on becoming Obi-Wan Kenobi's apprentice, but instantly disliked Anakin Skywalker, purely on the principle that he took the role that she had been vying for. Eventually though, Skywalker could do no good in her eyes, with every step he took lowering him in her eyes. She even took lengths to avoid the choices he made, averting herself from war and dedicating herself to more directly aiding the less fortunate.

Behind the scenes
Olana Chion, or O-Lana, was created by Jude Watson as a MacGuffin in her novel, Star Wars Jedi Apprentice: The Fight for Truth. The character would not appear again for half a decade, until Ian Tapley retconned her into George Lucas' Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, through the StarWars.com Star Wars Hyperspace feature, What's the Story?. In Revenge of the Sith, Chion was originally just an extra Jedi, played by Dominique Chionchio. Tapley's Databank entry was also elaborated on by Billy Buehler, and Master Starkeiller, but it was Tapley's retconning that made Chion one of the few C-Canon elements to be elevated to the status of G-Canon. This also made Chion one of the few film characters to be "killed off" in the Expanded Universe. And in a rarity for What's the Story? winners, the Tapley/Buehler/Starkeiller entry was run by Jude Watson, in the event that she had any plans for the character. There were no issues, and the entry was passed.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Jedi Apprentice: The Fight for Truth
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith