Depa Billaba/Legends

"I know you will come for me, Mace. You should never have sent me [to Haruun Kal]. And I should never have come. But what's done can never be undone. I know you think I've gone mad. I haven't. What's happened to me is worse. I've gone sane."

- Depa Billaba to Mace Windu

Depa Billaba was a Chalactan Jedi Master serving on the Jedi High Council during the waning days of the Galactic Republic. Orphaned by space pirates at an extremely young age, she was rescued by Jedi Master Mace Windu. Before her Jedi Trials, she was the Padawan learner of Mace Windu.

By 32 BBY, Depa was considered one of the most enlightened Jedi of her time and had earned her seat on the High Council. She also mastered the difficult Vaapad lightsaber form created by Mace Windu, becoming one of its few practitioners and one of only two masters of the form. Depa served the Galactic Republic her entire life, participating in the Clone Wars from Geonosis through the Battle of Haruun Kal. It is not known whether she survived the Great Jedi Purge or Order 66.

Childhood and early years


When Depa was very young, her family left Chalacta in search of a new place to live. While traveling, the transport they were on was attacked, and in the ensuing fight Depa's parents were killed. However, the infant girl was saved from the space pirates by the respected Jedi Master Mace Windu. He brought the six-month-old Force-sensitive child to the Jedi Temple, and when she was of age, took her as his Padawan. Mace, the creator of the lightsaber combat form Vaapad, taught her all he knew and she became as close as a daughter to him.

Depa embraced the teachings of the Chalactan Adepts, making her attuned to the minds and personalities of her peers. Decorating the bridge of her nose were the Chalactan Greater and Lesser Marks of Illumination, a testament to her spirituality.

Jedi Council member


Known for her wisdom, bravery, and loyalty, Depa was widely considered to be one of the most enlightened Jedi of her time. As such, she became one of the youngest Jedi ever to be appointed to the High Council, selected around 33 BBY. Shortly before the Invasion of Naboo, Depa was dispatched to Asmeru to investigate an attempt on the life of Supreme Chancellor Valorum. While on the planet, she and her fellow Jedi were attacked by Nebula Front terrorists, but fended them off.

Like fellow Jedi Sar Labooda, Billaba was a soft-spoken spiritual individual, but capable enough to take quick action if need be. A consummate lightsaber duelist, she mastered the Juyo form of lightsaber combat, and was also one of only three Jedi to master Vaapad, a series of techniques that was widely regarded to complete the Juyo lightsaber form, but also posed a grave spiritual threat to its wielder.

In 32 BBY, Depa, along with the other Jedi Masters on the Council, was confronted by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi. She watched as Qui-Gon requested that young Anakin Skywalker be tested for admission into the Jedi Order. According to Jinn, the boy was the Chosen One of the Jedi prophecy. After testing the boy, the Council decided that the boy was not to be trained due to the emotional attachment to his mother. Following the Invasion of Naboo, Billaba attended the funeral of the maverick Jedi and participated in the festivities that followed.

Shortly after the discovery of young Skywalker and the death of Qui-Gon, Depa embarked on a mission to rescue her former Master, Mace Windu, who had gone along to Nar Shaddaa to investigate an animal smuggling ring. Journeying to the Smuggler's Moon, Depa found Mace and reached him just as he was being surrounded by a large number of underworld thugs. After aiding him against the thugs, she helped him with his mission. One particularly harrowing part of this mission involved fighting deranged akk dogs, but Depa and Mace defeated them and were ultimately successful.

Clone Wars


"Her mind broke. Shattered. Lost in the dark."

- Mace Windu

When Mace Windu and 212 other Jedi journeyed to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan Kenobi, his apprentice Anakin Skywalker, and Senator Padmé Amidala from execution by the Separatists, Depa stayed at the Jedi Temple to safeguard the younglings while the other Jedi were away. Although she possessed considerable fighting prowess, Depa was chosen to stay at the Temple as she was one of the principal instructors of young Jedi clans, such as the Bear Clan.

Not long after the Battle of Geonosis, which marked the start of the Clone Wars, Depa was dispatched to Mace Windu's home planet of Haruun Kal to stop Separatist activity and possibly recruit Korunnai militia to aid the Republic. She became a leader of the Upland Liberation Front (ULF), along with Kar Vastor, but was tormented by nightmares and by the atrocities she had witnessed in the brutal jungle war. Though her nature seemed to be perfectly suited for this test, Billaba turned to the dark side of the Force in 21.5 BBY due to the horrific nature of the guerrilla war and the influence of Kar Vastor. Eventually, a message composed by Depa was delivered to Yoda and Mace Windu, who were quite concerned for Depa's condition.



Mace Windu journeyed to Haruun Kal and tried to save her, but Depa was weakened under the influence of Vastor, and had committed war crimes while leading the ULF. Significantly, her Chalactan Mark of Greater Illumination had been torn out somehow, signifying a lack of spiritual strength and clarity to Mace. Mace took himself hostage in order to reach her, after enduring a series of ordeals and attacks to reach her. He arrested her and had intended to take her to safety, but a massive militia attack forced Depa into combat, which was the peak of her final turn to the dark side.

Defending against the militia, Mace, Depa, and some of the Korunnai decided to take the fight to the enemy and hijacked enemy gunships. Receiving aid from clone trooper reinforcements, Depa and Mace led an assault on the main militia base. After seizing the control bunker in the capital city of Pelek Baw, Depa, Vastor, and his Akk Guards sealed themselves inside and waited for Mace Windu to return from his mission to find Lorz Geptun, the leader of the militia.



Having found and brought Geptun back with him, Mace found Depa and believed she was dead, but she was faking and attacked him, as the clone troopers battled Vastor and his Akk Guards. Mace later said she would have won the following duel easily, but quick thinking on his part caused her to inadvertently destroy the droid starfighters that were creating fear, despair and anger&mdash;which she had been feeding off of. Realizing what she had done, Depa attempted to take her own life, and, although prevented from doing so by Nick Rostu, she remained in a coma for the rest of the war.

The Council seat she left vacant after she fell into a coma was eventually given to Obi-Wan Kenobi along with the title of Jedi Master. Depa's fate later is unknown, but as she was still into the coma during the Great Jedi Purge, her chances of having survived the raid on the Jedi Temple were very slim.

Personality and traits
Due to her Chalactan spirituality and Jedi training, Depa was known for being contemplative and an excellent problem solver. Her unique mental conditioning gave her virtual immunity to torture, and she was quite gifted in the Force, even mastering the vortexes of Force power generated by the use of Form VII. As a Jedi Knight, Depa was noble, brave, and wise, leading to her young appointment to the Jedi Council. Soft-spoken and spiritual, Depa was considered a capable Jedi by her peers.

Portrayal


In The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, Depa Billaba was played by Dipika O'Neill Joti. She was voiced by Diane Michelle in the game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns and by Amanda Moody in Star Wars: Obi-Wan.

Continuity

 * There is some inconsistency with regards to Depa's background. It is known that she was trained by Mace Windu, and that he rescued her when he was a Padawan and she a six-month-old infant, requiring there to be at least ten to fifteen years difference in their ages. However, various comics have placed Billaba on the Jedi Council as far back as 44 BBY. This would seem to be in error, as in light of Windu's birthdate of 72 BBY, this would require Depa to join the Council while far younger than Anakin Skywalker's 22 years of age, who, in Revenge of the Sith, is the youngest Jedi ever to sit on the Council.


 * Depa accidentally appears in the video game Galactic Battlegrounds. Initially, Sar Labooda was intended to be Depa Billaba, but the appearance was marked as too dissimilar compared to the original actress in Episode I, so the new character was created. The Depa appearing in the video game should have been Sar Labooda, but the retcon may not have been known by the game creators.

Appearances

 * Yaddle's Tale: The One Below
 * Children of the Force
 * Jedi Council: Acts of War
 * Cloak of Deception
 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * Episode I Adventures 1: Search for the Lost Jedi
 * Star Wars: Obi-Wan
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace comic
 * Star Wars Republic: Emissaries to Malastare
 * Star Wars Republic: The Hunt for Aurra Sing
 * Star Wars Republic: The Stark Hyperspace War
 * Star Wars Republic: Rite of Passage
 * Jedi Apprentice Special Edition: The Followers
 * Star Wars: Zam Wesell
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns
 * Shatterpoint
 * Star Wars Republic 61: Dead Ends
 * Star Wars Republic 63: Striking from the Shadows
 * Star Wars Republic: Show of Force
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novel
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novel

Notes and references
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