Wolf Sazen

"When the shell fails&hellip; the essence remains&hellip;"

- Wolf Sazen

Wolf Sazen was a male Zabrak Jedi who was active during the Sith-Imperial War and the subsequent Anti-Sith Insurgency. He was Kol Skywalker's Padawan and the Jedi Master of Kol's son, Cade. Before Cade's training could be completed, Darth Krayt's army of Sith, led by Darth Nihl, attacked the Jedi Praxeum on Ossus and Kol was killed fighting them off so that the Jedi younglings and Padawans could escape. Nihl grievously wounded Sazen during the battle, though Cade used the Force to bring him back from the brink of death. Ultimately, however, Cade fled to fight the Sith while Sazen and the other survivors escaped, and the young Skywalker was presumed dead.

Sazen spent several years in hiding, until he and Jedi Knight Shado Vao encountered Skywalker on Vendaxa. Sazen believed that Skywalker would be the one to unite the Jedi against Darth Krayt, though his former apprentice did not want to be a Jedi, and parted ways with Sazen and Vao. They eventually met again at the ruins of the Jedi Praxeum on Ossus, and Skywalker agreed to continue his training. However, Skywalker left after only just weeks, to face Krayt on Coruscant. Sazen, Vao, Jedi Master K'Kruhk, and their Yuuzhan Vong allies were hiding in the Jedi Praxeum when the Sith destroyed it.

Jedi Master
"Kol was my Master when I was an apprentice and he was my friend when I became a Knight."

- Wolf Sazen

A Zabrak male, Wolf Sazen was found to be Force-sensitive and joined the New Jedi Order. He was apprenticed to Kol Skywalker, spending the majority of his time training as Skywalker's Padawan on Ossus. Sazen embraced the Living Force, and spent much of his time as a Jedi meditating and contemplating the future. He eventually achieved Knighthood; by 130 ABY, Sazen had become a Jedi Master, and was an important instructor at the Jedi training facility on Ossus. He took Kol's son, Cade Skywalker, as his own Padawan, training him alongside Kol and his new apprentice, Shado Vao. During their time as peers, Sazen and Kol grew very close.

During Cade Skywalker's training, Kol was heavily involved in the Ossus Project, in which the Yuuzhan Vong used their biological shaping abilities to terraform areas of Ossus that had become barren and inhospitable; the New Jedi Order hoped it would integrate the Yuuzhan Vong and reduce public animosity towards them caused by the Yuuzhan Vong War. The project was sabotaged, however, and the Galactic Empire waged war on the Jedi and the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. The Sith order, led by Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Krayt, came out of hiding and joined the Empire, turning the tide of the war and forcing the Galactic Alliance into surrender. Coruscant fell to the Empire and the Sith, and the Jedi scattered; Emperor Roan Fel, who knew the Jedi's efforts to rehabilitate Ossus had been sabotaged by the Sith guaranteed not to strike at the Jedi as they all returned to Ossus under Kol Skywalker's orders. Sazen was among the most senior Jedi who reached Ossus.

Death and resurrection
"He brought me back, Shado, from the very edge of life and death. I felt the dark side touch him&hellip;"

- Wolf Sazen

Darth Krayt did not uphold Fel's promise, however, and sent hordes of his Sith followers and stormtroopers, led by the Nagai Darth Nihl, to attack the Jedi. The stormtroopers led the first wave of the attack, though Sazen, fighting alongside his former master Kol, was able to hold them at bay. They ordered the Jedi Padawans, including Cade and Vao, to evacuate the younglings while the two Masters made a stand at the Jedi Shuttle's landing platform. The two Jedi Masters could sense the presence of the Sith through the Force and knew that Nihl and his cohorts would soon be upon them. Realizing that the shuttle could only escape if they occupied the Sith for several minutes, Sazen and Skywalker ordered their apprentices to leave Ossus without them; they felt that their own lives were less important than the those of the youths.

Cade Skywalker returned to fight alongside Sazen, claiming that the Zabrak Master needed him more than the other apprentices at the ship did. Eventually, Cade left after stern orders from his father, and Darth Nihl and his legions of Sith arrived. While Kol fought off several other Sith, Sazen dueled Nihl, though the Sith Lord was too powerful for him; he cut off Sazen's right arm and used the Force to hurl him back behind Kol. The Jedi Master was determined to go down fighting, and began to engage the remainder of the Sith in battle. Cade arrived again, taking Sazen's body back to the shuttle. Sazen was close to death, and the younglings on the shuttle feared for him. The Zabrak himself was calm, though, telling the others that there was no death, only the Force, in what he believed would be his last words. Cade was unable to cope, however, and used the Force to revive his Master, skirting very close to the dark side in doing so. The shuttle took off just as Sazen regained consciousness, though Kol had been killed. In a fit of rage, Cade expressed his desire to turn back and avenge his father's death. Realizing that his apprentice had almost touched the dark side, Sazen warned him not to leave the ship, telling Cade that fighting the Sith would only further corrupt his connection to the Force. Cade did not listen, however, and when the Jedi shuttle came under attack from Imperial fighters, he left the ship, flying an X-83 TwinTail starfighter against the Sith fighters. Sazen contacted him via comlink, but Cade disregarded his warnings and continued to fight. Eventually he was shot down, and his presence in the Force could no longer be felt, though Sazen knew Cade had not perished; their bond had been strengthened after Cade brought him back from the brink of death, and he knew that he would have felt if Cade had died. The shuttle left Ossus, and Sazen and Vao went into hiding.

A quest begins
"It is time we were Jedi again."

- Wolf Sazen

Sazen and Vao spent several years in hiding, and though he attempted to locate Cade, Sazen could find no trace of his former apprentice. Kol's death had affected him greatly, and he was left extremely grief-stricken, but he eventually overcame this. Sazen chose not to make use of a prosthetic arm, training himself to wield his lightsaber with his left hand instead. He took Vao as his apprentice, completing his training until he pronounced the Twi'lek to be a Jedi Knight, though the two eventually parted ways. In 137 ABY, seven years after Cade Skywalker went missing, Sazen called a meeting on the planet Daluuj with three other Jedi: Vao, Rasi Tuum, and another. It was a risk to call such a convocation, as the Jedi had been persecuted by Sith, Imperials, and bounty hunters for several years, and the others were very reluctant to come out of hiding. Eventually, though, Sazen rendezvoused with his fellow Jedi on Daluuj.

Tuum was skeptical of the whole idea, feeling that it was far too dangerous for Jedi to group together. Sazen told them of his intentions: to find Skywalker, and use him as a focal point in rebuilding the Jedi Order. He knew that the Jedi would not triumph over the Sith if they remained divided and disorganized, and believed that only someone from the Skywalker family&mdash;who had a lineage of great Jedi, including Luke Skywalker, who had reestablished the Order after Palpatine's Great Jedi Purge&mdash;could unite the Jedi and rally them together. The others' skepticism did not subside; Tuum believed that Skywalker had to be dead, and Vao knew that they would not find him if he did not want to be found. Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of half a dozen Sith, who had somehow learned of the meeting and had arrived to slay the Jedi. They took Tuum by surprise, killing him, as well as the fourth Jedi. Sazen and Vao were able to stop them, though, and after a lengthly duel they managed to kill each of their attackers. Vao decided to join Sazen and assist him in his vision for the Order, and the two departed Daluuj before any more saboteurs could arrive.

Reunion and confrontation
"I was right about you. I knew that you were alive&mdash;and I knew that you were still a Jedi. That's why I've been looking for you since Ossus."

- Sazen

Several days after their reunion, Vao and Sazen traveled to the planet Vendaxa. Vao's sister, Astraal Vao, had contacted him, pleading for him to protect her and Princess Marasiah Fel from a Sith named Darth Talon. Astraal and Fel were taken to Vendaxa by a group of bounty hunters in the Mynock, but had come under attack from a wild acklay. Upon their arrival at the world, the two Jedi rescued Astraal from the beast, eventually slaying it. The two Vaos comforted each other while Marasiah Fel arranged payment with the bounty hunters; during the conversation, Sazen overheard Cade's name being spoken, and, upon taking a closer look, identified one of the hunters as Cade Skywalker. He queried the young man, though Cade's response was hostile; he had renounced the Jedi way, and had kept his Force-sensitivity secret from his peers. Sazen did not question him any further.

Darth Talon, Fel's pursuer, had arrived on Vendaxa shortly after them, and had sabotaged Sazen's ship, destroying it. Desperate to get off-world before Talon caught up with them, Sazen and the others agreed to pay the bounty hunters a fortune if they brought them to Bastion. Talon arrived just moments later, however, bringing with her hordes of local beasts. The two Jedi dueled with Talon while the others sought cover, but Talon proved more than a match for them: she sent Vao sprawling with the Force, and used Force lightning against Sazen. The Zabrak Master was close to death when Marasiah Fel&mdash;capable of using a lightsaber herself&mdash;arrived, distracting the Sith, and freed Sazen of her lightning. Talon was able to fend off Fel, too, and advanced towards the unarmed bounty hunters, including Cade. For the first time in several years, Cade used the Force, sending large pieces of scrap metal and rubble towards her. Talon retreated, and the group returned to the Mynock.

The Sith had sabotaged the Mynock as well, and Deliah Blue, the chief mechanic, estimated that it would take her several hours to finish the repairs. Sazen and Vao kept watch outside, using the Force to sense Talon's location. Vao wished to hunt down Talon on Vendaxa, though Sazen persuaded him to bide his time and wait for the Sith to attack. While they waited for Blue to repair the ship, Sazen was presented with the opportunity to speak with Cade alone for the first time since their arrival on Vendaxa. He told Cade that he knew he had survived, and spoke of his vision of a Skywalker reuniting the Jedi, though his former apprentice refused to listen and stormed off. Sazen saw no sign of Talon for several hours, though he monitored her presence in the Force incessantly. Eventually, two Imperial Knights&mdash;personal bodyguards for Princess Marasiah Fel's father, Roan Fel&mdash;. Talon reemerged, accompanied by Darth Nihl and over a dozen other Sith.

Nihl goaded Sazen to attack him, and the two Force-users entered into a vicious duel. Their fight was interrupted by Cade Skywalker, wielding Fel's lightsaber and seeking vengeance for his father's death. Sazen attempted to dissuade Skywalker from fighting with anger and hatred, though the young man ignored him. Eventually, Skywalker and Sazen were the only ones left fighting; the others had fled to the Mynock. Sazen joined them, after Skywalker refused to walk away like he had done on Ossus. On the bounty hunter vessel, Sazen clashed with Antares Draco, one of the Imperial Knights; Draco wanted them to leave immediately so that Princess Fel&mdash;who had been grievous wounded by Talon&mdash;could be treated, while Sazen wanted to go back for Cade. Eventually, though, the Zabrak agreed to stay with Fel and do what he could to treat her injuries while Draco and Vao engaged the Sith again. After several more brief duels, they returned with Skywalker, and the Mynock left for Bastion; however, Fel's condition was rapidly deteriorating. Against Sazen's wishes, Skywalker used his healing power again, saving the Princess's life but coming close to the dark side. Sazen tried to talk to his former apprentice, but Skywalker sent him away.

Retraining Skywalker
"But now I think maybe I'm glad you found me, Master Sazen. I want to complete my training as a Jedi."

- Cade Skywalker, to Wolf Sazen

They eventually reached Roan Fel's throne world, Bastion. Fel offered Sazen and Vao safe haven in exchange for their allegiance to his empire, though because Sazen held Fel partially responsible for the massacre of Ossus, they declined the offer. The two Jedi ultimately left with Skywalker in the Mynock, though Sazen's former apprentice only agreed to offer them passage on the condition they did not attempt to recruit him into the ranks on the Jedi Order. They agreed, and were ferried to the Wheel, where they parted ways with Skywalker. Sazen knew where the Human was destined, however: Ossus. They covertly followed him to the planet; once there, they rendezvoused with another Jedi Master, the long-lived Whiphid K'Kruhk. They eventually encountered Skywalker sprawling on the floor of the Jedi Praxeum after he had used several doses of the illicit death sticks. K'Kruhk confiscated the drugs, and although he stated that he was not happy to see his fellow Jedi, Skywalker asked them to complete his Jedi training.

Sazen agreed, and he, Vao, and K'Kruhk spent several weeks teaching Skywalker in the ways of the Jedi. Vao took Skywalker for most of the physical training, while K'Kruhk and Sazen taught him the more subtle aspects of the Force. After a fortnight of stringent training, Skywalker and Vao encounter Yuuzhan Vong Master Shaper Nei Rin and her two bodyguards in the lower levels of the Praxeum. The warriors and the Jedi clashed, though Sazen and Rin were able to persuade them to stop fighting. The Vong had never left Ossus after returning from their investigation as to why their terraforming project had been sabotaged, though these three were all that were left of them. Rin had a sizable amount of Jedi artifacts, which she wished to hand over to Skywalker.

Skywalker did not want the artifacts, however, and stormed off, proclaiming that the Jedi's time was over. Sazen followed him out onto one of the Praxeum's balconies. Skywalker told his Master that he could not feel his father's presence, even close to where they parted ways forever. Sazen, realizing that Skywalker had come to Ossus alone because he wished to commit suicide, confronted him and suggested that Cade was angry with Kol for allowing himself to die. Cade reacted aggressively, launching himself at Sazen and engaging the Zabrak in a fistfight. As they fought, Cade told him that he hadn't come to Ossus to die, but to confront his father's spirit. Kol's voice had been plaguing Cade since his death, yet Cade could not feel his father's presence whatsoever. The younger Skywalker felt that if he had been braver and stronger during the Sith attack on Ossus, he could have saved his father; Sazen replied that he, too, had had similar doubts, but had made himself accept that Kol's death was the will of the Force. Cade continued to fight his Master, until Sazen eventually convinced him that no matter what he had done, Kol would still have died.

Sazen, K'Kruhk, and Vao continued Cade's training, teaching him once again how to shut off his emotions and control his anger. During one of his meditation sessions, Cade had a vision of his ancestor, Luke Skywalker, telling him to travel to Krayt's Sith Temple and rescue a Bothan Jedi named Hosk Trey'lis, whom Cade had turned over to the Sith while working as a bounty hunter. Cade departed the next day, despite Sazen's efforts to persuade him to finish his training.

Destruction of the Praxeum
"It must be soon. I cannot reach out to Cade, and my vision of him still haunts me."

- Wolf Sazen

Sazen and his fellow Jedi remained on Ossus, honing their skills and meditating on the Force. While in the ruins of the Jedi Praxeum on Ossus, Sazen, along with K'Kruhk and Shado, had a vision of Cade turning to the dark side. It caused Sazen great stress, and he worried if Krayt had managed to turn his apprentice over to the Sith. Days later, a Sith warship commanded by Darth Stryfe arrived at Ossus, and stormtroopers were sent to the surface to search for any lingering Jedi. Sazen and the others managed to hide their ship and Nei Rin's organic starfighter and hid in the ruins of the Praxeum, using the Force to watch the Imperials. Liaan Lah, one of the Yuuzhan Vong warriors, expressed her desire to attack the Imperials, but K'Kruhk preached patience. Sazen, however, was anxious to leave and find Cade Skywalker, and stated that the Sith's search had to end soon or they would be unable to turn Cade back.

Eventually, a group of stormtroopers wandered into the lower levels of the Praxeum, though Vao was able to use a mind trick to send them away. The Imperials later called off the search, but Darth Stryfe&mdash;the leader of the expedition&mdash;sensed a murmur in the Force, and ordered his gunners to open fire on the Praxeum, further damaging the building, with Sazen, K'Kruhk, Vao, and the Yuuzhan Vong inside.

The Hidden Temple
"We barely made it to the lower levels and safety. Master K'Kruhk saved us, but was grievously wounded in the process. We had little bacta and Nei Rin's skills were not enough. Master K'Kruhk managed to tell us the location of the Hidden Temple and Master Sazen and I brought him here."

- Shado Vao, to Cade Skywalker

The five sentients managed to make their way to the lower floors of the Praxuem, though the building was crippled by the attack. Master K'Kruhk was able to use the Force to keep the falling debris from killing Sazen and his companions, until the Imperials left and they could escape. K'Kruhk was badly injured in the process; they did not have enough bacta to heal him, and Nei Rin, an accomplished healer, was also unable to cure him. The ancient Whiphid eventually managed to tell them the location of a Hidden Jedi Temple, a secret haven for any fugitive Jedi. They reached the Temple, where dozens of other Jedi had sought protection from the Sith. K'Kruhk was healed, and after several weeks Cade and his shipmates arrived, hoping to persuade the Jedi High Council to assist him in his hunt for Darth Krayt.

Personality and traits
"Alone a Jedi is strong. But together we are stronger."

- Master Sazen

Sazen was a great believer in the Living Force and trusted the Force to direct his path in life. After Cade Skywalker used his mysterious power to revive him, Sazen expressed his belief that it may not have been the best course of action; he felt that no one should attempt to defy the will of the Living Force. He put great store in any visions or whispers he saw or heard in the Force, and unlike Shado Vao and many other Jedi, he always treated such visions as fact and did what he could to act on them. Sazen was a determined being, and he did his utmost to follow what he believed was right. Although the odds were stacked against Cade's being alive, and although his peers believed him dead, Sazen maintained his belief that his apprentice had survived on Ossus, trusting that the Force would have revealed Cade's death to him. Sazen was loyal to the Jedi Order, and, while most others sought to hide and avoid the Sith's persecution, he sought to find a leader to rally the Jedi around and to rebuild the Order.

He was quite contemplative, spending much of his time meditating and thinking about the future. He was, however, also a proficient lightsaber duelist, slaying many Sith on both Vendaxa and Ossus.

Behind the scenes
Wolf Sazen was created by John Ostrander for the Star Wars: Legacy series of comics, with most of his appearances being illustrated by Jan Duursema. He was first mentioned in Star Wars Legacy 0, an introductory issue to the series, before appearing in the Broken, Ghosts, and Claws of the Dragon story arcs. In the fourth issue of Claws of the Dragon, the building where Sazen and his fellow Jedi were staying in was destroyed by Darth Stryfe, though his fate was not revealed, and he was not mentioned for several issues afterwards. Eventually, over six months and seven issues later, Star Wars Legacy 25 established that he had survived.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Legacy 8: Allies
 * Star Wars Legacy 1: Broken, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 2: Broken, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 3: Broken, Part 3
 * Star Wars Legacy 5: Broken, Part 4
 * Star Wars Legacy 6: Broken, Part 5
 * Star Wars Legacy 7: Broken, Part 6
 * Star Wars Legacy 9: Trust Issues, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 11: Ghosts, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 12: Ghosts, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 14: Claws of the Dragon, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 16: Claws of the Dragon, Part 3
 * Star Wars Legacy 17: Claws of the Dragon, Part 4
 * Star Wars Legacy 25