Dooku/Legends

"The best of all would be the strongest student, yes? Wisest? Most learned in the ways of the Force? Best of all, Dooku would be! Our greatest student! Our greatest failure."

- Yoda

Count Dooku of Serenno was a legendary Jedi Master in the Jedi Order and was one of the most renowned swordsmen of the Galaxy. He trained notable Jedi such as Qui-Gon Jinn and Komari Vosa during his time as a Jedi. It was said that only Masters Yoda, Mace Windu, and later on, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker could have fought on equal terms with him.

Later in life, Dooku fell to the dark side of the Force, disgruntled with the corrupt state of the Galactic Republic, and became Darth Tyranus, the apprentice Dark Lord of Darth Sidious, replacing Darth Maul, and eventually being replaced in turn by Darth Vader.

Taking on his birthright as Count of Serenno and the vast fortune that came with the title, Dooku formed the Separatist movement under Sidious's instruction. As political leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems he led the organization against the Republic in a conflict that what would become known as the Clone Wars.

He was slain in a duel by Anakin Skywalker during the Battle of Coruscant near the end of the crisis that he had helped instigate.

Jedi (102 BBY–32 BBY)
"I've seen your heart, and I know how empty it is. I've seen your anger, and I know how deep it is. I've seen your ambition, and I know how ruthless it is. And all of that will ultimately destroy you&hellip; I will never be a Jedi, it's true. But neither will you. You will never be a great Jedi Master."

- Lorian Nod

Childhood
Born on the planet Serenno, Dooku was once an esteemed Jedi who, like all Jedi of his time, trained under Grand Master Yoda as a Padawan until he was handed over to Thame Cerulian at the age of 13 for instruction. Cerulian molded Dooku into a powerful Jedi, tapping into the vast potential he sensed in his student. Yoda also took a particular interest in him and had some part in his later training.

Dooku had several friends when he was younger, including fellow youngling Lorian Nod and alien senatorial aide Eero Iridian. Both eventually betrayed him, and these experiences made Dooku wary of friendship and attachment. A taunt by Lorian spurred Dooku to first access a Sith holocron.

Knighthood
Dooku became a Jedi Knight in his early twenties, and immediately took Qui-Gon Jinn as his first Padawan, whose own knighthood earned Dooku the rank of Jedi Master. He would later train other Jedi, including Komari Vosa.

During his time as an instructor within the Jedi Temple, his teachings on methods for conquering arrogance were particularly well received. He was fond of telling his students:
 * "The acceptance of others is not a guarantee. Like everyone else, a Jedi is accepted or not based on his behavior. The Jedi who believes that he is more important than others only demonstrates that his opinion is to be ignored."

Confronting an old enemy
During his time as a Jedi Knight, Dooku and his apprentice Qui-Gon were assigned to protect Senator Blix Annon from pirates who were kidnapping Senators. Dooku met up with his old friend Eero Iridian who was now serving as Blix's aide. However, they were all captured by Dooku's old friend Lorian Nod.

Things took a turn for the worse when the Senator died from a sudden heart attack. Eero, who was revealed to be in league with Lorian, panicked. Dooku and Qui-Gon then broke free, defeating the pirates. Dooku engaged and defeated Lorian but only Qui-Gon's voice stopped Dooku from brutally butchering his opponent.

Lorian and Eero were arrested and Dooku and Qui-Gon returned to Coruscant. There Dooku decided that Qui-Gon was ready to face the trials but he gave him a few words of warning.

"Your flaw is your need for connection to the living Force. Qui-Gon, the galaxy is crowded with beings. The Jedi Order is here to support you. Nevertheless you must carry the following knowledge in your heart. You are always alone, and betrayal is inevitable."

- Dooku to Qui-Gon

Qui-Gon never accepted his master's last lesson.

Controversy
Ironically, even though Dooku taught his students humility, he had his mind set on becoming the greatest Jedi ever.



But not all of Dooku's theories were widely accepted. Controversially, Dooku held that one could draw from both sides of the Force equally&mdash;light and dark&mdash;to achieve perfect balance. He believed that as long as he was not tempted to one side or another he could stay the course and harness the kind of power needed to change the galaxy for the better. Unfortunately for Dooku, his own pride, expressed in his goal to be the greatest Jedi ever swayed him closer and closer towards the dark side when attempting to study both sides of the Force.

Dooku's colleagues on the Jedi High Council strongly disagreed with these beliefs, which was probably one of the reasons why neither Dooku nor any of his students were ever invited to join the august body.

A skilled politician
Dooku was a political idealist, and was skilled at resolving disputes throughout the galaxy, such as the Sevarcos Dispute of 52 BBY. He had always held strong opinions on what he saw as the ongoing decline in the Galactic Republic, and so it was not unexpected when he chose to leave the Order of his own accord.

Leaving the Order
"He is a political idealist, not a murderer." "You know, milady, Count Dooku was once a Jedi. He couldn't assassinate anyone; it's not in his character."

- Ki-Adi-Mundi and Mace Windu to Padmé Amidala

Dooku departed around the time of the Battle of Naboo, under the belief that the Jedi Order had become a blind pawn to the corrupt Senate, and retook his family title as Count of Serenno. The disastrous Battle of Galidraan and the disappearance of Komari Vosa had already soured him from continued service to the Republic and the death of his first Padawan, Qui-Gon Jinn, proved to be the final straw.

Dooku had been a Jedi for many years, and his bronzium bust was displayed in the Jedi Archives, along with the rest of the Lost Twenty, the only Jedi Masters ever to voluntarily resign their commission from the Jedi Order.

Dark Lord of the Sith (32 BBY–24 BBY)
"Powerful you have become, Dooku. The dark side I sense in you." "I've become more powerful than any Jedi. Even you."

- Yoda and Dooku

Sith apprentice
Dooku left the public eye in 32 BBY and was that same year re-christened Darth Tyranus, becoming a fully-fledged Dark Lord of the Sith. Dooku did not resurface until eight years later in 24 BBY.



It is unknown when or how Dooku met Darth Sidious. In the short period after the death of Darth Maul, a Sith Apprentice who was under training for many years, Sidious had no time to mold another potential Sith into a perfect warrior. The Battle of Naboo had sparked the start of his climb through the Republic, limiting his time further. Requiring another apprentice, he chose the maverick Jedi Master. Dooku fell to the dark side of the Force as a result of his own arrogance and pride, the former Jedi Master transformed into Sidious's Sith apprentice, Darth Tyranus. The murder of his friend Sifo-Dyas by his own hand sealed his transition.

Moving the pieces
As Darth Tyranus, Dooku's first mission was to recruit a template for the Grand Army of the Republic's clone troopers to be used by Chancellor Palpatine and the Republic. He placed an extremely large bounty of 5,000,000 credits on Bando Gora leader Komari Vosa, a former pupil of his, and pitted the galaxy's most fearsome bounty hunters against each other. In the end, the ex-Mandalorians Montross and Jango Fett faced each other on Kohlma. Fett triumphed over his rival, defeated Vosa and claimed the reward. He agreed to be cloned on the condition he received the first unit "unaltered." Komari Vosa was then killed by Dooku.

Introducing Grievous
During his time gathering support to secede from the Republic, Dooku was contacted by Sidious who expressed interest in the Kaleesh General Qymaen jai Sheelal, later known as General Grievous. Dooku then went to San Hill of the Intergalactic Banking Clan and told him of his interest in Grievous.

It was known that Grievous would never willingly serve Dooku and his allies, but the Count was prepared for this. Together with San Hill and the Geonosian Archduke Poggle the Lesser, Dooku had a bomb installed on Grievous's shuttle. The explosion sent the shuttle crashing down, injuring Grievous.



Adding extra damage to ensure Grievous's allegiance forever, Dooku kept Grievous alive for the journey, convincing the injured General that the Jedi were responsible. Stopping off at his homeworld of Serenno, Dooku collected the body of his old friend Sifo-Dyas and used it as a transfusion for Grievous's operation.

On Geonosis, the Geonosians encased what was left of Grievous in a metal body and rebuilt him from what was left. Augmenting his brain to make sure Grievous wouldn't betray them, they revealed the finished product to Dooku, who was greatly pleased with it. He now had a warrior able to command the droid armies in war, something he had no interest in.

Formation of the Confederacy
With his plans in motion, the scheming Count Dooku reappeared on Raxus Prime in 24 BBY, heavily criticizing the Republic and the Jedi Order for their decadence, hypocrisy, and corruption. Dooku, a political mastermind, publicly called for entire systems to secede from the Republic and join the Separatist movement, culminating in the creation of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

Dispute on Ansion
Dooku's next move was to try and bring the planet Ansion into the Confederacy, along with all the various planets it had alliances with. The Commerce Guild President Shu Mai and Ansion Senator Mousul orchestrated the plan through various agents, aiming to split the nomadic tribes and the urban dwellers.

The plan failed, with the intervention of Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luminara Unduli as well as their Padawans Anakin Skywalker and Barriss Offee. However, Dooku knew that it didn't matter and informed Shu Mai of the fact.

Concurrent with the events on Ansion, Dooku learned from Shu Mai that some Senators were planning to step up their plans, regardless of Ansion's defection or not. Shu Mai informed Dooku that she had given them an object lesson and Dooku was pleased, informing her that their plans were nearing completion.

Leader of the Confederacy (22 BBY)
"He is a political idealist, not a murderer."

- Ki-Adi-Mundi to Padmé Amidala

A Sith Lord revealed
"I have gone too far down the dark path ever to return."

- Dooku

The first meeting of the CIS was hosted on the planet Geonosis which resulted in the alliance between Dooku and the major business corporations. At the same time Obi-Wan Kenobi was captured by the Geonosians and accused of espionage.

While Kenobi was in captivity Dooku decided to have a talk with the young Jedi. Dooku at first questioned Obi-Wan to why he was on Geonosis, and feigned lack of knowledge when Kenobi confronted him with his knowledge of Jango Fett. Dooku continued to press Obi-Wan to join him, even using the late Qui-Gon Jinn as bait, claiming that Qui-Gon would have joined in Dooku's crusade. Kenobi still refused.

Dooku then cleverly changed his tactics on the young Jedi, by telling the truth when he knew Kenobi would not believe it, telling Kenobi about Darth Sidious's existence and his control of the Senate, Kenobi played right into Dooku's hands by blatantly saying he didn't believe the Count. Dooku simply smiled and made a last appeal for Obi-Wan's allegiance saying that together they could destroy the Sith. Kenobi refused the offer once again. Dooku then mused to himself that he would try to release Obi-Wan, but without his allegiance he said that it would be difficult to secure his release.

Battle of Geonosis
Later, when Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala arrived to rescue Kenobi, they were also captured and sentenced to death. They were to be executed in a Geonosian fashion, but the executions were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Jedi reinforcements, led by Mace Windu.

"Master Windu. How pleasant of you to join us." "This party's over." "Brave, but foolish, my old Jedi friend. You're impossibly outnumbered." "I don't think so." "We'll see."

- Dooku and Mace Windu

Dooku, however, had been anticipating this and revealed that the captured Jedi were simply bait as hundreds of thousands of battle droids awaited Windu's task force. Though the new Separatist Droid Army of the CIS overwhelmed the Jedi, Yoda soon rescued them, leading the very clone army Dooku had helped create, forcing the Separatists to withdraw their forces.

Planned retreat
While the clone troopers advanced and decimated the droid forces, the Separatists called for a full retreat, all the while Dooku pretended not to know how the Republic had gathered such a powerful army in such a short time. Poggle the Lesser, Archduke of Geonosis, commanded a full retreat and proceeded to turn over the plans to the Ultimate Weapon, based on plans made by Raith Sienar, to Count Dooku to keep the Jedi from finding them.

"I'm sending my warriors to hide in the catacombs. The Jedi must not find our designs for the Ultimate Weapon. If they find out what we are planning to build, we're doomed." "I will take the designs with me to Coruscant. They will be much safer there with my master."

- Poggle the Lesser and Dooku

Confronting the Jedi
"As you see, my Jedi powers are far beyond yours. Now, back down." "I don't think so."

- Dooku and Obi-Wan Kenobi

Dooku fled to his secret hangar, closely followed by Obi-Wan and Anakin. Anakin foolishly charged Dooku, although his Master notably warned him not to do so, only to be blasted away casually by the Sith Lord's Force lightning. Obi-Wan was next up, proving to be a bit less naïve and more experienced than his apprentice.

So the Jedi Knight and Sith Lord began their duel, and it immediately became clear that Dooku had the far greater power and skill. Eventually injuring Obi-Wan, Dooku raised his blade for the killing stroke, but was parried by Anakin's.

The injured Obi-Wan Force-pulled his lightsaber into grasp and tossed it to Anakin, Anakin came at Dooku with both blades swinging. The young Jedi applied Jar'Kai tactics with Ataru swordplay and was at first more successful than his master, but his advantage was short-lived, as Dooku destroyed one of Anakin's lightsabers. The duel continued, and Skywalker reverted to his practice of Shien. The battle finally ended when Dooku severed Anakin's right arm from the elbow down. Much to Dooku's surprise, the young and less experienced Padawan had displayed considerable skill with a lightsaber and had even managed to wear down Dooku.

Duel with a former master
"It is obvious that this contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of the Force, but by our skills with a lightsaber."

- Count Dooku to Yoda

However, before he could escape, one last Jedi confronted him, Master Yoda. Dooku attempted to defeat his old master with a combination of Force lightning and hurling machinery at him. When this failed, Dooku insisted on settling their contest with a lightsaber duel.

Leaping into action, the two engaged in a spectacular duel. Yoda, using his mastery of the Force and Form IV, showed amazing agility as he leapt about the room. Although Dooku held his own for much of the fight, he realized that he could not prolong the duel without possibly suffering a critically nigh defeat, Dooku used the Force to topple a massive power column on the wounded Obi-Wan and Anakin to distract Yoda. As Yoda broke off to save the two, Dooku made his escape in his Geonosian solar sailer.

The war begins


"The Force is with us, Master Sidious. Welcome home, Lord Tyranus. You have done well. I have good news, my lord. War has begun. Excellent, everything is proceeding as planned."

- Darth Tyranus and Darth Sidious

Having fled the battle, Dooku soon arrived on Coruscant undetected. There, he met with his Master, Darth Sidious, and eagerly informed him that events were moving forward.

Clone Wars (22 BBY–19 BBY)
"The war progresses well. I have dealt out your deaths, your schemes, your betrayls. I have paid for your war with my riches, my time, my friends, and my honour."

- Dooku to Palpatine

Duel on Bakura
"Anger is useful-unless it is used against you.""

- Dooku to Sora Bulq on Bakura

Shortly after the Battle of Geonosis and the beginning of the Clone Wars, Dooku headed to his secret base on Bakura. However, Jedi Masters Tholme and Sora Bulq pursued him there and confronted the Sith Lord. The three combatants engaged in a ferocious lightsaber duel, during which Dooku used Force lightning to take down Bulq. He then tried to bring Tholme over to the dark side, but Tholme refused. Dooku then attacked Tholme, viciously stabbing through his shoulder and back before removing the Jedi's left eye. Finally, Dooku brought the roof down upon Tholme, leaving the Jedi Master for dead before he left with the badly wounded Weequay Jedi Knight. Tholme would later escape and return to the Jedi Temple.

Dooku tended to Sora's wounds and turned him over to the dark side of the Force, creating a powerful ally who would be a valuable asset for the Confederacy during the war.

Dark Reaper project
"Dooku! I'm going to make you pay for what you've done! Ah, young Skywalker. I sensed your presence near. You will be the first to test my new gift for the Republic. I'm curious what effect it will have on a Jedi"

- Anakin Skywalker and Dooku

As the Clone Wars continued, his identity became more and more feared across the galaxy. One of the first campaigns in the war was the re-creation of the Dark Reaper, which the Dark Lord took care monitoring. Boba Fett was later captured and sent to the Count on Raxus Prime. The Count apparently wanted to help train Boba to be his father's successor, but later ordered him to be terminated when he disappeared and learned about the Force Harvester. Fett escaped Dooku's enforcers and fled.

Dooku and his associate Cydon Prax found the Force Harvester just as forces led by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker arrived and attacked. Dooku and Prax boarded a cruisor as the Republic forces overwhelmed Dooku's army, but Anakin spotted Dooku and charged after him. Encountering one another in the cargo bay, Dooku stated his curiousity in the Force Harvesters effects on a Jedi. The two briefly dueled before Cydon Prax shot Anakin with a tranquilizer dart.

Dooku took the imprisoned Anakin with him to Alaris Prime, one of Kashyyyk's moons, having decided to test the Force Harvester there. His plan was foiled when Skywalker escaped and freed the Wookiees. In the confusion, Dooku fled, taking the Force Harvester with him. He used the Harvester on Aagonar, Bakura and Mon Calamari before retreating to Thule to prepare the rest of the Dark Reaper.

Dooku's plan was finally ruined when the Jedi attacked Thule. He unleashed the Force Harvester on the Republic's forces, but Anakin destroyed it in the battle. With the Force Harvester gone, and Prax slain by Skywalker, Dooku fled the field.

The Decimator campaign
As the Clone Wars developed it was discovered that the Republic had created a new war machine known as the Decimator which could swing the advantage in the Alliance's favor. The Sith Lords could not let this happen so Dooku sent his most trusted General Sev'rance Tann to capture the machines.

Tann did so and under Dooku's direction, captured the Republic energy world of Sarapin. However, the Republic struck back, retaking Sarapin and defeating and killing Tann at the Battle of Krant. However, this did not affect the Sith Lords as the Decimator was destroyed in the process, removing the advantage for either side.

A new ally
Some time during the early part of the Clone Wars, Dooku traveled to the gladiatorial arena on Rattatak hoping to find a new servant to carry out his wishes.

On his arrival, he was greeted by his host and taken to watch the contest. During the contest he sensed a disturbance in the Force and spoke to Asajj Ventress who had just sneaked up and replaced his guide. He challenged her to unleash her fighting skills on the other gladiators.

Ventress did so without question, slaughtering the other gladiators under Dooku's watchful gaze. When she had finished, Dooku applauded her, praising her skills. Ventress replied that she was powerful and claimed to be a Sith. Dooku laughed in her face before leaping into the arena and denounced her as a Sith. In retaliation, she attempted to attack Dooku but he was too quick and blasted her down with Force lightning.

Dooku took her to a room on Rattatak and waited for her to wake up. When she did, he attacked her and they engaged in a vicious lightsaber duel. Taunting her as they fought, Dooku dueled with her across the room. Ventress was skilled, and proved to be a challenge, even for a Sith Lord. However, Dooku brought her down, severing her two lightsabers.

Instead of killing his opponent, Dooku introduced her to his master, Darth Sidious, who congratulated Dooku on his choice. Sidious then set Dooku's new servant a mission, to find and kill Anakin Skywalker who had become a threat to the Sith. Ventress was eager and Dooku gave her two new lightsabers that had belonged to his apprentice Komari Vosa.

Dooku and his master watched as Ventress flew off. Dooku was confident that she would quickly dispatch Skywalker; Sidious said that it did not matter either way.

The Battle of Kamino
The Battle of Kamino was designed by Dooku and his master Darth Sidious to prolong the Clone Wars and scupper any advantage that the Separatists initially had. His agent Tookarti discovered that the Republic knew of the Separatists planned attack on Kamino, but this did not matter.

The battle went just as the Sith Lords had planned. The Republic fleet ambushed the Confederacy's and destroyed many ships. Commander Merai, one of the Confederacy's best tacticians was killed and his fleet routed. The cloning facility was saved, balancing both sides in the war and prolonging the conflict.

"It's a delicate game we play. A precise balance. That balance has been restored, though, and the Separatists' advantage lies dead in the water. With Merai dead, and Kamino still operational, this Clone War will not soon end."

- Darth Sidious to Dooku after the Battle of Kamino

Later, Sidious informed Dooku of how their strategy had effectively ruined all hopes of an early end to the conflict.

Rallying the Confederacy


During the first few months of the Clone Wars, Dooku was very busy preparing strategies and inciting systems to war against the Republic. He dispatched Durge to Muunilinst to aid San Hill in repelling an imminent Republic assault. He also pushed the Quarren Isolation League to war on Mon Calamari and dispatched droids to Ilum in order to strike a devastating blow at the heart of the Jedi Order.

Darth Bane's Rule of Two prevented Tyranus from taking his own, bona-fide apprentice. Instead, Dooku acquired a cadre of Dark Acolytes. As well as Asajj Ventress, Sev'rance Tann and Sora Bulq, Dooku enlisted Tol Skorr, Kadrian Sey, Trenox and many others. He honed their skills but taught them few, if any, of the Sith secrets.

Dooku and his Dark Acolytes cut a swath through the ranks of the Jedi Order and the Republic forces. Dooku took part in many missions to try and bring more planets onto the side of the Separatists. On Null he tried to bring the planet's leaders into the Confederacy's fold, but Kenobi and Skywalker arrived and the planet's leaders stayed with the Republic. Dooku didn't leave empty-handed, he killed his old enemy Lorian Nod before escaping.

Dooku's charisma swayed many to the Confederate cause&mdash;whole planets pledged themselves to the Separatist cause on the former Jedi's words alone. In addition to his force adepts, Dooku recruited warriors like Durge to augment the Confederacy's already potent arsenal.

Selecting a new commander


Following the death of Sev'rance Tann, the Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies, Dooku needed to find someone to replace her. Dooku had three choices, Ventress, Durge and Grievous. To decide who was the best choice, he pitted the three against each other on Trenchant Space Station.

Grievous proved more then a match for his two opponents, even though they worked together and Dooku rewarded him with command of the Droid Armies. Ventress and Durge were left to recuperate in a bacta tank.

Grievous proved a worthy choice, he was revealed on Hypori to devastating effect, outmaneuvering five Jedi at once. His emergence changed the course of the war from then on.

The fall of Quinlan Vos


Quinlan Vos had originally been dispatched by the Jedi Council to infiltrate Dooku's inner circle. This came with great risk as Vos was getting dangerously close to the dark side. Dooku knew this and hoped to use it to his advantage.

Vos proved a valuable agent, betraying the Republic at the Battle of Brentaal IV. Dooku then drew Vos closer to the dark side by taking him to his homeworld of Kiffu in order to establish a Separatist base there.

The rulers of Kiffu, including Vos's great aunt, refused to join the CIS. This resulted in a battle between the two sides, during which Vos rescued his great aunt and led her to safety, killing Dark Acolyte Kadrian Sey in the process.

Dooku pursued Vos and caught him and helped Vos reveal that his great aunt had sacrificed his parents to Anzati vampires. In his rage, Vos cut down his great aunt. As Dooku watched, he knew he had succeeded in bringing Vos into the folds of the dark side.

Vos became Dooku's assassin, murdering enemies like Senator Viento and Kh'aris Fenn. As a reward Dooku gave Vos the power crystal of Darth Andeddu's lightsaber. It was widely believed that Vos had fallen to the dark side.

However, Vos betrayed the Count and rejoined the Republic, leading an army to Saleucami towards the end of the war, killing Sora Bolq and Tol Skorr two of Dooku's Dark Acolytes. Dooku had lost one powerful ally but the war went on.

Testing the Ultimate Weapon
Sometime during the Clone Wars Dooku headed to watch the testing of the new superweapon, the Planet Killer to see whether it would prove more useful to him then the planned Ultimate Weapon.

However, due to the intervention of Mace Windu the weapon failed to do what it was supposed to and Dooku had its creator removed. He decided to turn back to the Ultimate Weapon.

Sith knowledge
During the course of the war, he immersed himself fully within the persona of Darth Tyranus, Dark Lord of the Sith. He fully embraced the ancient teachings of the Sith, probing the graveyard world of Korriban for ancient relics he could turn against the Jedi, in addition to long-lost Sith holocrons, such as the one created by the long dead Darth Andeddu. In a daring raid on Coruscant, he even breached the Jedi Temple itself and stole the Sith holocron he had studied as a young man.

The Jedi suspected their former comrade was indeed a true Sith, but could not discern the identity of the elusive second Dark Lord. Some, like Quinlan Vos, suspected Sora Bulq to be the one they sought, but this was a deliberate deception on both Bulq and Dooku's parts.

The Praesitlyn Conflict
Despite taking no direct action in the Praesitlyn Conflict, Dooku and his dark servant Asajj Ventress communicated with General Pors Tonith to advise on the strategy. However, all of this was a plot by Dooku and his Sith Master Darth Sidious to test the power of Anakin Skywalker and attempt to bring him closer to the dark side. Delaying reinforcements until the last moment, resulting in a defeat for the Separatist forces after a cunning attack from Anakin himself. However, it was a victory for the Sith Lords as it further showed Anakin's power and ability to use the Force, paving the way for his eventual fall to the dark side.

Mission to Vjun
There were those who thought Dooku could be saved, among them, Grand Master Yoda. However, it was only when Dooku allowed Jedi Jai Maruk to escape and return to Coruscant with a message that Yoda decided to take action. Yoda, along with a group of Jedi, traveled to Dooku's castle on Vjun in an attempt to bring him back. Many fell to Asajj Ventress along the way.

During this time Dooku came into conflict with his master over his loyalty to his former master. Also, Ventress had to be brought back into line by Dooku when she complained that he stopped her from killing Jai Maruk and for trying to persuade him to overthrow Darth Sidious.

The Jedi arrived on Vjun and fell foul of Asajj Ventress, only the timely arrival of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker saved them from her. Ventress then fled the scene.

Meanwhile Dooku talked with Yoda, where Dooku tried to persuade his former master to join the dark side. He failed and he dueled Yoda again before fleeing, sending a missile to destroy his fortress. Yoda stopped the missile but Dooku escaped. Dooku never answered Yoda's offer to return.

Battle of Boz Pity
Dooku later headed to Boz Pity to oversee augmentations to the body of the badly wounded Asajj Ventress. However a Republic fleet arrived before the process was completed. Dooku was confronted in the MedCenter by Obi-Wan and Anakin but escaped when Ventress broke free and attacked the two Jedi.

Heading across the battlefield to his shuttle, Dooku was confronted by Mace Windu, who had just taken out General Grievous. Dooku engaged his old friend but used his IG-100 MagnaGuard droids to distract him and make good his escape.

Entering his shuttle with the body of General Grievous, Dooku spotted Ventress running towards them. Dooku ordered her shot and his shuttle left without her. Ventress was then apparently killed by Skywalker.

Trap above Viidaav
Towards the end of the Clone Wars Dooku and his servant, General Grievous planned to destroy a Republic fleet by destroying the planet Viidaav, along with its colonists. Droids planted charges on the planet and prepared for detonation.

However, the Republic forces and the Viidaav colonists fought through droid forces to stop the detonation sequence and the plan was foiled.

The final moves
Dooku had spent much of the war supervising the Separatist Council, allowing General Grievous to command the droid armies. After Boz Pity, he made a temporary home on Kaon and from there he headed to The Works to inform Darth Sidious of the capture of Nute Gunray's chair, which led to the Confederacy retreat at Belderone. Dooku and Sidious plotted to lure Obi-Wan and Anakin to Naos III, where they would be attacked by bounty hunters under Dooku's instruction.

Returning to the Invisible Hand, Dooku learned that the plan had failed. In a meeting between him, General Grievous, and Darth Sidious, they arranged to lure Obi-Wan and Anakin to Tythe, using Dooku as bait. Dooku would then kill Obi-Wan and lure Anakin to the dark side. It was during this meeting that Dooku brought up the idea of Sidious leaving Coruscant to avoid Jedi pursuit. Sidious then ordered Grievous to attack Coruscant while Republic forces went after Dooku at Tythe.

The Third Battle of Tythe was one of the last encounters Dooku had with Anakin and Obi-Wan before his death. He taunted the pair until Anakin gave into his anger and screamed in an incredible display of power causing the roof to collapse on all three of them. Dooku escaped, fleeing the planet and heading toward Coruscant after side-tracking at Nelvaan. The decoy worked as Darth Sidious could still remain unveiled. The Dark Lords put in motion their final moves.

Endgame
"Your swords, please. We don't want to make a mess of things in front of the Chancellor."

- Count Dooku to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker

Awaiting the Jedi


"Just as Count Dooku predicted!"

- Grievous

At the Battle of Coruscant, General Grievous captured Palpatine, unbeknownst that this was part of an elaborate plan of Sidious's, so that he could be apprehended himself. Dooku and Sidious both foresaw that the only rescuers likely to arrive in time would be Kenobi and Skywalker. Despite Sidious's wish, Dooku tried to convince his Master to trade out Skywalker for Kenobi, citing that a Jedi of Kenobi's integrity would lend support to the New Order. Sidious disagreed and claimed that Kenobi was too indoctrinated by the Jedi way. So the plan stayed as originally conceived: Dooku would kill Kenobi, but be "defeated" by Anakin, meaning that Dooku was expected to defeat Anakin, convert him to the dark side, then afterwards, allow Anakin to arrest him, when he rescues Palpatine.

He would then, in captivity, turn on the CIS by surrendering to the Republic forces and claiming to have only recently learned of the extent of the atrocities committed by the CIS, and specifically General Grievous, who would be the perfect scapegoat on whom to hang all of the CIS's war crimes. He would later ostensibly emerge as Emperor Palpatine's right-hand man in the new Empire, with a newly-turned Anakin Skywalker leading a new Sith Army of dark side Force-wielders to replace the Jedi Order and bring order to the galaxy. Dooku was confident in his Master and their plans fell slightly back on track.

Final duel
"I've been looking forward to this." "My powers have doubled since the last time we met, Count." "Good. Twice the pride, double the fall."

- Dooku and Anakin Skywalker

The day would not turn out that way, however. Both Kenobi and Skywalker's lightsaber skills had improved dramatically since their last duel, although they initially did not reveal this, allowing Dooku to underestimate them. As the duel wore on however, Dooku soon realized there had been a miscalculation. Both Jedi changed their saber styles mid-battle and began to wear down the Sith Lord's defenses.



Eventually, Dooku was able to regain the upper hand when he used the Force to choke and hurl Kenobi across the room, knocking him unconscious. Anakin carried on the fight, pushing Dooku off balance with a flurry of heavy blade strokes.

"I sense great fear in you, Skywalker. You have hate. You have anger. But you don't use them."

- Count Dooku to Anakin Skywalker

Against seemingly overwhelming odds, Anakin was able to unleash some of his potential in anger and dominate Dooku. During their one-on-one duel, Tyranus taunted Anakin, calling him to use his fear, hate and anger against him. Eventually, Anakin, with his mastery of Djem So, overpowered Dooku's Makashi and trapped the Sith Lord's arms within his, and proceeded to slice off both of the Count's hands, bringing him to his knees and to the Jedi Knight's mercy.

Revelation
Expecting his Master to intervene and save his life as Sidious had promised to do in the case of defeat, Dooku instead was shocked to see the Dark Lord relentlessly goading Anakin to deliver the deathblow, thus driving him one more step closer to the dark side.



It was only then that Dooku finally came to realize the second deception: Palpatine never intended for the Count to survive, nor for him to be his apprentice; he was simply the tool used to create the CIS and make Sidious's plan truly possible. Anakin, holding two lightsaber blades crossed before Dooku's throat, beheaded the helpless Count and drove one more dark side wedge into his soul. Dooku's final thought was:

"Treachery is the way of the Sith."

- Dooku's final thought

Anakin Skywalker would then proceed to become Darth Vader, Sidious's final apprentice.

Personality and traits
"He was one of the most brilliant Jedi I've ever had the privilege of knowing."

- Jocasta Nu



Dooku was an accomplished philosopher, orator, politician, warrior, and Force-adept, regarded as one of the greatest Jedi ever for his strength of character and his strength in the Force. Yoda considered him both the Temple's greatest student and one of his greatest failures.

With his deep voice and veneer of elegant charisma, this political idealist and wealthy Count of Serenno displayed elegance, class, and intelligence. During the Clone Wars, these traits led to him becoming known as "Gentle Hand" by countless cultures across the galaxy.

Dooku was a speciesist, secretly despising the purely alien Separatist Council, an elitist, incredibly arrogant, and he viewed almost every other living being as a tool to be used for his own advancement. He divided the entire galaxy into two personal categories: Threats and Assets. The threat category was for beings or things that interfered with his personal advancement and would have to be eliminated, the asset category being for those who could help, or at least not hinder his advancement.

Though as a Jedi he had suppressed these characteristics, he later gave in fully to them after falling to the dark side. He came to believe that the Jedi Order should embrace the dark side and rule the galaxy alone without the interference of the Senate. As a Sith, he planned to transform the Jedi into a Sith Army, and intended to forcibly recruit Force-users into such an army.

Dooku believed that the sorrow and injustice of the galaxy could only be responded to with anger and hate, and it was most likely this belief that first drove him to the dark side.

By the time of the Clone Wars, Dooku had been a practitioner of the Force for nearly eight decades. Dooku and his student Qui-Gon Jinn would have surely sat on the Jedi High Council if it were not for their maverick views.

Lightsabers
"Finesse. Artfulness. Economy."

- Dooku to Grievous on the Invisible Hand

As a Jedi youngling, Dooku wielded common training lightsabers under the tutelage of Master Yoda, but after Thame Cerulian took him as his Padawan, Dooku constructed a curve-hilted lightsaber with a green blade. Having studied Jedi holocrons, he wanted to create a lightsaber that had no connection to the common Form III used against blaster-wielding opponents, but rather one that suited the classical Form II. The end result was a curved hilt which allowed for precise movements as well as perfect flexibility in lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat. The design and its properties were stored in holocrons, but Master Tyvokka's own curve-hilted lightsaber might have also been an inspiration. It also contained a dual-phase setting, allowing him to instantly shorten the blade.

In his last mission as a Jedi, Dooku wielded the same lightsaber with a blue crystal, though during his training of Qui-Gon Jinn he carried a regular lightsaber. As a Dark Lord of the Sith, Dooku swapped out his Jedi crystal with a red synthetic lightsaber crystal for his curved hilt, the common color of Sith blades. After being corrupted by the Bando Gora, Dooku's final Jedi apprentice Komari Vosa constructed new lightsabers based on Dooku's design. After Vosa's death, the Count gave these unique weapons to his Dark Acolyte, Asajj Ventress.

His lightsaber was most likely destroyed when the Invisible Hand broke in two over Coruscant.

Fighting style
"He is a fencer. Leverage, position, advantage&mdash;they are as natural to him as breathing."

- Qui-Gon Jinn's spirit to Yoda on Dooku

As a Padawan, Dooku's favorite training was lightsaber combat. His swordsmanship was uncanny even to the most revered Jedi Masters. Dooku was regarded as one of the best lightsaber duelist in the history of the old Jedi order with only a handful of equals. During the time of the Confederacy Crisis, it was said that aside from Yoda, perhaps only Mace Windu would have been his equal on neutral ground. Though styles like Form III, IV, and V were more practical in the age of blasters, all of which Dooku developed a working knowledge of, his competitive spirit drove him curiously towards mastery of Form II: Makashi lightsaber combat.

Form II was a concentration on lightsaber to lightsaber combat. Resentful of the needlessly rambunctious acrobatics of Form IV (which better suit a specimen like Yoda, not a Human), Dooku saw Form II as the perfect rebuttal to all forms of lightsaber combat. As such, it was a more elegant, precise and classical style, and appealed to his sense of gallantry and finesse. Indeed, his mastery of Form II made him one of the greatest swordsmen of the Jedi Order. Although highly respected for his abilities, his pride was a cause for alarm amongst his peers, as he possessed an aggressive and competitive nature not normally seen in Jedi. His Form II mastery, paired with his deep connection with the Force, made Dooku a nearly impossible adversary to overcome. Dooku was so well versed in lightsaber combat that he was able to hold his own against three or four opponents by himself despite the fact that Makashi was less efficient when faced with multiple opponents.



His Padawan would show the same rebelliousness that Dooku himself had shown Yoda. It would be Qui-Gon's devotion to Form IV that would, as Dooku saw it, lead to his death at the hands of the Sith Lord Darth Maul.

Dooku's grasp on Form II only grew during his descent into the dark side of the Force. Although reaching eighty standard years of his life, Dooku managed to stay in good physical condition, enabling himself to use acrobatic skills and speed which most Jedi Masters his age could not have accomplished. Using aggression more freely, Dooku would arrogantly assume that he could finally defeat Yoda in combat. His victory over Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker at the Battle of Geonosis was due to the fact that neither Obi-Wan nor Anakin were trained in the lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat of Form II. However, when he fought his former master Yoda he was still unable to overcome Yoda's overwhelming speed. Dooku had to concede to his former master. He escaped the duel and spent the next three years honing his craft.

Dooku ultimately lost to Anakin Skywalker in a duel during the Battle of Coruscant. Skywalker had abandoned the passive aggression of defensive combat that had been taught by his elders, and mastered the more offensive Form V of lightsaber combat. Drawing on the forsaken powers of the dark side, Anakin almost beat the Sith Lord to the ground and eventually decapitated him at Chancellor Palpatine's urging. It should also be noted that Makashi was a style based on precision and balance, and as such it did not generate enough energy to withstand the extremely powerful and brutal style of Djem So. As well as the fact that Dooku was goading Anakin with Dun Moch and relying on Sidious to save him so he was not fighting well to convince Anakin to join the dark side. He was thus defeated by Anakin at a new skill level and himself not fighting well. In the novelized version of Revenge of the Sith it states that Anakin's forceful strikes were too much for Dooku's elegant fencing style to parry, and he was quickly worn down. It could also be noted, however, that Palpatine was present, and, like when Darth Vader fights Luke Skywalker, he used his Sith powers to enhance the combatant he favored to win (much as he did Mara Jade in the various novels). Where perhaps Dooku or Vader would have otherwise won, the Emperor shifted the battle in the favor of the less skilled warrior.

Dooku and Skywalker
"Like Anakin, you do not?"

- Yoda to Dooku

Of all the Jedi, Count Dooku had a particular dislike of Anakin Skywalker, and the reasons for this were multiple. First, Anakin reminded Dooku too much of himself at the same age: arrogant, impulsive, and proud. On Vjun, Dooku stated to Yoda his belief that the only way young Skywalker would learn about humility would be if someone took him down a few pegs. And Dooku very much wanted to be that someone.

Dooku also disapproved of Anakin's fighting skills. As stated earlier, Dooku viewed both Ataru and Jar'Kai as inferior lightsaber forms. During their duel on Geonosis, Anakin attempted to use a combination of the two forms, something the Count would have most likely found distasteful.

Furthermore, he felt that Anakin, after his arm was severed, ought to have learned to fight one-handed as he felt a gentleman should. Instead, Anakin received a cybernetic replacement. And since Dooku regarded Human cyborgs as "the depths of bad taste," he had yet another reason to look down on the boy.

It should therefore come as no surprise that Dooku found it most annoying that Skywalker was receiving so much attention from his former peers and mentors. Even Darth Sidious had taken an interest in the boy, and while that probably made Dooku secretly jealous, he never got wise to his master's treachery until it was too late.

Dooku may have also found the Council's belief that Anakin was the Chosen One to be absurd. Indeed, Dooku was of the opinion that the true identity of the Chosen One was a seasoned philosopher of sharp insight, someone with solid character and the intellectual clarity to see the path to galactic enlightenment; someone who possessed the titanic willpower to walk such a path; and, most importantly, had the charisma and leadership to carry others along with him.

Dooku fit that personality exactly&mdash;at least in his own mind.

Portrayal


Dooku was portrayed by Christopher Lee in the films, and was voiced by Corey Burton in Star Wars: Clone Wars and all video game appearances with the exception of Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter, where he was voiced by Jeff Bennett. Kyle Rowling portrayed Dooku during most of the character's lightsaber sequences, due to Lee's inability to enact these physical scenes due to his age. Rowling's head was digitally replaced with Lee's during post-production.

Character Origins
The color of Dooku's hair as a young man is not portrayed consistently, being shown as blond, brown, and black in various sources. An unverified fan theory assumes that Dooku was prone to artificially tint his hair.



"Dooku" could be based on the Japanese word "doku", meaning poison. In the Galician and Portuguese languages, "do cu" (pronounced exactly as in "Dooku") literally means "from the ass". For this reason, Dooku's name was changed to "Dookan" in Brazil. "Doku" is also a slang word in Finnish, meaning drunkard.

Tyrannus&mdash;or more properly, Tyrannos&mdash;is an ancient Greek word, originally used to describe someone who ruled a city-state after overthrowing the preexisting government. It was a legitimate form of government and the word's meaning was not unfavorable in itself, but over time, as democracy developed, it gained negative connotations and came to mean 'oppressor' or 'tyrant'.

Aside from his name, Dooku has many similarities to Dracula (another famous role assumed by Christopher Lee). Both are villainous, erudite and sophisticated counts who wear a cape and dress in black. Additionally, Lee's Dracula played opposite Peter Cushing as Dr. Van Helsing. Cushing portrayed Wilhuff Tarkin, a character that had some influence on the concept of Dooku.

Continuity


Originally, Dooku was set to wield two lightsabers in combat against Yoda in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, making him a possible Jar'Kai duelist. However, the idea was later dropped, and Dooku was stated to dislike usage of multiple blades in Labyrinth of Evil, though the comic version of Episode II kept the idea intact. In a likely reference to this cut sequence, Dooku's first action figure included a secondary lightsaber, albeit with a green blade.