Saesee Tiin/Legends

"I'm hard-headed. It is my greatest strength. And my strength has never failed me."

- Saesee Tiin

Saesee Tiin was a male Iktotchi Jedi Master and a member of the Jedi High Council in the last days of the Galactic Republic. Having apprenticed under the esteemed Master Omo Bouri, Tiin rarely spoke and kept to himself. Never choosing to take a Padawan himself, Tiin took the rank of Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars.

A renowned starfighter ace, Tiin had been born on Iktotch, the moon of Iktotchon. Because of the battering winds of the moon, Tiin's species had adapted toughened skin and blunt features. A natural telepath, Master Tiin failed to foresee his demise at the hands of the secret Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious.

Early life
Born on the moon of Iktotch, Saesee Tiin was introduced to piloting during his youngest years, appearing to be a natural pilot. When scouts from the Jedi Order identified the young boy as a Force-sensitive, he was turned over to the Order for training at the academy on Coruscant. Raised within the Jedi Temple, Tiin found it embarrassing when his natural telepathic abilities were ridiculed by his peers. While they believed these powers gave him an unfair advantage at the academy, Tiin believed it was more of a hindrance as he had yet to learn to control his abilities. Tiin would admit however, that his abilities gave him an edge during lightsaber combat training as his opponents unwittingly revealed their strategy through their thoughts. Because of his unique abilities, Tiin was shunned by his peers and became extremely reclusive. As Tiin learned to hone in on particular minds, he came to the attention of the Wol Cabasshite Jedi Councilor, Master Omo Bouri.

After graduating from the academy, Tiin accepted Bouri's offer of apprenticeship and became a Padawan. Master Bouri was unique himself, as he communicated through phonemic energy pulses with syntactic contours in a magnetic field that he controlled with his tongue. Because Bouri's brain was so evolved, Tiin found himself faced with something completely new: a brain he couldn't understand. Intrigued, he focused all his time coming to understand his master and to use the Force to expand his telepathy to extraordinary heights. Able to control his own mind and sift through thoughts from around the galaxy, Tiin also learned from Bouri the meaning of complete dedication to the Order. Traveling with his master for years and eventually passing the Trials of Knighthood, Tiin was made a full Jedi Knight. When Master Bouri was lost on an ill-fated mission, Tiin refused to speak at the Jedi's funeral and fell into a long period of isolation. While secluded Tiin pursued the path of the Jedi Guardians, honing his skills as a ace pilot in the Jedi Starfighter Corps.

Despite the importance that his own master had played in his life, Saesee Tiin refused to accept a Padawan of his own, despite the encouragement of Jedi Mace Windu. Instead Tiin turned further inward, searching for ways to commune with his deceased Master through the Force. Whether Tiin ever did so is unknown, but much of his time as a Knight was poured into this endeavor.

Jedi Master
"He talks more to that starship than he does to me."

- Adi Gallia

Eventually, after a distinguished career, Saesee Tiin was promoted to the rank of Master by the High Council. After long deliberation, the Council invited Tiin to take a seat on the Council as a long-term member. Not long after, Master Tiin was on Coruscant when the Stark Hyperspace War broke out; along with the other Councilors present, he aided Padawan Sha Koon channel trapped Republic soldiers and Jedi during the fighting. As the Republic Navy preparing an attack against Iaco Stark's forces, Tiin, with his astonishing flying skills and firm leadership, was an obvious choice to command the fighter squadron. He led Red and Blue Squadrons to victory in the Fifth Battle of Qotile.

On numerous occasions, Master Tiin's flying skills saved the lives of his fellow Jedi. When a war erupted in the Yinchorri system, three Jedi teams were dispatched to find the Yinchorri Command Center. Piloting the Consular-class cruiser to Yinchorr with Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi as co-pilot, they were ambushed above the planet by Yinchorri attack ships. Entering the world's gravity well, Tiin used his enhanced Force abilities to take an extremely dangerous course of action: he engaged the hyperdrive and went around the planet at hyperspeed. Successfully making the jump, Tiin landed the shuttle on the planet and went into meditation with Master Windu on a mesa while Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Padawan Kenobi went to reconnoiter the surrounding area. It wasn't long before the team was forced to engage the Yinchorri warriors, fighting for their lives as the other two teams converged on the planet. As Masters Eeth Koth and Micah Giiett's teams arrived to divert the attack, Master Tiin advanced on one of the Yinchorri tanks and disabled it so his allies could proceed to the rescue ship. Taking the ship up when the survivors were all aboard, Master Tiin piloted the ship to space where it was joined by the Navy. When the Council contacted the teams, Tiin took the ship the coordinates provided, the interior of the planet Uhanayih, where the command center was located. With the command center secured by the Navy, Tiin and the other survivors returned to Coruscant.

Despite the High Council's banning of personal attachments, Master Tiin kept a personal fighter he had been given by a group of grateful Duros diplomats. Naming the SoroSuub Cutlass-9 patrol fighter the Sharp Spiral, Tiin piloted it on several missions, and stored it within the Temple docking complex. Constantly updating all of its systems, Tiin removed the electronic sensor and map systems from the databases. It was in Sharp Spiral that Master Tiin, performed one of his most famous deeds. For some years, Tiin had established close links with a group of independent conscience-fighters called the Sons and Daughters of Freedom. The group fought for the cause of liberty and were usually allies of the Republic. However, when a faction within the Freedom's Sons became corrupt, Tiin set out to apprehend them. It was an unbalanced fight&mdash;Tiin in Sharp Spiral and the rogue Freedom's Sons in three battleships. Despite outgunning the Iktotchi many times over, the renegades could not land a single shot on Sharp Spiral. With cool calm, Tiin went about destroying the shields, engines, and weapons systems of all three ships. He then left the ships stranded for the Republic forces to pick up.

Master Tiin dueled with Kenobi in the Jedi Temple prior to the the Mission to Onderon. Kenobi was able to defeat Tiin.

Tiin kept his place on the High Council, although with typical humility he always expressed surprise at his position. Although he was often silent, the advice he did offer was valued for its directness and foresight; this did not stop some from questioning his usefulness on the august body. In 32 BBY, Tiin led a Jedi team to Asmeru to investigate a lead on the attempted assassination of Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum. Negotiating with port authority, their shuttle was attacked by the fighters of the Nebula Front terrorist group and Tiin and his fellows crash-landed in a lake. Swimming to shore, Master Tiin and the other Jedi set up camp in ruins on the island and waited to engage their attackers. Following a slave of the House Vandron down a secret passage in the temple, the Jedi were led to the mainland where they entered a small city held by the Nebula Front militia that had taken hold of the surrounding areas. Surrounded by the terrorists the Jedi agreed to a temporary truce, but when the guards opened fire on the slaves that had led the Jedi to the mainland, Tiin and the other Masters agreed to annul the agreement and engage the troopers. Charging then retreating, then charging again, Tiin and his peers moved to take several starfighters when reinforcements from Eriadu arrived and killed or scattered the remaining terrorists. Ordering the other Jedi back to Coruscant, Tiin rebuked Master Jinn for defying his orders and heading to the planet Karfeddion aboard the confiscated Hawk-Bat. Later Tiin was dispatched to Eriadu for the Trade Summit there in order to protect the Supreme Chancellor from the Nebula Front's assassination attempts. Discovering that the droids in the midst of the Trade Federation delegation were sabotaged to carry out the assault, Tiin led Padawan Kenobi and Master Ki-Adi-Mundi to guard the Federation members. However, the members of the board activated their own force-shield, causing the droids' fire to eviscerate them as the Jedi watched helplessly.

While Tiin had predicted the fall of Valorum's political career, he incorrectly guessed that Ainlee Teem or Bail Antilles would replace him. However other forces were at work and Palpatine of Naboo took the title of Chancellor during the blockade of his own world by the Trade Federation. During the crisis, Master Tiin was present on Coruscant when Master Jinn brought word of an attack by a Zabrak assassin he believed to be a Sith Lord. Wary of the return of the long extinct Sith, the Council was even more shocked by reports of a vergence in the Force surrounding a child, one Anakin Skywalker. Testing the boy, the Council voted not to train him because of his age; Master Tiin had been one of the few to vote yes to train the boy along with Master Eeth Koth who also entered the Order at an advanced age. It wasn't until Master Jinn was slain by the Sith that the Council reconsidered its earlier decision. With newly knighted Kenobi taking Skywalker as a Padawan, Tiin joined the rest of the Council on Naboo for the funeral of Master Jinn.

While on Naboo, Tiin investigated the Sith assassin's personal craft after several Judicial Department officers were killed trying to infiltrate it. Gaining access to the Scimitar, Tiin found several Sith artifacts and recommended that it be turned over to the Order's specialists for study immediately. Before it could be studied further, the ship was lost in transit to Kuat.

Over the next ten years Master Tiin retained his seat on the Council, though his service was continually questioned as he contributed little to the discussion. He was consulted by Master of the Order Windu regarding Jedi Quinlan Vos' mission to Kiffex; while Tiin was a supporter of Vos, he did not think the mission was a good idea for someone so close to the dark side of the Force. Master Windu considered this but ultimately ignored Tiin's advice. Well versed in the history of the rogue military leader Ashaar Khorda, Tiin helped inform his fellow Councilor's of the Annoo-dat general's background. Unfortunately this did not prevent the death Master Yarael Poof at Khorda's hands; Tiin attended the Quermian's funeral.

Master Tiin helped fellow Master Adi Gallia flight-test a Delta-7 Aethersprite prototype over Coruscant during the Separatist Crisis. Thanks to this trial, Saesee Tiin made several modifications to the starfighters for increased performance before they were introduced to the Temple's Starfighter Corps. When Jedi Kenobi was captured on Geonosis by the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Tiin joined with his fellow Jedi to rescue him. Arriving on the dusty world, Tiin fought through droves of battle droids in the Petranaki arena to rescue Kenobi, Padawan Skywalker, and Senator Padmé Amidala. Though briefly surrounded by droids, Tiin and the survivors were rescued by the timely arrival of Grand Master Yoda and the recently discovered Grand Army of the Republic. Joining Masters Luminara Unduli, Roth-Del Masona, and Shaak Ti on a new Republic gunship, the Jedi flew out into the field to engage the droids on the plains. Tiin disengaged from the ground assault and took to the skies in the Sharp Spiral, to aid Master Gallia in the battle above Geonosis. While he was mistakenly reported dead, Master Tiin indeed survived and reported back to Coruscant immediately.

Years of war
"I can fly anything&hellip;"

- Saesee Tiin, to Na-Jia

With the Clone Wars underway, Tiin took up the mantle of Jedi General due to his status as a Jedi Master. During an early battle, Master Tiin was forced into a low-altitude ejection from Sharp Spiral; he sustained several non-life threatening injuries, including the breaking of one of his cranial horns. Tiin was a major supporter of Jedi Skywalker's constant upgrades to the starfighter fleet of the Order, encouraging the Council to implement the boy's adjustments across all of the Starfighter Corps. One of the first to obtain a Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor, it was his encouragement of Skywalker that saw the production of the ships.

When the war spread to his homeworld, Tiin accompanied Master Windu to rout the Separatist Droid Army that had taken hold there. While Tiin preferred a tough approach to defeating the prototype B3 ultra battle droid as opposed to Windu's calculated attacks, the two were able to cooperate and defeat the CIS armies on the planet. Joining Councilor Plo Koon and Padawan Ahsoka Tano during the Battle of Gwori, Tiin later took on an assignment to the icy world of Diado.

Tiin once more joined Windu on an undercover mission; joined by Masters Kit Fisto and Agen Kolar, the team infiltrated the Crimson Nova's base known as the Rig. Because of the gang's involvement in a recent bout of Jedi slayings and the issuance of bounties on additional Jedi, the Council dispatched the team to get to the bottom of the crisis. Posing as a smuggler, Tiin boarded the Rig and joined Windu in the cantina while his comrades cause problems in the detention level. As he assumed, the dockhands unloaded his cargo into the Rig's storage facilities without notifying him; Tiin had anticipated this and had loaded the crates with detonite, triggering it to explode and cause more distraction aboard the space station as the hangars were destroyed. Joining his comrades at the station's command deck, the four masters confronted the Crimson Nova's leader, Mika. As she refused to surrender, the Masters engaged the bounty hunters protecting the Cathar woman. While Windu and Fisto went after Mika, Tiin and Kolar took the control room and discovered the bounty hunter offering the Jedi bounties. Tracking their lead on Kh'aris Fenn to Ryloth, the Jedi found the Twi'lek dead at the hands of Quinlan Vos. Disgusted by the scene, Tiin regretted his support of Vos, as it seemed incontrovertible that Vos had fallen into darkness.

In the following weeks Master Tiin was assigned to prevent the transfer of the Rendili fleet of Dreadnaughts to the Confederacy. Joined by Master Koon and Jedi Skywalker, Tiin oversaw the Republic fleet as Koon negotiated with fleet commander Jace Dallin aboard the Mersel Kebir. When Lieutenant Mellor Yago of the Independent Provisional Government of Rendili arrested Koon and Dallin as traitors, Master Tiin's orders were clear: destroy the Rendili fleet if it refused to join the Republic's Army. While Skywalker offered an alternative, the strategy debate was interrupted by the arrival of Master Kenobi and the rogue Jedi Quinlan Vos. Igniting his lightsaber, Tiin demanded Vos be imprisoned before he headed to his starfighter. With the Separatist armada entering the fray, Tiin engaged the enemy fleet while his fellow Jedi led an unorthodox rescue mission which saw the salvaging of the Rendili fleet and the rescue of Master Koon. When the Separatists were repelled, Tiin returned to his flagship to deal with Vos. Deciding to take Vos to Coruscant, Tiin sat on the Council of Reconciliation as they tried Master Vos for his crimes. While Tiin deferred his decision to Master Oppo Rancisis, the Council voted in favor of Vos and he was allowed to remain in the Order.

Tiin was stationed at the Temple with Masters Windu and Yoda when Councilor Even Piell was captured by the Separatists and taken prisoner on the planet Lola Sayu. Imprisoned in the ancient Citadel fortress under the guard of CIS Commander Osi Sobeck, Piell and his fellow prisoner, Republic Captain Wilhuff Tarkin, were the sole keepers of vital hyperspace route coordinates that led directly from Coruscant to the Separatist homeworlds. Dispatching Councilor Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Skywalker to rescue Piell, Tiin eventually was forced to accompany an extraction team to rescue his fellow Jedi from Sobeck's droid forces. Under the leadership of Master Plo Koon, Tiin led Masters Adi Gallia and Kit Fisto in their interceptors down to the planets surface as escort for Master Koon's gunship. Meeting the team on the ground at the rendezvous point, the survivors were taken off planet and returned to the Jedi Temple. Tiin took part in the Battle of Umbara, providing air cover and fighting alongside fellow Jedi Council member Obi-Wan Kenobi, Pong Krell and Anakin Skywalker on the shadowy world of Umbara, securing the planet for the Republic.

When the Council got word that General Grievous, Count Dooku, and Asajj Ventress were all present on Boz Pity, a massive strike force was sent to destroy them. Accompanying the fleet, Tiin commanded Gold Squadron in the ensuing battle, though all Separatist figures escaped.

Battle of Coruscant
"The Dark Lord has revealed himself, and we dare not hesitate. Think not of if, Master Fisto; this duty has fallen to us. We will suffice."

- Tiin prepares to face Palpatine

In the final days of the war, Tiin was stationed on Coruscant as Chancellor Palpatine announced his moving of the Coruscant Home Fleet to the Outer Rim Territories. While his fellow Masters discussed the ramifications of the move with Senator Bail Organa, Tiin sat in quiet reflection of the events. Days later, the skies of Coruscant erupted in blasterfire as the Separatists launched a surprise attack on the capital. Tiin took to his green Eta-2 and led a squadron of ARC-170 starfighters into the orbital battle between the Republic's Open Circle Fleet and the Confederacy's navy, led by the feared droid leader General Grievous. When a Providence-class carrier/destroyer collided with the Impavid during a hyperspace exit, he landed in the dying Star Destroyer and led its stranded Jet troopers to take an enemy cruiser, the Prosperous. With a specialized space suit Tiin jumped out of the lower rear hangar with his clone troopers, and landed on the attacking Confederate cruiser. Tiin cut through the floor of the ship's landing bay, allowing he and his forces to enter the interior of the ship, eliminate its minor crew and take control.

After the battle, Tiin returned to the Temple to help coordinate the rest of the war. It wasn't long, however before Master Kenobi reported Grievous' death on Utapau; coupled with Dooku's recent demise the Council deemed Palpatine's rule to be at an end. Tiin joined Masters Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, and Agen Kolar to journey to the Chancellor's office in an attempt to get Palpatine to relinquish his emergency powers peacefully. Before they exited the Temple, Jedi Skywalker approached the Masters and informed them that Palpatine was in fact the elusive Darth Sidious. Knowing their duty, the Masters headed to the office to arrest Palpatine.

Before the Masters headed to the Chancellor's office, Fisto briefly talked to Tiin claiming that he would feel much calmer if Masters Kenobi, Plo Koon and Yoda had been with them. Tiin scolded Fisto for this because Tiin said that they were sufficient for the task, and that they were capable of subduing Palpatine.

When the Masters entered the office, Windu declared to Palpatine that he was under arrest. Moments after the Masters ignited their lightsabers, the Sith Lord accused the Jedi of treason and ignited his own lightsaber and suddenly leapt up and stabbed Agen Kolar before he could defend himself. As Kolar fell, Tiin saw his chance and attempted to strike the Sith Lord from behind, but was slashed at the waist when Palpatine turned to face him. The other Masters would join Tiin in death, heralding the start of the Great Jedi Purge and the rise of the Sith to galactic dominance.

Legacy
Master Tiin's service to the galaxy would be largely erased by the Galactic Empire as part of the Great Purge. Yet Tiin's memory was not totally lost. Immediately after his death, Senator Organa retrieved his Jedi beacon transceiver from the Sharp Spiral in order to rescue Masters Yoda and Kenobi during the initial hours of the Purge. In addition Luke Skywalker, the man who would eventually rebuild the Order, discovered a holocron with a recording of Tiin's longest lecture at the Temple.

In the subsequent years of the Empire's reign, the insane Master Kazdan Paratus erected a replica of the Temple on the junk world of Raxus Prime. Within the makeshift Council chamber, Paratus built a puppet that resembled Master Tiin, and the Aleena interacted with the characters as if they were alive. Paratus' illusion was shattered upon the arrival of the Sith assassin Starkiller, who systematically destroyed the Temple and the Tiin puppet.

Personality and traits
Due to his telepathic abilities, Tiin was initially shunned by his peers, causing him to withdraw from most contact with the other students at the Temple. Maintaining his reclusive behavior throughout the rest of his training, Tiin was few of words and preferred to let others do the talking, though he was capable at forcing negotiations through during a crisis. While hard-headed, Master Tiin claimed that trait as his greatest strength and a valuable tool on the battlefield. His master, Omo Bouri, honed his interests into a strong devotion to the Order, something many considered an obsessive conviction.

Tiin reviled dark siders and traitors to the Order, going so far as to refuse to call Quinlan Vos by name during the Clone Wars after his apparent defection. Calling him simply "renegade," Tiin could not vote when Vos was brought before the Council of Reconciliation, believing himself too conflicted.

Powers and abilities
Having trained as a Jedi Guardian, Saesee Tiin possessed exceptional prowess with a lightsaber, wielding many over his long career. Having used a violet, cobalt, and then an emerald lightsaber crystal in his weapon's hilt, the Master was capable of fending off most opponents with his hard strikes and counterstrikes.

Aside from combat, Tiin was most comfortable as a pilot, serving the Jedi Starfighter Corps as an ace pilot. Upgrading many of the Order's craft, Tiin was said to be rivalled only by Jedi Anakin Skywalker in his natural piloting skills. Enhanced by his natural telepathic abilities, Tiin was able to not only read minds, but instinctively astrogate his starfighters through hyperspace without a navigation computer.

Behind the scenes
In the novelization of Revenge of the Sith, Tiin was the first victim in the duel instead of Agen Kolar. Palpatine, pretending to be in a panic over the threat of his arrest, asked Master Tiin: "Master Tiin, you're the telepath. Tell me what I'm thinking right now." Saesee was trying to read Palpatine's mind, and Palpatine caught him off guard and beheaded him.

Portrayal
Saesee Tiin was portrayed by a number of actors: He is portrayed by Khan Bonfils in The Phantom Menace, Jesse Jensen in Attack of the Clones, brother of Zachariah Jensen, the actor who played Kit Fisto in the same movie, Kenji Oates in Revenge of the Sith, voice-actors Joe Paulino in the video games Star Wars: Obi-Wan and Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter and by Terrence Carson, who also played Mace Windu, in Star Wars: Clone Wars.

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace