Rhad Tarn

Rhad Tarn was young Jedi during the Clone Wars.

When the Clone Wars broke out and the Jedi Knights were called to be generals in the newly created Grand Army of the Republic, many Jedi of the Order refused to take up such positions. These dissident Jedi did not agree with these new roles the Jedi were forced to adopt. They believed that Jedi were servants of the Force, not to any government, despite the Order's relationship to the Republic. Rhad Tarn was one of these dissident Jedi and soon came to be a spokesperson and one of the leaders of these dissident Jedi Knights.

Three months after the Battle of Geonosis, Rhad Tarn, along with other leaders Jeisel, Mira, and the Whipid Jedi, K'Kruuk, were contacted by another Jedi who wished to unite these objectors. This person turned out to be the Weequay Jedi Master, Sora Bulq, incidentally Rhad Tarn's former master. Master Bulq invited Rhad Tarn and the other leaders to his family's old estate on a moon circling the Weequay homeworld of Sriluur, known as Ruun. Master Bulq also invited a member of the Jedi Council to attend, but only one Master was allowed to attend to speak on behalf of the Order.

Jedi Masters Mace Windu, Yoda, and Tholme feared that once united, these dissident Jedi would be a large enough body to create a schism within the Jedi Order. Agreeing that negotiation seemed like the best course of action at that time, it was agreed that Mace Windu would be the one to go to represent the Jedi Council. Most of the dissident Jedi's objections still remained at the moral level, and Master Windu hoped their minds were not closed to open discussion.

At the meeting, young Tarn made no hesitations about making his feelings known. As a Padawan, Sora Bulq and Rhad Tarn had spent much time in the Outer Rim, beyond the Republic's reach. There he witnessed many travesties to which the Galactic Republic, and even the Jedi Order, turned a blind eye towards, like slavery and spice mine laborers. These experiences would later be the foundation upon which his views of the Clone Wars would develop. While most Jedi simply questioned the Jedi's role in the war, and the sudden switch from protectors to generals, Rhad Tarn advocated outright rebellion against the Republic. Rhad Tarn felt that the Jedi should have sided with the Separatists in an attempt to bring down the Republic. While most of the other dissident leaders did not share his radical views, they agreed that his points on the corruption and ineffectiveness of the Republic were valid.

As the meeting progressed, Tarn became more and more distrustful of Master Windu. He felt that something was amiss about the Jedi Master's presence at the meeting. Tarn was correct in that the meeting was not all it appeared to be, but failed to recognize the source of the discordance. In reality, Sora Bulq had fallen to the Dark Side and sided with Count Dooku, becoming one of his minions. The meeting was essentially a trap to lure Mace Windu within the reach of Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress' blade. Ventress, arriving on Ruul in secret attacked the Jedi, killing Mira and appearing as if she was in league with Master Windu. While K'Kruuk attempted to avoid jumping to conclusions about the events and Ventress' relationship to Master Windu, Tarn's distrust boiled over and he became filled with rage.

Racing off to find the assassin, Rhad Tarn was treading dangerously close to the Dark Side. During the ensuing lightsaber battle with Asajj, the Dark Jedi toyed with and taunted the young Jedi only making him angrier. By the time K'Krruk and Jeisel showed up to take on Ventress, the two Jedi found themselves facing a Dark Jedi as well as an enrage Tarn. Disarmed and pinned to a rock, Jeisel pleaded with Tarn not to give in to the Dark Side. But by that time, Tarn was too consumed with rage to hear her. As Rhad made his killing swipe, Jeisel acquired her lightsaber and quickly cut Tarn across the torso, killing him. Rhad Tarn represented the Jedi's worse fears about what the war had the potential to do to the Jedi Order. If Rhad Tarn had fallen so easily, how many more would?