Gira

"I've broken you. A Jedi. An enemy. Whatever you do when I leave here will serve my Master. You have done your duty to him."

- Darth Vader, to Gira

Gira was a humanoid male Jedi Knight who survived the initial stages of the Great Jedi Purge, which was ordered by Galactic Emperor Palpatine after the end of the Clone Wars. He was in charge of protecting a group of Padawans. The Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader eventually found Gira and the Padawans aboard a starship, whose commander was assisting them in evading the Galactic Empire. As Imperial stormtroopers attacked Gira's ship, the Jedi fended them off but was eventually ambushed by Vader. The Sith Lord defeated Gira in lightsaber combat but promised to spare the Padawans&mdash;who were fleeing the ship aboard an escape vessel&mdash;if the Jedi would pledge his loyalty to Vader. Gira agreed, but was betrayed by Vader when the Sith ordered the ship's commander&mdash;who had also betrayed GIra&mdash;to activate some explosives that had been placed onboard the Padawan's ship. After Vader explained to Gira that he had broken the Jedi's spirit, the Jedi Knight committed suicide.

Biography
"Why?! If you wanted them dead, why not kill me? Why the game? Why did you want me?''" "''Because it was easier this way. Because my Master prefers to possess rather than destroy. But you served only to save your students."

- Gira and Darth Vader, after the Sith Lord ordered the destruction of the Padawans' ship

Gira, a humanoid male, was a Jedi Knight that managed to survive the first stages of the Great Jedi Purge, which was ordered by the former Galactic Republic Supreme Chancellor and current Emperor Palpatine at the end of the Clone Wars in 19 BBY. At some point during the Purge, Gira took a group of Jedi Padawans into his care in order to protect them from the Galactic Empire.

Eventually, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader located Gira and the Padawans aboard a ship whose commander was aiding the Jedi in evading Imperial forces. Vader and his group of Imperial stormtroopers captured Gira's ship. During the battle, the Jedi ordered the ship's commander via a comlink to get the Padawans to the ship's escape vessel. The commander informed Gira that they needed the Jedi's assistance at the southern airlock. After he defeated the stormtroopers there, the ship's commander told the Gira that Vader had just entered the ship and was seven hundred meters away from the Jedi's position. Gira noticed that the corpses on the ground were shot through their backs; when he asked the commander about this, Vader ambushed the Jedi. As Gira engaged in lightsaber combat with Vader, he began to be drawn to the dark side of the Force. Vader offered to spare Gira's life, provided the Jedi join him. However, the Knight retorted that his life did not matter and vowed to continue fighting Vader.

Darth Vader eventually managed to disarm Gira and offered to spare the Padawans' lives, but only if the Jedi joined him. Gira accused Vader of lying to him, but the Sith Lord reiterated his promise, and Gira finally swore his loyalty to Vader after the Sith repeated his promise once more. Vader then directed his attention to a group of monitors, which showed the Padawans' escape vessel fleeing the scene. The ship's commander contacted Gira through the Jedi's comlink and asked to speak to Vader. The Sith asked the commander whether the explosives that had been put on the ship were charged, which the commander confirmed. Gira watched in horror as Vader ordered the ship's destruction. Vader revealed to Gira that the ship's commander had joined Vader after the commander realized that the Jedi Knight would not be able to fend off Vader's forces. Gira asked Vader why the Sith decided to break his will rather than kill him, and Vader replied that while Palpatine preferred to possess rather than destroy, Gira served only to save the Padawans, which Vader felt was unworthy service to the Emperor. As Vader left, he told the Jedi that he had successfully broken his spirit and that whatever Gira did would serve Palpatine, because the Jedi had completed his duty to the Emperor. Gira then took his lightsaber and ignited it into his chest, killing himself.

Personality and traits
"Join me and I'll let you live."'' "What? No. No! [&hellip;] It doesn't matter what you do to me. I care only for my charges. Live or die. I don't matter. Understand this traitor. I will'' fight you."

- Darth Vader and Gira

Gira was a red-haired humanoid male who was willing to go to great lengths to protect the group of Padawans he was assigned to look after. As a Jedi, Gira felt that it was his duty to serve, and he viewed his life as unimportant compared to his duty to the Padawans. When Darth Vader confronted Gira, the Sith weakened the Jedi's will, tempting Gira to join the dark side. He joined Vader on the condition that the Sith Lord would spare the Padawans' lives. After Vader betrayed Gira's trust and destroyed the ship containing the Padawans, he became enraged, realizing that it was his destiny to fail not only at his duty, but to fail himself, as well. With the deaths of the Padawans, Gira felt that since he had failed his duty, he was finished. After Vader left Gira, the Jedi proceeded to take his own life.

Powers and abilities
Gira was skilled at using a lightsaber in combat, utilizing a lightsaber with a blue crystal. The Jedi was capable of defeating multiple stormtroopers, and was even able to hold his own against Darth Vader for a brief amount of time. He could use the Force to push multiple opponents, and also used it to lift and move objects, such as his lightsaber.

Behind the scenes
Gira first appeared in the story The Duty, which was featured in Star Wars Tales 12 and written by Christian Read. The story was later compiled into a trade paperback version, Star Wars Tales Volume 3. Plausible stories in Star Wars Tales 1–20 were initially viewed as S-canon until referenced in a non-Tales source, at which point the subject matter was elevated to C-canon status. Gira later received his own entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, treating the Jedi as a unique character and raising his existence in The Duty to C-canon.