- "Derrica realized that he was not willing to turn his back on the Order for an inherited vendetta in which he had no personal grievance."
- ―Doctor Gabrel Treon, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji: A Cartel of Genes"
Derrica Praji was a man who was born into the wealthy and influential family House Praji during the time of the Galactic Republic. He joined the Jedi Order and was trained on the planet Ossus by Jedi Master Vandar Tokare, who encouraged Praji to put his allegiance to the Republic above his allegiance to the Prajii.
In 4225 BBY, Tokare volunteered himself and Praji to travel to the planet Kaikielius and participate in a Republic campaign to rid the planet of criminals. While in Kesipli, the capital city of Kaikielius, Praji discovered a datatape that implicated his great-aunt as having caused the conflict on the planet. Not wanting her to be charged with sedition against the Republic, Praji destroyed the tape and subsequently severed contact with his family. When the conflict ended, he returned to Ossus and was made a Jedi Knight.
Biography[]
- "Derrica Praji's Jedi potential was discovered when he was twelve -- old enough to know of his family's enmity with House Vahali, but without more than a superficial understanding."
- ―Doctor Gabrel Treon, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji: A Cartel of Genes"
Derrica Praji was born into the wealthy and influential family House Praji during the time of the Galactic Republic and was the grand-nephew of Emppu Praji-Barck, the Minister of State of the Republic. From an early age, Praji learned of his family's rivalry with House Vahali, an aristocratic family from the planet Kaikielius. When Praji was twelve years old, he was discovered to be Force-sensitive and joined the Jedi Order. He became the Padawan of Jedi Master Vandar Tokare and went to live with Tokare on the planet Ossus. Tokare allowed Praji to correspond with his parents, but always emphasized to Praji that as a Jedi, his allegiance to the Republic should come above his allegiance to his birth family. Over time, Praji began to care less for the material aspects of his former life with his parents, but he continued to encounter references to his relatives in historical texts, or hear about minor Praji celebrities in the media.[1]
By 4225 BBY, Praji was close to completing his Jedi training, when trouble on Kaikielius caused him an emotional dilemma. For decades, pirate activity in the Kaikielius system had been posing a serious problem for House Vahali, but Emppu Praji-Barck had prevented the Republic from interfering. However, in 4,225 BBY, the Hutt Odominic kajidic began supplying black-market arms to Kaikielius, causing a war in the planet's ring-cities between the police and the criminals. The Republic was forced to intervene and Master Tokare volunteered himself, Praji and his other Padawan to participate in the Kaikieli Reconquista, the campaign to retake Kaikielius from the criminal factions. This posed a problem for Praji, as he realized that by participating in the campaign, he would be aiding House Vahali and so, helping to undermine centuries of plotting by the Prajii to weaken their rivals. Praji thought about his dilemma as he traveled through hyperspace to Kaikielius, eventually deciding that he didn't want to disobey his master and refuse to take part in the campaign just because of an inherited family vendetta in which he had no personal involvement.[1]
For three months, Praji and the two other Jedi commanded Republic troops on Kaikielius, leading attacks on the most criminal-infested ring-cities. However, while in the planet's capital, Kesipli, he discovered some datatapes that again put his allegiance to the Republic at odds with his loyalty to his family. The tapes revealed that his great-aunt, Emppu Praji-Barck, had caused the problems on Kaikielius, by manipulating the Odominic into supplying arms to both sides in the conflict. With the evidence he had found, the Republic could charge Praji-Barck with sedition, so Praji destroyed the tapes with his lightsaber. Afterward, Praji severed contact with his family and when the Republic was eventually victorious on Kaikielius, he returned to Ossus and was made a Jedi Knight.[1]
Thousands of years later, Doctor Gabrel Treon wrote about Derrica Praji in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji, a history of the Praji family that was included in the Byblos Journal of Historical Science.[1]
Personality and traits[]
- "The eye sees, but cannot see itself. Anyone can be the eye, but the key to Jedi training is to be able to see oneself."
- ―Vandar Tokare, to Derrica Praji
While Praji trained to become a Jedi, he felt obligated to his family, but couldn't imagine a situation where he would have to choose between them and the Republic. However, during the campaign of Kaikielius, he fought with a clear conscience after deciding that his allegiance lay with the Republic and the Jedi. Despite this, Praji still felt some loyalty toward his family and wished he had never learned of their influence in causing the conflict on Kaikielius.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
Derrica Praji was created by Nathan O'Keefe in "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji," an article that was published on StarWars.com Hyperspace in February 2009.[1]
Sources[]
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji on Hyperspace (article) (content removed from StarWars.com and unavailable)
