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Yarzion Vell

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"But, Master Yarzion, if the Force has decided this is your time…"
"Who will complete your training? Heh. I asked the same question when my own Master passed…"
―Ordea and Yarzion Vell[1]

Yarzion Vell was a Force-sensitive individual who served as a Jedi of the Jedi Order during the High Republic Era. Vell became the Padawan of Jedi Master Lulad, and a few months into his training, they traveled to Vell's homeworld on a mission. There, Vell followed the planet's tradition of being tattooed with the name of one's greatest teacher and received tattoos of Lulad's name. Lulad then had herself tattooed with Vell's name. In 232 BBY, Lulad was killed, and Jedi Master Kelnacca took over Vell's training. In 229 BBY, Vell and Kelnacca fought the Nihil pirates on the astronomical object Vianax. Following the fighting, they made repairs in a settlement there, where a group of children spoke with Vell as he worked.

Around 228 BBY, while on on the Nihil-occupied planet Naboo, Vell and Kelnacca formed an alliance with the bounty hunters Lourna Dee, Quin Carree, and Tey Sirrek, after which the group worked together to break into Naboo's Royal Palace. In the final year of Vell's training, he and Kelnacca rescued the child Yesula and her father from a fire on the astronomical object Veek. After Vell learned that their droid Zeekay was still inside the burning building, Vell rescued the droid and was knighted by Kelnacca for his actions. Vell eventually took on his own Padawan, Ordea. Around 149 BBY, when Vell was dying, Ordea became concerned about who would complete their training, so Vell told them stories of his training under Kelnacca and Lulad. Vell died soon after Kelnacca arrived to see him, and during his funeral, Kelnacca agreed to complete Ordea's training.

Biography[]

The Force provides[]

"I was apprentice to Master Lulad, who…who…"
"Who perished in the crash. She is with the force now, Yarzion. At peace."
―Yarzion Vell and Elzar Mann[1]
LuladSkinScribe-Kelnacca1

Lulad was tattooed with Vell's name.

Yarzion Vell was a Jedi of the Jedi Order who lived during the High Republic Era. As a Padawan, Vell trained under Jedi Master Lulad. A few months into his training, Vell and Lulad traveled to his home planet on a mission. While there, Vell made a spur-of-the-moment decision to follow his homeworld's tradition of being tattooed with the name of one's greatest teacher and had a skin-scribe tattoo his head with runes in his ancestor's language that spelled Lulad's name. Halfway through the procedure, Lulad walked in. Although Vell expected her to be angry or disappointed and to make him remove the tattoos, she instead had the skin-scribe tattoo her with Vell's name, explaining that a Jedi Master's greatest lessons came from those they taught.[1]

In 230 BBY,[3] the Nihil pirates attacked the Starlight Beacon space station,[4] and Lulad was killed when it crashed into[1] the planet[4] Eiram.[1] On Eiram, Vell found Jedi Master Elzar Mann, who asked how[1] he[4] could help and misremembered Vell's name as Yorzian. After correcting Mann, Vell told him that he was Lulad's apprentice, but struggled to speak about her death. After Mann reassured him, Vell wondered who would complete his training. Mann responded by telling him that the Force would provide and introduced him to Jedi Master Kelnacca, who was on Eiram as part of the relief effort from[1] the planet[4] Coruscant. Vell thanked Kelnacca for taking on his training and promised not to let him or the Force down. In response, Kelnacca began walking away, and Vell ran after him.[1]

KelnaccaBattle-Kelnacca1

Vell and Kelnacca battle the Nihil on Vianax.

In 229 BBY,[5] Kelnaccca and Vell fought members of the Nihil on the astronomical object Vianax within the Nihil controlled Occlusion Zone. During the skirmish, Vell deflected blaster bolts with his lightsaber. Following the skirmish, Vell and Kelnacca helped make repairs in a settlement on Vianax. A group of children watched as they worked, and an Elomin child asked Vell if Kelnacca was Vell's teacher, which he confirmed. A human child asked Vell if Kelnacca ever spoke, to which Vell responded that he only did when necessary. The human wondered how Vell knew if Kelnacca liked him, and Vell told them that it was not like that for Jedi. The children then asked Vell about his tattoos, but Vell claimed that they did not mean anything and then avoided further questions by saying he needed to get back to work.[1]

Occupation of Naboo[]

"Okay. Enough tricks, furball. Who the crikk are you guys?"
"Friends. Because you look like you need them. My name is Yarzion Vell, and this is my master, Kelnacca."
―Lourna Dee, and Yarzion Vell[6]
HoodedYarzion-THRFOTJ1

Vell deflects Dee's blaster shot

Around 228 BBY,[7] Vell and Kelnacca were on the planet Naboo, which was occupied by the Nihil, when they witnessed a confrontation between a group of the pirates and the bounty hunters Lourna Dee, Tey Sirrek, and Quin Carree. When Dee shot at a Gloovan Nihil, Vell leapt and deflected her shot with his lightsaber, then pushed the Gloovan into a wall. Kelnacca then mind tricked two other Nihil into stunning each other, after which Dee asked the Jedi who they were. The two lowered their hoods, and Vell introduced them both. Dee then said that Mann believed there were still Jedi alive on Naboo, and Vell asked if she knew Mann, which she confirmed.[6]

Quin told the Jedi that they were looking for survivors of experiments conducted by the Nihil scientist Baron Boolan, and after Kelnacca responded in Shyriiwook, Dee stated that their objectives aligned and offered to assist the Jedi with breaking into the Nihil stronghold and liberating the planet if they helped find Sister H'Tar, one of Boolan's Children of the Storm. Later, the group entered Naboo's Royal Palace. Within the palace, Quin and Dee noted feelings of jumpiness and overwhelming fear. Vell compared their feelings to those caused by the presence of the Nihil's Force-consuming Nameless creatures and asked Kelnacca if he believed any were present. Kelnacca and Dee both disagreed, with the latter saying that the Nameless would only affect the Jedi.[6]

Nightmare on Naboo[]

"You're Yarzion. The damned Padawan."
"I…I thought you were the Nameless. I thought you were killing my master. Like before."
―Lourna Dee and Yarzion Vell[8]
LournaYarzion-THRFOTJ2

Dee and Vell fought while under the influence of H'Tar's hallucinations.

Dee attempted to ask Sirrek if he thought they were feeling H'Tar, but he did not respond. She then witnessed Vell and the others fall to the ground as she saw[6] a hallucination caused by H'Tar[8] of an individual appearing similar to her past self,[6] who in reality was Vell. At the same time, Vell saw Dee as a Nameless attempting to kill his master, reminding him of Lulad's death, and they fought. After Dee kicked Vell to the ground, she raised her arm to punch him, only to be stopped by Kelnacca. She then saw that she was actually fighting Vell, who told her what he had seen her as. Sirrek then saw H'Tar, who was using a device known as the fear engine to cause the hallucinations.[8]

Vell ignited his lightsaber, and the group fought against several Nihil members defending H'Tar. The Nihil soon retreated after receiving a broadcast calling them to a battle on[8] the planet[9] Eriadu. As they did, Jedi Master Keeve Trennis fired on the palace from her Jedi Vector crushing some of the pirates under debris. Vell examined the body of one Nihil, noting that those had not fled had been crushed, and Dee discovered the Nihil broadcast. After Dee informed Trennis and suggested the battle on Eriadu could be a turning point in the conflict, the Jedi Master asked then to stay on Naboo to aid with the relief effort, which Kelnacca agreed to, though Dee refused.[8]

Vell and Kelnacca later arrived at Eriadu alongside reinforcements from the Galactic Republic, the Mon Cal fleet, the Togruta, and the Hutts. When Kelnacca contacted the Longbeam cruiser Gios, Trennis asked if Vell was with him. Vell responded to confirm that he was present and then informed her of the reinforcements they had brought. With the arrival of the reinforcements, the battle turned against the Nihil, who surrendered soon after.[10]

Rescue on Veek[]

"I believe this is yours."
―Yarzion Vell, returning Zeekay to Yesula[1]
VeekFire-Kelnacca1

Vell and Kelnacca rescue Yesula and her father on Veek.

In 227 BBY,[5] Vell looked at a hologram of Lulad while in the Jedi Archives in Coruscant's Jedi Temple. When Kelnacca approached him, Vell began to turn off the hologram, but Kelnacca stopped him and pointed at Lulad's tattoos, which he had noticed were similar to Vell's. Vell then explained the meaning of his tattoos and how he had gotten them to Kelnacca. Kelnacca said nothing in response to what Vell told him, although Vell knew he did not have to.[1]

In the final year of Vell's training, he and Kelnacca were on the Outer Rim astronomical object Veek, where they rescued the child Yesula and her father from a fire. As Kelnacca and Vell held back the flames, Vell ordered them to leave. Once they safely escaped, Kelnacca told Vell to leave as well. Although Vell was concerned about his master, he left, and Kelnacca soon followed him. Outside, Yesula cried out that her droid Zeekay was still inside. Vell asked who Zeekay was, and Yesula's father informed him that he was their droid, but was old and barely functioning, and so did not matter. However, Yesula said that Zeekay had holos of her deceased mother in his databank, and that losing Zeekay would be like losing her mother again. Upon hearing this, Vell returned to the burning building and rescued Zeekay, then returned him to Yesula.[1]

After Yesula's father thanked him, Vell apologized to Kelnacca for rescuing the droid, but said he did so because of what Yesula had said about her mother. However, Kelnacca responded by igniting his lightsaber and cutting Vell's Padawan braid, knighting him. Kelnacca then asked Vell to apply a tattoo of his name on his head, following the tradition of Vell's homeworld. Vell complied with Kelnacca's request, tattooing his own name on Kelnacca's head while in another structure on Veek as Yesula watched.[1]

Death[]

"And then he asked me to do something for him. Something he considered important."
"What was it? What did he ask you to do?"
"Why don't you ask him yourself?"
―Yarzion Vell and Ordea, shortly before Kelnacca arrives on Tozil[1]
OrdeaYarzion-Kelnacca1

Vell speaks to Ordea about his training.

Vell eventually took on his Padawan, Ordea.[1] Around 149 BBY,[2] Vell was dying of old age[11] while he was at a Jedi temple on the planet Tozil. Ordea was anxious about their Master's condition and was concerned about who would complete their training after Vell died. Vell recognized their feelings and told them about the similar experience he had after Lulad's death. Vell told Ordea about how Kelnacca had taken him on as a Padawan, his time on Vianax, and about he explained the meaning of his tattoos to Kelnacca. After Ordea was shocked by the tradition of Vell's homeworld, Vell told them about the mission to his home planet in which he received his tattoos. After telling Ordea about when he was knighted on Veek, he began to explain what Kelnacca had asked of him. Before he finished his explanation, Kelnacca arrived on Tozil to see Vell. Vell smiled upon seeing Kelnacca and then died after briefly acknowledging his arrival.[1]

Kelnacca then carried Vell's body outside, and he and Ordea burned it and held a funeral. During the funeral, Ordea noticed Kelnacca's tattoos and realized that being tattooed with Vell's name to show his respect was what he had asked of his Padawan. Ordea then began to ask Kelnacca if he would finish their training, saying that Vell had said they had as little as six months left. Partway through their request, they stopped and apologized, saying it was not appropriate to ask when Kelnacca had come to pay his respects. However, Kelnacca agreed take on Ordea as his Padawan and complete their training.[1] Around 148 BBY,[2] Ordea successfully finished their training.[11]

Personality and traits[]

Vell was a member of a humanoid species with pointed ears and heads that were more elongated than those of a human. Vell had red eyes and red skin with black tattoos on his head that spelled Lulad's name. He had long black hair, which became white when he was older. Both Lulad and Kelnacca respected Vell, choosing to be tattooed with his name as a sign of their respect.[1]

Powers and abilities[]

"Go now! The Force will protect you from the flames!"
―Yarzion Vell[1]

Vell was Force-sensitive and was capable of deflecting blaster bolts with his lightsaber and holding back fire.[1]

Equipment[]

Vell wore brown Jedi apparel and wielded a yellow-bladed lightsaber.[1]

Behind the scenes[]

"…I jumped straight to scripting Fear of the Jedi from writing last year’s Kelnacca one-shot to tie into The Acolyte, so was happy to also be able to bring back his Padawan Yarzion Vell."
―Cavan Scott[12]

Yarzion Vell first appeared in the one-shot comic The Acolyte - Kelnacca 1, which was written by Cavan Scott, illustrated by Marika Cresta, and published by Marvel Comics[1] on September 4, 2024.[13] Prior to the comic's release, Kelnacca's tattoos of Vell's name were first depicted in "Revenge / Justice,"[14] the second episode of the live-action Disney+ series Star Wars: The Acolyte, which aired on June 4, 2024,[15] although the tattoos were not established to spell Vell's name until the release of the comic, in which he was identified for the first time.[1] Vell was first pictured in a video uploaded to the official Star Wars YouTube on July 25 of that year.[16] Vell also appeared in the comic series Star Wars: The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi, written by Scott and published as part of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project's Phase III. In an interview, Scott said that he was happy to be able to bring back Vell for the series.[12]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 The Acolyte - Kelnacca 1
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Star Wars: The Acolyte: The Visual Guide establishes that Kelnacca was 149 years old at the time of the destruction of Starlight Beacon, which Star Wars: Timelines dates to 230 BBY. Star Wars: The Acolyte: The Visual Guide also establishes Kelnacca was 230 years old during the present day events of The Acolyte - Kelnacca 1, meaning the events of the comic, including Yarzion Vell's death on Tozil must occur around 149 BBY. Additionally, it establishes that Kelnacca was 231 years old when he completed Ordea's training, meaning it was completed around 148 BBY.
  3. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Star Wars: The High Republic: Chronicles of the Jedi
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Acolyte - Kelnacca 1 establishes that the skirmish on Vianax occurred a year after the destruction of Starlight Beacon, which Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia dates to 230 BBY, placing the skirmish in 229 BBY. The comic also establishes that Vell looked at a hologram of Lulad two years after the skirmish, equating to 227 BBY.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi 1
  7. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates Starlight Beacon's destruction to 230 BBY. The implementation of the Guardian Protocols, which Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia places in 229 BBY, took place one week after Starlight Beacon's fall according to The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight 1. As The High Republic: Temptation of the Force takes place one year and six weeks after the destruction of Starlight Beacon and its events span a few months, it must be set in 228 BBY. The events of The High Republic: Tempest Breaker occur around two months after the events of Temptation of the Force, they must take place around the same year. As the events of The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi 1 occur not long after Tempest Breaker, they must also take place around the same year.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi 2
  9. ↑ Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
  10. ↑ The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi 5
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Star Wars: The Acolyte: The Visual Guide
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Star Wars: Cavan Scott Reveals What Scares the Jedi in The High Republic Phase III Finale on ComicBook.com (backup link archived on January 17, 2025)
  13. ↑ STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE – KELNACCA (2024) #1 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
  14. ↑ Star Wars: The Acolyte — "Revenge / Justice"
  15. ↑ StarWars.com The Acolyte Teaser Poster, Premiere Date Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)
  16. ↑ This Week! in Star Wars Dispatch: Outlaws, High Republic, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
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