- "He is a Jedi…a man of honor!"
- ―Ganathan crewman
Empatojayos Brand (Pronunciation ) was a Jedi Knight and survivor of the Great Jedi Purge. A Padawan of Jedi Master Yaddle, Brand graduated to Knighthood after the Battle of Naboo in 32 BBY. He served the Jedi Order and Republic in the following years, and in 22 BBY was sent to negotiate an end to the decades-long Sepan Civil War, albeit unsuccessfully. Within months the Clone Wars began, and Brand flew a Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptor as part of a Jedi strike team in the First Battle of Geonosis that opened the war. Brand became a Jedi General during the war, leading his clone troopers to victory in the Battle of Bassadro.
When the Clone Wars ended, however, the Jedi were declared enemies of the Republic and Brand was hunted down by Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader. Brand's ship was damaged by Vader near the moon Nar Shaddaa, and the grievously injured Brand was left to die. However, he was rescued by the nearby and technologically primitive Ganathan people. They fitted him with a prosthetic body, and Brand became the King of Ganath.
In 10 ABY, a damaged ship called the Millennium Falcon arrived in Ganathan Space. Brand learned from its passengers, Han Solo and his wife Leia Organa Solo of the New Republic, that Vader had been defeated, but the war continued to rage against Emperor Palpatine, who had discovered a way to cheat death by transferring his consciousness between clone bodies. Brand also learned that Leia's brother Luke Skywalker was building a New Jedi Order, and so he accompanied the Solos back to their safeworld of New Alderaan. After an Imperial attack, Brand joined Skywalker and the New Republic in their flight from the Empire. Brand eventually accompanied Skywalker in a last-ditch attempt at stopping Palpatine on the world of Onderon. Though injured by Palpatine in the fight, Brand was able to capture his opponent's soul, which fled its body after being shot by Han Solo, and upon dying Brand carried it to the Netherworld of the Force, where the former Emperor would be held prisoner by all departed Jedi for eternity.
Biography[]
Life as a Jedi[]
- "It has been many years since I have seen a Jedi Knight…"
- ―Empatojayos Brand
Brand's master, Yaddle
Empatojayos Brand was a male member of the Jedi Order, the Padawan of Jedi Master Yaddle. Brand passed the Jedi Trials and became a Jedi Knight after the Battle of Naboo[5] in 32 BBY.[1] He would be Yaddle's last apprentice.[5] Brand received some of his training in the ways of the Force from Master Yoda as well,[7] including that of telekinesis.[6] In 22 BBY,[8] Brand was dispatched along with fellow Jedi Bultar Swan and Chellemi Chuovvick to the Sepan sector to negotiate a peace to the long-running Sepan Civil War between the worlds of Dimok and Ripoblus. During the month-long negotiations, hostilities came to a halt, but upon the Jedi's return to Coruscant fighting flared up again.[9]
Only months later,[10] war broke out on the planet Geonosis, as Jedi and the Galactic Republic's new clone troopers were dispatched to that world to rescue the captured Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi from Count Dooku, leader of the secessionist Confederacy of Independent Systems. Brand flew a Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptor into battle with a strike team led by Master Mace Windu. Upon arriving at Geonosis, Brand joined with Master Adi Gallia's Zeta Squadron to stop Cavik Toth, an ally of Dooku, from deploying a chemical weapon called trihexalon, or "hex," onto the surface of Geonosis. Brand and his wing intercepted Toth's fleet above Geonosis. Between Brand and the other Jedi the squadron was able to destroy Toth's Hex Deployers, then defeat the Sabaoth Destroyers that Toth brought in as reinforcements. The pirate Nym and allied ships arrived shortly thereafter in support of the squadron; with their help, Toth's plans were waylaid and Gallia was able to kill him.[4]
Geonosis turned out to be the opening battle of the galaxy-wide Clone Wars,[1] and in the war Brand became a Jedi General.[11] Nine months after the Battle of Geonosis,[1] Brand and his clone troopers went to Bassadro, a mineral-rich world that the Confederacy had occupied. The Battle of Bassadro lasted twelve days and was ended when Brand led his battalion to the dormant volcanic ranges that offered cover for the Separatist forces commanded by Major Domb Treetor. Brand ordered concussion missile strikes against the rock formations, removing the Separatists' cover and creating a storm of shrapnel that sliced through the mining village of Agao-Nir, destroying many of the battle droids stationed there,[11] as well as four hundred unaffiliated miners.[1] Treetor surrendered, and Bassadro was retaken for the Republic.[11]
Flight to Ganath[]
- "They say a Jedi strong in the Force can rule those less powerful than himself. This I have done…I hope with justice!"
- ―Empatojayos Brand
In 19 BBY, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine declared the Jedi enemies of the Republic and ordered their extermination, then transformed the Republic into a Galactic Empire with himself as Emperor. His new apprentice Darth Vader set about hunting down the Jedi,[1] and Brand was one of the last that Vader pursued.[12] He fled in a ship, but Vader followed,[3] and the two ships engaged in battle.[13] Brand lost, and his vessel was destroyed near Ganathan Space, an isolated pocket of space within the Oktos Nebula. Brand's body was ruined, and the Jedi fell through the radioactive gas cloud in a pressure suit until he was rescued by the Ganathans, a race of people with limited space-faring capability who powered their technology with steam.[14] To keep him alive, Brand was outfitted with a cyborg body made of Ganathan technology[3] but of his own design,[15] his legs replaced with repulsorlifts and his arms with prostheses.[3] Seeing that the Ganathan people needed a strong ruler, Brand ascended to the position of king, attempting to keep the Jedi creeds alive in his rule.[12]
Brand believed that Vader had killed all the remaining Jedi and gave up hope.[14] With no contact of the outside world, he remained unaware of Vader's eventual death, or of Palpatine's death and return in a clone body, and assumed that Vader had become a powerful warlord in charge of many star systems.[3]
Return to the fight[]
- "I will join you in this fight. The Jedi Knights must rise again."
- ―Empatojayos Brand, to Leia Organa Solo
Brand meets the crew of the Millennium Falcon.
In 10 ABY,[1] another ship penetrated the gas cloud: a New Republic vessel called the Millennium Falcon, carrying Han Solo, his wife Leia Organa Solo, his copilot Chewbacca, and Jedi Purge survivor Vima-Da-Boda, all fleeing the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Upon entering the cloud, the damaged Falcon nearly ran into the Ganathan battleship Robida Colossus, which towed them back to Ganath. While they were en route, Ganathan Tower Command contacted Brand, presuming he would be interested to know of the outsiders. Brand met them at the spaceport, and immediately recognizing Leia and Vima-Da-Boda as Jedi, ordered the guards surrounding them to lower their guns. Brand identified himself to them as Jedi and the two women confirmed it through the Force.[3]
The Falcon was given repairs, and Brand oversaw the replacement of the vessel's missiles with a Ganathan lightning gun, which he believed to be a superior weapon. Joining the crew of the Falcon for a test run of the ship's new systems, Brand spoke with his fellow Jedi about the changes that had taken place in his absence from galactic events, including the present fight between the New Republic and the reincarnated Palpatine. When he heard of Leia's brother Luke Skywalker, a Jedi who intended to rebuild a New Jedi Order, Brand decided to contribute to the return of the Jedi Knights. He contacted his men, leaving the Ganathan space fleet in the hands of Captain Ussor and having Ussor relay news of his departure to the council. The Falcon left Ganathan Space and moved into the gas cloud, only to emerge right in front of Fett's Slave I. The Falcon's new lightning gun made quick work of Slave I, shorting out its systems and sending it spiraling into the cloud as the Falcon made the hyperspace jump to the safeworld of New Alderaan.[16]
On New Alderaan, Han acquainted Brand with starships in service to the New Republic, including the X-wing and Y-wing starfighters. It was not long after their arrival that Brand sighted an unidentified ship entering New Alderaan's atmosphere.[14] For security reasons, it did not broadcast any comm signals, making it impossible to identify until it entered firing range. Brand rushed to warn Leia and her friend Winter, but Leia soon sensed that it was Skywalker returning. Skywalker, several Jedi recruits in tow, informed them that their base at the moon Da Soocha V had been destroyed by Palpatine's superweapon, the Galaxy Gun; not knowing that the New Republic leaders had been evacuated beforehand, he believed them to be dead. Despite the perceived tragedy, Skywalker pushed to continue training the next generation of Jedi, entrusting that of Jem and Rayf Ysanna, two Force-sensitive youths he had found on the planet Ossus, to Brand. Brand showed them the arts of telekinesis that he had learned from Yoda by lifting large rocks and teaching them to do the same. Skywalker later showed all the Jedi information that he had retrieved from Ossus on the art of battle meditation.[6]
Brand, Kam Solusar, and Rayf Ysanna face the Emperor's Dark Side Adepts.
The Empire, meanwhile, had learned the location of New Alderaan by interrogating one of their captives, New Republic Major Ntthan. A strike force led by Executor Xecr Nist was dispatched to the world, its goal to retrieve the Force-sensitive children of the Solos, Jaina and Jacen. As Nist and a number of other Dark Side Adepts converged on the building where the Solo children slept, Brand, Rayf Ysanna, and Jedi Knight Kam Solusar intercepted them and engaged in a duel of lightsabers and Force prowess. As Brand fought off multiple enemies at the same time, Solusar dueled Nist, and the attack was successfully repelled, though the darksiders' secondary mission against Skywalker left Jem Ysanna dead. The victory was short-lived, though, as a number of All Terrain Armored Transports soon joined the fight, laying waste to the New Republic settlement. The New Alderaan populace was evacuated, Brand and a number of others escaping in the cargo vessel Starhook Ten. Their destination was Nespis VIII, an abandoned city in space. There, the New Alderaan evacuees rendezvoused with the escaped Republic leadership. Skywalker, Brand, Ysanna, and Solusar convened to discuss their plight, and Brand encouraged the others not to give into despair. They were interrupted by the announcement of the birth of Leia's third child, Anakin Solo.[6]
The end of Palpatine[]
- "Luke…Palpatine will die with me. He will never return. The Force—and all the Jedi who went before us… will make sure of that. Goodbye, my friend."
- ―Empatojayos Brand's last words
Brand later oversaw the removal of the lightning gun from the Falcon, as Chewbacca wanted his missiles back. Unfortunately for the Republic, not long after, their location was betrayed to the Empire by an Imperial spy, who was posing as a technician named Jenks. When Brand and Han confronted Jenks, he fired his blaster pistol upon them, hitting Brand, but the Jedi was saved by his suit's backup system.[17] Before an evacuation could be issued, a particle disintegrator warhead came out of hyperspace near Nespis VIII, fired by the Galaxy Gun. Fortunately for them, it was a dud, and the evacuation was pulled off before a second missile arrived and destroyed the city. Once in deep space, the Jedi and Republic leaders gathered to discuss their next phase of operations. Skywalker decided that he, Brand, Solusar, and Ysanna would go to Ossus to scout it as a possible location for a base, while the Solos and Vima-Da-Boda would find a safe hiding spot. The Jedi arrived in orbit of Ossus to find Imperial ships leaving; landing, the Jedi learned that the Empire had kidnapped members of the Ysanna tribe, and Solusar's sensor readings pointed them to Vjun, a world where Darth Vader had once owned a personal fortress called Bast Castle.[18]
Brand fights in Bast Castle.
Arriving on Vjun, the Jedi sent Solusar's I-7 Howlrunner starship ahead on automated systems to crash into the wall of the castle, opening the way for the Jedi. Disembarking from Skywalker's ship, the Jedi Explorer II, the Jedi did battle with Nist and the dark side warriors who swarmed to meet them. Skywalker eventually ended the fight by using the Force to topple a gigantic statue of Vader onto the darksiders. They found the captured Ysanna frozen in carbonite; Nist, the only survivor among the Dark Jedi, told them that only Palpatine knew how to free them, and Skywalker was determined to find the Emperor and end the fight against him for good.[18]
In 11 ABY,[1] Palpatine was on his way to the Onderon system in pursuit of the Solos. With his clone bodies deteriorating, the Emperor needed a new vessel to contain his soul and decided on Anakin Solo. Though the Solos escaped an ambush by Palpatine's flagship, the Eclipse II, near Onderon, they had to land the Falcon on the surface of the planet, while the Eclipse II took orbit around the world. Chewbacca and Vima-Da-Boda later left Onderon in the Falcon, hoping to serve as a decoy while the Solos took refuge in the Onderonian wilderness. Brand and the other Jedi returned to the Republic fleet transport Vindicator, where they met Chewbacca and Vima-Da-Boda and learned of Palpatine's whereabouts. A fleet was assembled to hit the Eclipse II and bring down the Emperor.[2]
The fleet arrived at Onderon and engaged the Emperor's flagship in battle. When Solusar sensed that Palpatine was not aboard the vessel, Skywalker, Brand, Vima-Da-Boda, and Ysanna descended to the planet's surface in the Jedi Explorer II, certain that he would have gone there to find the Solos. They landed at Iziz Starport and soon located Palpatine's shuttle. The Jedi were shortly joined by Han Solo, who had returned from the Kira Fortress in the wilderness where his wife and children were in hiding to meet Skywalker. The party assaulted the shuttle, fighting stormtroopers and members of the Emperor's Royal Guard, and entered it to find not Palpatine, but one of his darksiders serving as a decoy. Solo realized that Palpatine had gone to the fortress, and they set off in pursuit in the Jedi Explorer II.[2]
Brand and his companions were not fast enough, however; Palpatine had reached the fortress before they did and attacked Leia, attempting to take her child Anakin. In the midst of the struggle, Brand charged in, informing Skywalker, who was following him, that Palpatine was there. Palpatine hit Brand with a blast of Force lightning, grievously injuring Brand and knocking him to the ground. Rayf Ysanna struck down one of Palpatine's darksider companions, T'iaz, but was in turn killed by another blast of lightning from the Emperor. However, the second attack weakened Palpatine, a fact that Brand made Skywalker aware of. Skywalker gave Palpatine a chance to surrender, but the Emperor instead charged for Anakin Solo, attempting to take the child's body to hold his own soul. Before he could reach Anakin, Han Solo shot the Emperor with his blaster.[2]
Brand, with the spirit of Palpatine inside him, hands Anakin Solo to his mother.
In his last burst of life, Palpatine's spirit separated from his body and moved towards the child. Brand regained control of his repulsors and launched himself across at Anakin, catching the child and protecting him with the light side of the Force. Brand grasped Palpatine's spirit and took it prisoner within himself. Being eaten alive by the darkness within him, Brand sensed the despair and anger within Palpatine as he died. Palpatine spoke through the Jedi one last time before he died, cursing the Skywalker bloodline. Brand bade farewell and died, carrying Palpatine's spirit with him to be held prisoner for eternity by every Jedi who had become one with the Force, never to be resurrected again.[2]
The next day, Skywalker recorded a message for Anakin Solo telling him of the events of Palpatine's resurrection and defeat. He closed by bidding Anakin to remember Brand and the Ysannas for the sacrifices they had made to ensure that he grow up and live a long life.[19] Later, Jedi Knight Tam Azur-Jamin chronicled Brand in his essay Droids, Technology and the Force: A Clash of Phenomena.[20]
Personality and traits[]
- "I am grateful that Brand was with us. He was a greater Jedi than I."
- ―Luke Skywalker
Empatojayos Brand, king of the Ganathans
In his youth, Brand was a vain and confident individual.[5] Brand ascended to his kingship out of a desire to see strong leadership amongst the Ganathans.[12] Having heard that those strong in the Force could rule those less powerful, Brand attempted to do just that, hoping that he could do so justly.[3] Despite the Jedi Order being destroyed, Brand made sure to bring justice in accordance with its tenets.[12] In his essay, Azur-Jamin proclaimed Brand to be a more just monarch than any other, using him as proof that cybernetics did not reduce one's Humanity.[20] Brand's own subjects considered him to be a man of honor, particularly because he was a Jedi.[16]
When the opportunity came to rebuild the Jedi, Brand was eager to do so.[12] In the wake of the attacks on the Jedi and New Republic, and the deaths of many of his companions, Brand remained optimistic, counseling his fellow Jedi not to give into despair and stressing that that would be the path to the dark side.[6] Brand fought for the sake of the Jedi and the Solo children several times, ultimately sacrificing his life to preserve Anakin Solo's.[12] Luke Skywalker considered him to be a hero and a greater Jedi than himself.[19]
Powers and abilities[]
- "Rayf…Jem…Master Yoda taught me this skill, many years ago. Are you ready to finish lifting that heavy stone without me?"
- ―Brand instructing Rayf and Jem Ysanna in the use of telekinesis
As an older man, the Force was strong in Brand. As a Jedi Knight, he was skilled in the use of telekinesis and was trained in the use of a lightsaber.[6] He had the ability to capture and contain the spirit of Palpatine, a skill unknown to Luke Skywalker at the time.[19] He had a knowledge of technology, both in ships and cybernetics, and took pride in the abilities of Ganathan technology.[16] Brand could also fly the Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptor.[4]
Equipment[]
- "This 'droid suit' is a sophisticated survival system. It can keep me alive on the hottest—or coldest—planet in the galaxy. I could even survive for a year in the vacuum of space!"
- ―Empatojayos Brand
Brand uses the Force and his built-in lightsaber.
Brand, after reconstruction, was over half machine.[20] His suit, made by combining Ganathan technology with his own modern technology,[12] and of his own design,[15] served as a replacement for his damaged body. Spherical, it lacked legs and was supported by repulsorlifts,[12] which he controlled mentally.[2] Brand could not sit while in it, but equipped with magnetic clamps, the suit could be anchored to a bulkhead when a ship was underway.[14] The suit could keep Brand alive on the hottest and coldest planets, even allowing him to survive for up to a year in the vacuum of space[16] without eating.[14] The suit was equipped with backup systems, allowing Brand to recover from blaster shots.[17] However, it could be temporarily disabled with Force lightning.[2] Both of Brand's regular arms were prosthetic, and one had a lightsaber built into it,[6] but he could bring out two other arms when necessary. He had sensors built into the suit as well, which could detect lifeforms and even their gender. Brand's suit could also interface with a ship's targeting computer.[17]
Behind the scenes[]
The Brand look-alike in Union 2.
Empatojayos Brand was created for the Star Wars: Dark Empire II comic book series, by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy, debuting in the fourth issue,[3] which was published on March 21, 1995.[21] The character was featured in the sequel series Star Wars: Empire's End and was killed in the second issue of that series,[2] published on November 28 of the same year.[22] Brand was also featured in the audio drama adaptations of Dark Empire II and Empire's End, in which he was voiced by Joe Hacker.[23]
On December 8 of 1999,[24] a character greatly resembling Brand also appeared in the background of the marriage scene in the second issue of the comic series Star Wars: Union,[25] set eight years after the character's death.[1] With the release of the prequel trilogy of Star Wars films, Brand was given backstory for the respective time period, although no source has visually depicted the character as he appeared before his disfigurement.[9] In the 2002 video game Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter, Brand's name is assigned to one of the eponymous Jedi starfighters in the game's final mission, but the character is not otherwise referred to, and he is given no lines.[4]
Appearances[]
Sepan Civil War Escalates — HoloNet News Vol. 531 #49 (content now obsolete; backup link)- Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
- "Republic HoloNet News Core Edition 14:2:12" — Star Wars Insider 65
- "CIS Shadowfeed Dispatch 14:3:10 Edition" — Star Wars Insider 66 (Indirect mention only)
- Dark Empire II 4 (First appearance)
- Dark Empire II 5
- Dark Empire II 6
- Dark Empire II audio drama
- Empire's End 1
- Empire's End 2
- Empire's End audio drama
- Crimson Empire 0 (Indirect mention only)
