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- "It was different for me, Ezra. Everything was different back then. All that remains now is the Force."
- ―Kanan Jarrus
Kanan Jarrus, born Caleb Dume, was a Force-sensitive human male Jedi Padawan who survived Order 66. Going into hiding, he forsook the Jedi ways for some time, swapping his blue-bladed lightsaber for a blaster.
Eventually, Jarrus would wind up as a freighter pilot for the corporation Moonglow Polychemical in the Gorse system, piloting Moonglow-72. After getting caught up with a ragtag rebellious group consisting of Twi'lek pilot, Hera Syndulla, the conspiracy theorist Skelly, and the Sullustan shift leader Zaluna Myder, Kanan helped prevent the Imperial Count Denetrius Vidian from destroying Cynda. During the conflict, Jarrus made the decision to accompany Syndulla on her VCX-100 light freighter, the Ghost—which he eventually would command alongside her.
While cocky and often sarcastic, Jarrus was eager to help out and fight the Galactic Empire. Five years before the Battle of Yavin, Jarrus met Ezra Bridger, a fourteen-year-old Force-sensitive Human, whom he decided to mentor.
Biography
The Clone Wars
- "My young strategist has been thinking again. Any other questions?"
"Await orders. What if orders never come? I won't know what to do."
"Maybe you will."
"Maybe I won't."
"All right, maybe you won't. But anything is possible. Perhaps the answer will come to you in another form." - ―Depa Billaba and Caleb Dume
A human male, Caleb Dume was born during the waning years of the Galactic Republic on Coruscant.[1] He was integrated into the Jedi Order, and, as a youngling, caught the eye of Jedi Master Depa Billaba. He once attended a lecture by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Jedi Temple's central security station learning about the Jedi recall signal and inadvertently gave Kenobi the idea to use the beacon to warn Jedi away,which several Padawans bullied him for his questioning nature.[2] Dume also met Jedi Master Luminara Unduli once, remembering her as "brave, compassionate, disciplined"[7], and often heard Grand Master Yoda say "Do, or do not. There is no try," although he did not fully comprehend what Yoda meant.[7]
Caleb Dume training under his master, Depa Billaba, on Kaller.
Five months before the end of the Clone Wars, at age thirteen,[1] Dume was taken by Billaba as her Padawan. They went on different missions together, and Billaba took Dume to one of the Jedi Temples where he was able to overcome his fears. Dume even built his own lightsaber. On her duty to lead the Grand Army of the Republic as General, Dume accompanied Billaba and fought alongside her battalion, which included clone troopers Commander Grey and Captain Styles, with whom Dume would develop a sense of camaraderie.[5]
During the last few days of the war at the age of fourteen, Dume took part of the battle of Kaller, in which Billaba led the Republic forces to victory during the last day of the Clone Wars against the Confederacy of Independent Systems under General Kleeve, whose departure meant the end of the battle. Though the meeting with Kallerans was marked by the discussion of Dume, Grey and Styles with Janus Kasmir who expressed little gratitude to the Jedi General, the three were silenced by Billaba, who moved her troops to rest in the field under the stars, and continued with Dume's training in Lightsaber techniqueForm III. While the two were alone, Dume was given a lesson in attachments. Afterwards, he shared a moment of rapport with his master, Grey and Styles at a bonfire. Though they teased him about his inquisitive nature, Billaba gave him a holocron so that he could "study the role of questions" and "peaceful dissent" in the Order.[5]
Moments later, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine issued Order 66, which branded all Jedi as traitors to the state and called for their immediate execution,[8] to Commander Grey.[5] As they felt the slaughter of the Jedi throughout the Force, Dume and his master were confronted by the once-friendly clonetroopers; aware of their disadvantage, Billaba ordered Dume to run; as he saw his master being killed under Commander Grey's blaster fire, the young Padawan ran into the woods where Billaba's death gave him enough time to conceal himself and wait for the clones to pass by. Evading the clones all night, by sunrise he reached an outlying public transport station with a transport going into Plateau City and when he got there, spotted clones receiving a holoimage of him, with orders to kill on sight. For several days he evaded clone patrols, could not sleep out of fear of being caught in one spot too long, and due to not having any credits was forced to search dumpsters for food.
Unexpectedly discovered by Kasmir, the jaded scoundrel tossed Dume some food and was about to walk away when Dume begged for a safe spot to sleep; Kasmir gave in and allowed him to borrow the spare bunk in his ship, the Kasmiri. After insisting Dume wash before laying down, he let the Padawan sleep for a full planetary rotation, then gave him some clothes so Dume would not be running around in Jedi robes. Wondering what he should do, he received Kasmir's advice: If he was to live as the rest of the galaxy did, he had to lie, cheat, steal, and survive.[9]
Dume then received the Jedi emergency signal recalling him to the Temple, unaware of Palpatine's trap, and pleaded Kasmir to take him to Coruscant. The Kalleran refused to travel outside the Outer Rim, then citiing Dume as a liability, ordered him to finish his current meal and then leave his ship. Kasmir walked outside, only to be approached by Styles and other clones, intending to search the ship for Dume despite Kasmir's protests. The Padawan took that chance to steal the Kasmiri and jump to hyperspace to the galaxy's capital. However, in hyperspace he received Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi's message in which he instructed all Jedi to go into hiding from the Empire,[1] only to come out in realspace above Coruscant's orbit and found himself surrounded by ARC-170 starfighters. A HoloNet alert about the stolen ship, suspected to have been hijacked by a fugitive, had gotten there ahead of him and they ordered the pilot to surrender or face destruction.[9] Dume then made his escape from the fighters and returned to Kaller. After landing, he was then confronted by Kasmir, who wanted nothing to do with him.[10]
Dume then followed Kasmir around, watching him from afar. Dume then rescued Kasmir from Tapusk and his colleagues. After Tapusk and his colleaugues left, Dume was then chastised and brought back to the Kasmiri by Kasmir for losing his crew. However, Dume "volunteered" to be his crew for his job. Dume then got rid of Jedi attire, his Padawan braid, and then destroyed his comlink. He then hid his lightsaber and holocron away. He then put on different clothes and took a blaster. He was then urged by Kasmir that he should take up a new name for himself. He then went with Kasmir to steal IG-RM droids to sale on the Black market. However, they were then caught by the guards and Dume was betrayed when he revealed that he was a Jedi.[10]
Dume was then turned over to Tapusk and Gamut Key by Kasmir. Dume was then taken to a cell where Key contacted Grey and Styles to inform him of Dume's capture. As Dume made peace with the force, he was then rescued by Kasmir and a IG-RM droid. He and Kasmir then escaped aboard the Kasmiri from Kaller. Dume then became Kasmir's friend. Together, Dume and Kasmir pulled off many jobs, in which Dume learned how to be a thief, smuggler and how to shoot with a blaster. However, they were being tracked down by Grey and Styles.[11]
During a job on Lahn, Dume then met Kasmir's trading partner, Jondo, who was former Separatist General Kleeve. At first, Dume threatened to kill him, but stood down now that the Clone Wars were over. Dume then went to meet up with Kasmir, but he was arrested by Styles and Grey. Dume then jumped into the water and swam away. He then decided to abandon Kasmir and "vanish". Dume then went back to Jondo. Dume made a deal with him; Kasmir would bring the spice and Kanan would take the ship. Jondo agreed and took him to the Farbrooke's Hope. Dume then sensed something, tried to reach for his lightsaber, but forget that he did not carry it anymore. Dume was then captured and held at gunpoint by the clone troopers.[11]
Grey and Styles placed the unconscious Jedi Padawan aboard their ship, deciding what to do before they execute him. Despite Dume telling them that it was really Palpatine that betrayed the Galactic Republic and not him and the Jedi Order, the clones were unable to convince. Dume then used the Force to open the air lock and was sucked into space before being rescued by Jondo and Kasmir. Realizing the mistake he made earlier during the execution of Order 66, Grey fired his blaster at the clone pilot's controls, taking down the shields and allowing the Kasmiri and the Kasmiri II to blow up the clone's ship, along with Grey, Styles, and two other clone troopers aboard. Dume abandoned Jondo and Kasmir before going on his own, taking his Jedi lightsaber and Depa Billaba's holocron with him.
Meanwhile, Palpatine and his second-in-command, Darth Vader, started transforming the Republic into the first Galactic Empire,[8] sending their Inquisitor to hunt down the remaining Jedi. Forced to hide his Force-sensitivity, he took the name "Kanan Jarrus" and kept his lightsaber locked away and forsook the Jedi ways for a long time,[3] disguising himself as a freighter pilot, a bounty hunter, and a frontier ranger.[1] Over time, he also found and collected spare lightsaber parts.[12] However, Billaba's last words, telling him to run, haunted him in his sleep.
Eventually, Jarrus emigrated to Gorse, where he met Okadiah Garson at his bar, The Asteroid Belt, when he broke up a brawl there. Through Garson, Jarrus got a job as freighter pilot carrying baradium bisulfate for Moonglow Polychemical between Gorse and its moon, Cynda. For five months, he lived in a flophouse next door to the cantina, worked as a bartender from time to time, drove Garson's hoverbus, and piloted Expedient with a flight clearance seven.[2]
Becoming a rebel
- "But—but you're—"
"Shh. Don't tell anyone." - ―Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus
During one of his workshifts on Cynda, Jarrus met with Lal Grallik and Skelly, but refused to support Skelly's theories. Later, he met Count Denetrius Vidian and convinced him to let Garson live after a tense meeting. Jarrus, then, continued to Zone Forty-Two, where he was forced to use the Force to survive an explosion set up by Skelly, and save Yelkin's life. Afraid to have revealed his true nature, he decided to leave Cynda—and Gorse—at once. On his return in Expedient, he handed his stowaway, Skelly, to Gord Grallik in Gorse City.[2]
Jarrus and Rae Sloane meet face to face.
It was then that he met Hera Syndulla, when they got involved in a street fight with Charko's gang, but she disappeared. He returned to The Asteroid Belt, where he met Zaluna Myder, and Jarrus took part of her secret reunion with Syndulla until Skelly's interruption, when the Twi'lek revealed she was investigating Count Vidian, hoping to know what he was doing on Gorse.[2]
On Syndulla's insistence, Jarrus agreed to take her to Moonglow in the next workshift, where he met Rae Sloane face to face during his search for the rebellious Twi'lek. However, the Imperial soon departed to their spaceport after another of Skelly's bombings. Their borrowing of Garson's bus, however, prompted Jarrus to chase after them. After recovering the bus, escaping with Syndulla and Skelly and finding Myder trapped in the restroom, they discarded the now-useless vessel in a junkyard.[2]
After some rest, Jarrus agreed to guide them through town only, unwilling to attract Imperial attention and wanting to leave the system once and for all. Nevertheless, the Imperial-provoked explosion on Cynda prompted him to take Expedient and ask Syndulla to retrieve Garson's team, who were on a workshift at the time—only to discover their demise. Willing to stop Vidian's machinations, Jarrus, Syndulla, Skelly and Myder headed to Calcoraan Depot, where the former Padawan had the idea to intercept Vidian's report to the Emperor. They infiltrated the cyborg's private room, and later confronted him; the Count's cybernetics allowing them to uncover most of his plans. On Jarrus' suggestion, they also warned Sloane about Vidian's plans.[2]
Jarrus saves Syndulla onboard the Forager.
Then, they headed back to the Gorse system, where they tried to delay Cynda's destruction by targetting the TIE/LN starfighters escorting baradium haulers, and later infiltrating Vidian's Forager so that Myder could tap into its Trancept systems and send a warning to Gorse. Once inside, Jarrus and Myder faced Count Vidian in his chamber, a few minutes before Sloane issued his arrest. Vidian's determination forced Sloane to order the destruction of Forager’s transmission tower.[2]
During the Ultimatum’s attack, Jarrus saved Syndulla, making use of the Force and revealing his true nature to her. They, along with Myder, escaped the ship's destruction in one of its life pods. Landing on Gorse, it allowed Jarrus time to leave a trail placing him on Gorse during the conflict. After they parted, Jarrus bade farewell to Myder in her new home, and Syndulla accepted his proposal to become a crew member of her ship, the Ghost.[2]
Aboard the Ghost
- "How about a little less attitude and a little more altitude?"
- ―Kanan Jarrus
Kanan Jarrus served as the leader of the Lothal rebels.
By the age of twenty-eight,[1] Jarrus led the motley crew of the Ghost,[3] whose members tried to stand up against the Empire.[13]
One such stand was a raid on an Imperial supply convoy. After the raid, Jarrus, Syndulla, and C1-10P found themselves under attack by Imperial TIE fighters. After the attack disabled both the Ghost’s shields and internal comm system, Jarrus and Syndulla began giving Chopper conflicting orders over which system to fix first. It was Chopper who ultimately destroyed the final TIE, and his efforts were recognized by the two organics before the ship blasted into hyperspace.[14]
Another time, Jarrus was supposed to rendezvous with Garazeb Orrelios. The Lasat had shown up at the wrong alleyway and, against Kanan's protestations via comlink, picked a fight with several Stormtroopers, which culminated in the destruction of a TIE fighter. Jarrus was nevertheless pleased and set out to meet the Lasat.[15]
Finding a Padawan
- "You can keep the lightsaber you stole, let it become just another dusty souvenir, or you can give it back and come with us—come with me, and be trained in the ways of the Force. You can learn what it truly means to be a Jedi."
- ―Jarrus offers Bridger the opportunity to train as a Jedi
During an operation on Lothal to steal the Imperial supply and blaster crates, Jarrus sensed the presence of a fourteen-year-old boy, Ezra Bridger, but continued his mission by intercepting the Imperial speeders, until Bridger stole one of the speeders. Forced to pursue him, Jarrus finally recovered the crate by offering the boy a chance to escape in the Ghost. The former Padawan witnessed Bridger as he unknowingly used the Force to leap into the hovering ship with his crate. With Bridger safely on board, the Ghost left the planet and jumped into hyperspace, loosing the TIE fighters pursuing them. Jarrus and Syndulla received their payment from Cikatro Vizago and information about a group of Wookiees enslaved by the Empire. Alerted by Chopper, Jarrus went into his quarters only to spot Bridger with his lightsaber in hand. He demanded that he hand over it, but knowingly allowed the boy to steal his holocron as a secret test.[16]
To save the rebels and the Wookiees, Jarrus revealed himself as a Jedi.
Determined to save the Wookiees, Jarrus, Wren, Orrelios and Chopper entered a Gozanti-class cruiser, but were soon driven off the ship by the arrival of Agent Kallus on the Lawbringer[17]. Bridger's resulting capture, however, led the crew to argue about whether to rescue the boy. Left as the deciding vote, Jarrus chose to mount a rescue—only to find Bridger waiting near the Star Destroyer's docking bay. Once inside the Ghost, Bridger revealed to them that he had learned of the Wookiees' location in the spice mines of Kessel. Soon enough, they reached the planet and fought stormtroopers so that Bridger could release the Wookiees from captivity. Cornered by Kallus and his men, Jarrus ignited his lightsaber and publicly revealed himself to be a Jedi, giving everyone time to escape. After being picked up via cargo container, Jarrus and the Ghost arrived in time to save Bridger and Kitwarr from Kallus and escaped from Kessel.[16]
Soon after the Wookiees' departure, Bridger stole Jarrus' lightsaber from his belt, and kept it until they returned to Lothal. During his farewell, however, the boy returned the holocron to the former Jedi. Jarrus, aware of his Force-sensitivity, met up with Bridger at his tower and gave the boy two choices—to keep the lightsaber as a useless relic and remain on Lothal, or return to the ship and become Jarrus' Padawan, and a member of the crew. Awaiting for his answer on the Ghost, Jarrus opened the holocron and played Obi-Wan Kenobi's full message. As it ended, Bridger returned the Jedi's lightsaber[16], and Jarrus ended up taking the boy under his wing to teach him how to deal with his powers.[18]
Jarrus trying to sell a E-11 blaster rifle to Cikatro Vizago.
However, Jarrus stalled Bridger's training until after taking part of a heist to steal Imperial disruptors, involving the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. During the mission, Jarrus—along with Wren, Bridger, Chopper, and Orrelios—boarded the same star commuter shuttle where Amda Wabo and Minister Maketh Tua negotiated while on their way to Garel. There, they stole the weapons before the Empire could obtain them. During their unsuccessful transaction with Vizago due to Kallus' arrival, Jarrus stopped a walker with a T-7 ion disruptor rifle and rescued Orrelios after his duel with the ISB Agent.[19]
Shortly afterwards, Jarrus personally returned the droids to their rightful owner, Bail Organa. The Senator never revealed his identity, but paid Jarrus generously before the former Jedi left on the Ghost.[19]
After Bridger and Orrelios's theft of a TIE fighter, Jarrus ordered the two to destroy the vessel. Despite this, Bridger and Orrelios refused, but kept it a secret so as to preserve it.[20][6]
Stygeon Prime
- "Luminara will teach you much better than I could."
- ―Kanan Jarrus
Due to his incomplete training, Jarrus had little confidence in his own ability to train Bridger, especially after experiencing difficulties during one of his lessons. When he heard from one of Gall Trayvis's broadcasts that Master Luminara Unduli was still alive, yet imprisoned in the Stygeon system, he immediately resolved to rescue her, hoping to deliver Ezra to a full-fledged Master for training. Together with the whole crew, Jarrus devised a plan to enter the Spire and rescue the Jedi Master.[7]
Jarrus facing the Inquisitor on Stygeon Prime.
As they entered her cell, however, they discovered that Unduli's remains were being used by The Inquisitor as a trap to lure unaware Jedi survivors to their death. Confronted by the Jedi hunter, Jarrus was forced to engage in a lightsaber duel, which continued all through the Spire's halls. While using Form lll, Soresu, the Inquisitor recognized it and deduced that he had been trained by Depa Billaba due to having studied Temple records and learned Form III was Billaba's preferred choice for close range fighting, and began taunting him mockingly noting he must have been a "poor student" while he was still her Padawan due to his unbalanced technique. Despite the Inquisitor's efforts, the rebels managed to board the Phantom in time. Only then Jarrus understood Master Yoda's words and vowed to continue training Ezra with a newfound resolve. He explained to Bridger that he would stop trying to train him—for if he tries, he did not believe he could really succeed and was not actually training his student.[7]
Sometime later, Jarrus sent Bridger into the Academy for Young Imperials on Lothal on a mission to recover information about a kyber crystal. Once he accomplished this, Jarrus piloted the Phantom and Syndulla flied the Ghost; together, they went to the location of a convoy carrying the crystal and successfully destroyed it.[21] In another mission, Jarrus piloted the Ghost to rescue Syndulla and Wren from Fort Anaxes.[22]
Empire Day
- "I am ready. Wait. Ready for what?"
"For a test, a real challenge one that could determine if you're meant to be a Jedi or not." - ―Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus
During Empire Day, Jarrus began training Bridger to use the Force to influence animals, but they soon went to Old Jho's Pit Stop to learn of the Empire's search for a Rodian called Tseebo. Following Senator Trayvis's broadcast, the Lothal rebels ruined the Imperial parade by detonating a bomb in the recently-unveiled TIE Advanced v1. During their escape, Bridger guided Jarrus and Wren into his old residence, where they met Tseebo and found about Bridger's painful past.[23]
Considering the valuable information the Rodian possessed, the three rebels decided to smuggle him out of Lothal in a stolen Imperial Troop Transport. Despite Kallus's intervention, Jarrus managed to board the Ghost along with the rest of the crew. However, they were soon followed by the Inquisitor, who managed to place a XX-23 S-thread tracker in the Phantom. Aware of this, Jarrus then devised a plan to lure the Inquisitor to Fort Anaxes by dettaching the shuttle while the Ghost was still on hyperspace.[23]
Once there, he removed the tracking device off the Phantom and prompted Bridger to let go of his fear, so that he could connect with the fyrnocks. Both master and apprentice, then, awaited for the Inquisitor's coming, and Jarrus engaged in combat with the Pau'an once again. However, the Inquisitor managed to knock him out with a powerful Force push. He only regained consciousness just as Bridger tapped into the dark side of the Force and controlled an enormous fyrnock to attack the Inquisitor, who was also wielding Jarrus's lightsaber at the time. The creature kept the Inquisitor busy enough that Jarrus was able to bring the now-unconscious Bridger to the Phantom, recover his lightsaber and destroy the Imperial shuttle. As they returned to the Ghost, Jarrus told Bridger that he had made a dangerous connection to the Force, and apologized for not teaching him what he needed to know.[24]
Master and apprentice opening a passage to Jedi temple on Lothal.
A few days later, he decided to put Bridger through a test to determine if the boy was meant to be a Jedi or not. Consulting the star maps in his holocron, he located a temple on Lothal, but prompted his apprentice to locate the temple by himself. Once he did, they landed the Phantom and entered the temple. Inside, Jarrus remained behind, waiting for Ezra to come back to the entryway, his life depending on his apprentice's return. Though initially surprised, Jarrus conferred with Yoda about his insecurities as a master. Nevertheless, Bridger returned with a kyber crystal in hand, and Jarrus explained that they were used to construct lightsabers.[12]
Over the course of several weeks, he helped—along with the rest of the crew—Bridger to build his own lightsaber. Jarrus provided his Padawan with some of the spare lightsaber parts he had found during his years in hiding. With all of the rebels assembled, the boy presented the weapon to Jarrus, who thought the design fit his apprentice, and returned it so that he could ignite the lightsaber for the first time.[12]
Some time later, Jarrus was accompanied by Orrelios and Chopper to Old Jho's Pit Stop, where the Lasat engaged in a game of sabacc with Lando Calrissian. Believing Orrelios would win, Jarrus allowed him to bet the droid, only to see Calrissian winning the game. Because of it, Jarrus made a deal with Calrissian to smuggle some cargo past the Imperial blockade of Lothal. Along with Syndulla, he escorted Calrissian to make a deal with Azmorigan aboard the Merchant One, where he reluctantly agreed with Syndulla's decision to stay on Azmorigan's ship. Once she returned, but unable to get past the puffer pig blocking her way to the cockpit, Jarrus had to pilot the Ghost through the Imperial blockade and land in Calrissian's estate. Following a confrontation with Azmorigan's forces, they bid farewell to Calrissian, who had returned Chopper to them.[25]
Jarrus, Bridger and Syndulla protecting Gall Trayvis.
He later instructed Bridger on Form V, an exercise during which the boy had a vision revolving around Senator Trayvis. Warning Bridger not to blindly trust his vision, he accompanied the rest of the crew to see the senator's transmission. Though Jarrus suspected something was amiss, he agreed to accompany the crew to the Old Republic Senate Building to meet with the senator. They were soon ambushed, however, and had to retreat to the sewers where they split off—Jarrus going with Orrelios and Wren, while Bridger, Syndulla and Trayvis going another way. Once they met up, Jarrus used the Force to stop the fan blocking their exit, and the rebels escaped from the Imperials as Trayvis (revealed to be an Imperial spy) regained consciousness. Once the rebels returned to the Ghost, Jarrus explained that Bridger interpreted his vision wrong by allowing his emotions to cloud it.[26] Jarrus than began to practise the first five lightsaber forms for a few weeks after the mission.
Tarkin arrives
- "Whatever you want from me, you won't get it."
- ―Jarrus, to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin
After a raid near Jalath, Jarrus, Wren and Bridger returned to the Ghost while Syndulla watched as Trayvis publically proclaimed his loyalty to the Empire on the HoloNet. This, however, gave Jarrus the idea of broadcasting messages through the Imperial main communications tower of Lothal. On their reconnaissance mission to the tower, Jarrus devised a plan with Wren's help, but unbeknowst to them, a Viper probe droid warned Wilhuff Tarkin of their presence.[27]
Jarrus watching as Tarkin's orders to destroy the tower are carried out.
Though Bridger voiced his concerns, Jarrus told him he now understood what Billaba had tried to teach him once about sacrifice, and continued with their self-imposed operation. As the crew infiltrated the tower, Jarrus realized the reinforcements were already closing in and made contact with Syndulla to meet them at the top. Despite Bridger's initial refusal to follow Jarrus's orders, he complied and the Jedi locked the tower's door once both Agent Kallus and the Inquisitor appeared. At the prospect of losing his crew, Jarrus destroyed the tower's entrance controls with his lightsaber and engaged in a duel with the Pau'an. Unable to reach the Phantom, he ordered Syndulla to leave without him, leading to his capture by Imperial forces. At sunrise, during his crew's broadcast, he met Tarkin and witnessed as the Empire destroyed the tower to end the rebels' message.[27]
Jarrus was then taken to the Sovereign, where he endured the Inquisitor's torture[28][6], who desired to know the location of other Rebel cells and the real identity of "Fulcrum," but Jarrus revealed nothing before his crew rescued him.[6] While interrogating the Jedi Knight, the Inquisitor began to taunt Jarrus by asking him of how he survived Order 66, and it was Billiaba who gave her life for his. When he asked him what his Master's last word was, Jarrus replied that she told him to run. The Inquisitor then ignited Jarrus' lightsaber and told him that he had the right to be afraid, and that he could not save the Rebels just as he could't save Billaba.
Separated from the others, Bridger freed Jarrus from his cell and helped the former Jedi walk until they reached the Star Destroyer's reactor core, where the Inquisitor faced them. A fierce duel ensued, then, between Jarrus—who wielded Bridger's lightsaber—and the darksider. During one of their clashes, Bridger pulled Jarrus' lightsaber from the Inquisitor's belt and attempted to help, but his skill was no match for the Inquisitor's level. The Pau'an knocked the young apprentice off the platform, who then dropped his master's lightsaber.[6]
Jarrus and the Inquistor's duel onboard the Sovereign.
Initially shocked and dismayed, Jarrus quickly recovered and dueled the Inquisitor with renewed focus as he remembered his Jedi training and confronted his fear, using both his and Brigder's lightsaber. He managed to destroy the Inquisitor's lightsaber, forcing him to hang on the ledge of the platform, while the pieces of the broken lightsaber fell into the reactor and irreparably damaged it. The darksider, then, warned Jarrus of things worse than death, before letting go and falling to the ship's exploding reactor. Relieved to discover that Bridger was still alive, the master-Padawan pair left Sovereign onboard the the Inquisitor's TIE fighter, which Jarrus used to shoot the Rebels' TIE fighter's pursuers. In the ensuing space battle, the rebels had to wait for Chopper to appear with the Ghost and, to their surprise, a small fleet. Docking the TIE fighters with the newly-arrived transport, Jarrus and the others made the jump into hyperspace, escaping the Imperial fleet. Once inside the Ghost, Jarrus proceeded to embrace Syndulla. Then, the Twi'lek pilot revealed Bail Organa's identity and the existence of other Rebel cells, just before Fulcrum identified herself as Ahsoka Tano, a former Jedi Padawan of the Jedi Order. She, then, mentioned a change of protocol thanks to their message.[6]
In the wider Rebellion
After Tano fully revealed herself and the existence of the other Rebel cells to them, the crew of the Ghost was brought further into the Rebel hierarchy and assigned to assist Phoenix Squadron. While the majority of the crew accepted and appreciated the greater impact and degree of organisation their integration into the Rebel Fleet had given them, Jarrus remained apprehensive and disdainful, showing disregard for Rebel protocol and the chain of command. When confronted on his dismissive and borderline seditious behavior by Syndulla, Jarrus expressed discomfort with being part of an army again, not willing to become a soldier like he was in the Clone Wars and sharing his view that the Ghost crew did more good as a small cell helping the common people rather than as part of an open rebellion gearing up for full scale war. But after he and Bridger had a short duel with Darth Vader, Jarrus and his group decided to help the other rebels fight back against the Empire.[29]
Personality and traits
- "I lost my way for a long time, but now I have a chance to change things."
- ―Kanan Jarrus
Kanan Jarrus was a lean, tan-skinned man with blue eyes and brown hair. He sported a ponytail and a short goatee. During his youth, he had a tendency to ask many questions, hoping to better understand things, which earned him somewhat of a reputation among his peers[2], but it was that inquisitive nature that motivated Billaba to choose him as her apprentice. She would, however, tease him about it, such as when she said questions seemed to be the "natural state" of his mind. Dume would become angered when anyone disrespected her, or the Republic.[5]
A secretive man, Jarrus would rarely talk about his past, particularly so before meeting Hera Syndulla on Gorse. Before her, Jarrus was reckless, impatient and belligerent, as demonstrated by the little care he put in carrying explosives just to meet his schedule, or his tendency to start fights. Seemingly prickly and dettached, Jarrus showed his kindness and commitment to justice only when he thought no one was looking.[2] Having felt adrift since the destruction of the Jedi way of life, he had developed a cynical and cocky personality.[3] Despite this, he was known for humorous banter and had "a thousand one-liners ready to go."[30]
For a long time, Jarrus had little confidence in his skills as Jedi and teacher.[7][12] Furthermore, Depa Billaba's last word ("Run") haunted him and, as the Inquisitor once commented, the former Jedi was afraid of his own power, afraid to wear his full saber out in the open.[6] Additionally, Kanan's experiences during the Clone Wars left him wary of being involved with military affairs. When the Ghost crew was faced with the opportunity to join Phoenix Squadron and become full-fledged members of the Rebel fleet, Jarrus was reluctant to go along, citing his distaste for military protocol and the broader consequences of fighting a war.[29]
Powers and abilities
- "You were right. I was a coward. But now I know there's something stronger than fear—far stronger. The Force. Let me show you how strong it is."
- ―Kanan Jarrus
Lightsaber Combat
Kanan Jarrus had some skill in Form III due to his training under Depa Billaba, who was a master of the style and emphasised its use in close quarter fighting. The Inquisitor noted Jarrus favoured the style "to a ridiculous degree."[7]
During his third duel with the Inquisitor, Jarrus' skill had improved, something the Inquisitor acknowledged.[27] In addition to Form III, Jarrus possessed skill in Form V, which he demonstrated on numerous ocassions.[16] In his final duel with the Inquisitor, Kanan demonstrated enough mastery of Jar'Kai to defeat the Jedi hunter.[6]
Force Abilities
Jarrus also showed skill in telekinesis, such as pinning the Inquisitor to the ceiling, or pulling stormtroopers in before clothslining them.[7] Kanan could also sense things through the Force, such as when he first felt Ezra Bridger's presence on Lothal,[16] and when he felt Luminara Unduli's presence on Stygeon Prime[7]. Jarrus also demonstrated an affinity for influencing animals through the Force as he did with a Loth-cat in one of his Bridger's lessons, and later to control several fyrnocks alongside his apprentice.[23][24] He could also perform Force-enhanced jumps, such as when he escaped Agent Kallus.[23] He also showed great skill in unarmed combat as shown on Stygeon Prime in addition to mind tricks.[7] Through his Master, Caleb Dume was able to receive Force visions, such as when he witnessed the Jedi's destruction.[31]
Behind the scenes
Kanan Jarrus was first revealed as a character from the forthcoming animated series Star Wars Rebels at the January 2014 Nuremberg International Toy Fair, where Jarrus was included on the packaging of the LEGO Star Wars Rebels Ghost model. However, the packaging merely represented Jarrus's LEGO mini-figure as a silhouetted form holding a blue-bladed lightsaber.[32][33]
On February 11, 2014, Lucasfilm began a promotional campaign to introduce the characters of Star Wars Rebels, starting with Kanan Jarrus. USA Today ran an online story featuring an exclusive first look at Jarrus's character and announcing that he would be voiced by actor Freddie Prinze Jr. The story included a Lucasfilm production video revealing the character's full design.[34]
Non-canon history
Kanan Jarrus appears in Angry Birds Star Wars II. He was co-piloting the Ghost when Sabine Wren and Hera Syndulla rescued the orphan Ezra Bridger and escaped from Agent Kallus.[35]
In the LEGO Star Wars Rebels Movie Shorts, Jarrus, Orellios, Syndulla, and were drinking in the Mos Eisley Cantina when Ezra Bridger called for a rescue. They went to the Ghost and rescued the young orphan from the Phantom. Bridger then suggested they charge the Star Destroyer's bridge and hide behind it, and eventually the warship jumped to hyperspace.[36] At another time, the Ghost was damaged by a Star Destroyer, forcing it to go to a space station for repairs. Jarrus and Orrelios left in escape pods and made it to a planet. Bridger rescued them and took them to the station in time to finish repairs to their starship and flee from Imperials.[37]
Appearances
Non-canon appearances
- Angry Birds Star Wars II
- LEGO Star Wars Movie Short (Rebels: Saving the Phantom)
- LEGO Star Wars Movie Short (Rebels Ghost Story)
- Club Penguin Star Wars Rebels Takeover
