- "What gives you the right to choose?! To force these kids to endure a stifled life of archaic traditions? There's more to life than "honor" and your damn order... Like the love shared between a child and its parents. But that's something you wouldn't know anything about."
- ―Vianna D'Pow
Vianna D'Pow was a albino Zeltron female from the planet Zeltros who was reviled by her peers due to her ash-white skin. D'Pow grew to hate herself, and needing an outlet for her pent-up aggression, she sought out the life of a bounty hunter. Not above using her pheromones to give herself an advantage on the job, she had a number of run-ins with the famed Jedi Council member Mace Windu sometime before the Clone Wars, a large-scale event that began during the year 22 BBY. One of these occurrences involved D'Pow infiltrating the Jedi Temple on the planet of Coruscant where she attempted to abduct a Sullustan youngling. Windu tried to stop her, believing that D'Pow was working for a criminal organization. The truth of the matter, though, was that D'Pow had been hired by the child's parents, who did not wish to see their child leave them to learn the ways of the Jedi. Windu eventually conceded, and returned the child to its parents while D'Pow went free.
During the Clone Wars, D'Pow was hired by the Sith Lord Count Dooku to travel to the planet of Kamino. The cloning facilities on Kamino had been supplying Dooku's enemy, the Galactic Republic, with a clone army. D'pow was to steal the genetic material that was being used to create the clones. News of the mission was leaked back to the Jedi, who sent Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to deal with D'Pow. After a furious battle throughout Tipoca City and the surrounding seas, Kenobi was able to obtain the genetic material. D'Pow escaped again as Kenobi returned the material. Before he left Kamino, Kenobi was informed that D'Pow had also commissioned a solitary clone of herself. He allowed the order to continue, feeling that D'Pow should not have to be alone in the universe.
Biography[]
An unwanted pariah[]
- "How has being the only albino of the Zeltron race worked out for you so far?"
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi taunting Vianna D'Pow
Vianna D'Pow was the target of of her peers, who harassed her because of her pale skin.
Vianna D'Pow was a Zeltron female[3] born on the Zeltron homeworld Zeltros,[1] a planet located in the Inner Rim of the galaxy.[4] Zeltrons were easily recognizable by their bright red colored skin, which happened to be a trait that D'Pow lacked. An albino, her skin was an ash white color which turned her into a target of her youthful peers, who ridiculed her because of her differences. On one occasion, three Zeltron teenagers pursued a teenage D'Pow through degraded city alleys, where they mercilessly taunted and beat D'Pow. She was eventually able to break free from the Zeltrons and escaped into a warehouse, where she waited for her aggressors to disperse. Alone, she gazed at a reflection of herself in an old mirror before destroying her reflection in a flash of anger. Seemingly unable to love or be loved, D'Pow searched for an outlet for her rage. Eventually, she settled on the career path of a bounty hunter, using her athletic prowess, agility, and natural pheromones to her advantage when possible.[3]
Her primary targets ended up being other bounty hunters,[1] although during her career, D'Pow also grew to dislike the Galactic Republic's Jedi Council, believing that they were hypocritical in their code of honor and moral beliefs. The Zeltron ended up running into council member and Jedi Master Mace Windu on several occasions, much to Windu's dismay. However, using what knowledge he had of D'Pow, Windu wrote up a report on the bounty hunter that was made available to the rest of the Jedi in case they were to encounter D'Pow themselves. The Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was at least one Jedi who familiarized himself with the report, where he learned of D'Pow's past and the fact that she was the only albino Zeltron in existence.[3]
Mission to the Jedi Temple[]
- "Ah, that's right—A Jedi shall not know love... An order of monks whose most precious weapon is their energy sword... A psychiatrist would have a field day with the lot of you."
- ―Vianna D'Pow goads Mace Windu
D'Pow secures the Sullustan infant
At some point during the final decades of the Republic, a Sullustan family had a child who was sensitive to the Force. The child was discovered by the Jedi, who then brought the child back to the Jedi Temple on the planet of Coruscant, where the child would eventually begin training to become a Jedi. However, the parents had second thoughts, and decided that they didn't want to be childless. They contacted D'Pow, who accepted the task of retrieving the child. D'Pow was able to infiltrate the temple undetected, and made her way to the nursery room where the child was sleeping, alongside many other infants. After disabling the medical droid on duty, D'Pow secured the Sullustan, placing it in a sling. D'Pow tried to leave the nursery, but instead ran into Windu, who was busy reading a datapad. Before the Jedi could react, D'Pow stunned him with a taser. Windu, trying to recover, called upon the Force and pushed D'Pow backwards. Recognizing his attacker, Windu claimed that kidnapping children was unusually low for D'Pow's usual line of work.[2]
D'Pow tried to hold Windu at bay by threatening to kill the infant; Windu called the bluff in an instant. A firefight ensued, with D'Pow using her blaster pistol to attack the Jedi. Using his lightsaber, Windu was able to deflect all of her shots, while inadvertently deflecting one into the nursery, which woke all of the sleeping infants. D'Pow, believing Windu to be distracted, opened fire again, only for the Jedi to dodge her shot and ram her from behind, knocking her to the floor. D'Pow attempted to use her pheromones to influence Windu, but the act failed. Windu immediately set upon questioning her about her employers, believing that she was working for either the Black Sun crime syndicate or a Hutt cartel, as Jedi younglings fetched high prices on the black market. To Windu's bewilderment, D'Pow revealed that is was the baby's family who had hired her. Confused, Windu had believed that it was an honor to have a child grow up to be a Jedi. D'Pow attacked the Jedi's beliefs and their seeming lack of empathy towards others, and that they were far too obsessed with honor and their Jedi Code to the point it blinded them from anything else. The Zeltron firmly believed that the Jedi had little knowledge about the love of a family.[2]
With Windu distracted by her speech, D'Pow discreetly moved her hand closer to her fallen blaster until it was within reach. However, she failed to notice that Windu's dropped datapad was lying next to it and inadvertently grabbed the datapad instead of her gun when she tried to shoot the Jedi. Taking a moment to read the datapad, it revealed a message that had apparently come from Windu's parents, although his parents were actually deceased. Unaware of this, D'Pow conceded, believing that Windu may have had an idea about love after all. D'Pow gave the child back to Windu, who then returned the infant back to its grateful parents.[2]
One of a kind[]
- "It's been fun, Jedi—but I have a delivery to make."
"Won't that be difficult without this? I'm sorry, but your mission is a failure."
"For Dooku it is, but not for me." - ―D'Pow learns that Kenobi was successful in retrieving the genetic material
Kenobi's and D'Pow's fight on Kamino brought them to conflict under the water's surface.
During the year 22 BBY[5] an intergalactic event known as the Clone Wars erupted on the planet of Geonosis. On one side of the conflict was the Galactic Republic and their army of clone soldiers. On the other side was a number of separatist systems collectively known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems.[6] Sometime during the war, the Confederate leader Count Dooku, a Sith Lord, hired D'Pow to embark to the water covered world of Kamino, which was the location of the Republic cloning facilities. Her mission was to steal the genetic material of bounty hunter Jango Fett, which was the source of the clone army. Upon arriving to Tipoca City, D'Pow met with Taun We, a Kaminoan. D'Pow realized that the facility may be the key to escaping her lonely existence, and she placed an order for a single clone of herself. At some point D'Pow was able to retrieve the genetic material of Fett without We's knowledge. However, before she could escape, Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived to the city with a clone trooper escort, having learned of the Separatist plot, although he wasn't aware D'Pow was the one carrying the mission out.[3]
After conversing with We, Mace Windu contacted Kenobi through a holographic comlink, informing Kenobi that the Confederate bounty hunter was D'Pow. As Kenobi finished the transmission, D'Pow ran across them, flaunting the canister that held the genetic material. Kenobi and the clone troopers gave chase, ignoring We's attempt to stop them. After a brief shootout, D'Pow killed the clone troopers and ran out of the building. Outside, the Zeltron attempted to escape by jumping onto a passing aiwha, a large flying creature, but was followed by Kenobi. The Jedi destroyed the Zeltron's blaster pistol, causing her to resort to her shock whip. During the struggle, the two traded taunts and insults; D'Pow criticized the Jedi's beliefs while Kenobi called out D'Pow on her miserable life. Eventually, the aiwha flew into the ocean, where D'Pow and Kenobi engaged in an unarmed underwater struggle. Without D'Pow noticing, Kenobi was able to retrieve the genetic material.[3]
D'Pow had called a speeder to their position, and using a retractable rope that extended from the bottom of the speeder, the Zeltron was able to pull herself out of the water. Kenobi swam to the waters surface where he used the Force to jump onto a nearby structure. There, he revealed to D'Pow that her mission had been a failure. D'Pow left, claiming that only Dooku had failed. When Kenobi returned to Tipoca City, We informed him about D'Pow's order for a solitary clone, which We considered dismissing. After some consideration, Kenobi allowed the order to proceed, feeling that no one should have to live alone.[3]
Personality and traits[]
- "Leave it to the hypocritical "high moral standards" of the Jedi to create an army to do their dying for them—though I wouldn't expect your Jedi cult to comprehend the significance of being a unique individual."
- ―Vianna D'Pow, commentating on the Republic clone army
Vianna reflects on herself
Although Zeltrons were known for their party, fun loving attitudes and ability to love anyone, Vianna D'Pow lacked many of these traits due to her being tormented by her peers, who tortured her due to her abnormal skin color. D'Pow became full of self-loathing, and turned her inability to love into a fearsome strength. Despite this, D'Pow was sincerely empathetic to the plight of infants who were adopted by the Jedi Order, and during her mission to Coruscant she showed signs of regret in her inability to return all of the infants to their homes.[2] She despised the Jedi, and often made it a point to let Jedi know this when she encountered them, often insulting them about their inability to know anything beyond their code. This sometimes ended up with similar remarks about D'Pow's own lifestyle, such as in the case of Obi-Wan Kenobi, who believed that D'Pow only escaped from terrible life to take part in another. D'Pow did not care much for Jedi psychoanalyzing her, however. True enough, D'Pow did feel alone in the universe, being the only albino of her species.[3] This loneliness eventually caused her to order a solitary clone of herself, in hopes of having someone to share the galaxy with.
D'Pow's most defining characteristic was her pale white skin, while all other Zeltrons had crimson colored skin. In addition, Zeltrons were normally known for their blue colored hair, another trait that D'Pow lacked. Her hair was actually a slick black color, which she kept in a ponytail when she was younger. After becoming a bounty hunter, she tended to keep her hair up. D'Pow also had purple eyes. The Zeltron was very athletic, and used her agility to get the best of Kenobi and his clone troopers several times during their skirmish on Kamino.[3]
Skills and abilities[]
- "Your Zeltron charms won't work on me, Vianna."
- ―Mace Windu
Vianna D'Pow, like most Zeltrons, kept her body in peak physical condition. Strong and agile, she used her athletic prowess to gain the upper hand against those who weren't quite as flexible, such as a clone trooper in weighted armor. She was somewhat lightweight, as she was able to haul herself into the air with ease in order to get past obstacles.[3] She had decent accuracy with a blaster pistol, although during her encounters with Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi the majority of her rounds were blocked by the Jedi's lightsabers.[2][3] She carried a lightwhip during her mission to Kamino and was able to hold her ground against Kenobi and his lightsaber, although she was disarmed after kicking Kenobi into the Kamino ocean. Like all Zeltrons,[3] D'Pow could excrete pheromones to influence others. She tried to use them on Mace Windu, but the Jedi was able to resist.[2]
Equipment[]
D'Pow utilized a shock whip and a blaster pistol during her mission to Kamino
- "Don't make me do something you'll regret Mace."
"I don't need the Force to know you're not about to kill your own prize." - ―D'Pow threatens to kill a child, which is a bluff Mace Windu calls out
Vianna D'Pow was known to have used an arsenal of weapons throughout her career. Her primary weapon of choice was a small black blaster pistol that she used extensively during her missions to Coruscant[2] and Kamino, although she never hit any of her targets with it.[3][2] The pistol was destroyed during her mission to Kamino. D'Pow also carried a yellow colored shock whip with her during her mission to Kamino, and used it to go up against Obi-Wan Kenobi and his lightsaber. She managed to wrap the whip around Kenobi's lightsaber, disabling his ability to use it. The fight was interrupted when the aiwha they were riding flew into the ocean, where she lost the whip.[3] D'Pow also carried a taser, which she used during her mission to Coruscant, using it disable both a droid and Mace Windu.[2] In addition, D'Pow owned a silver speeder that she could control remotely. The speeder was equipped with a retractable rope that D'Pow used to escape Kamino's sprawling oceans.[3] When operating, D'Pow wore a black jumpsuit that covered her entire body, with the exception of her shoulders.[2][3]
Behind the scenes[]
- "So here you have this mercenary, Vianna D'Pow, who you think is the "bad guy", but what she has to say makes a lot of sense."
- ―Jason Hall, author of Children of the Force and One of a Kind
Vianna D'Pow was created for the story "Children of the Force," which was one of six stories compiled into Star Wars Tales 13, a comic book released on September 25, 2002 as a part of the Star Wars Tales series. The character and story were created by Jason Hall, and Children of the Force was illustrated by Lucas Marangon. Although she was referred to as a Zeltron in the story, her appearance greatly differed from the way Zeltrons had looked in previous media. The story offered no explanation for D'Pow's visual look. She was first identified as an albino Zeltron in the comic One of a Kind, which was also written by Hall. One of a Kind was pencilled by Ethan Beavers and colored by Ronda Pattison, and was released on June 20, 2007. The story greatly developed D'Pow's backstory, also revealing her life growing up on Zeltros and the fact that she was the only albino Zeltron that existed. One of a Kind was featured as one of four comics compiled into Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 8. D'Pow later received an entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia which was released in 2008.
Appearances[]
- "Children of the Force" — Star Wars Tales 13 (First appearance)
"One of a Kind" — Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 8
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. I ("D'Pow, Vianna")
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 "Children of the Force" — Star Wars Tales 13
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17
"One of a Kind" — Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 8
- ↑
"Zeltros: Pleasure Planet" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ The New Essential Chronology places the First Battle of Geonosis during the year 22 BBY
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
- ↑ The Official Jason Hall Discussion Thread on the Jedi Council Forums (Literature board; posted by Nerf-Lover on 28/09/2002 8:14am) (backup link)
