Zakar'i

Zakar'i was a human male born on the planet of Raxus shortly before the rise of the Galactic Empire. He was taken to Coruscant to be trained as a Jedi not long after his birth, and grew up almost entirely with the Jedi Order in his life.

Zakar'i was inside of the Jedi Temple during the events of Order 66, where he was killed by newly appointed Sith Lord Darth Vader.

Birth & Discovery
Zakar'i spent his early life on the rolling hills of Raxus just north of the capital city of Raxulon. He was born into a very well known and wealthy family who often visited the planet's capital. During a party his family attended, an assassination attempt was made on one of the guests, throwing everyone into a panic. In midst the chaos, Zakar'i was separated from his family and ran into the assassin. Realizing he was of great value, the assassin attempted to kidnap Zakar'i, but failed after the young boy instinctively used the force to incapacitate his attacker.

After these events, word began to spread about a force-sensitive boy on Raxus. Aware of the laws the Republic put in place, Zakari's family knew that they must give up their child to the Jedi Order, and did so after the first Jedi investigators came by.

Jedi Training
As a Jedi Youngling, Zakar'i participated in The Gathering, where he and several others would face their greatest fears and find their Kyber crystal. One of the Jedi overseeing the event during his visit was known as Bri-Nah, an apprentice who would eventually fall from the Jedi path.

Zakar'i struggled in his early training as a Jedi for many reasons. Although he was very young when he joined the order, he was still very much used to the life provided to him by his wealthy family back on Raxus. He struggled to let go of his attachments to both his old life and his friends he was making in the order. Although he had a deep connection to the force, he used it more inward rather than outward. He focused on bolstering his senses and movements with the force rather than his telekinetic abilities, which caused him to fall behind in his early training. As his fellow younglings progressed at a faster rate than he did and moved on, Zakar'i would have to stay behind and meet an entire new group of students. This upset the young Jedi because he knew what he was good at, and it was just his lessons in specific uses of the force that was holding him back.

It was around this time that he met fellow Jedi youngling Ahsoka Tano who, unlike Zakar'i, was actually advancing quicker than the rest of her group. Tano would help Zakar'i gain a more clear understanding of his use the force by explaining it as a fellow student rather than a master. Meeting Ahsoka allowed Zakar'i to advance from the level of training he was stuck at, which was something he would never forget.

Despite the weaknesses he had in his early training, Zakar'i had a immense passion and skill for lightsaber combat. He studied and practiced it as often as he could in his free time, and found his fighting style well before it was required of him to do so. Where Zakar'i lacked in his use of the force, he made up for in his knowledge and skill of combat. It was this time and effort he put in that would one day allow him to win the Lightsaber Combat Classic on multiple occasions.

Paired with a Master
Before the start of the Clone Wars, Zakar'i became a Padawan and was paired with Jedi Master Pablo-Jill. The two did not get along well at first, as they both focused on very different aspects of the force. However, over time, the pair learned why they were put together, to learn from the others' strengths to improve on what specific skills they lacked.

The two went on several missions together prior to the war, including one of the first missions investigating a major Separatist plot on Zakari's home planet of Raxus.

Lightsaber Proficiency
The Lightsaber Combat Classic (LCC) was a long standing tradition within the Jedi Order. Only the best lightsaber duelists of the order would win such an event, and thanks to his skill and love of combat, Zakar'i became a winner on two separate occasions.

In the years prior to the Clone Wars, the LCC was dominated by Anakin Skywalker. No Jedi at the time could touch him, and Zakar'i was no exception. Yet, Zakar'i was skilled enough to place in the top six several years in a row as an apprentice, something few Jedi were able to achieve. During one of those years he placed second and had only one loss, that loss being to Skywalker.

It was after Skywalker was promoted to Jedi Knight that Zakar'i would take over. With Skywalker no longer being able to compete in the event, Zakar'i would prove to be one of the best young duelists of the time, winning the LCC in the two years that followed. His only challenger afterwards came from his good friend Ahsoka Tano, who coincidentally had just become Skywalker's Padawan. Zakari's second win came down to the two of them in a tiebreaker round, where he narrowly defeated Tano by outlasting her.

The Clone Wars
As a member of the Jedi Order, Zakar'i was unable to visit his homeworld of Raxus during the Clone Wars conflict, as it was illegal for him to visit a world under the control of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. This rule actually strengthened his desire to win the war and to free his homeworld from such a terrible evil.

Zakar'i became a Jedi Commander during the Clone Wars and fought as part of the 434th Legion alongside his master Pablo-Jill and Clone Commander CT-2321. Some of his most notable battles included the Drawth Rebellion and the Battle of Fanderium.

Prior to the Battle of Fanderium, Zakar'i was promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight by the Jedi Order. Because he was promoted by the Jedi and not the Republic, he remained a Commander in the 434th Legion instead of becoming a General. Furthermore, while he was a powerful warrior, Zakar'i lacked the skills required to lead his own legion.

Teaching an Apprentice
Nearing the end of the war, Zakar'i was assigned an apprentice of his own, a Mirialan by the name of Azim. The pairing came after the death of Azim's master, and neither of the Jedi felt like the pairing would work.

Much like the differences with his old master, Zakari's strengths differed greatly from Azim's. Azim was more focused and connected to the more spiritual aspects of the force, which was typical for most Mirialans. In their short time together before the end of the war, Zakar'i was able to teach his new apprentice a great deal about lightsaber combat, while also learning from him how to be closer to the force.

Powers and Abilities
Zakar'i was proficient in his use of the force as well as his lightsaber, the latter more so. He was also capable of piloting many different kinds of starfighters, but typically avoided their use unless it was required of him.

Lightsaber Abilities
Zakar'i spent most of his time as a Jedi studying lightsaber combat. He grew a love for it at a young age and practiced it more than most Jedi at the time did. As a result, he became the best duelist of his class, and was even considered a better duelist than his master. He heavily focused on two forms; Form II, which focused on one-handed offensive dueling, and Form III, the defensive style of combat. The young Jedi's emphasis on these two styles during training crafted him into the well rounded duelist that he was.

Force Abilities
Zakar'i was capable of using the force in combat, but preferred the use of his lightsaber. Compared to most of his peers and their skills in the force, he was a bit outclassed. He struggled in his use the force combatively during training, and when he realized how skilled he was with the lightsaber, he almost began to overlook these lessons. However, Zakar'i soon found the he was far more skilled with his force senses than his combative force powers. He put these powers to use in combat, allowing him to be constantly aware of his surroundings and the gravity of the situations he was in.

Other Abilities
As a commander during the Clone Wars, Zakar'i took part in several missions that involved him piloting a starfighter. The young Jedi was a capable pilot, but was not fond of starfighter combat, as he felt flying did not give him enough control of the situation around him.

Personality
Zakar'i was taught from an early age, even before becoming a Jedi, how to treat other with respect. As a result, he was very kind, and always worked to help others in any way he could. However, he also grew to be somewhat stubborn, a trait that greatly affected his early Jedi training. Zakar'i also became very competitive after taking such a great interest in lightsaber combat, where he became rivals with several Jedi within the order.