Dante was a Force-sensitive Caphex male who served as a Jedi in the waning days of the Galactic Republic. He survived the execution of Order 66, and went on to be considered for membership in the nascent Empire's Inquisitorius—a group of Force-users tasked with hunting the remaining Jedi in the galaxy. Despite his willingness to turn on his Jedi brethren, however, Dante failed his final test that would have assured his induction as a full Inquisitor, and was slain by Barriss Offee, his former peer.
Like all candidates for the Inquisitorius, Dante was plucked from the ranks of the Jedi Order. During his time at the Jedi Temple, Dante was a contemporary of Barriss Offee and Ahmar, the former of whom considered him a friendly face.
Ahmar, Barriss and Dante listen to the Grand Inquisitor's recruitment speech
Following the execution of Order 66, the Jedi Order was largely wiped out by the Galactic Republic's clone army. Dante was spared from the initial slaughter, and, having been identified as a prospective for the Inquisitorius—a dark side guild of assassins dedicated to eliminating Jedi survivors—he was taken to Fortress Inquisitorius on the water moon of Nur to be inducted into the Imperial sect. Upon his arrival at the base, Dante was reunited with Offee and Ahmar, and introduced to the Grand Inquisitor, who explained that the Republic had been restructured into a Galactic Empire. Presented with a choice between serving the New Order, or facing execution, Dante quickly embraced the opportunity, and urged his fellow hopefulls to do the same and follow the rules laid out for them by their new masters. Ahmar, however, refused to heed this warning, and attempted to leave the base, only to be swiftly detained and murdered.
Dante being Force choked by Barriss Offee
After being tested by the Fourth Sister, Dante was found to be sufficiently strong in the dark side of the Force to become an Inquisitor, and was taken into the bowls of the Fortress to face a final trial, alongside Offee. The two prospects were led into a circular arena surrounding a vast sinkhole. Speaking to the combatants from a platform above the arena, the Grand Inquisitor revealed that only one of the two candidates would be inducted into their ranks, and that one must strike down the other to earn their place. Activating a ray shield, which slowly contracted, forcing Offee and Dante towards the sinkhole's precipice, the Grand Inquisitor threw a single-bladed red lightsaber at their feet, and explained that if they refused to fight each other, the ray shield would cause them both to fall to their deaths. Although Offee tried to reason with Dante, believing the test to be a ruse, the Caphex was determined not to become another victim of the Jedi Purge and seized the red lightsaber, attempting to kill Offee with abandon. Despite initially having the upper hand, Offee was able to turn the tables by tapping into the dark side, using Force choke to crush her former friend's neck, and allowed his body to fall into the abyss.
Dante appears in "Devoted," an episode of the 2024 animated television series Star Wars: Tales of the Empire In the real world, Dante commonly refers to the Italian poet Dante Alighieri.