Matta Tremayne was a Human female from the planet Corroth who served as a Master within the Jedi Order. Tremayne's delicate physical appearance belied her true nature as a consummate lightsaber duelist, one highly acclaimed for her expertise with the weapon. Her service to the Jedi was given in the form of lightsaber combat instruction to the Order's students. She also personally undertook the training of the Jedi apprentice Freedon Nadd.
In 4400 BBY, Tremayne was approached by Nadd on the outskirts of Ossus City after the apprentice stormed out of the ceremony in which he had been denied the promotion to Jedi Knighthood. Ignoring him for a time while in the midst of practicing lightsaber cadences, Tremayne finally acknowledged Nadd as he prepared to depart in a furious rage. A heated argument ensued between them in which the impetuous young man declared himself a full-fledged Jedi, and Tremayne challenged Nadd to prove the validity of his claim—with the activation of her lightsaber. Her apprentice responded in kind, and the two engaged in a lightsaber duel, one that ended when Tremayne was struck down and slain. Freedon Nadd fell to the dark side of the Force as a result and eventually became one of the most influential Dark Lords of the Sith of all time.
Ossus, where Matta Tremayne taught the Jedi arts
Matta Tremayne was a Human female from the planet Corroth who lived prior to the onset of the Great Sith War. Her Force-sensitivity saw her enrolled in the Jedi Order, in which she eventually earned the rank of Jedi Master. In her later years, Tremayne lived on the library-world of Ossus, where she spent much of her time perfecting her dexterity with the lightsaber. She honed her skill with the weapon to such a degree that by 4400 BBY, she was renowned by many as a master lightsaber duelist. When not practicing her own technique, Tremayne served as lightsaber combat instructor for the students of the Jedi Order. Among her students was a prodigious young Human named Freedon Nadd, whose Jedi training she attended to personally.
Tremayne's apprentice was regarded by many of the Masters on Ossus as one with a profound natural talent for understanding and using the Force. Because of this, they believed that Nadd would ascend to Jedi Mastery far sooner than any other student who had come before him. When the time arose for promotion to Knighthood, however, he was overlooked. Nadd left the Knighting ceremony dejected, seeking out Tremayne for some insight as to why he had not been promoted. The elderly Jedi was practicing lightsaber cadences in a garden on the outskirts of Ossus City when Nadd approached her, and ignored him as she continued her exercise, in a state of meditation while doing so. For half an hour she paid Nadd no mind while he stood there, until finally he was so overcome with impatience that his feelings exploded in a tirade. In an elaborate flourish, Tremayne brought the tip of her lightsaber to bear mere centimeters from his chest. She then resumed her drills as though she had never even noticed him, leaving Nadd to stare at her in awe.
Freedon Nadd, Matta Tremayne's fallen apprentice
Tremayne's apprentice was overtaken with frustration at that moment, and he prepared to depart in a fit of rage. The Jedi Master then called to Nadd, deactivating her lightsaber when he responded. She began explaining to the young man that some lessons could not be taught, but rather learned through personal experience. Time and again she refused to give him the answers he sought, until Nadd accused Tremayne of purposely withholding the truth out of fear of losing her power to him. He professed that he no longer needed her help to become a Jedi, and that he would become the greatest Jedi who ever lived. Seeing the situation as a prime test for him, Tremayne challenged Nadd to prove to her that he had rightfully earned the rank of Jedi Knight. He hesitated for a brief moment as Tremayne ignited her lightsaber and again issued her challenge. Nadd then answered the summons by activating his own weapon, and an intense lightsaber duel ensued. Tremayne nearly ran him through in their first exchange of blows, and the Jedi Master's superior skill forced her apprentice to assume the defensive for much of the contest. Toward the end of the duel, Tremayne gave Nadd an opportunity to strike her down. Perceiving Tremayne's move as a miscalculation, Nadd capitalized on the opening that she had given him. Tremayne deliberately ignored the incoming strike, staring into her apprentice's eyes as his blade came down toward her shoulder; Nadd was unable to stop his weapon in time, which struck and killed Matta Tremayne. She then vanished into the Force, leaving only her Jedi robes where she had once stood.
Nadd initially grieved for Tremayne but quickly resolved in his mind the belief that she had brought her death upon herself. His anguish turned to hatred for the Jedi Order, and in his anger, he embraced the dark side of the Force. Tremayne was only the first Jedi whom Freedon Nadd killed; he subsequently became a Dark Lord of the Sith, and the corpses of countless Jedi were left in his wake until his own physical death.
Matta Tremayne was a diminutive woman who, by 4400 BBY, was considered elderly for a Human. She was possessed of an inner peace through which she viewed the universe in what she believed was its true form, not the distorted perceptions of most other individuals. Although she was aware of the internal conflict from which her apprentice suffered, she refused to resolve it for him. She recognized the necessity of gaining wisdom through personal experience and tried to impart this philosophy upon a less-than-receptive Freedon Nadd. The elderly woman remained unfazed by her apprentice's accusations and literally stood her ground as he moved toward her in a blind fury. When Nadd declared himself a Jedi despite the denial of the Masters, Tremayne sought to conduct one final test, in an attempt to subtly teach him the importance of self-discovery. Nadd failed to grasp the wisdom of her lesson, and the Jedi Master lost her life because of it.
Matta Tremayne was held in high esteem among her peers as a quintessential lightsaber duelist, one who had mastered the weapon's various forms of combat. Her skill was such that she was tasked with training other Jedi in its use. She executed her technique with expert proficiency, flawlessly repeating her lightsaber sequences as a form of meditation. In combat she performed effortlessly with great speed and precision. The aggressive nature of her assault forced her opponents to constantly defend themselves and allowed few opportunities for them to retaliate or to even gain the offensive. Tremayne became one with the Force upon the moment of her passing, as was only the way of Jedi Masters.
Matta Tremayne was first mentioned in the Tales of the Jedi Companion in the story of Freedon Nadd's fall to the dark side. In the Companion, Tremayne is referred to as a Master from whom Nadd only sought counsel, and not specifically as his actual Jedi Master. She received the same ambiguous recognition in The Official Star Wars Fact File 90 , in a section titled "The Shadow of Freedon Nadd." Both The Dark Side Sourcebook and Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force allude to Tremayne being the Master of Freedon Nadd whom he slew just prior to his abandonment of the Jedi Order. Although she receives no entry of her own, she is mentioned in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, again under the entry of Freedon Nadd, where she is explicitly identified as Nadd's Jedi Master.
- Tales of the Jedi Companion
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
- The Official Star Wars Fact File90
- Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 355