Shayoto was a Human male Jedi Master active in the Jedi Order in the years leading up to the Great Sith War. Born sometime before the year 4800 BBY, Shayoto was trained in the Jedi way by a long-lived Jedi Master, who in turn had a Master who lived for thousands of years. Shayoto was also instructed by his Master's Master, who taught him about events such as the Hundred-Year Darkness and the Great Hyperspace War, and about the modus operandi of the followers of the dark side of the Force. After completing his Jedi training and rising to the level of Jedi Master, Shayoto lived through the Gank Massacres in 4800 BBY and the Vultar Cataclysm in 4250 BBY. By 3997 BBY, the Jedi Master had lived for more than 800 years. That same year, Shayoto attended the Conclave at Deneba, a Jedi meeting on the Mid Rim planet of Deneba meant to address the recent threat posed by the Empress Teta–based dark-side organization known as the Krath. The aging Jedi Master made himself heard during the conclave, sharing his knowledge of the workings of darksiders. During a recess, the Jedi gathered on Deneba's Mount Meru were attacked by Krath war droids. However, the assembled Jedi were able to fight the droid army off.
Shayoto, a Human male, was born some time before 4800 BBY, and eventually was found to be Force-sensitive. He joined the Jedi Order and was placed under the tutelage of a very old Jedi Master. Shayoto was also taught by his Master's Master, who told him about the events of the Hundred-Year Darkness and the Great Hyperspace War, which the ancient Jedi had lived through. Shayoto's Master's Master also taught him how the agents of the dark side operated, relating how darksiders acted in secrecy and waited until the leaders of society had fallen under their grasp, before striking with great suddenness. After completing his training, Shayoto rose to the rank of Jedi Master. He went on to live for many centuries, surviving through the Gank Massacres in 4800 BBY, and the Vultar Cataclysm 550 years later.
Jedi Knights approach Mount Meru, where the Conclave on Deneba was held. Shayoto attended this meeting.
In 3997 BBY, a conclave of Jedi on the Mid Rim planet of Deneba was called to deal with several events that had recently transpired. A dark-side-wielding group known as the Krath had seized power in the Empress Teta system and declared war on the Jedi Order. By that time, Shayoto had lived for more than 800 years, but that did not stop the aging Jedi Master from going to Deneba. A large crowd of Jedi, including Shayoto, attended the gathering on Deneba's Mount Meru. During the conclave, the Jedi tried to find a way to neutralize the Krath threat. Eventually, the young Jedi Watchman of the Tetan worlds, Ulic Qel-Droma, was called to the stage, claiming that an all-out war with the Krath would not eliminate the true dark-side threat. After hearing this, Shayoto asked to speak, and although he had not been recognized by Master Odan-Urr, the conclave's spokesman, fellow Jedi Master Arca Jeth proclaimed that Shayoto should be allowed to address the other Jedi.
Shayoto told the assembled Jedi Knights his memory of the events of the past; the Hundred-Year Darkness, Great Hyperspace War, Gank Massacres, and the Vultar Cataclysm, and conveyed to them his knowledge of the methods of darksiders. The aged Jedi Master made the point that the Krath conspiracy should be torn out by its roots before it could spread beyond the Empress Teta system. Qel-Droma agreed and proposed that he infiltrate the Krath organization and learn their secrets, an idea that did not sit well with the gathered Jedi. Jeth, in particular, was strongly opposed, fearing that Qel-Droma would fall to the dark side himself if he attempted such a plan. A recess was then called, and before the conclave could resume, the Jedi were ambushed by hundreds of life pods containing Krath war droids launched from orbit. Now under siege, the assembled Jedi were forced to fight the war droids off, and after a fierce battle, they were successful. However, many Jedi, including Arca Jeth, were killed.
Over the course of many centuries, Shayoto, through the teachings of his Master and his Master's Master, accrued a great knowledge of galactic history, the conflicts between the light and the dark sides of the Force, and the workings of agents of the dark side. The Jedi Master did not hesitate to share his knowledge with the rest of the Jedi Order, as he did during the Conclave on Deneba. Although by the time of the conclave Shayoto was over 800 years old, he was still spry enough to attend, hiking all the way up Mount Meru. Shayoto demonstrated a measure of boldness, as he stepped forward to speak during the Jedi meeting, although he had not been recognized yet by the meeting's spokesman, Odan-Urr. However, Shayoto was respected enough that Arca Jeth, a well-respected Jedi Master, believed that he should be allowed to state his points anyway. The centuries-old Jedi Master resented the dark side of the Force and its followers, seeing them as evil, and blaming them for the fall of many civilizations, some of which took eons to build. At the time of the Conclave on Deneba, Shayoto's skin was wrinkled, and he had a hunched posture and walked with a large cane.
Shayoto first appeared in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Dark Lords of the Sith, the fourth story arc of the Tales of the Jedi comic book series, written by Kevin J. Anderson and Tom Veitch from late 1994 to early 1995. Shayoto appeared in the arc's third issue, titled Descent to the Dark Side, wherein he played a minor role. Shayoto did not appear nor was he mentioned in any other issues in the arc, and it is his only appearance in Star Wars lore. In his appearance, Shayoto was illustrated by Chris Gossett.
Although Shayoto appeared in the comic version of Dark Lords of the Sith, the Jedi Master was absent from the Dark Lords of the Sith audio drama. In the audio version, Shayoto's lines were attributed to Arca Jeth.
- "Straight from the Horse's Mouth: A Guide to the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Universe, Part 3" — Star Wars Insider 28
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