Xiaan Amersu was a female Rutian Twi'lek Jedi Knight who fought during the Clone Wars. She was the Padawan of J'Mikel, an Anx Jedi she saw killed by the bounty hunter Aurra Sing. Amersu was later put in care of Jedi physicians to free her mind of the horror she witnessed. Afterwards, she met with Quinlan Vos in the Mediation Garden within the Coruscant Jedi Temple and gifted Vos the Heart of Fire so that he could use his ability of psychometry to remember his Padawan, Aayla Secura.
By the time of the Clone Wars, Amersu had reached the rank of Jedi Knight. During the Siege of Saleucami, she flew as Blue Leader and sacrificed herself and her fighter to eliminate a Separatist planetary gun.
Xiaan Amersu bewailing the death of her master, J'Mikel
A member of the Jedi Order, Xiaan Amersu was a Twi'lek female from the planet Ryloth. Whilst in the Jedi Temple located on the planet Coruscant, Amersu was approached by Padawan Aayla Secura who presented her with a Heart of Fire, a stone that Secura's master had given her during her training.
In 30 BBY, the pair were exploring the Coruscant underworld in the Temple Precinct with Master Peerce searching for the bounty hunter Aurra Sing. They followed a trail of blood, coming across the corpses of four Republic Peace Officers killed by Sing. J'Mikel apologized to Amersu on the matters of seeing the tragic scene, with Amersu remarking that the officers were with the Force. The group split up, with Peerce finding the missing fifth Duros Republic Peace Officer tied up.
Sing escapes from the scene
While near an alley, Amersu smelt ionized air created by lightsaber duel. Going to the source of the smell, Amersu found Peerce's dead body standing in front of the Duros officer. J'Mikel investigated, only for their target, Sing, to emerge and attack J'Mikel. The pair engaged in a lightsaber duel, with Sing emerging victorious by stabbing J'Mikel through his chest. Sing shortly thereafter turned her attention to Amersu, revealing that she was paid to kill her master and Peerce. Sing insulted Amersu, leaving her with tears running down her face just before leaving the scene. Amersu was later placed in the care of Jedi physicians to alleviate her mind of what she had witnessed.
Amersu meeting the Jedi Quinlan Vos
Not long after J'Mikel was killed, Amersu sought out the amnesic Jedi Quinlan Vos in one of the meditation gardens in the Jedi Temple. After introducing herself, Xiaan revealed the Heart of Fire, with the intention of Vos using his power of psychometry to remember his missing Padawan, Aayla. Using his powers on the object, he relived his shared experiences with Aayla. After thanking her, Vos promised to her that he would find Aayla.
By the time of the Clone Wars, Amersu reached the rank of Jedi Knight. During the war, Amersu dutifully took up the rank of General in the Grand Army of the Republic. As she prepared to lead her first battle, her old friend Jedi Secura approached her and returned Master J'Mikel's lightsaber to Amersu; Sing had taken the weapon as a trophy when she killed the Anx, and Secura had retrieved it when she arrested Sing on Devaron.
Over the years of war Amersu developed a close relationship with fellow Jedi A'Sharad Hett. Accepting many missions together, she sobbed on his shoulder during a brief pause in the fighting on Saleucami when she learned of Councilor Oppo Rancisis' death. With the Thisspiasian's passing, Master Vos was placed in charge of coordinating the assault on the Morgukai clone army base. Leading Blue Squadron during the air battle, Jedi Amersu's interceptor sustained critical damage. Despite the urging of Jedi Hett to withdraw from the fight, Amersu directed her doomed fighter into the heart of the CIS's ion cannon and deflector shield generator, knocking out their defenses. Her death proved vital to the Republic's victory at Saleucami, though it was short lived as the Order and the Republic were overthrown by the Galactic Empire in the ensuing weeks.
Xiaan Amersu in A'Sharad Hett's remembrance
Amersu and fellow Jedi A'Sharad Hett had grown close to each other during the Clone Wars. When Amersu gave her life during the Siege of Saleucami, Hett appeared to come to terms with his loss; however, he soon fell to the dark side of the Force following the start of the Great Jedi Purge. Reappearing after more than a hundred years in hiding, Hett reemerged as Darth Krayt and the leader of a new empire of Sith. Amersu, Hett's love, still haunted his thoughts a century after her death.
Xiaan Amersu first appeared as an unnamed character in The Hunt for Aurra Sing comic, written by Timothy Truman and penciled by Davidé Fabbri. Using the character again in Heart of Fire, writer John Ostrander and artist Jan Duursema based her name on Duursema's daughter Sian. As it was Sian who had convinced Ostrander and Duursema not to kill off Aayla Secura—another Twi'lek Jedi who has since grown to be a fan favorite—early in the Star Wars: Republic comic series, Ostrander and Duursema thought it appropriate to name Xiaan Amersu after her.
Though Amersu's skin is brown in The Hunt for Aurra Sing and Heart of Fire, in every other appearance she is turquoise.
- Star Wars: The Comics Companion
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia