Arligan Zey was a male Human Jedi Master of the Jedi Order. During the Clone Wars, he served the Galactic Republic as a General within the Grand Army of the Republic and also held the position of Director of Special Forces.
As a Force-sensitive Human, Arligan Zey underwent education in the Force by the Jedi Order, eventually achieving the rank of Jedi Master. Prior to the Separatist Crisis that began in 28 BBY, Master Zey chose Bardan Jusik, a young Initiate, to be his Padawan. Together, they embarked on various missions throughout the galaxy for the Jedi High Council.
With the outbreak of the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Master Zey assumed the role of General in the newly formed Grand Army of the Republic. Serving as an intelligence officer, Master Zey oversaw several Republic clone commando groups, specialized units carrying out insertion missions to eliminate specific targets without requiring a General's direct command. He strongly supported the clone trooper development program, advocating for the Grand Army's creation and asserting its superiority over the Separatist Droid Army. In addition to the commandos, Master Zey had knowledge of the top-secret Null-class ARC Troopers and preferred using them for data-gathering operations.
Early in the conflict, Master Zey supervised operations on Qiilura, where Master Kast Fulier and Padawan Etain Tur-Mukan had disappeared amidst the war's initial chaos. After Omega Squad commandos rescued Padawan Tur-Mukan, they undertook the mission of capturing scientist Ovolot Qail Uthan, who aimed to create a nanovirus targeting clone troopers. Following the successful capture of Uthan, Master Zey and Padawan Jusik traveled to Qiilura to oversee cleanup efforts and arm the planet's colonists to resist Confederate occupation. Working closely with Jusik and Tur-Mukan, he elevated both to the rank of Jedi Knight and endeavored to reestablish a Gurlanin colony on the planet.
After his successful operation on Qiilura, Master Zey was appointed to lead one of the two Special Operations Brigades, working alongside Master Iri Camas as Director of Special Forces. As Master Zey increasingly relied on ARC troopers, he was assigned Captain Maze, who acted as a liaison between Special Ops and the ARCs. During this period, Master Zey received information from his agents regarding inconsistencies in Separatist droid production numbers. While the Confederacy's media and representatives claimed an army of over a quadrillion droids, Zey's Null ARCs obtained data indicating the actual number was less than half a billion. Believing a large-scale assault on droid production plants could end the war, Master Zey presented his evidence to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who dismissed the claims and deemed such force unnecessary.
To keep Master Zey occupied, Chancellor Palpatine tasked him with capturing rogue Kaminoan scientist Ko Sai. Assigning Delta Squad and his former Padawan, Jedi Jusik, to locate the defector, Zey was unaware that Jusik was intentionally misdirecting his squad to conceal Kal Skirata's movements. Skirata, a mercenary involved in the initial clone training, was also hunting Sai with Omega Squad's help, intending to kill her. After Skirata captured Sai, Jusik and his team discovered her abandoned lab and reported her work destroyed. To ensure the operation appeared successful, Skirata provided Delta Squad with Ko Sai's head to deliver to Master Zey on Coruscant.
As the war progressed, Master Zey developed sympathy for the clones, believing the Order was wrong to use men bred for combat with no choice. Consequently, Master Zey offered Captain Maze a means of retiring from the military if he ever desired to leave. Besides the forced lifestyle, Master Zey was horrified by growing evidence of Republic clone executions. Upon learning of this, Master Zey's former Padawan, Jedi Jusik, left the Order, declaring he could no longer ignore his conscience and would protect innocents, including the clones. Saddened by Jusik's embrace of Mandalorian culture, Zey understood his motives and allowed him to keep his lightsaber.
Assigning Jedi Tur-Mukan and both Delta and Omega Squad to Haurgab, he was displeased when they returned with a stalemate. Approaching clone trainer and mercenary Walon Vau, Master Zey requested he monitor Kal Skirata, suspected of treason.
Following the Confederacy's failed invasion of Coruscant, Master Zey spent more time at the Jedi Temple, consulting with the High Council and receiving reports from other Jedi. During a late-night visit to the Temple, Master Zey was walking through its halls when Sith Lord Darth Vader led the 501st Legion in an assault. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, Chancellor Palpatine had betrayed the Order, issuing Contingency Order 66 to the Grand Army, ordering all Jedi executed. As part of Operation: Knightfall, the 501st stormed the Temple, killing anyone they encountered.
Escaping the burning Temple with severe injuries, Master Zey returned to his offices at the Special Ops headquarters and encountered Null ARC Captain Ordo. When Zey asked Ordo why the troopers were killing the Jedi, Ordo explained Order 66. Captain Maze then arrived and told Zey he was simply following orders issued directly from the Office of the Supreme Chancellor. Realizing what had occurred, Master Zey revealed to the clones that Palpatine was the traitor and must be the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious. Unfamiliar with the Sith, Maze pleaded with Zey to surrender and present these charges before the Galactic Senate. Refusing to be captured by the Sith, Zey ordered Maze to follow orders and execute him.
However, Captain Maze chose not to comply, firing at the wall a meter from Zey's head. He then successfully hid Zey until he could smuggle him offworld to Mandalore. Upon arriving at Kal Skirata's secret bunker at Kyrimorut, Zey received a hostile reception. Skirata and his clones hated the Jedi and were angry that the clones had disobeyed orders. Despite the initial hostility, Zey was allowed to stay, and he met other Jedi refugees hiding on the planet, including his former Padawan and the ancient Jedi Kina Ha. Master Zey was surprised to sense the Force-sensitivity of an infant residing at the bunker. Named Kad, the clones revealed that the boy was the son of the deceased Jedi Tur-Mukan and Clone Commando Darman Skirata.
Maintaining a low profile at the bunker, the Mandalorians debated the fates of Masters Zey and Ha. Ultimately, they decided against executing the two and successfully contacted Master Djinn Altis and his hidden community of Jedi. The Jedi were secretly transported to their hidden sanctuary and integrated into their community.
Zey had to consistently manage the unconventional behavior of Kal Skirata and his associates, such as permitting Skirata to utilize military funds as needed or frequently overlooking the actions of Generals Bardan Jusik and Etain Tur-Mukan.
Arligan Zey was characterized as a large, bearded, muscular individual who was uncomfortable with desk work and the power he possessed, yet remained extremely loyal to the Jedi Order. He was deeply disturbed upon learning of the clone executions during the war and was known to express his concerns to Mace Windu. He also offered Captain Maze an opportunity to leave the army if he ever desired to do so.