Barukka, a Dathomiri woman, once a Nightsister, held the position of sister to Gethzerion, the Nightsister leader. Born as the daughter of Augwynne Djo, who led the Singing Mountain Clan, Barukka embraced the dark side of the Force, yet managed to free herself from its grip and chose exile. Her attempts to rejoin her original clan were unsuccessful, leading to mental torment inflicted by Gethzerion, gradually pushing her towards insanity.
Her path to redemption began when Luke Skywalker, a Jedi Knight, sought her assistance in locating components for the Millennium Falcon. Skywalker aided her in confronting her feelings of guilt, enabling her to return to the light side following the death of Gethzerion at the hands of Zsinj, an Imperial warlord. After completing this redemptive journey, Barukka was welcomed back into her clan.
As Augwynne Djo's daughter, Barukka was raised alongside her sisters, Gethzerion, Kara'Teel, and Allaya Djo, within the Singing Mountain Clan. However, Gethzerion betrayed their mother, attempting to assassinate her and killing Kara'Teel in the process, although Augwynne survived. Following these events, Gethzerion was banished and became a Nightsister, establishing a clan of darksiders that terrorized other clans and those imprisoned on Dathomir by the Galactic Empire. Barukka later succumbed to the dark side and joined her sister's clan as a Nightsister. She mastered Nightsister spells, becoming powerful and radiating a dark aura in the Force.
During her time as a Nightsister, Barukka committed unspeakable atrocities, gaining significant knowledge about the Imperial prison on Dathomir, which served as their base. Eventually, she regretted her actions and left the Nightsisters, exiling herself to the Rivers of Stone. She then requested to rejoin the Singing Mountain Clan, but her mother hesitated, fearing Barukka's emotional instability and untrustworthiness due to her past as a Nightsister.
Living in complete isolation made Barukka vulnerable, and in the days following her self-imposed exile, Gethzerion tortured her for deserting the Nightsisters. Gethzerion demanded her return and relentlessly pursued her, intending to either force her back into the clan, drive her insane, or kill her for her betrayal. Barukka could hear Gethzerion's voice as if she were nearby, filled with screams and curses. Gethzerion also deprived Barukka of sleep, keeping her awake at night. Eventually, Barukka became convinced that Gethzerion had immense power over her and that she was helpless. This drove Barukka to madness; she spoke about herself in the third person and trembled at the thought of revealing any information about the Nightsisters to their adversaries.
Barukka's redemption began with the arrival of Luke Skywalker, a Jedi Knight, his sister, Leia Organa, Han Solo and Chewbacca, the pilot and co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon, Barukka's niece Teneniel Djo, and Isolder, a Hapan prince, in 8 ABY. They sought information about the Imperial prison due to her past as a Nightsister. Barukka initially ordered them to leave, claiming she was forsaken and unable to offer shelter. Skywalker attempted to reason with her, but Barukka only warned them about the impending war between the Singing Mountain Clan and the Nightsisters, and that Gethzerion was summoning her. When Teneniel requested directions to find parts for the Millennium Falcon in the prison, Barukka rambled about Gethzerion driving her mad. Skywalker finally convinced her to reveal the locations by identifying himself as a Jedi Knight.
She complied by creating a detailed, full-scale model of the prison from the dirt, complete with tiny replicas of people. After indicating key locations, the model collapsed when Barukka saw Gethzerion in it, staring at her accusingly. Barukka fell to the floor and lamented to Skywalker about the damage she had inflicted upon herself as a Nightsister. Skywalker then advised her on how to release her guilt and take the first steps towards the light. Fortunately for Barukka, Gethzerion's Nightsister clan was destroyed when their ship was destroyed by Zsinj, the Imperial warlord, who had blockaded them from leaving. Following this, Barukka redeemed herself and rejoined her clan.
As a former Nightsister, Barukka committed numerous dark side crimes without hesitation, displaying a dark aura that reflected her dark side usage. However, unlike her sister Gethzerion, she felt guilt for her actions, which allowed her to begin her redemption. Gethzerion resisted this, tormenting her sister by depriving her of sleep, screaming and cursing at her through the Force, and relentlessly stalking her. By the time she met Luke Skywalker, she had become completely insane, speaking in the third person and believing Gethzerion had total control over her.
Despite being forsaken, she adhered to tradition, refusing to allow anyone into her shelter. She was deeply afraid of Gethzerion, which initially prevented her from revealing strategic locations within the Imperial prison to Skywalker. The appearance of Gethzerion in a replica of the prison frightened her but motivated her to seek complete redemption. She desired Skywalker to heal her physical and mental wounds, and her determination to return to her clan helped her overcome her anger, greed, guilt, and despair. With Gethzerion's death, Barukka regained her sanity and rejoined the Singing Mountain Clan.
Barukka, a Force-trained Dathomiri witch and Nightsister, activated her Force powers by uttering specific words that her clan called spells. She possessed considerable skill in illusion spells, demonstrated by creating a highly detailed replica of the Imperial prison, complete with miniature people. Princess Leia believed she was more powerful than Skywalker in his early Jedi days, noting Force abilities in Barukka that Skywalker did not possess. Barukka was unable to block telepathic connections, particularly from Gethzerion, leading to endless torture. Before her redemption, she used Nightsister spells to terrorize Dathomiri clans, radiating a distinctive dark aura until she was redeemed.
Dave Wolverton, the author of The Courtship of Princess Leia, created Barukka. She was also briefly mentioned in the Star Wars Encyclopedia and Cracken's Threat Dossier, although her name was misspelled as "Baruka" in the latter.