Besh (Korun)

Besh, a Force-sensitive male Korun Human, was born on the planet of Haruun Kal and was the younger brother of Lesh. At one point, Balawai prospectors captured Besh, attempting to force him to reveal the location of a supposed treasure grove filled with lammas trees, which were valued for their timber. Despite the grove being nonexistent, the prospectors tortured Besh, severing three fingers from his left hand and removing his tongue. Though he survived, Besh harbored a strong resentment for the offworld Balawai. Consequently, he and Lesh joined the Summertime War, an annual conflict between the Korunnai and the offworlders, fighting for cultural survival and access to Haruun Kal's valuable resources, respectively.

As the Clone Wars began in 22 BBY, during the height of the Summertime War, Jedi Master Depa Billaba was sent to Haruun Kal to enlist Korun warriors for Republic operations against the Balawai government, who had allied with the Confederacy of Independent Systems. When she ceased communication, her former Master, Mace Windu, feared she might have turned to the dark side and traveled to Haruun Kal to find her. Billaba and lor pelek Kar Vastor, commanders of the Upland Liberation Front (a cover organization created by Billaba), instructed Besh and his comrades Nick Rostu, Chalk, and Lesh to capture Windu.

After failing to reach Windu in the capital of Pelek Baw due to events such as a food riot, Besh and his team eventually aided the Jedi Master during a battle against a group of mercenaries. To prove their identity to Windu, the group displayed Billaba's lightsaber. They then left Pelek Baw in a groundcar and journeyed into the wilderness. Several days later, Lesh died from exposure to fever wasps after consuming raw thyssel bark. Windu euthanized Lesh and discovered that Besh and Chalk were also infected via a medpac scan, Besh having been stung. Windu administered thanatizine to slow their metabolisms and the development of the wasps.

Windu transported Besh and Chalk to a former Balawai bunker. Terrel Nakay, a Balawai boy whom Windu had saved from a steamcrawler incident, attacked the unconscious Besh and Lesh with a crude blade due to his hatred of the Korunnai. Kar Vastor killed Nakay, but Besh had already sustained wounds. Despite Vastor removing the fever wasps from Besh and Chalk and applying tissue binders to their injuries, Besh succumbed to a severe fungal infection. Chalk treated the infection with alcohol at the ULF stronghold within a mountain at the Lorshan Pass, while Vastor attempted to use the Force to eliminate the fungus. However, their efforts were unsuccessful, and Besh soon passed away.

Despite being scarred both physically and emotionally, Besh remained expressive and articulate. He communicated effectively through gestures and Force messages, and Mace Windu considered him the most learned of his companions. He also enjoyed chewing thyssel bark, though not as much as his brother Lesh.

Besh was visibly upset by Lesh's death from fever wasp exposure, with Windu noticing his Force aura shifting towards despair. He also showed distress upon learning of his own infection.

Besh could use the Force to communicate in place of speech. Like other Korunnai, he could also bond with akk dogs and grassers, animals highly valued by his people.

Besh first appeared in Shatterpoint, a 2003 novel written by Matthew Stover. The character was later included in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia in 2008. The encyclopedia entry incorrectly states that Kar Vastor murdered Besh, while the novel depicts Vastor attempting to heal him.