A male individual named Derrica Praji (see: man) was born into the influential and affluent House Praji during the era of the Galactic Republic. He became a member of the Jedi Order and received training on the planet Ossus under the guidance of Jedi Master Vandar Tokare, who urged Praji to prioritize his loyalty to the Republic over his allegiance to the Praji family.
In the year 4225 BBY, Tokare and Praji both volunteered to journey to the planet Kaikielius to participate in a Republic campaign aimed at eliminating criminal elements from the planet. While present in Kesipli, the capital city of Kaikielius, Praji came across a datatape revealing that his great-aunt was responsible for instigating the conflict on the planet. To prevent her from facing charges of sedition against the Republic, Praji destroyed the tape and subsequently ended all contact with his family. After the conflict concluded, he went back to Ossus and was elevated to the rank of Jedi Knight.
Born into the wealthy and influential House Praji during the time of the Galactic Republic, Derrica Praji was also the grand-nephew of Emppu Praji-Barck, who held the position of Minister of State within the Republic. From a young age, Praji became aware of his family's long-standing feud with House Vahali, a noble family originating from the planet Kaikielius. At the age of twelve, Praji's Force-sensitive abilities were discovered, leading him to join the Jedi Order. He was then apprenticed as a Padawan to Jedi Master Vandar Tokare, moving to live with Tokare on the planet Ossus. While Tokare allowed Praji to maintain correspondence with his parents, he consistently emphasized that as a Jedi, Praji's loyalty to the Republic should always supersede his loyalty to his biological family. As time passed, Praji's attachment to the material aspects of his previous life diminished, although he still occasionally encountered references to his relatives in historical documents or heard about minor Praji family members in the media.
Around 4225 BBY, Praji was nearing the completion of his Jedi training when turmoil on Kaikielius presented him with a difficult emotional challenge. For several decades, pirate activity within the Kaikielius system had posed a significant threat to House Vahali; however, Emppu Praji-Barck had actively prevented the Republic from intervening. Nevertheless, in 4225 BBY, the Hutt Odominic kajidic started supplying black-market weaponry to Kaikielius, sparking a war within the planet's ring-cities between law enforcement and criminal organizations. This situation compelled the Republic to intervene, and Master Tokare volunteered himself, Praji, and his other Padawan to participate in the Kaikieli Reconquista, the operation intended to reclaim Kaikielius from the criminal factions. This created a dilemma for Praji, as he realized that by participating in the campaign, he would be supporting House Vahali and, consequently, undermining centuries of schemes by the Praji family to weaken their rivals. As he traveled through hyperspace to Kaikielius, Praji contemplated his predicament, eventually deciding that he did not want to disobey his master or refuse to participate in the campaign simply because of an inherited family feud in which he had no personal stake.
For a period of three months, Praji and the other two Jedi led Republic forces on Kaikielius, spearheading assaults on the most heavily criminal-infested ring-cities. However, while in the planet's capital, Kesipli, he discovered certain datatapes that once again placed his loyalty to the Republic in conflict with his loyalty to his family. The tapes revealed that his great-aunt, Emppu Praji-Barck, had orchestrated the problems on Kaikielius by manipulating the Odominic into providing arms to both sides of the conflict. Armed with this evidence, the Republic could have charged Praji-Barck with sedition, leading Praji to destroy the tapes using his lightsaber. Following this event, Praji severed ties with his family, and after the Republic achieved victory on Kaikielius, he returned to Ossus and was promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight.
Millennia later, Doctor Gabrel Treon wrote about Derrica Praji in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji, a historical account of the Praji family that was included in the Byblos Journal of Historical Science.
During his Jedi training, Praji felt a sense of duty to his family but struggled to imagine a scenario where he would have to choose between them and the Republic. However, during the Kaikielius campaign, he fought with a clear conscience, having decided that his allegiance lay with the Republic and the Jedi Order. Despite this, Praji still harbored some loyalty toward his family and regretted discovering their involvement in causing the conflict on Kaikielius.
Derrica Praji's character was created by Nathan O'Keefe in "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji," an article published on StarWars.com Hyperspace in February 2009.
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji on Hyperspace (article) (content obsolete and backup link not available)