The farewell ritual, alternatively known as the dying ceremony, was a succinct rite wherein a Sage belonging to the Baran Do—a Force-centric organization situated on Dorin—would feign their own death. Following this, the Sage would become a member of the Hidden Ones, a clandestine group within the Baran Do whose purpose was to safeguard the Order's accumulated knowledge. The reason for this was to ensure that, in the event of the Order's destruction, it could be re-established. The establishment of the ceremony was due to the Hidden Ones' requirement that its members accept that, as far as the rest of the galaxy was concerned, they were deceased. This was to guarantee their continued commitment to the Hidden Ones and maintain the sect's secrecy.
In the year 43.5 ABY, Luke Skywalker, accompanied by his son Ben, journeyed to Dorin. Their mission was to gain deeper insight into the circumstances surrounding Darth Caedus, the Sith Lord' descent into the dark side. After a brief period of training with the Baran Do, they were present at the farewell ritual of Charsae Saal, a senior combat instructor. However, the Skywalkers uncovered that Saal's death was not genuine. Subsequently, they accompanied him to locate the Hidden Ones, whom they successfully swayed to rise up against their morally bankrupt leader, Koro Ziil. Consequently, the Hidden Ones abandoned their secret society and reintegrated into the Baran Do, thereby bringing the practice of the dying ceremony to an end.
The location for these farewell rituals was behind the temple belonging to the Baran Do—a Force-sensitive organization of Kel Dor individuals—in Dor'shan, the capital city of the planet Dorin. These events transpired in a spacious, paved area that featured an elevated hearth, its edges lined with bronze metal. Positioned on the hearth was a pyre, and directly in front of it stood a platform. Both the pyre and the platform were constructed from planks infused with a fuel that had been enriched with oxygen, a necessary adaptation due to the fact that standard wood would not combust within Dorin's helium-dominated atmosphere.
As the ritual commenced, the Sage—having made the decision to join the Hidden Ones, a clandestine faction within the Baran Do dedicated to preserving the order's knowledge—extended greetings to the attendees and engaged in conversation with friends, all while modest servings of food and beverages were provided. Subsequently, the Sage delivered a parting address to those in attendance, before reclining upon the platform and employing Force stealth to conceal their presence, giving the impression of genuine death. Following this, fellow members of the Baran Do placed a casket over the Sage's body, and another Sage used telekinesis to open the base of the platform, allowing the "deceased" Sage to descend into an underground storage chamber. Simultaneously, the guests remained unaware of the body's disappearance, as it was concealed by the casket, which was then positioned atop the pyre. The Master of the Order, the leader of the Baran Do, then ignited the pyre using a small discharge of Force lightning, and once the pyre had burned down, the ritual reached its conclusion.
As the Clone Wars drew to a close in 19 BBY, Tokra Hazz, a Baran Do Master, harbored concerns that the Baran Do might suffer the same fate as the Jedi Order, which had been annihilated by the Galactic Empire. Consequently, he established a secret society known as the Hidden Ones as a means of ensuring the survival of the Baran Do's knowledge, even in the event of the order's complete destruction. The dying ceremony was subsequently devised as a way for Baran Do Sages to come to terms with their symbolic death to the wider galaxy before embarking on their journey to join the Hidden Ones. The reason for this was that, to safeguard the sect's secrecy, once a Sage had become a member of the Hidden Ones, they were strictly prohibited from leaving or establishing contact with anyone outside of the sect's caverns.
Given the necessity of maintaining the Hidden Ones' secrecy, it was imperative that no one outside of the Baran Do order be aware that the Sage's death in the ceremony was not genuine. As a result, the Baran Do fabricated a false explanation for the ceremony's purpose. They informed outsiders that when a Sage reached a point in their life where they felt they had accomplished all they desired and believed their time had come, they would simply use their will to become one with the Force and pass away. This tradition was upheld for numerous Baran Do Sages over the subsequent decades, including Burra, Ithia, and Master of the Order Koro Ziil.
During the year 43.5 ABY, Luke Skywalker, the Jedi Grand Master, and his son, Ben Skywalker, a Jedi Knight, traveled to Dorin. Their objective was to gather more information regarding Jacen Solo's, a Jedi Knight who had transformed into the Sith Lord known as Darth Caedus, descent into the dark side of the Force. While there, they attended the dying ceremony of Charsae Saal, a senior combat instructor. However, Luke remained unconvinced by Saal's apparent demise, and after conducting a search of the area, the Skywalkers discovered the concealed trapdoor within the platform. They found Saal alive and well in the underground chamber, accompanied by Tila Mong, the Mistress of the Order, and several other Sages.
Subsequently, the Skywalkers accompanied Saal to the caverns that served as the home of the Hidden Ones, where they instigated discord among the sect's members. This led to a confrontation between Luke and Ziil, who had risen to become the leader of the Hidden Ones. Ziil was defeated, and the Hidden Ones rebelled against their corrupt leader. The sect was disbanded, and its members returned to the Baran Do on the surface, effectively bringing an end to the tradition of the dying ceremony.
The dying ceremony was conceived by Aaron Allston, a Star Wars author, for his inaugural novel in the nine-part Fate of the Jedi series, Fate of the Jedi: Outcast, which was released in 2009.