During the era of the Clone Wars, Kennan Taanzer existed as a male Human Jedi Initiate within the structure of the Jedi Order. In the chaos following the initial destruction of the Jedi during the rise of the Galactic Empire, Taanzer found himself under the protection of both Jedi Master K'Kruhk and Padawan Chase Piru as they attempted to evade the Empire's reach. They eventually sought sanctuary on the planet of Arkinnea, where Taanzer spent his early years under the Empire, maturing into a young man guided by K'Kruhk, Piru, and Zao.
Taanzer, a Force-sensitive Human, was born on Nadiem during the Clone Wars. His father perished when the Confederacy of Independent Systems launched an attack on their world. After their home was destroyed, Taanzer's mother, Crys Taanzer, tried to escape with him to the Galactic Republic's evacuation transports. Realizing the odds were stacked against them due to the overwhelming crowds, she pleaded with a visiting Jedi healer. This Ho'Din Jedi treated Taanzer's injuries and was struck by the boy's unusual calmness. This prompted the Jedi to have his Padawan perform a blood test, which revealed Taanzer's connection to the Force. The Jedi then offered Taanzer priority evacuation, on the condition that his mother entrust him to the Order, promising his safety at the Coruscant Jedi Temple within 48 hours. She agreed, and Taanzer was sent away to begin his training. Sadly, Crys Taanzer would later regret this decision after Order 66, convinced she had sealed her son's death.
Contrary to his mother's belief that he died at the Coruscant Temple, Taanzer had been moved from Coruscant before the war's end. Upon joining the Order, he was assigned to the Soaring Hawkbat Clan. With his fellow Initiates and their minder, Jedi Master Du Mahn, Taanzer awaited transport back to the Temple at the Jedi chapter house on Bogden 3, a delay caused by the battle there. When Masters K'Kruhk and Sian Jeisel arrived with their [clone troopers](/article/clone_trooper-legends], Mahn instructed the Initiates to assist her Padawan, Chase Piru, in preparing a meal for the weary Jedi and their troops. Hours after the meal, the clone troopers received Contingency Order 66 from Coruscant, ordering the execution of all Jedi. Opening fire within the training facility, many unarmed Initiates were killed as their masters defended them. However, K'Kruhk and Piru managed to escape with nine Initiates to an unknown location. Two months later, Taanzer was living in exile with the group of younglings, under K'Kruhk's guidance on an unnamed moon.
When the pirate Lumbra and his crew arrived at the youngling's camp, Taanzer was present. Spotting a part they needed for their damaged ship, Lumbra moved to take it. Taanzer's peer Seddwia confronted Lumbra as he approached the ship, demanding he leave it alone. Lumbra grabbed Seddwia, triggering a conflict. Chase Piru intervened, but was shot and presumed dead. Upon realizing they were Jedi Initiates, Lumbra chained them up, intending to hand them over to the Galactic Empire. Only the timely arrival of K'Kruhk and Piru saved Taanzer and the other children, at the cost of Lumbra and his men. Meanwhile, across the galaxy, Taanzer's mother succumbed to the Rakghoul plague, never knowing her son survived.
Following the attack on their camp, K'Kruhk decided the Jedi needed to leave their hidden world to find out what had happened to the Order and the Republic. He took Taanzer and the other younglings to the refugee camps on Arkinnea, where they were promised a place in the resettled areas in the north. On their first night in the camps, Jedi Master Zao visited the younglings, warning K'Kruhk that they had to leave immediately to avoid an unknown danger that awaited those who stayed.