Maks Leem

Hailing from the world of Malastare, Maks Leem was a Force-sensitive Gran female who underwent training in the Force through the Jedi Order. Before the onset of the Separatist Crisis, a political division within the Galactic Senate, she achieved the rank of Jedi Master. Appointed as an instructor within the Coruscant Jedi Temple, Master Leem provided training to two Padawans, Rees Alrix and Eremin Tarn, guiding them to the rank of Jedi Knight prior to the outbreak of civil unrest across the galaxy. Renowned for her expertise in hyperspace navigation, Master Leem not only led classes at the Temple but also contributed her efforts to the Temple's refectory. Though she wasn't keen on lightsaber combat, the Gran Master had constructed a lightsaber with a blue blade for herself.

As the Clone Wars ignited between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems in 22 BBY, Master Leem was among the nearly two hundred Jedi who participated in the inaugural battle on Geonosis. This conflict marked the Jedi's introduction to the newly established Grand Army of the Republic. Upon returning to a largely deserted Temple, Master Leem primarily remained on Coruscant as an instructor for the duration of the war, while the majority of her fellow Jedi were dispersed throughout the galaxy engaged in combat. Early in the war, Jedi Eremin Tarn, Master Leem's last Padawan, voluntarily departed from the Order, aligning himself with Jedi Sian Jeisel's dissenting movement of Jedi who refused to participate in the fighting. Around this time, Master Leem commenced the training of her third Padawan, Whie Malreaux, a promising Human student within the Temple. The pair stayed on Coruscant, where Leem continued her teaching duties and Malreaux served as part of the Temple Security Force at the Temple's main entrance.

In the days preceding the annual Apprentice Tournament, a Troxan diplomat entrusted Master Leem with an incendiary packet intended for Grand Master Yoda. Subsequently, Master Leem promptly delivered the packet to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. There, Master Yoda safely opened the package, revealing the damaged lightsaber hilt of Jedi Jang Li-Li. Saddened by Li-Li's inevitable demise, Yoda and Leem engaged in a conversation, during which the seasoned Master playfully assigned Leem the task of finding a new location for the Temple. In the weeks that followed, Master Leem and her Padawan were assigned to a mission, accompanied by Masters Yoda, Jai Maruk and his Padawan, Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy. Departing from the Chancellor Palpatine Spaceport, the Jedi concealed Yoda within a hollowed-out R2-series astromech droid aboard the Reasonable Doubt, setting course for Vjun, where Yoda was scheduled to meet with Count Dooku, the leader of the Confederacy.

During a refueling stop at Phindar Station for the Reasonable Doubt, the Jedi were ambushed by several assassin droids armed with a diverse array of weaponry. Activating two hard-sound guns, the droids incapacitated Masters Maruk and Leem, causing them to collapse to their knees as the hard-sound waves ruptured their eardrums. Despite the agony, Master Leem, having dropped her lightsaber, fought through the pain and retrieved it. Utilizing the Force, she severed a piece of durasteel and hurled it, destroying one of the auditory-assault weapons. Drawing upon years of training, the two Masters launched an assault against the droids, facing eighteen opponents with only two Jedi.

Despite her training in lightsaber combat like all Jedi, Master Leem recognized that her aversion to war had led her to neglect combat training, resulting in diminished fighting skills. After sustaining a leg wound from one of the droids' flechette launchers, she lost her lightsaber again when her sword arm was severely injured by more metal fragments. Using her mastery of the Force to destroy two droids, Master Leem was searching for Master Yoda and the Padawans when Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress arrived on the concourse and began to mock the Jedi. Engaging Master Maruk as Leem struggled to stay conscious, Ventress proved faster than the Human Jedi and quickly subdued him. As Maruk fought to remain in the light of the Force, Ventress taunted him by attacking Master Leem, slashing the dying Gran in the chest. Ignoring the wound, Master Leem focused on her struggling companion, urging him to stay on the Jedi Path. As Leem struggled to maintain her position on the ground as a large hole in the station began to slowly vent oxygen and drag her from the room, Master Maruk, determined to stay in the light, denied the dark side. Master Leem, unable to hear or look at the man as she focused on sealing the breach in the hull, felt his resolve in the Force and was content, knowing that both would die as Jedi. Patching the breach as Maruk was cut in half by Ventress, Leem lay helpless on the ground as the Dathomirian approached the Gran and stabbed her in the chest, killing the Jedi Master.

Master Maks Leem, being a Gran, exhibited the communal mindset characteristic of her species. She was a socially inclined individual who found fulfillment in her role as a Jedi. Described as motherly and calm by her students and peers, Master Leem was disheartened by the Jedi's forced involvement in the militant aspects of the Clone Wars.

Master Leem dedicated a significant portion of her day to deep meditation, utilizing richly scented incense to facilitate a profound trance. Furthermore, solitude was essential during this time due to the noise generated by the digestive processes within the Gran's four stomachs.

Master Leem had a tendency to grind her teeth when experiencing anxiety, a trait inherited from the Gran's past as cud-chewing creatures.

Maks Leem's initial appearance was in Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, a novel penned by Sean Stewart and released in 2004. She was also among the select characters featured in the mobile game Star Wars: Battle for the Republic. Later, Leem was given an entry in the 2008 The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.