Maris Brood

The Jedi Order discovered Maris Brood as a baby and inducted her into their training program due to her connection to the Force. She was trained by her Master aboard the starship Gray Pilgrim, which kept her isolated from the rest of the Order during the Clone Wars. This isolation spared Brood and her Master from the deadly reach of Order 66. However, the repercussions of the massacre were still felt; sensing the almost simultaneous deaths of countless Jedi, Brood's Master embarked on a mission to uncover the truth behind their demise.

Her Master disappeared, never to return, but not before warning Brood about the Jedi's destruction and Darth Vader's involvement in the Great Jedi Purge. Driven by a desire for vengeance, Brood set out to find and eliminate the Dark Lord of the Sith. Jedi Master Shaak Ti, a survivor herself, intercepted Brood and steered her away from the dark side of the Force, leading her into hiding within the forests of Felucia as her new apprentice.

Shaak Ti cultivated friendships with the Felucian tribes residing there. For many years she continued Maris Brood's Jedi training on Felucia, while simultaneously evading the Sith Lords and their Galactic Empire. Despite Brood's dedication to Ti, she remained consumed by anger and resentment towards the Jedi's persecution, a trait that Ti struggled to eradicate. By 3 BBY, the year, the Jedi Master and the Felucian shamans alike recognized the young Padawan's gradual descent towards the dark side of the Force.

When Starkiller, Vader's clandestine apprentice, first arrived on the planet with the mission to eliminate Shaak Ti, Brood pleaded for the opportunity to confront the assassin alongside her Master. Shaak Ti refused, convinced that Brood would be defeated by the skilled Sith adept. Instead, Ti dispatched her to the rancor graveyard, dismissing Brood's claims of being ready to fight by her Master's side. After Starkiller triumphed over and killed Ti, Brood was left alone and without a master, stranded on Felucia. When Starkiller returned to the planet on a mission to rescue Senator Bail Organa, he found Brood waiting for him.

Organa came to Felucia searching for Shaak Ti, unaware of her fate, hoping she could rescue his adopted daughter. Brood had taken him captive. The loss of her mentor had driven Brood further into the darkness, an influence that spread across the planet, corrupting the Felucians. Brood imprisoned the Senator, intending to offer him to Darth Vader in exchange for her own life, should he ever find her. When Starkiller arrived seeking Organa, the fallen Jedi challenged him, unleashing her pet bull rancor.

Starkiller defeated the rancor and then Maris Brood, subduing her with Force lightning as she attempted to flee. Pleading for her life and promising to redeem herself from the dark side's influence, she convinced Starkiller to spare her. Organa protested, referencing Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side. Starkiller justified his mercy by stating that Maris Brood was not truly free, and that she would forever bear the burden of her actions.

As the Empire's control expanded throughout the galaxy, Maris Brood and her new Master lived in hiding on the remote and unforgiving world of Felucia. Brood was eager to confront the Empire directly, a desire that Shaak Ti suppressed. She was more inclined to indulge in her primal instincts and emotions rather than follow her Master's example of calmness and patience. Despite her leanings towards the dark side, Ti believed that Brood's actions were driven more by fear than by anger.

Following Ti's death, Maris Brood's feelings of abandonment and betrayal at being left alone on Felucia led to her full immersion in the dark side of the Force, although she would later claim that the planet's inherent darkness was the cause. Her fear of death at Darth Vader's hands made her willing to prioritize her own survival above all else, taking hostages and considering trading them to the Empire to save her life.

Maris Brood's fear of death was so profound that she begged Starkiller for her life. The apprentice considered such behavior unworthy of a dark side adherent, believing that Brood's inability to control her fear was a weakness that transformed a promising Jedi Knight into a coward pleading for mercy. Although Brood vowed to renounce the dark side, both Bail Organa and Starkiller doubted the sincerity of her words.

Maris Brood possessed a natural sensitivity to the Force, a potential that was nurtured first by her initial Master and later by Shaak Ti. Both dedicated themselves to training her in the use of the Force and the ways of the Jedi. Trained on both her first Master's ship, the Gray Pilgrim, and on the planet Felucia by Shaak Ti, Maris Brood was not considered strong enough by Ti to face Starkiller when he arrived on the planet to kill Ti.

By the time she fell to the dark side, Brood wielded twin red guard shotos in combat. She demonstrated proficiency in telekinesis and close-quarters melee combat. Brood also displayed a talent for Beast Control, forming a bond with the mythical bull rancor, an animal thought to be untamable by the Felucians. In her attempt to defeat the secret apprentice on Felucia, Maris Brood employed Force cloak, concealing herself from Starkiller before launching surprise attacks.

Maris Brood's character originated from over a hundred concept sketches, both male and female, created for the Jedi protagonist of the project. Artist Amy Beth Christenson designed a figure wielding tonfa-shaped lightsabers, which impressed art director Matt Omernick. He and Hayden Blackman agreed that the figure should be included in the final product in some capacity.

In earlier versions of the project's story, Maris Brood was depicted as a Force-sensitive child raised by a rogue Jedi. This master aided individuals in the outer regions of the Galaxy during the Clone Wars, often employing unconventional methods, and provided her with unofficial Jedi training. During Order 66, her master sensed a disturbance and departed to investigate the fate of his fellow Jedi, but he never returned. Left alone, Maris eventually adopted the persona of a pirate and became the leader of a band, whom she attempted to restrain from their violent tendencies. She also established a shop in Cloud City. However, her anger, fear, and lack of guidance brought her perilously close to the dark side.

As the storyline of The Force Unleashed took its final form, Maris sought revenge against Darth Vader for the deaths of the Jedi, including her Master. Shaak Ti intercepted her before she reached Coruscant and persuaded the Zabrak to become her apprentice, hoping to control her rage and hatred. Despite this, she failed to alleviate Brood's fear of Vader.

Leaked toy catalogues from Hasbro were the first to reveal Maris's name. The March 2008 issue of Game Informer later confirmed her name.

Early images of the Force Unleashed figures in both the 2" and 3.75" scales showed Maris wielding twin green-bladed lightsabers with tonfa-shaped hilts. However, later promotional artwork and Hasbro's figure depicted Maris Brood with red-bladed sabers. The handles on the final production figure are incorrectly placed, forcing Maris to hold them near the blade instead of at the far end.

Adrienne Wilkinson provided the voice and portrayed Maris Brood.

Maris can be selected as a playable skin in The Force Unleashed video game using the cheat code MARISBROOD. However, cutscenes are disabled when she is selected. In the N-Gage/iPhone versions of the game, Brood holds Organa inside a downed Munificent-class star frigate. When Starkiller defeats her there, she does not beg for her life. Instead, the Sith apprentice decides to spare her life of his own volition.

In 2010, Maris appeared as one of the eight playable duelists in the Wii version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. Concept art was also included on the Wii version, showcasing a noticeably different outfit, suggesting that she was originally intended to appear in the main game.