Ood Bnar

Ood Bnar belonged to the Neti, a relatively unknown, tree-like species with the ability to alter their physical form at will. His life began as a small seedling on the planet, but he soon became an orphan, stranded on Myrkr. He spent his youth on this planet, a period that could have lasted over a century, given the Neti's extended lifespans. Ood Bnar was Force-sensitive, and several centuries before the fall of the Sith Empire, the Jedi Order discovered him and began training him as a Jedi apprentice.

Bnar excelled in his training, eventually achieving the rank of Jedi Master. Bnar was a highly respected Jedi Scholar, particularly interested in the dark side of the Force, although he never succumbed to its influence throughout his long career. He possessed the unique ability to completely detach himself from the subject of his studies; this allowed him to learn the ways of the Sith and the dark side without being corrupted by it, a rare feat among Force-users. After centuries of study, Ood Bnar became a renowned repository of Jedi knowledge, and the Jedi Order relied on his vast understanding when confronting the dark side. While not a skilled tactician himself, he could inform his allies of their enemies' weaknesses and the most effective ways to exploit them, indirectly contributing to the resolution of many crises during his time as a Jedi Master.

Although one young Jedi Knight named Odan-Urr participated, Bnar did not fight in the Great Hyperspace War of 5000 BBY. Bnar and Odan-Urr, both exceptionally long-lived, became close friends and often instructed young Jedi together. Like Bnar, Odan-Urr was a Jedi Scholar, and after the war, he built a Great Jedi Library on the planet Ossus in memory of his late Master Ooroo. The Library housed a wealth of Jedi lore, as well as the Sith holocron that Odan-Urr had recovered after the Great Hyperspace War. Odan-Urr was appointed Head Librarian and the Keeper of Antiquities, with Bnar serving as his apprentice.

Over time, the other Jedi encouraged Bnar to create a Jedi holocron to preserve his knowledge for future generations. At the age of one thousand, he created a holocron, containing a vast amount of Jedi lore and a comprehensive history of the Sith. The Neti Master created a replica of himself to serve as the gatekeeper for the holocron. He entrusted it to a fellow Jedi, who passed it down through the generations until it came into the possession of Master Arca Jeth. Jeth then loaned it to Thon of Ambria, a close friend of Master Bnar.

Sometime before 4000 BBY, Bnar took a young Human female named Shaela Nuur as his apprentice. He taught her various aspects of being a Jedi, including lightsaber construction. Nuur excelled in her studies, and Bnar was impressed by her rapid progress. Knowing that she would never be tempted by the dark side of the Force, he decided to give her his sacred Solari crystal. The Neti presented it to her in the gardens of Ossus after she had finished building her lightsaber, but Nuur was shocked, believing herself unworthy to hold the powerful focusing crystal. Bnar, however, knew that she was worthy and told her that she would go on to do great things. Her training eventually concluded, leaving Bnar without a student for the remainder of his time as a Jedi Master.

Approximately 4,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, Bnar's homeworld, Ryyk, was destroyed by a cataclysmic supernova, wiping out much of the Neti species. Bnar was teaching students on Ossus at the time, so he survived, but nearly all of the Neti perished. Only remnants of their culture remained, and information about the Neti became extremely scarce from that point onward.

In 3997 BBY, Ood Bnar was among the thousands of Jedi who attended a great convocation of the Jedi Order on the planet Deneba, convened by Head Librarian Odan-Urr. Odan-Urr was increasingly concerned about the recent attacks on the Galactic Republic by a dark side sect known as the Krath, and the Republic forces' ineffectiveness in dealing with them. The Krath were led by two cousins, Satal and Aleema Keto—members of the Tetan aristocracy who had traveled to Onderon, a planet known for its traditional allegiance to the dark side, and learned some basic dark side skills. The growing cult had already defeated a Republic/Jedi task force, largely due to Keto's powers, and had arrogantly declared war on the Jedi Knights. Odan-Urr summoned Ulic Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider, the leaders of the failed Republic attack, who had developed a plan to eradicate the Krath. However, Qel-Droma's idea was not well-received by the congregation. The young Human proposed infiltrating the Krath by pretending to embrace the dark side, and then destroying them from within. The other Jedi, both young and old, warned Qel-Droma against it, knowing that he would truly fall to the dark side if he attempted his plan.

Meanwhile, the Krath were plotting against the Jedi on Deneba. A Tetan Corsair was hidden among the other ships above Deneba, and it launched a barrage of life pods, each containing hundreds of newly manufactured war droids, onto the mountainous world. Simultaneously, the service droids assigned to assist the Jedi turned against them, and a full-scale battle erupted. The droids were programmed to eliminate the most high-ranking and senior Jedi present. While Bnar was unharmed, the same could not be said for all the Jedi Masters. Arca Jeth was killed by a war droid in front of his Padawan, Ulic Qel-Droma. The Jedi eventually defeated the Krath droids with minimal casualties, but Qel-Droma, feeling responsible for his Master's death, decided to proceed with his plan despite the Jedi's attempts to dissuade him.

However, Bnar was determined to prevent the Jedi from falling to the dark side and once again tried to dissuade him from carrying out his plan. In the Great Jedi Library on Ossus, Bnar and his old friend Odan-Urr met with Qel-Droma and his fellow Jedi Knight, Nomi Sunrider. The ancient Neti gave Qel-Droma a centuries-old book, written by the influential Empress Teta, hoping it would be useful during Qel-Droma's time in the Empress Teta system. Bnar knew Qel-Droma would not be swayed, but he introduced him to Odan-Urr regardless. Using the Sith holocron he had recovered over a thousand years earlier, Odan-Urr showed him what had happened to a young Jedi who had attempted something similar to Qel-Droma's plan—he fell to the dark side and murdered his Master. Qel-Droma was horrified by the thought, but he was still determined to carry out his plan, believing he would become a hero. The wise Masters knew he would fail and bid the two Jedi Knights farewell, wishing them the Force.

Qel-Droma's efforts ultimately failed. He was seduced by Aleema Keto and her dark magic and turned against his fellow Jedi. A team of Jedi Knights, including Nomi Sunrider, Qel-Droma's brother Cay, Qrrrl Toq and Dace Diath, among others, decided to travel to the Empress Teta system to try to bring Ulic Qel-Droma back to the light. Bnar was one of several Jedi Masters who spoke to the team shortly before their departure. Master Thon said that Qel-Droma might learn a lesson through his own foolish actions, but Bnar disagreed. He told the Knights that someone who had turned to the dark side, like Aleema Keto, could make a Jedi feel angry, and that rage clouded one's judgment and prevented the use of common sense. The Jedi Knights departed, but they soon returned, their mission a failure: Qel-Droma had refused to join them, declaring his true allegiance. Another impressionable young Jedi, a Human named Exar Kun, had also fallen to the dark side. The Sith spirit of Marka Ragnos proclaimed Kun the Dark Lord of the Sith, with Qel-Droma as his Sith apprentice. Along with the armies of Mandalore the Indomitable and the Krath, Kun waged war on the Republic. The first major casualty of the war was Odan-Urr, who was killed by Kun on Ossus after the Dark Lord learned of his Sith holocron. With his longtime friend gone, Ood Bnar became the new Head Librarian and Keeper of the Antiquities at the Great Jedi Library. However, neither Bnar nor any of the other Jedi knew the truth behind Odan-Urr's death; Kun had lied, claiming that Odan-Urr had declared him a Jedi Master before succumbing to his age and becoming one with the Force.

Kun had secretly recruited several young Jedi and turned them to the dark side without the Order's knowledge. He had his acolytes kill their Jedi Masters, while he would take out his former Master Vodo-Siosk Baas himself. Baas was killed by Kun on Coruscant, while Kun's dark Jedi succeeded in killing their Masters, except for Oss Wilum and Crado, who had been unable to defeat Master Thon on Ambria. Along with Nomi Sunrider and Sylvar, Thon traveled to Ossus to assess the damage. They met with Bnar in a chamber off the Great Jedi Library and were joined by a group of Jedi Shadows, who had been among the first to discover the bodies of the slain Masters. The Jedi were discussing Qel-Droma's fall and the eight Jedi Masters who had perished when a young Twi'lek Jedi Knight named Tott Doneeta rushed in with news that the nearby space station known as Kemplex Nine, located in the Cron Cluster of the Auril sector, was under attack by the Sith.

The Jedi discussed their options, with Thon advising caution; the station was unimportant in itself, and Kun had no reason to target it. He suspected it was a trap, but three of the Jedi Shadows—Qrrrl Toq, Shoaneb Culu, and Dace Diath—would engage the Sith fleet and attempt to rescue those on the space station, while the others would remain on Ossus to ensure Kun could not launch a surprise assault. Thon correctly guessed Kun's strategy; the attack on Kemplex was merely a diversion, but one that would have devastating consequences for Ossus. Qel-Droma and Kun no longer needed the services of Aleema Keto and Crado, and the two acolytes were becoming obstacles to the Sith's operations. Kun sent them on a suicide mission to the Cron Cluster, intending for the Republic and Jedi to give chase. They did, and when Keto was within range of one of the Cluster's stars, she used her Sith magic to cause it to go supernova, destroying the Jedi and Republic forces sent after them. However, the supernova proved far more powerful than Keto had anticipated, killing her and Crado and unleashing a shockwave that would devastate Ossus in a very short time.

While the other Jedi hurried to save as much of Odan-Urr's vast collection of scrolls as possible, Bnar went to a private alcove in the Jedi archives, where he hid several ancient lightsabers in a concealed hole under the tiled floor. As he packed them away, Exar Kun entered, accompanied by several hulking Massassi warriors. Kun was trying to scavenge any artifacts left behind by the Jedi before they were lost forever, but Bnar was determined to stop the Sith Lord. Kun sarcastically thanked the Neti Master for saving the artifacts for him, but Bnar did not waver and ignited one of the ancient sabers, ready to face Kun.

However, Kun had two major advantages over the old Neti Master: he had a unique double-bladed lightsaber, and his skills with it were far superior to Bnar's basic dueling abilities. Nevertheless, the Neti held Kun off for several minutes, managing to evade his blows. Eventually, one of Exar Kun's Massassi intervened, forcefully knocking the saber from Bnar's branch-like hands. On his knees and defenseless, Bnar knew he could not defeat the Dark Lord of the Sith, but he was determined to keep the sabers out of his hands. Using his Neti abilities, he transformed into his true, tree-like form, standing to protect a trove of sacred lightsabers from Kun. The Sith Lord left, knowing that even without the lightsabers, he had won.

Kun fled to Yavin 4, while Qel-Droma was cut off from the Force by Nomi Sunrider after killing his own brother. Thon and the others managed to save some of the scrolls and documents Odan-Urr had kept in his library, but they noted that even if they had had a year to pack away the scrolls, they would still have had to leave some behind. Before he left, Thon went to visit Ood Bnar, his old friend. Bnar was unable to move, but he could still talk and relate to other beings. The Tchuukthai Master could not understand Bnar's actions, but he accepted them and was saddened to have lost his friend in such a way. Bnar told him not to worry; this was his life cycle, and he might even survive the cataclysm of Ossus. Thon wished him well, and the two said goodbye, never to see each other again. Bnar also left behind his lightsaber crystal, which would later be called Bnar's Sacrifice, as a legacy for those who would come after him. His actions in this battle were later depicted in an artwork by the Rodian master artist Zyk-yadoon that was kept at the Remembrance Hall on Almas.

The shockwave struck Ossus soon after Thon's departure, but as he had foreseen, Bnar survived the devastation. Ossus, however, was ruined, and the intense radiation prevented the Jedi from rebuilding their libraries and training centers there. Bnar was not the only survivor—a group of Jedi who had been unable to evacuate had found refuge in great caverns under the Eocho Mountains, where their descendants lived until they had forgotten their origins. They eventually became the tribal Ysanna. Bnar was never discovered by the Jedi of his time, and over time, his friends perished. Thon lived out the rest of his days on Ambria, while Shaela Nuur was killed during the Great Hunt shortly after the war. Bnar eventually entered a slumber that lasted for centuries, living through many eras of the galaxy, including the Great Jedi Purge in 19 BBY, during which the majority of the Jedi Order was wiped out, save for a few survivors. He was not forgotten, however: Bodo Baas, a descendant of Bnar's friend Vodo-Siosk Baas, mentioned the Neti Master in his holocron, which would eventually fall into the hands of Luke Skywalker, a young Human from Tatooine who sought to rebuild the Jedi Order. Bnar eventually became known as the "place of Ascension" to the native Ysanna, who came to believe that he was the source of Ysanna magic. For 4,000 years, the Ysanna had performed the ritual of ascent by tying individuals to him to imbue them with magic.

In 10 ABY, over four millennia after his transformation, Ood Bnar was awakened. Luke Skywalker and Kam Solusar had been led to Ossus by Bodo Baas's holocron and found two of the native Ysanna, Jem and Rayf, tied to what appeared to be a large, gnarled tree. They freed the pair and were introduced to the Ysanna tribe, who allied themselves with Skywalker and Solusar upon learning that they were Jedi. However, Skywalker had been followed by two of Palpatine's Dark Side Elite: Sedriss QL and Vill Goir, who had brought a contingent of troops as backup. They engaged the Ysanna and Jedi in battle, but their soldiers were defeated, and Goir was killed by Kam Solusar. Alone against two powerful Jedi, Sedriss took Jem hostage and retreated against the massive tree form of Ood Bnar.

The presence of so many powerful Force-users, particularly the Jedi, roused Ood Bnar from his slumber. He used his root-like arms to seize Sedriss and pull him away from the frightened Ysanna female. Sensing that it would be his final battle, Sedriss attempted to use the energy of the planet's broken skies to defeat Bnar. Bnar, however, was able to counter this, drawing on the living energy present in his roots deep in the Ossus ground. In the end, the two Force-users annihilated each other. The Jedi were saddened that Bnar was unable to share his knowledge with them, but his trove of ancient lightsabers aided in the restoration of the Jedi Order. Bnar was now one with the Force, but before his death, he was able to leave behind a descendant: a tiny sapling that sprouted upon his death.

Long after the Great Sith War concluded, treasure hunters scoured the galaxy in search of journals supposedly penned by Ood Bnar himself. Despite the fact that their existence was debated by the time of the Battle of Yavin, the explorer Riyan Kiner went completely insane after dedicating his life to the search for this legendary artifact.

A figure of profound wisdom, Ood Bnar commanded immense respect within the Jedi Order due to his insights. The Jedi Order held his wisdom in such high regard that they believed it worthy of preservation within a holocron. His extensive study of both the light and dark sides of the Force over centuries had granted him unparalleled knowledge. Students were frequently directed to Master Bnar for instruction, as his deep understanding of Jedi history allowed him to foresee the consequences of actions, given their near-inevitable repetition. The Coruscant Jedi Temple even disseminated some of Bnar's teachings on the Force in a compilation titled "Lectures on the Nature of the Force."

Despite knowing that he would outlive nearly all of them, Bnar cultivated numerous friendships throughout his long life. He shared a particularly close bond with Thon, even amidst their frequent disagreements. He also regularly consulted with other Masters, including the esteemed Vodo-Siosk Baas. His dearest companion was Odan-Urr, with whom he oversaw the Great Jedi Library on Ossus. Bnar held the Draethos in high esteem, considering him among the wisest of the Masters, and he and Odan-Urr often sought counsel together. Bnar mentored many students, earning a reputation as an encouraging teacher who offered guidance and praised their potential. Shaela Nuur was his favorite apprentice, and he graciously gifted her his rare Solari crystal in recognition of her consistent progress. While Bnar had no objections to teaching other Jedi about the dark side, he consistently cautioned them about its inherent dangers, urging them to carefully consider the implications before delving into its mysteries.

During times of crisis, Bnar, a remarkably tranquil and reserved individual, preferred to remain out of the spotlight. He often sought solitude, which did not trouble him. Averse to violence, he only acquired rudimentary lightsaber skills. Although he generally preferred to stay in the background, Bnar willingly addressed audiences and frequently participated in conferences with fellow members of the Order. Bnar actively discouraged the notion of Human superiority over other species, advocating for the equal importance of all beings, even non-sentient ones. He believed that the Force connected all things, thereby rendering them equally significant.

Bnar, a diligent and erudite character, possessed a unique and invaluable ability: he could maintain detachment while exploring the various aspects of the Force, especially the dark side. This allowed him to never succumb to the temptation of renouncing the light and embracing the dark throughout his millennia-long existence. This capacity proved invaluable during Bnar's lifetime, as he was one of the few pure Jedi with extensive knowledge of the dark side. This allowed him to advise more combative Jedi on its vulnerabilities and how to effectively combat it. Ood Bnar was exceptionally selfless and willing to sacrifice himself for the welfare of others. During the Great Sith War, he underwent metamorphosis to safeguard the lightsabers from Kun's grasp. While the transformation was inevitable for a Neti, Bnar could have remained in his previous form for a considerably longer duration.

Despite his preference for scholarly pursuits over combat, Bnar was a proficient Jedi. His lightsaber skills were somewhat lacking when facing faster, more skilled opponents. Nonetheless, he was capable of wielding a weapon competently, although he did not personally carry a lightsaber. The skill of Ood's Padawan, Shaela Nuur, as a swordsman, was a testament to Bnar's abilities. However, Bnar was aware of his limitations and avoided one-on-one lightsaber duels whenever possible.

While not a master swordsman, Bnar was an expert in utilizing the Force, possessing a broad range of powers. He demonstrated the ability to harness the energies deep beneath Ossus's surface and redirect them against Sedriss QL, who was attempting a similar feat, although the darksider sought to weaponize the dark energies within Ossus's atmosphere against Bnar. The Neti Jedi proved equally powerful, resulting in their mutual destruction.

Tom Veitch, a Star Wars author, created Ood Bnar for the Saga of Nomi Sunrider story arc, which was part of the Tales of the Jedi comic series. Chris Gossett, an artist, designed his visual appearance. Veitch later reused the character in subsequent Tales of the Jedi story arcs, as well as in Star Wars: Dark Empire II.

Within the Tales of the Jedi Companion, Ood Bnar serves as the in-universe "author," acting as the guardian of the holocron and instructing players on various aspects of running a Tales of the Jedi RPG campaign.

Ood Bnar appears in the Jedi Under Siege expansion for Star Wars: The Old Republic, in his Tree form. A codex entry reveals that Jedi Master Gnost-Dural and other Jedi meditated at his roots, hoping to learn from the ancient master, but without success. The visual differences between his final resting place in Dark Empire and the lack of response to the Jedi with Gnost-Dural suggest that this may not have been him, but rather a seedling similar to Ood Bnar's descendant.