Hailing from the world of Shumari, Tao was a Human male who underwent training to become a Jedi Knight. He belonged to a small group of Jedi who successfully evaded the infamous Order 66, thus escaping the initial destruction of the Jedi Order. Unfortunately, Tao and his comrades were eventually discovered by the forces of the Galactic Empire, leading to an attack by a team led by Darth Vader, a Dark Lord affiliated with the Sith. In the aftermath, Tao emerged as the sole surviving Jedi, spared by Vader himself who chose to take him on as an apprentice.
Without the knowledge of his own Master, Emperor Palpatine, Vader instructed Tao, employing tactics designed to push him towards fully embracing the dark side of the Force. Despite these efforts, Tao never fully succumbed to the dark side. When Vader discovered that his son, Luke Skywalker, was still alive, he abandoned Tao. Nevertheless, the Emperor uncovered Tao's existence and commanded Vader to inflict a mortal wound upon the young boy. Experiencing a rare moment of remorse, Vader returned Tao to Shumari, intending for him to die on his homeworld. There, Vader was ambushed by a deranged Tusken Raider who nearly overwhelmed the Dark Lord. Tao, summoning his last reserves of strength, intervened, saving his Master's life. Finally relinquishing the anger that had taken root in his heart, Tao died in the desolate landscapes of his homeworld.
Residing on the planet of Shumari, situated within the Parmel sector of the Outer Rim Territories, was Tao, a male Human. During the reign of the Galactic Empire over the galaxy, he was a member of a small Jedi community that had established itself there. The Empire, having outlawed the Jedi, actively sought them out for elimination. Despite this ban, Tao received training from a bearded Jedi. As the Galactic Civil War unfolded, the Empire became aware of the Jedi's presence on Shumari and, in response to both rebel and Jedi activities, launched a mission to bring the planet under control. The Imperials dispatched several Star Destroyers to establish an orbit around Shumari and subject it to a devastating orbital bombardment.
Simultaneously, the Jedi on the planet engaged in combat against stormtrooper legions under the command of Darth Vader, a member of the Order of the Sith Lords and a former Jedi Knight. Vader, with his exceptional abilities, personally kill several of the defending Jedi, while others were overwhelmed by the sheer number of stormtroopers. Tao and his Master directly confronted Vader's assault. During the intense battle that followed, Vader killed Tao's Master. Witnessing his Master's demise, Tao succumbed to his anger and sought to continue the fight against the Sith Lord. However, Vader sensed the intense hate and anger emanating from Tao through the Force and chose to spare the young boy, deciding to take him on as his secret apprentice. As Vader and Tao departed the planet, the Imperial fleet unleashed a massive bombardment, completely obliterating the planet's surface.
After the destruction of Shumari, Vader sought to instruct Tao in the ways of the dark side. Despite Tao's demonstrated skills, including defeating Noghri Death Commandos unarmed during training on Honoghr (a feat matched only by his predecessor, Galen Marek—codenamed Starkiller—and Ennix Devian), Vader couldn't make the boy completely embrace his anger. Meanwhile, Vader was summoned to address the Battle of Yavin, which resulted in the destruction of the Death Star superweapon. Upon his return to Coruscant, the Dark Lord faced the displeasure of his own Master, Emperor Palpatine, who was unhappy about Vader's failure to prevent the Death Star's destruction. Following this encounter, Vader, filled with anger and frustration, returned to his meditation chamber, where Tao confronted him. Enraged by the events in the Yavin system, Vader demanded that Tao attack him with all his anger, attempting to strike him down. However, Tao couldn't fully give in to rage, earning his Master's disapproval for lacking sufficient hatred to be a Sith. In an attempt to push Tao over the edge, Vader reminded his young apprentice of everything he had lost—his homeworld, his Master, his friends, and his family. Despite Vader's prodding, Tao couldn't understand why his master was demanding such anger from him. Vader's explanation, that only the strong deserved to live, led Tao to vow that he would become strong.
Shortly after this training session, Vader learned the identity of the Rebel pilot who had destroyed the Death Star—his son, Luke Skywalker. Uncertain of what to do with this information, Vader began to meditate on it, only to be approached by Tao once again. Although the boy informed Vader that he had been practicing and felt ready, Vader dismissed him, stating that he had no time for him or his weakness, and that he was free to leave into the galaxy. Shocked and betrayed, Tao questioned why Vader hadn't simply allowed him to die on Shumari, but received no response from his former Master.
Tao's freedom was short-lived, as he was soon captured by Palpatine and brought before Vader aboard the newly christened Executor, a Super Star Destroyer, by the Emperor's Royal Guards. Palpatine, displeased with Vader's betrayal in hiding his young apprentice, demanded that Vader strike Tao down. Despite Vader's reluctance, Palpatine seized control of his limbs, forcing him to strike Tao across the chest with his lightsaber. However, the blow wasn't fatal, leaving Tao mortally wounded. Uncertain of the true reason for his actions, Vader returned Tao to his homeworld of Shumari, carrying the dying boy to his birthplace. Vader expected Tao to hate him for what he had done. However, Tao thanked him for allowing him to die on his homeworld, shocking Vader. Before losing consciousness, Tao told Vader that there was still good in him and pleaded with him not to succumb to the Emperor's hatred. As Tao faded, Vader felt remorse for the first time in years.
However, Vader's moment of sadness was quickly disrupted by a Tusken Raider wielding a modified gaderffii who had been hunting the Sith Lord since the destruction of his village on Tatooine. The Tusken quickly gained the upper hand over Vader, damaging his helmet and forcing him to his knees. Vader sensed the dark side embodied in the Tusken's pure anger and hatred. The Tusken then revealed that his gaderffii had been modified to house two lightsabers. Just as he was about to kill Vader, Tao used his last ounce of strength to save his Master, using his lightsaber to kill the Tusken instantly. Moments later, Tao passed into the Force, but not before telling Vader to let go of his anger. Feeling incredible remorse for the young boy, Vader screamed out in anger and frustration at what he had allowed to happen.
Before departing from Shumari, Vader erected a simple monument in honor of Tao, carving his name into a stone tablet, which became the last man-made structure on the planet.
Tao was a highly ambitious and talented individual with significant potential within the Force. Following the death of his Master, Darth Vader took Tao and attempted to turn him to the dark side. Despite harboring considerable anger regarding the destruction of his homeworld and the deaths of his loved ones, Tao couldn't fully surrender to the dark side and meet Vader's demands. As a result, Vader disowned Tao as his apprentice and was later forced by Palpatine to inflict a mortal wound upon him. Ultimately, Tao held no anger towards Vader and saved his life on Shumari, urging him to end his hatred.
During the Empire's invasion of Shumari, Tao, along with his Jedi Master, survived the initial attacks that killed the other defending Jedi. He was a skilled lightsaber swordsman and displayed sufficient raw Force power to attract Vader's attention. However, Tao was never able to fully harness this potential for the dark side, disappointing his Master with his lack of hatred.
Tao's debut occurred in the story Perfect Evil, which was featured in issues Black and Silver of Star Wars Manga. The original publication was labeled as Infinities, indicating that the stories were considered non-canonical. However, comments made by Leland Chee in a forum thread on StarWars.com on November 6th, 2006, described the continuity of these stories as "a bit fuzzy," suggesting that their canonicity was not yet determined. In 2008, a combined edition of Black and Silver was published in French, clearly labeled as Infinities, confirming their status as non-canon tales. The planet Shumari has since been mentioned in The Essential Atlas, which included the Shumari system in its appendix. However, according to Jason Fry, "its inclusion shouldn't be taken as a statement of canonicity for anything except the geography." Despite the manga's non-canonicity, Tao was eventually mentioned in Part 2 of the StarWars.com Blog "The Imperial Warlords: Despoilers of an Empire."
In 2006, Abel G. Peña planned to author an article tentatively titled Vader's Legacy, which would have explored Darth Vader's legacy and included information about Tao. However, Lucasfilm Ltd. ultimately canceled this article.