- "As on Coruscant, Force-sensitive children are taken to Dantooine as well, though it is done rarely, and only with those they believe are destined to become Jedi Knights—it is the secret nature of the place. If you are not chosen by a master when you have come of age, however… then the path of the Jedi is denied you."
- ―Mical
The Jedi Enclave was a secret academy administered by the Jedi Order located on the planet Dantooine. As on Coruscant, Force-sensitive children were trained in the ways of the Force; however, the selection process was more rigorous and only the candidates with the highest potential were admitted. Overseen by a satellite of the Jedi High Council, the Enclave trained many influential Jedi during its centuries of operation, only closing during the Jedi Civil War when the attack on Dantooine by the forces of Darth Malak destroyed the structure.
History[]
Great Sith War[]
- "Supposedly a Jedi Master established a training center here some four millennia ago, but I think these were ruins even then."
- ―Finn Darktrin, 1 ABY
On the grassy plains of Dantooine, Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas sought out a suitable location to construct a training center that would provide the Jedi Order with much needed Jedi Knights. Discovering a cave filled with naturally occurring crystals vital to the making of a Jedi's lightsaber, Baas erected his academy circa 4016 BBY, henceforth known as the Enclave. Oversight of the Enclave fell to Baas, who was responsible for the training of young Exar Kun in the ways of the Force. Among his other students were the Cathar students Crado and Sylvar; together the Jedi would spar in the grassy Ancient Grove to the south and east of the Enclave.[1] Training the Human Kun was a priority of Baas' as he believed he would be a truly powerful Jedi. However, Baas' student would later fall to the dark side of the Force, declaring himself Dark Lord of the Sith and eventually killing Master Baas at the height of the Great Sith War on the floor of the Senate Hall on Coruscant.[7]
Following the death of Baas and later the end of the war, an administrative body was placed in charge of the Enclave, serving as a satellite to the Jedi High Council which had recently reconvened on Coruscant following the devastation of Ossus. This Council, made up of four Jedi Masters, would oversee all the needs of the Enclave and were responsible for insuring that its pupils upheld the Jedi Code so far from Coruscant. During this time the Council convened to discuss the dangers posed by now-deceased Sith Lord Kun's dark side beast called terentateks. As the beasts continued to prowl many worlds across the Republic, the Council commenced the Great Hunt, a galaxy-wide purge of the dark side abominations by the Jedi Order. As the number of terentateks dwindled, the Council declared the hunt over, but secretly assigned Jedi Knights Duron Qel-Droma, Shaela Nuur, and Guun Han Saresh to wipe out the last remnants of the beasts that remained on Korriban. Despite the Council's belief that more Jedi were needed for the task, they dispatched only three Knights; eventually all three were killed. Qel-Droma and Nuur fell on Korriban, while Saresh, after separating from the two, died on Kashyyyk, leading to the ultimate failure of their mission.[8]
Mandalorian Wars[]
During the short decades proceeding the death of Baas and Kun, the academy flourished under the leadership of the satellite Council. Among the academy's students five Padawans: Shad Jelavan, Kamlin, Oojoh, Gharn, and Zayne Carrick, were selected to become the apprentices of four Jedi Seers and another Master that were stationed at the new Jedi academy on the planet Taris. Unknown to the Council, this rogue group of Masters eventually came to plan the sacrifice of their Padawans in an attempt to prevent a prophecy which foretold one of the apprentices would destroy the Jedi Order. The massacre on Taris was only partially successful, and their failure to kill all of the Padawans would have profound repercussions, inadvertently leading to an outbreak of Mandalorian attacks throughout the Ojoster sector. Carrick, the only survivor of the planned slaughter by his masters, was framed for the murders, and so sought out guidance from a member of the Enclave Council. Finding a dependable ally in his original mentor from the Enclave, Master Vandar Tokare, Tokare was contacted by the fugitive Padawan when his Master's betrayal had left him with no one else he could trust. When his father, banker Arvan Carrick, was targeted by the five Masters still pursuing him, Tokare welcomed the Carrick family to Dantooine's Enclave for as long as they liked and took Arvan Carrick as his new accountant.[9][10]
As the Mandalorian Wars roared about the Outer Rim Territories, the Council refused to back the Republic in their war efforts. Viewing this decision unacceptable, former Dantooine pupil Revan led a group of dissident Jedi against the Mandalorians, rallying hundreds of Jedi to his cause. Along with his Padawan, Alek, Revan was joined by former Dantooine trainee Meetra Surik; Surik would go on to be one of Revan's greatest supporters and military leaders during the war with the Mandalorians. In a stunning move, Revan's armies defeated the Mandalorians, hailing the war a victory for the Republic.[2]
The Jedi Civil War[]
- "Even the Sith would think twice before attacking Dantooine. There are many Jedi here, including several of the most powerful Masters of the Order. There is great strength within this place."
- ―Bastila Shan
After the war, Revan and Alec disappeared and, during this time, the secret Enclave on Dantooine served as a focal point for the local community, housing a landing facility and several shops. Common folk could be found milling around just outside the Enclave walls, where they were safe from raiders and kath hounds. After the war with the Mandalorians, the defeated clans were sent into exile on the Outer Rim, and since Dantooine was so far from the Core Worlds, some started gathering there and poured their inbred need for conquest into petty raids on the settlers. The Jedi at the Enclave also served as a local security force, solving kidnappings, murders and family disputes; they took no steps, however, to stop the Mandalorian raiders until actual casualties were reported. In one case, the farmer Jon lost his daughter in a raid of the Mandalorian Sherruk; he sought an audience with the Council, which was known for taking its time on deciding such matters.[2]
In a bizarre turn of events, the Jedi heroes of the Mandalorian War returned from the Unknown Regions, proclaiming themselves Dark Lord of the Sith under the titles Darth Revan and Darth Malak. Leading a huge army of Jedi and Republic soldiers, Darth Revan crafted for himself a massive Sith Empire as he declared civil war on the Jedi Order. During the conflict the Council planned and executed an unprecedented assault, capturing Revan and reprogramming his mind. Escorting him back to Dantooine was Padawan Bastila Shan, who brought the amnesic Revan back aboard the Ebon Hawk, a star freighter they used to escape the destruction of Taris. The memories that had been created for him through the Force by the Jedi Council allowed him to be trained as a Jedi again without the dark taint of his past as ruler of the Sith. Jedi Master Zhar Lestin took it upon himself to train Revan once the council was convinced that ignoring his newly rekindled Force-sensitivity was not a safe course of action. Under the guidance of Jedi Master Dorak, the Enclave's official chronicler, Revan chose a more specific path of Jedi training and constructed a new lightsaber in the training room of the Jedi Enclave. As part of his training, Revan confronted a fallen Jedi in the Ancient Grove and convinced her to let go of her anger and return to the Order. The Jedi, Juhani, a Cathar who received training on Dantooine from Jedi Master Quatra, petitioned the Council to allow her to follow Revan off-planet as he journey to complete his final mission, and to whom the Council granted the wish to join Revan in his quest: to stop Malak and the destroy the Sith Empire. Granting her wish Jedi Revan, Juhani, and Shan departed the Enclave in search of Revan's former Padawan.[2]
As Revan and his companions ventured across the Republic, the Enclave began to see evidence of Revan's deeds. Several of the Sith Lord's former followers journeyed to Dantooine, seeking out peace with the Council and admittance to the Enclave for retraining. Among these individuals were former Sith hopeful Kel Algwinn, who decided to turn away from the Sith Academy on Korriban and seek out a Jedi Master. Even a Sith Master such as Yuthura Ban found a second chance with the Jedi after her encounter with the powerful Revan. Not only did Force-sensitives looking for solace journey to the Enclave; Revan encouraged average civilians to visit the academy and immigrate to Dantooine where they may find peace. Among these individuals were Elise Montagne and Samnt, two Humans who got acquainted thanks to Revan; the Twi'leks Lur Arka Sulas and Sol'aa; the Duros Kni; the Telosian Jordo; the Mandalorian Jagi; and the Twi'leks Lena and Malare. Wealthy land owner Ahlan Matale would also visit the Enclave and bother Jedi Master Vrook Lamar over his bickering with Nurik Sandral.[2]
The Sith attack[]
- "There was much Jedi teaching buried here before the planet was attacked."
- ―Vrook Lamar
Not only had the Enclave served as a place of learning for the past decades, but also as one of the major storehouses for Jedi artifacts that were saved from or created after the destruction of Ossus. While Revan sought out the destruction of the Star Forge, an ancient Rakatan creation used by the Empire, Malak returned to Dantooine in 3956 BBY and ordered the orbital bombardment that would level the Enclave and kill most of its occupants. The Enclave was left ruined and pillaged by the Sith who took with them holocrons that revealed the locations of other secret academies. With only the sublevel partially intact, the ruins of the academy were stained with the deaths of so many Jedi, their deaths echoing in the Force for years to follow, turning Dantooine into a cloak for Force users. Despite the setback, Revan destroyed the Star Forge and Malak, ending the civil war he began and bring about a short period of peace.[2]
As the Sith forces left Dantooine, the settlers of the planet were able to sustain a semblance of government by exploiting the ruins of the Jedi Enclave. Without the Jedi Council to provide guidance, a government was formed in the new city of Khoonda. The government permitted salvagers to become an organized group sanctioned by the Khoonda civil code and establish settlements in the area of the east courtyard of the Enclave. The government oversaw the relics the salvagers removed from designated salvage areas within the ruins, all of which were subject to a fee determined by their estimated value. By 3951 BBY, Khoonda's salvage industry was still a main source of income for the local community, but the only place left with reasonable salvage was the sublevel, which had become infested with large vicious insects called laigreks.[3]
During these years, the ruins were sought by others as well. The Handmaiden Brianna was appointed the task of acquiring a number of valuable Jedi relics by the former mistress of the Jedi Archives on Coruscant, Jedi Master Atris, who was gathering knowledge of the Force to a secret academy on Telos IV, as was intended in case of a sudden attack on the Jedi Enclave. Mical, a Republic diplomat on a mission to find traces of the Jedi, was found by exiled Jedi Meetra Surik in the Enclave's archives as he guarded what Jedi lore was left. Before he would join Surik's mission to find the remnants of the High Council, he mentioned his conclusions on the thefts, implying the Jedi themselves were behind most of them, for the sake of a seeming effort to prevent their knowledge from being used to find Jedi.[3]
Return of the Jedi[]
- "Do you actually believe a Jedi would return here? After all they've done to us… they wouldn't dare."
- ―A settler on Dantooine
Following the failed Conclave on Katarr, Jedi Master Vrook Lamar took advantage of the Enclave's permeation with the dark side to mask his presence from the Sith Triumvirate, a group of Sith that were responsible for initiating the Great Jedi Purge five years after the Order's Civil War. As Jedi Surik sought him out, she discovered that the people of Khoonda still held bitter memories of the Sith occupation that the presence of the Enclave cost them. Many hated the Jedi, and standing up for them became one way to be unpopular, although when Surik returned to Dantooine and saved Khoonda from the mercenary forces of Azkul during an uprising on the planet, the Jedi's reputation was somewhat redeemed and the Enclave was partially rebuilt.[3]
Where once the east entrance was completely caved in, Surik was able to pass with Jedi Master Kreia to meet the remains of the High Council. Jedi Masters Zez-Kai Ell, Kavar and Vrook Lamar were called to the Enclave to answer the threat of the Sith Triumvirate; Surik had sought them out on the planets of Nar Shaddaa, Onderon and Dantooine respectively, after Master Atris agreed to allow Surik to help the Jedi. Unknowingly Surik had been used by Kreia, who in reality was the alter ego of Triumvirate leader Darth Traya, to gather the so-called "Lost Jedi". As the last members of the Jedi Council of Dantooine attempted to pass judgment on Surik and strip her of the Force, Traya retaliated and murdered the Jedi by draining the Force from them. With Lamar, Ell, and Kavar dead, Traya need only to turn Atris to ensure the Order's utter annihilation. Sensing the arrival of Atris' bodyguards, the Handmaiden Sisters, at the Enclave, Traya disappeared as to let the Handmaidens capture Surik and take her back to the remote academy on Telos IV.[3]
Following the deaths of the Jedi Masters, Jedi historian Deesra Luur Jada returned to the Enclave to survey the ruins. Discovering the bodies of the Council members, Jada determined that the Enclave could never be rebuilt, and abandoned the site to history. Despite the historian's claim, the Order reestablished operations at the site nearly a century later, but the Enclave was permanently abandoned by the time of the Great Galactic War.[11]
Cold War[]
- "I need your help, Lieutenant. Can you come to the ruins of the old Jedi Enclave?"
- ―Fortris Gall to Harron Tavus
While operations had restarted on Dantooine, the Enclave was abandoned indefinitely following the return of the Sith Empire, the original organization not seen since the Great Hyperspace War. Following a costly war with the Republic and the Jedi, the controversial Treaty of Coruscant was signed and a protracted Cold War began. During the weeks proceeding the signing of the treaty, disgruntled Jedi Knight Fortris Gall summoned Republic Lieutenant Harron Tavus to the ruins of the Enclave to inform him of his treasonous acts. Indeed, Jedi Gall was working with a group of rebellious Jedi hoping to overturn the ruling of the Galactic Senate and the Jedi High Council in order to restart the war with the Empire. After agreeing to meet with others who thought like Gall, Jedi Master Dar'Nala and the Wookiee mercenary Dalborra met with Tavus in the ruined Council Chambers. During the meeting, the Jedi managed to convince Tavus to join them in a meeting with Sith representatives in the nearby Crystal Caves,[9]
Joined by Jedi Satele Shan, Master Dar'Nala, Jedi Gall, Lieutenant Tavus, and Dalborra entered the caves to meet with Darth Angral and Darth Baras. The negotiations broke down quickly and a skirmish broke out between both sides. During the fighting Shan realized that Master Dar'Nala had succumbed to the dark side of the Force in her attempts to destroy the Sith and, before Shan could take her quietly, Dalborra punched the Togruta Jedi in the face, killing her. With the leader of the opposition dead, the other Jedi retreated and left the caves and the Enclave behind.[13]
The Jedi Enclave was still standing by the time of the third Galactic War. The Nova Blades' incursion took place just to the west of the enclave, which was left mostly untouched throughout the battle.
Rise of the Empire[]
- "Long ago, the Enclave was a sacred place for all Jedi…Now it stands in ruins."
- ―Falon Grey
The Enclave remained abandoned for the next several millennia, through war and peace time as the Jedi Order thrived on Coruscant and the Sith appeared defeated after the New Sith Wars concluded. However, war returned to the galaxy and the violence of the Clone Wars spread to peaceful Dantooine. Operating in secret, the geneticist Zeta Magnus, under the alias of Saturna the Garu, hid an accelerated GeNode chamber within the ruins and excavated ancient, abandoned cloning chambers within the sublevels. Using the lost and heretical Jedi cloning facilities, Magnus eventually came to develop cloning techniques which could produce a developed clone within hours. Despite Mace Windu's investigation, Magnus lured the Jedi Master off his trail and prevented the laboratory's discovery.[15] After the war the Republic fell at the end of the war and with it, the Jedi Order. As the Galactic Empire took control of the galaxy, the Rebel Alliance set up a base near the ruins of the Enclave as they prepared to destroy the Empire and restore the Republic. The clone X2 and surviving Jedi Knight Falon Grey led a squadron of Alliance soldiers into the Enclave's hangar during an Imperial attack on the world. As X2 blocked the entrance as the troops fled into the ruins, his brother, X1 led the Imperial assault group into the building and killed all the troops as well as Jedi Grey. Leaving X2 for dead the Imperials withdrew from the Enclave, leaving it once more filled with corpses.[14]
Not long after the skirmish, the Galactic Civil War consumed the galaxy and the Imperial forces clashed with rebel insurgents throughout the Empire. On Dantooine the Enclave's ruins were legendary to the local citizens, known as "The Place of Fallen Rocks", with rumors circulating that all who entered them never returned. Detecting these rumors, the Empire propagated the idea while Darth Vader visited the Enclave in search of his son, Luke Skywalker. Vader believed that Skywalker, a Force-sensitive without a teacher, might search the Enclave for Jedi knowledge still hidden at the site. While exploring the ruin Vader discovered a mystifying cloning facility left from ancient times; Vader came to the correct conclusion that the technology was a remnant of ancient cloning research carried out by the Jedi Order. The chamber, completely staffed by droids, had indeed been discovered by explorers Mammon Hoole, Zak Arranda, and Tash Arranda immediately before Vader's arrival. During the exploration of the Enclave, the active cloning droids successfully cloned Vader, the Arrandas and Hoole, though they suffered many defects rendering them violent. Attacking nearby settlements, the clones were eventually defeated and the cloning facility as well as the Enclave left abandoned for the final time.[5]
Layout[]
Exterior[]
A prominent feature on Dantooine, the Jedi Enclave's façade was fashioned from local stone and masonry and made distinctive by large fin-like stone structures that encircled the complex's main buildings. Made up of three large above ground buildings and containing a ground floor and subterranean level, all areas of the Enclave were accessible from its main, central courtyard building which acted like a hub for navigating the compound.[2]
The Enclave's northeast face looked over the Khoonda plains, an area in which most foot-traffic to and from the Enclave took place. A small courtyard was established to connect the north and east wings of the building, stretching like spokes from the central building. During the academy's heyday the courtyard was typically crowded with Jedi, settlers, and refugees from the surrounding regions, all gathering in the hopes of gaining an audience with the Jedi Council. From the courtyard the ancient Rakatan Ruins left from the Infinite Empire was slightly visible and still strong with the dark side; kath hounds near these ruins were more dangerous, and people were told by the Council to avoid the area.[2]
To the south of the central building was the Enclave's landing platform, a long, oval-shaped building with high walls and no ceiling. Like the central building the bay's exterior stone work was ornamented by six large fins which were spaced evenly around the exterior. Several surveillance droids monitored the landing pad; in this area, Aratech opened both a general supply store and a droid facility.[2]
Interior[]
The main entrance to the Enclave was accessible from the east courtyard, the main approach to the complex from the Khoonda plains. The eastern "spoke" of the academy building housed the main hallway leading into the Enclave's central courtyard building. The main above ground structure of the complex, the central building consisted of an open-air courtyard, the hub of all activity in the Enclave. At the center of the courtyard stood a large circular planter containing a large tree; benches were spaced around the area and meditation was encouraged. Located on the north wing were the visitors' quarters, used by local non-Jedi in need of a place to rest and recuperate.[2]
Along the western wing were entry points to the main training dojo and a general gathering chamber which served as an audience chamber used by the Council to meet with locals. The large below ground chamber's floors were clear and lines of high-backed chairs ringed the curving walls of the chamber, occasionally broken by large trees set in niches in the wall. Directly above the room was the formal meeting chamber of the Jedi Council. The small rotunda's windowed walls overlooked the grassy plains outside while a ring of four chairs were positioned within.[2]
Following Malak's attack during the Civil War the façade of the Enclave was ruined and crumbling stone littered path ways. Inside the main building grass grew up through the ruined floors and collapsed areas allowed water to pool in the sublevel. The Council Chamber suffered a direct hit during the attack and had been obliterated, revealing the lower level gathering chamber to natural light. The chamber's floor was overgrown with weeds and all furnishing had long been stolen.[3]
Sublevel[]
Similar to the eastern wing, the west wing's entryway was barred by blast doors; yet while appearing outwardly the same, the entry hall descended under the Enclave's main floor and into the sublevel. Underneath the central courtyard building was a large garden chamber; large basins held flowering bushes that hung down over the stone edge of their containers. Situated on a raised dais, the garden chamber was filled with natural sunlight filtered in from above and a stone bench sat at the room's center. Scattered about the sublevel were several common rooms furnished with a few benches; there were also two large round classrooms and a room with a number of computer terminals. One of the common rooms led to a storage area, and another led to a droid bay which housed a number of GE3-series protocol droids; the Enclave's head technician, Dergar Chester, left notes about their overheating inconvenience.[3]
While many classrooms and training chambers were found in the sublevels, the largest room was the Jedi Archives which was located underneath the landing platform. Access to the Archives was restricted to only Jedi Masters, a policy which differed from the ruined library on Ossus and the main Archives on Coruscant. Like the Archives at the Jedi Temple on the capital world, the large chamber held its collection of holobooks on large stacks along its walls. The two story chamber housed duel levels of shelves and a large open area for study. At the end of the hall stood a stone statue under a unique light fixture. Not far from the Archives chamber was a room hosting the Enclave mainframe computer and a cluster of power conductors.[3] In a separate chamber the Order housed rare artifacts, including armor and weapons, many of them recovered from Ossus.[8]
Following the Sith invasion the sublevels were deemed off limits by the Khoonda Militia, the new stewards of the Enclave after the Jedi were destroyed following the Jedi Civil War. As the Enclave crumbled, beasts called laigreks began nesting in the lower levels, harrying and sometimes killing any who encroached on their eggs.[3] A unique feature of the lower level was the hidden presence of an ancient Jedi cloning facility. Part of early Jedi experimentation into the cloning sciences, the writings of Master Simikarty eventually led to a strict ban on future experiments and the chamber was locked and forgotten. First excavated by Zeta Magnus in the decade preceding the Clone Wars, the cloning tanks resembled modern Spaarti cloning cylinders and they were capable of producing mature clones in a matter of days and even hours after Magnus modified some of the technology.[15] The facility, which was completely manned by droids, would scan the minds of the subjects to be cloned and implant their memories into the cloned brains. Despite the advanced technology, the ancient Jedi technology was indeed flawed and produced a mild psychosis in the clones.[5]
Behind the scenes[]
A Jedi Master by the name of Tar'eelok was to be encountered by Revan in the Enclave while she trained her Padawan Garum, according to game files from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic; the player would have had the chance of discussing a number of things with her, including the properties of Cortosis mineral, the Mandalorian raiders, the ancient grove, the Jedi Code and the Masters of the Council.
Shuma the Hutt was also supposed to have a place in the Enclave and a conversation with Revan, but the character was cut.
In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, while being interrogated by Saul Karath on the location of the enclave, Revan was quoted as saying, "Alderaan. They're on Alderaan." This is a reference to A New Hope, when Princess Leia revealed Dantooine as a fake location of a Rebel base when being interrogated by Grand Moff Tarkin, in order to protect Alderaan.
Cut content in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords included a character named Kaevee, a Jedi Padawan who remained in the sublevel after the bombardment by the Sith. Kaevee had learned to control the laigreks that swarmed the sublevel and referred to them as her "pets".
In Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Jedi Enclave can be seen from atop of a cliff when the player travels to the far east of the map on Dantooine. However, access to the enclave is barred off by a death barrier on the regular map, and if the player tries to jump down the cliff, they will die and respawn elsewhere. The Enclave becomes briefly accessible in the flashpoint "Secrets of the Enclave."[16]
Appearances[]
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – Dark Lords of the Sith
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
- ↑ Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided — Point of Interest: "Jedi Temple Ruins" on Dantooine
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Galaxy of Fear: Clones
- ↑ Star Wars Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine
- ↑ Tales of the Jedi – The Sith War 3
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Shadows and Light" — Star Wars Tales 23
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Knights of the Old Republic 12
- ↑ Knights of the Old Republic 31
- ↑ Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
- ↑ The Old Republic, Threat of Peace Act 2: New Galactic Order
- ↑ The Old Republic, Threat of Peace Act 3: Uncertain Surrender
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 SkyeWalkers: A Clone Wars Story
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught — Flashpoint: "Secrets of the Enclave"
External links[]
- Jedi Temple Ruins on the SWG Wiki
- SWTOR - Jedi Enclave on Jason Moulton's profile on ArtStation (June 18, 2021) (backup link)
- Old Republic Art, Part 1 on Brian Hagan's profile on ArtStation (backup link)
- Old Republic Art, Part 2 on Brian Hagan's profile on ArtStation (backup link)