Ood Bnar Ood Bnar was a Neti Jedi Master who lived for over five thousand years , from before the Great Hyperspace War in 5000 BBY until 10 ABY . Bnar was born on the planet Ryyk , but found himself stranded on Myrkr during his youth . He eventually joined the Jedi Order , and over time became one of the most respected and revered Masters of the era . Bnar specialized in the history of the Sith , and preferred to avoid combat where possible , though he often advised more martial Jedi on how best to fight the dark side . Eventually , he had such knowledge of Jedi and Sith lore that he recorded a holocron , which was passed down through the generations for centuries . Bnar eventually became the understudy of Head Librarian Odan - Urr at the Great Jedi Library on Ossus , and after his friend ' s death at the hands of Exar Kun during the Great Sith War in 3996 BBY , Bnar took over his role as Head Librarian . However , his reign would not last long . He was among the Jedi who discovered that they would have little time to evacuate before Ossus was destroyed by a Sith - created supernova in the nearby Cron Cluster . While the other Jedi hurried to save as much as they could , Bnar went to his bundle of ancient lightsabers , hoping they would survive the shockwave heading for the planet . However , he was interrupted by Exar Kun , who had come to Ossus to scavenge any artifacts left behind . Knowing he could not defeat the Dark Lord of the Sith , Bnar transformed into a giant and immovable tree , barring Kun from the trove of sabers . Bnar survived the devastation of Ossus , and entered a millennia - long slumber . He was awakened in 10 ABY to find Luke Skywalker and Kam Solusar facing off against a Dark Side Elite named Sedriss QL , who had taken a native girl hostage . Bnar freed the girl and gripped Sedriss tightly with his roots . The darksider attempted to use the dark energies contained in Ossus ' s skies against Bnar , but the Neti fought back , counteracting Sedriss ' s attack by using the powers rooted deep in the Ossus ground . He eventually sacrificed himself to stop Sedriss and save the two Jedi and the native . Biography . Early life . Ood Bnar was a member of the Neti , a little - known tree - like species with the ability to shape and change their bodies at will . He began life as a tiny seedling on the planet Ryyk , though he soon found himself orphaned and marooned on Myrkr . He lived on the planet for his youth , which , given Neti ' s long lifespans , could have lasted over a century . Ood Bnar was Force - sensitive , and several centuries before the fall of the Sith Empire , he was found by the Jedi Order and began training as a Jedi apprentice . Jedi Master . Bnar excelled at his training , and eventually became a Jedi Master . Bnar was a revered Jedi Scholar , and took a particular interest in studying the dark side of the Force , though throughout his long career , Bnar was never seduced by the dark side . He possessed a rare ability in that he could completely sever himself from the subject of his studies ; this strange capability allowed him to become one of the few Force - users to learn the workings of the Sith and the dark side without falling under its sway . Ood Bnar became a revered repository of Jedi lore after centuries of study , and the Jedi Order began to rely on this vast knowledge whenever they fought the dark side themselves . He was a poor tactician himself , but he was able to inform his allies of their enemies ' weaknesses and the best methods to exploit them , thus he indirectly helped resolve many crises during his tenure as a Jedi Master . Bnar did not take part in the Great Hyperspace War of 5000 BBY , though one young Jedi Knight , named Odan - Urr , did . Bnar and Odan - Urr , both extremely long - lived individuals , 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 remembrance of his late Master Ooroo . The Library contained a plethora of Jedi lore , as well as the Sith holocron Odan - Urr had recovered in the aftermath of the Great Hyperspace War . Odan - Urr was made Head Librarian and the Keeper of Antiquities , while Bnar acted as his understudy . Over time , the other Jedi encouraged Bnar to construct a Jedi holocron , so that his knowledge might be kept for ever more . Aged one thousand years , he made a holocron , containing a great amount of Jedi lore , as well as a comprehensive history of the Sith . The Neti Master installed a mimicry of himself to act as the gatekeeper for the holocron . He gave it to one of his 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 , who was a close friend of Master Bnar . Some time before 4000 BBY , Bnar took a young Human female named Shaela Nuur as his apprentice . He taught her several aspects of being a Jedi , including lightsaber construction . Nuur excelled at her studies , and Bnar became impressed at how quickly she was progressing . He knew she would never be seduced by the dark side of the Force , and decided to give her his sacred Solari crystal . The Neti presented it to her in the gardens on Ossus after she had completed building her lightsaber , though Nuur was shocked , thinking 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 finished , leaving Bnar student - less 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 , which wiped out much of the species . Bnar was offworld teaching students on Ossus when this happened , so he survived , but nearly all of the Neti species was wiped out . Only fragments of their culture remained , and from that point onward information about the Neti was extremely scarce . Conclave on Deneba . In 3997 BBY , Ood Bnar was one of thousands of Jedi to attend a great convocation of the Jedi Order on the planet Deneba , called by Head Librarian Odan - Urr . Odan - Urr was growing worried with the recent attacks on the Galactic Republic by a dark side sect calling themselves the Krath , and the ineptitude at dealing with them thus far displayed by the Republic forces . The Krath were led by two cousins , named Satal and Aleema Keto — members of the Tetan aristocracy , they had traveled to Onderon , a planet known for its traditional allegiance to the dark side , and learned some basic dark side talents . The growing cult had already fought off a Republic / Jedi task force , largely thanks to Keto ' s powers , and had then arrogantly declared war on the Jedi Knights . Odan - Urr called forward Ulic Qel - Droma and Nomi Sunrider , the two leaders of the botched Republic attack , who had formulated a plan of attack which they hoped would stamp out the Krath . However , Qel - Droma ' s idea was not received well by the congregation . The young Human planned to infiltrate the Krath by pretending he had gone over to the dark side , and from there he would destroy them from within . The other Jedi , both the youthful and the experienced , warned Qel - Droma against it , knowing he would truly fall to the dark side should he attempt his plan . Meanwhile , the Krath were plotting against the Jedi on Deneba . A Tetan Corsair lay hidden among the other vessels above Deneba , and released a barrage of life pods , each containing hundreds of freshly produced war droids , down onto the mountainous world . Simultaneously , the service droids assigned to aid the Jedi turned on them , and a full - scale battle ensued . The droids were programmed to take out the most high - ranking and senior Jedi present . Though Bnar was not harmed , the same could not be said of all the Jedi Masters . Arca Jeth was killed by a war droid in the presence of his Padawan , Ulic Qel - Droma . The Jedi eventually defeated the Krath droids with minimal injuries , though Qel - Droma , feeling responsible for his Master ' s death , decided to carry out his plan regardless of the Jedi ' s attempts to dissuade him . However , Bnar was determined not to see the Jedi fall to the dark side , and once again attempted to persuade him against 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 , authored by the influential Empress Teta , which he hoped would prove 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 beforehand , Odan - Urr demonstrated to him what had happened to a young Jedi who tried something similar to what Qel - Droma proposed — he fell to the dark side and murdered his Master . Qel - Droma was horrified at the thought of it , though he was still determined to carry out his plan , thinking he would become a hero . The wise Masters knew he would fail , and bade the two Jedi Knights goodbye , wishing the Force to be with them . Great Sith War . Qel - Droma ' s efforts ultimately failed . He became seduced by Aleema Keto and her dark magic , and turned on his fellow Jedi . A team of Jedi Knights , including the likes of Nomi Sunrider , Qel - Droma ' s brother Cay , Qrrrl Toq and Dace Diath , among others , had decided to travel to the Empress Teta system in an attempt to bring Ulic Qel - Droma back to the light . Bnar was one of several Jedi Masters who spoke to the team shortly prior to their departure . Master Thon told them that Qel - Droma might teach himself a lesson through his own foolish actions , but Bnar disagreed . He told the Knights that one who had turned to the dark side , such as 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 , though they soon returned , their mission a failure : Qel - Droma had refused to join them , telling them 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 acting 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 slaughtered by Kun on Ossus after the Dark Lord learned of his Sith holocron . With his longtime friend dead , 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 learned 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 knowing . 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 off their Masters , save 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 caused . They met with Bnar in a chamber off the Great Jedi Library , and were joined by a group of several Jedi Shadow s , who had been among the first to discover the bodies of the slaughtered 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 IX , located in the Cron Cluster of the Auril sector , was being attacked by the Sith . The Jedi discussed what to do , with Thon advising caution ; the station was unimportant by itself , and Kun had no reason to target it . He suspected it was a trap , though 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 guessed Kun ' s strategy correctly ; the attack on Kemplex was nothing more than a ruse , though one which would have devastating effects for Ossus . Qel - Droma and Kun had ceased to require the services of Aleema Keto and Crado , and the two acolytes were beginning to get in the way of the two 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 reach of one of the Cluster ' s stars , she used her Sith magic to make it go supernova , destroying the Jedi and Republic forces sent after them . However , the supernova proved far more powerful than Keto had anticipated , and it killed her and Crado , as well as unleashing a shockwave that would devastate Ossus in very little time . Devastation of Ossus . While the other Jedi rushed to save as much of Odan - Urr ' s vast collection of scrolls as they possibly could , 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 , though Bnar was determined to stop the Sith Lord . Kun ironically thanked the Neti Master for saving the artifacts for him , though Bnar did not waver , and ignited one of the ancient sabers , ready to face Kun . However , Kun had two large advantages over the old Neti Master : he had a unique double - bladed lightsaber , and his skills with it were far better than Bnar ' s basic dueling abilities . However , the Neti held Kun off for several minutes , managing to evade his blows . Eventually , one of Exar Kun ' s Massassi stepped in , forcefully knocking the saber from Bnar ' s branch - like hands . On his knees and defenseless , Bnar knew he would not overcome the Dark Lord of the Sith , yet he was determined to keep the sabers out of the man ' s hands . Using his Neti abilities , he metamorphosed into his true , tree - like state , standing to protect a trove of sacred lightsabers from Kun . The Sith Lord left , knowing that even without the lightsabers , he was victorious . 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 had managed to save some of the scrolls and documents Odan - Urr had kept in his library , though they remarked 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 , though he could still talk and relate to other beings . The Tchuukthai Master could not fathom Bnar ' s actions , yet he accepted them , and was saddened to have lost his friend in such a way . Bnar told him not to be concerned ; this was his life - cycle , and he may even survive the cataclysm of Ossus . Thon wished him well , and the two said goodbye , never to see each other again . Bnar also left his lightsaber crystal , which would be later called Bnar ' s Sacrifice , as a legacy to those who would come after him . His exploits in this battle were later portrayed in an artwork by the Rodian master artist Zyk - yadoon that was kept at the Remembrance Hall on Almas . Reawakening . The shockwave hit Ossus soon after Thon ' s departure , though as he had foreseen , Bnar managed to survive the devastation . Ossus , however , was ruined , and the intense radiation meant that the Jedi were unable to rebuild their libraries and training centers there . Bnar was not the only survivor — a group of Jedi 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 , and over time his friends perished . Thon saw 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 centuries - long slumber , living through many eras of the galaxy , including the Great Jedi Purge in 19 BBY , where the majority of Jedi Order was wiped out , minus a few survivors . He was not forgotten , however : Bodo Baas , a descendant of Bnar ' s friend Vodo - Siosk Baas , spoke of 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 . In 10 ABY , over four millennia after he had metamorphosed , Ood Bnar was awakened . Luke Skywalker and Kam Solusar had been guided to Ossus by Bodo Baas ' s holocron , and found two of the native Ysanna , named Jem and Rayf , tied to what appeared to be a large and gnarled tree . They released the pair and were introduced to the Ysanna tribe , who allied themselves with Skywalker and Solusar upon learning that they were Jedi . Skywalker had been followed , however , by two of Palpatine ' s Dark Side Elite : Sedriss QL and Vill Goir , who had brought a contingent of troops with them as backup . They engaged the Ysanna and Jedi in a battle , though their soldiers were fought off , and Goir was killed by Kam Solusar . Alone against two powerful Jedi , Sedriss took Jem hostage and backed up against the momentous tree form of Ood Bnar . The presence of so many powerful Force - users , particularly that of the Jedi , stirred Ood Bnar out of his sleep . He used his root - like arms to grab a hold of Sedriss , and pulled 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 counteract this , and drew 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 , though his trove of ancient lightsabers helped in the restoration of the Jedi Order . Bnar was now one with the force , however , before his death he was successfully able to leave a descendant behind : a tiny sapling that grew upon his death . Personality and traits . Ood Bnar was a wise individual , and his word was highly regarded within the Jedi Order . His centuries studying both the light and the dark meant that he was extremely knowledgeable , and the other Jedi felt his knowledge and expertise were so important that they should be recorded in a holocron . Students were often sent to Master Bnar so that they could learn a lesson ; his experience of Jedi lore meant he could often determine what would happen should one attempt something , as it had nearly always been attempted previously . Some of Bnar ' s lectures on the Force were even published by the Coruscant Jedi Temple , in a collection named " " Lectures on the Nature of the Force " . " Throughout his life , Bnar made many friends , despite knowing that he would live to see the death of nearly all of them . He and Thon were extremely close , although they disagreed on many subjects . He also conferred with the other Masters often , including Vodo - Siosk Baas , one of the most senior Masters . His closest friend was Odan - Urr , with whom he maintained the Great Jedi Library on Ossus . He and Odan - Urr often consulted people together , and Bnar had great respect for the Draethos , considering him one of the wisest of the Masters . Bnar took many students , and he was known to be an encouraging teacher , offering advice where he could , but also praising a promising student ' s abilities . His favorite apprentice was Shaela Nuur , whom he kindly awarded his rare Solari crystal to in acknowledgment of her steady progress . Although Bnar had no qualms with teaching other Jedi of the dark side , he always warned them of the perils the dark side possessed , and that they should think carefully before deciding to learn of it . Bnar was a very quiet and peaceful individual , preferring to stay out of the limelight during times of crisis . He spent much time alone , though this did not bother him . He disliked violence , and only learned basic skills with a lightsaber . Although he preferred to remain in the background most of the time , Bnar was happy to speak in front of others , and often attended conferences with other members of the Order . Bnar discouraged the thought that Humans were in any way superior to other species , and also felt that every creature , even non - sentients , were as important as each other . He thought that the Force linked everything , so everything was of equal importance . A very studious and scholarly character , Bnar held an extremely rare ability : he was able to distance himself when learning the various aspects of the Force , particularly the dark side , so he was never tempted to renounce the light and worship the dark in his millennia - long life . This way of being proved instrumental during Bnar ' s lifetime , as he was one of very few " pure " Jedi to have an intricate knowledge of the dark side , so he could always advise more martial Jedi on where its weaknesses were and how to combat them . Ood Bnar was extremely selfless , and was happy to sacrifice himself for the good of others . During the Great Sith War , he metamorphosed to save the lightsabers from Kun ' s hands ; though the transformation was inevitable for a Neti , Bnar could have remained in his previous state for much longer . Powers and abilities . Bnar was an accomplished Jedi , though he preferred reading to fighting , and his lightsaber skills could be found lacking when facing faster and superior opponents . Nevertheless , he could wield a weapon decently , though he did not carry a lightsaber himself . Shaela Nuur , Ood ' s Padawan , was a good swordsman , which was a testament to Bnar ' s abilities . However , Bnar knew his limitations , and tried to avoid one - on - one lightsaber fights whenever he could . Although Bnar was not a master swordsman , he was an expert at using the Force , and had a wide array of powers in his repertoire . He was able to draw on the energies held deep below Ossus ' s surface and use them against Sedriss QL , who was attempting something similar , though the darksider was trying to use the dark energies contained in Ossus ' s atmosphere against Bnar . The Neti Jedi proved equally powerful , and the two Force - wielders ultimately destroyed each other . Behind the scenes . Ood Bnar was conceived by " Star Wars " author Tom Veitch for the " " story arc , part of the " " comic series . His visual appearance was designed by artist Christian Gossett . Veitch later re - used the character in the subsequent " Tales of the Jedi " story - arc , as well as in " Dark Empire II " . Ood Bnar acts as the in - universe " author " of the " Tales of the Jedi Companion " , where he acts as the gatekeeper of the holocron , and instructs players on various aspects of running a " Tales of the Jedi " RPG campaign .