Gira Gira was a Human male Jedi Knight who survived the initial stages of the Great Jedi Purge , which was ordered by Galactic Emperor Palpatine after the end of the Clone Wars . Gira was in charge of protecting a group of Padawans , but the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader eventually found Gira and the Padawans aboard a starship , the commander of which was assisting them in evading the Galactic Empire . As Imperial stormtroopers attacked Gira ' s ship , the Jedi fended them off but was eventually ambushed by Vader , who defeated Gira in lightsaber combat . Vader promised to spare the Padawans — who were fleeing the ship aboard an escape vessel — if Gira would pledge his loyalty to Vader . Gira agreed , but was betrayed by Vader when the Dark Lord ordered the ship ' s commander — who had also betrayed Gira — to activate explosives that had been placed aboard the Padawans ' ship . After Vader explained to Gira that he had broken the Jedi ' s spirit , Gira committed suicide . Biography . Gira , a Human male , was a Jedi Knight who managed to survive the first stages of the Great Jedi Purge , which was ordered by the former Galactic Republic Supreme Chancellor and current Emperor Palpatine at the end of the Clone Wars in 19 BBY . At some point during the Purge , Gira took a group of Jedi Padawans into his care in order to protect them from the Galactic Empire . Eventually , the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader located Gira and the Padawans aboard a ship , the commander of which was aiding the Jedi in evading Imperial forces . Vader and his group of Imperial stormtroopers captured Gira ' s ship . During the battle , Gira ordered the ship ' s commander via a comlink to get the Padawans to the ship ' s escape vessel . The commander informed Gira that they needed the Jedi ' s assistance at the southern airlock . After Gira defeated the stormtroopers at the airlock , the ship ' s commander told Gira that Vader had just entered the ship and was 700 meters away from his position . As Gira was investigating the area , he noticed that some of the dead Imperial troops on the ground , whom he had not killed , had been shot through their backs . When Gira asked the commander about this , Vader ambushed him . As Gira engaged in lightsaber combat with Vader , he began to be drawn to the dark side of the Force . Vader offered to spare Gira ' s life , provided that the Jedi join him . However , Gira retorted that his life did not matter and vowed to continue fighting Vader . Vader eventually managed to disarm Gira and offered to spare the Padawans ' lives , but only if the Jedi joined him . Gira accused Vader of lying to him , but the Dark Lord reiterated his promise , and Gira finally swore his loyalty to Vader after the latter repeated his promise once more . Vader then directed Gira ' s attention to a group of monitors , which showed the Padawans ' escape vessel fleeing the scene . The ship ' s commander contacted Gira through the Jedi ' s comlink and asked to speak to Vader , who asked the commander whether the explosives that had been put on the Padawans ' escape vessel were charged , which the commander confirmed . Gira watched in horror as Vader ordered the escape ship ' s destruction . Vader then revealed to Gira that the ship ' s commander had joined Vader after the commander realized that Gira would not be able to fend off Vader ' s forces . Gira asked Vader why he had decided to break his will rather than kill him , and Vader replied that while the Emperor preferred to possess rather than destroy , Gira served only to save the Padawans , which Vader felt was unworthy service to his Master . As Vader left , he told Gira that he had successfully broken his spirit and that whatever Gira did would serve Palpatine , because the Jedi had completed his duty to the Emperor . After Vader departed , Gira took his lightsaber and ignited it into his chest , killing himself . Personality and traits . Gira was a red - haired Human male who was willing to go to great lengths to protect the group of Padawans that he was assigned to look after . As a Jedi , Gira felt that it was his duty to serve , and he viewed his life as unimportant compared to his duty to the Padawans . When Darth Vader confronted Gira , the Dark Lord weakened the Jedi ' s will , tempting Gira to join the dark side . He joined Vader on the condition that the Dark Lord would spare the Padawans ' lives . After Vader betrayed Gira ' s trust and destroyed the escape ship containing the Padawans , Gira became enraged , realizing that it was his destiny to not only fail at his duty , but to fail himself as well . With the deaths of the Padawans , Gira felt that since he had failed his duty , he was finished . As such , after Vader left Gira , the Jedi proceeded to take his own life . Powers and abilities . Gira was skilled at using a lightsaber during combat . He utilized a lightsaber with a blue crystal . The Jedi was capable of defeating multiple stormtroopers and was even able to hold his own against Darth Vader for a brief time . He could use the Force to push multiple opponents , and also used it to lift and move objects , such as his lightsaber . Behind the scenes . Gira first appeared in the short comic " The Duty " , which was featured in " Star Wars Tales 12 " and written by Christian Read . In the comic , he was drawn by John McCrea . The story was later compiled into a trade paperback version and republished in " Star Wars Tales Volume 3 " . Plausible stories in " Star Wars Tales 1 " – " 20 " were initially viewed as S - canon until referenced in a non - " Tales " source , at which point the subject matter was elevated to C - canon status . Gira later received his own entry in " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " , thus elevating the character ' s appearance in " The Duty " to C - canon .