Yarzion Vell

Yarzion Vell was a Force-sensitive individual who served as a Jedi of the Jedi Order during the High Republic Era. Vell became the Padawan of Jedi Master Lulad, and a few months into his training, they traveled to Vell's homeworld on a mission. There, Vell followed the plant's tradition of being tattooed with the name of one's greatest teacher and received tattoos of Lulad's name. Lulad then had herself tattooed with Vell's name. In 232 BBY, Lulad was killed, and Jedi Master Kelnacca took over Vell's training. In 229 BBY, Vell and Kelnacca fought the Nihil pirates on the astronomical object Vianax. Following the fighting, they made repairs in a settlement there, where a group of children spoke with Vell as he worked.
In the final year of Vell's training, he and Kelnacca rescued the child Yesula and her father from a fire on the astronomical object Veek. After Vell learned that their droid Zeekay was still inside the burning building, Vell rescued the droid and was knighted by Kelnacca for his actions. Vell eventually took on his own Padawan, Ordea. By 133 BBY, when Vell was dying, Ordea became concerned about who would complete their training, so Vell told them stories of his training under Kelnacca and Lulad. Vell died soon after Kelnacca arrived to see him, and during his funeral, Kelnacca agreed to complete Ordea's training.
==Biography==
===The Force provides===
Yarzion Vell was a Jedi of the Jedi Order who lived during the High Republic Era. As a Padawan, Vell trained under Jedi Master Lulad. A few months into his training, Vell and Lulad traveled to his home planet on a mission. While there, Vell made a spur-of-the-moment decision to follow his homeworld's tradition of being tattooed with the name of one's greatest teacher and had a skin-scribe tattoo his head with runes in his ancestor's language that spelled Lulad's name. Halfway through the procedure, Lulad walked in. Although Vell expected her to be angry or disappointed and to make him remove the tattoos, she instead had the skin-scribe tattoo her with Vell's name, explaining that a Jedi Master's greatest lessons came from those they taught.
In 230 BBY,Star Wars: Timelines the Nihil pirates attacked the Starlight Beacon space station,Star Wars: The High Republic: Chronicles of the Jedi and Lulad was killed when it crashed into the planet Eiram. On Eiram, Vell found Jedi Master Elzar Mann, who asked how he could help and misremembered Vell's name as Yorzian. After correcting Mann, Vell told him that he was Lulad's apprentice, but struggled to speak about her death. After Mann reassured him, Vell wondered who would complete his training. Mann responded by telling him that the Force would provide and introduced him to Jedi Master Kelnacca, who was on Eiram as part of the relief effort from the planet Coruscant. Vell thanked Kelnacca for taking on his training and promised not to let him or the Force down. In response, Kelnacca began walking away, and Vell ran after him.
===Tattoo talk===
In 229 BBY,The Acolyte - Kelnacca 1 establishes that the skirmish on Vianax occurred a year after the destruction of Starlight Beacon, which Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia dates to 230 BBY, placing the skirmish in 229 BBY. The comic also establishes that Vell looked at a hologram of Lulad two years after the skirmish, equating to 227 BBY. Kelnaccca and Vell fought members of the Nihil on the astronomical object Vianax within the Nihil controlled Occlusion Zone. During the skirmish, Vell deflected blaster bolts with his lightsaber. Following the skirmish, Vell and Kelnacca helped make repairs in a settlement on Vianax. A group of children watched as they worked, and an Elomin child asked Vell if Kelnacca was Vell's teacher, which he confirmed. A human child asked Vell if Kelnacca ever spoke, to which Vell responded that he only did when necessary. The human wondered how Vell knew if Kelnacca liked him, and Vell told them that it was not like that for Jedi. The children then asked Vell about his tattoos, but Vell claimed that they did not mean anything and then avoided further questions by saying he needed to get back to work.
In 227 BBY, Vell looked at a hologram of Lulad while in the Jedi Archives in Coruscant's Jedi Temple. When Kelnacca approached him, Vell began to turn off the hologram, but Kelnacca stopped him and pointed at Lulad's tattoos, which he had noticed were similar to Vell's. Vell then explained the meaning of his tattoos and how he had gotten them to Kelnacca. Kelnacca said nothing in response to what Vell told him, although Vell knew he did not have to.
===Rescue on Veek===
In the final year of Vell's training, he and Kelnacca were on the Outer Rim astronomical object Veek, where they rescued the child Yesula and her father from a fire. As Kelnacca and Vell held back the flames, Vell ordered them to leave. Once they safely escaped, Kelnacca told Vell to leave as well. Although Vell was concerned about his master, he left, and Kelnacca soon followed him. Outside, Yesula cried out that her droid Zeekay was still inside. Vell asked who Zeekay was, and Yesula's father informed him that he was their droid, but was old and barely functioning, and so did not matter. However, Yesula said that Zeekay had holos of her deceased mother in his databank, and that losing Zeekay would be like losing her mother again. Upon hearing this, Vell returned to the burning building and rescued Zeekay, then returned him to Yesula.
After Yesula's father thanked him, Vell apologized to Kelnacca for rescuing the droid, but said he did so because of what Yesula had said about her mother. However, Kelnacca responded by igniting his lightsaber and cutting Vell's Padawan braid, knighting him. Kelnacca then asked Vell to apply a tattoo of his name on his head, following the tradition of Vell's homeworld. Vell complied with Kelnacca's request, tattooing his own name on Kelnacca's head while in another structure on Veek as Yesula watched.
===Death===
Vell eventually took on his Padawan, Ordea. By 133 BBY,"Day"—which the events of take place in 132 BBY per the reasoning here—establishes that Kelnacca had lived on Khofar for at least a year. As the present day events of The Acolyte - Kelnacca 1 occur before Kelnacca lived on Khofar, they must take place by 133 BBY. Vell was dying while he was at a Jedi temple on the planet Tozil. Ordea was anxious about their Master's condition and was concerned about who would complete their training after Vell died. Vell recognized their feelings and told them about the similar experience he had after Lulad's death. Vell told Ordea about how Kelnacca had taken him on as a Padawan, his time on Vianax, and about he explained the meaning of his tattoos to Kelnacca. After Ordea was shocked by the tradition of Vell's homeworld, Vell told them about the mission to his home planet in which he received his tattoos. After telling Ordea about when he was knighted on Veek, he began to explain what Kelnacca had asked of him. Before he finished his explanation, Kelnacca arrived on Tozil to see Vell. Vell smiled upon seeing Kelnacca and then died after briefly acknowledging his arrival.
Kelnacca then carried Vell's body outside, and he and Ordea burned it and held a funeral. During the funeral, Ordea noticed Kelnacca's tattoos and realized that being tattooed with Vell's name to show his respect was what he had asked of his Padawan. Ordea then began to ask Kelnacca if he would finish their training, saying that Vell had said they had as little as six months left. Partway through their request, they stopped and apologized, saying it was not appropriate to ask when Kelnacca had come to pay his respects. However, Kelnacca agreed take on Ordea as his Padawan and complete their training.
==Personality and traits==
Vell was a member of a humanoid species with pointed ears and heads that were more elongated than those of a human. Vell had red eyes and red skin with black tattoos on his head that spelled Lulad's name. He had long black hair, which became white when he was older. Both Lulad and Kelnacca respected Vell, choosing to be tattooed with his name as a sign of their respect.
==Powers and abilities==
Vell was Force-sensitive and was capable of deflecting blaster bolts with his lightsaber and holding back fire.
==Equipment==
Vell wore brown Jedi apparel and wielded a yellow-bladed lightsaber.
==Behind the scenes==
Yarzion Vell first appeared in the one-shot comic The Acolyte - Kelnacca 1, which was written by Cavan Scott, illustrated by Marika Cresta, and published by Marvel Comics on September 4, 2024. Prior to the comic's release, Vell was first pictured in an article published on StarWars.com on July 26, 2024. Vell will also appear in the upcoming comic series Star Wars: The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi, which will be written by Scott and be published as part of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project's Phase III. In an interview, Scott said that he was happy to be able to bring back Vell for the series.
==Appearances==
*The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi 1
*The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi 2
*The Acolyte - Kelnacca 1 
==Sources==
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==Notes and references==
Category:Individuals of unspecified gender
Category:Individuals with he/him pronouns
Category:Jedi Knights during the High Republic Era
Category:Members of Yarzion Vell's species