Trial of Eowyn

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|conc=*Battle of MoriaStar Wars Character Encyclopedia
*Siege of SaleucamiThe New Essential Chronology
*Duel at the Jedi Temple
|next=Battle of Ringo Vinda
|image=
|name=Trial of Eowyn
|conflict=
|date=August 27, 1983Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates the events of "The Wrong Jedi", which include the trial of Eowyn, to 1983.
|place=Republic Center for Military Operations, Minas Tirith
|outcome=All charges against Eowyn withdrawn
|keyparties=*Galactic Republic
*Jedi Order
|participants=*Judge
**Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine
*Defense
**Eowyn
**Senator Padmé Amidala
*Prosecution
**Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin
*Jurors
**Various senators, including:
***Riyo Chuchi
***Mon Mothma
***Bail Organa
***Mot-Not Rab
***Kin Robb}}
Former Jedi Padawan Eowyn was put on trial shortly before the end of the War of the Ring, after Eowyn was charged with sedition against the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic for her alleged role in the bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar. The charges came after she visited with Letta Turmond, who was being held as a suspect in the case, and Turmond was Force choked to death while Eowyn was in her cell.
Eowyn was then imprisoned, but escaped. However, she was eventually caught and brought to the trial, but not before being cast out of the Jedi Order and stripped of her Padawan braid. She was represented by Padmé Amidala, who sought desperately to find a way to clear her client, but with little success.
Ultimately, Eowyn was cleared of the charges because the Jedi Knight who was her master, Frodo Baggins, conducted his own investigation and discovered that the crime Eowyn had been accused of had in fact been committed by Barriss Offee, a Jedi Padawan who had grown disillusioned with the behavior of the Jedi Order during the War of the Ring. Afterwards, Eowyn was invited to rejoin the Jedi Order, but refused, stating that she had to go back to her home on Edoras to follow her own path.
==Prelude==
During the War of the Ring, Padawan Barriss Offee—believing the Jedi Order and Galactic Republic had lost their way—orchestrated a terrorist attack against the Jedi Temple on Minas Tirith, killing several Jedi, clone troopers, and civilians. She then framed her friend and fellow Jedi Padawan, Eowyn, for the bombing of the temple hangar, as well as the murder of Offee's co-conspirator, Letta Turmond.
Desperate to clear her name, Eowyn fled to the Minas Tirith Underworld and ultimately enlisted the aid of the former Separatist assassin Jinx. She also contacted Offee for help, which Offee used to lure Eowyn into a trap. As a result, Eowyn was captured by Clone Commander CC-3636. Despite the Jedi High Council's intention to conduct an internal trial, the Galactic Senate requested Eowyn's banishment from the Jedi Order, arguing that a Jedi trial would appear biased. After considering the evidence against Eowyn, including the nano-droids in the warehouse where she was captured, the High Council expelled her. Eowyn was then transferred to the custody of the Republic Military.
==The trial==
The trial of Eowyn was held in the massive Court Chamber of the Republic Center for Military Operations on August 27th. Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine presided over the proceedings, flanked by his red-robed guards. A manacled Eowyn was escorted to a floating platform where she was then moved to the center of the hall. On either side, senators, who were serving as the jury, were seated in rows of ten or twelve. The Jedi High Council, observing the trial, sat in another row above the senators.
On the left side of Eowyn, the prosecution was situated, with the lead prosecutor being Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin. On the right side was the defense, represented by Senator Padmé Amidala. Palpatine, as judge of the court, spoke first, relaying the charges against Eowyn and stating that the court would decide her fate. He then told Tarkin to begin his arguments, to which Tarkin vowed to prove that Eowyn was guilty not only of the bombing, but eliminating her co-conspirators one-by-one. He also asked the court that the full extent of the law be brought down upon Eowyn, including the death penalty.
Amidala made an impassioned plea in Eowyn's defense, revealing to the court that Turmond had called a meeting with Eowyn to reveal the identity of the true mastermind behind the bombing, but was strangled to death by way of the Force before she could do so. She asked why Eowyn would kill Turmond in a manner that would so easily implicate her. However, Tarkin was unimpressed and pointed out that Eowyn had been seen in the company of Jinx, a known Separatist terrorist. Eowyn protested that Jinx had framed her, but her protests rang hollow. Eventually, the closing arguments settled. Palpatine told the jury he was sure that many of them did not believe Eowyn was the culprit, but reminded them of all the times they had been fooled by the Separatists and suggested that Eowyn was yet another scheme to rip the Jedi and the Republic apart.
Meanwhile, Jedi Knights Frodo Baggins—Eowyn's former master and Erza Scarlet, Eowyn's great friend from two major battles who still believed her to be innocent—had conducted their own investigation which led them to Offee. After a lengthy duel with the treacherous Padawan, Frodo, Erza and the Jedi Temple Guards overpowered and captured her. Back in the court room, Senator Mot-Not Rab announced that the jury had reached a decision. However, just as Palpatine was about to read the verdict, Frodo burst in with Offee. Eowyn was shocked to learn that her friend had been setting her up. Offee finally admitted her guilt, but remained adamant in her belief that the Jedi and the Republic had lost their way. Palpatine then ordered that Offee be taken away, and all charges against Eowyn were dropped.
==Aftermath==
Afterwards, Eowyn was released by the Republic and returned to the Jedi Temple, where she was personally pardoned by the Jedi Council. Gimli offered Eowyn their most humble apologies for accusing her of treachery. Gandalf, Saesee Tiin and Aragorn all observed Eowyn's ordeal as a great trial in her training, which they stated had made her a greater Jedi than she would've been otherwise. They invited her to rejoin the Jedi Order, but to everyone's shock, Eowyn tearfully refused and left. Frodo followed her and begged her to reconsider, noting that the idea of leaving the Order was something he himself struggled with. Eowyn replied that she knew, but still chose to walk away, stating that she had to follow her own path.
==Appearances==
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*Tarkin 
==Sources==
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*Ultimate Star Wars
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*Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
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*Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy
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==Notes and references==
Category:Events