Kanan Jarrus

“*It's true. I'm not of my decision to train Ezra. Not because of him or his abilities...Because of me, because of who I am.*”
―Kanan on his doubts of teaching Ezra.

**Kanan Jarrus**  is a Jedi Padawan-turned-Knight and the one of the two deuteragonists (alongside Hera) of the animated television series, *Star Wars Rebels*. He became a Jedi Master, mentor and father figure of Ezra Bridger, lover of Hera Syndulla and father of Jacen Syndulla, designated as **Spectre-1**.

After becoming Ezra's master, Kanan tries to be a better teacher and parental figure constantly protecting Ezra from the dark side of the Force. Kanan is also the titular main protagonist of *Kanan: The Last Padawan* reflecting on his early days as a Padawan and one of the two main protagonists of the novel *A New Dawn*, revealing how he met Hera Syndulla. He was a cameo character in *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* and *The Rise of Skywalker*.

## Biography

### Depa Billaba's Padawan

   Born Caleb Dume, he was strong with the Force and taken to Coruscant, where he was raised as a Jedi and, according to Kanan, never knew his parents. With all the Younglings, young Caleb Dume was taught by Yoda, Grandmaster of the Jedi Order and was once classmates with Ahsoka Tano, whom he briefly sparred with when she was Anakin's Padawan. He first met his Master, Depa Billaba, when she was submerged in the bacta tank after being severely injured in battle. Caleb immediately felt a connection to Depa, enough to wake her from her coma. Since then, Caleb hoped to become her apprentice when he reached the rank of Padawan, and was more motivated when he learned she did not have one. Caleb passed his trials, as well as his friends Uzuma and Quid. Caleb attended classes led by Jocasta Nu, where Masters chose their Padawans, and one by Obi-Wan Kenobi, who Caleb had given the idea to light a beacon for Jedi not to return to the Jedi Temple in a time of crisis.

When Caleb told his "friends" that he wanted to become her apprentice, they found it highly unlikely and told him that she was still damaged from a defeat on Haruun Kai. Caleb went to Depa and asked her what had happened. As their conversation went on, it was interrupted by Rackham Sear, a captain of the Confederacy of Independant Systems, who was planting bombs. However, Depa saved Caleb from the upcoming explosion, but the CIS captain decided to committ suicide. Impressed with Caleb, she asked him to become her apprentice, and he accepted; however, one of Caleb's friends warned him he wouldn't be safe with her; However, Caleb refused and accepted becoming Depa's Padawan to get a kyber crystal for his new lightsaber.

Together, the two fought side by side in the Clone Wars with the Clone Troopers under their command. He also attended a holo-meeting with his master during the Outer Rim Sieges.

However, when Palpatine issued Order 66, turning all the troopers against Caleb and Depa, who urged her Padawan to run while she held them off, promising to be right behind him. However, Caleb watched as his Master was gunned down by the men who once served her; and was forced to flee. Caleb was devastated by her death but honored her sacrifice to protect him.

### Going On His Own

Only left with his lightsaber, Caleb survived Order 66 but with extreme guilt that his master died protecting him. He formed a partnership with Janus Kasmir, who advised Caleb to go incognito. Following the pirate's advice, Kanan cut off his Padawan braid and locked his lightsaber away while also abandoning the ways of the Jedi. Kanan ended his partnership with Kasmir after he had saved him from two members of Caleb's former battalion. Stealing a ship, Caleb Dume was reborn as Kanan Jarrus after finally deciding to follow his own path.

### *A New Dawn*

Despite being under the mentorship of Okadiah Garson, Kanan often drank alcohol and became a womanizer. However, his life changed when she met Hera Syndulla, who was investigating the planet Gorse due to the villainous crimes of the Count Vidian. During the mission, Kanan revealed his Force-sensitivity to Hera when he saved her from attacks from the enemy ship, the *Ultimatum*. Afterwards, Hera promised not to reveal his nature to Kanan after he became a member of the *Ghost* crew, eventually meeting Garazeb Orrelios, who recalled Kanan finding after the massacre of Lasan and Sabine Wren, whom he recruited after she defected from the Empire and discarded her life as a Bounty Hunter.

### Meeting Ezra Bridger

At least five years after the events of *A New Dawn*, while on Lothal, Kanan sensed and discovered Ezra Bridger, a fourteen years old human boy who was very strong in the Force after both trying to steal supplies. Jarrus set up a test for Bridger by allowing him to take the Jedi Holocron from his room and see if the boy could open it. Ezra managed to open it when he was imprisoned on Alexsandr Kallus' Star Destroyer. Kanan and his team ended up saving Ezra and learned from him that the Empire was taking the Wookiees to the spice mines of Kessel, where Kanan revealed his identity as a Jedi to Ezra, Kallus and the stormtrooper. After their mission was a success, Kanan saw that Ezra had indeed opened the holocron, passing his secret test. The former Jedi approached the teenager in his tower, revealing Ezra was strong in the Force and offered to train him in the ways of the Jedi. After a while, Ezra accepted Kanan's offer and became his Padawan.

## Personality

“*I didn't mean to run, I just I feel lost without my master. He was wise and brave. And he cared. He was there for me when no one else was.*”
―Kanan on Ezra's account
Before he became a Padawan, young Caleb Dume wanted to become the apprentice of Depa Billaba, despite his so-called friends putting doubt that she would ever chose him as a Padawan. Caleb was always curious and inquisitive towards Depa, who would sometimes tease him about. However, when order 66 was enacted, Caleb became hardened from the experience due to the loss of his Master, who sacrificed herself so Caleb could live. He would not understand about sacrificing to save those he cared about until his later adulthood. After his time as a pirate, Caleb became known as "Kanan Jarrus," a young man who cut himself off from the Force using the method "Force-stealth." He remained elusive and secretive and told no one of his Jedi heritage.

Before he met Hera, Kanan was both a drunk and a womanizer, flirting with a bunch of other women. However, when he fell in love with her, he changed into a better person, even saving her with the Force. After her misison on Gorse, he turned his back on his old ways and joined the Ghost crew. When Zeb and Sabine joined the group, Kanan revealed his identity as a Jedi to his teammates when he trusted them and became the father figure of the *Ghost* crew.

Upon first meeting Ezra Bridger, Kanan decided to take the boy under his wing as his apprentice. However, he still doubted his skills as a teacher until they encountered the Grand Inquisitor and realized he had to learn to be a master as much as Ezra had to learn to be a student.  One of Kanan's greatest fears was that his padawan was susceptible to falling to the dark side of the Force, something he wanted to protect Ezra from, even if it meant his death.

## *Star Wars Rebels*

### Season 3

While Hera, Zeb, Ezra and Chopper are set up to meet with Gold Squadron in delivering Mon Mothma to Dantooine, Kanan went off on a supply run with other rebels. ("Secret Cargo")

In the middle of the night, Kanan saw Ezra was near the broken Jedi and Sith holocrons, where his Padawan says he heard Maul talking to him. During the briefing, Ezra believed something was wrong on Tatooine and that Kenobi was in danger. However, Kanan dissuades Ezra, believing Maul is trying to bring him into a trap, reminding him of the incidents on Malachor and Dathomir. However, his apprentice disobeys Kanan and Hera and went to Tatooine to find Obi-Wan. The next day, Ezra returned to Atollon, where he apologizes to his friends for running away, where he now realizes that his true place is in the rebellion with his family. This  causes Kanan, Hera and Zeb to accept his apology while placing their hands on Ezra's shoulders to emphasize their support for him. ("Twin Suns")

## Gallery

***Star Wars Animated Wiki*** has a collection of images and media related to ***Kanan Jarrus***.
## Relationships

***Star Wars Animated Wiki*** has an article focusing of the relationships of ***Kanan Jarrus***.
## References

1. ↑ *Star Wars: Kanan*
2. ↑ *Star Wars; The Clone Wars* – "Old Friends Not Forgotten"