Arawn Dooku

**Arawn Dooku** (pronounced /ahr-oun do-koo/) was a Force-sensitive human male Dark Jedi from Serenno who once served as a Jedi Master in the Jedi Order before leaving over philosophical differences and frustrations between himself and the Order, particularly the Jedi leadership at the time: the Jedi Lord. After leaving the Order, he returned to his homeworld and reclaimed his title as a count of the House of Dooku.

Because he left the Order, Dooku became one of the first of the Lost Twenty: Jedi who peacefully left the Jedi Order and were memorialized within the Jedi Archives. Centuries later, he would be joined by his descendant, Darth Tyranus, who left after his former Padawan was killed by the Sith Lord, Darth Maul.

## Biography

### Jedi

#### Early life

Arawn Dooku was born into the wealthy House of Dooku on Serenno almost a millennia before the rise of the Galactic Empire. As the son of the present Count, he was the heir to the title and wealth of House Dooku, but was discovered to be Force-sensitive as an infant and surrendered to the Jedi Order.

As a Padawan, Dooku was trained by a Hysalrian Jedi Master who showed him the subtleties of the Force and set him on the path of the Jedi historian. The young Dooku took an immediate interest in the history of the Sith, the ancient enemies of the Jedi, and began to study them religiously.

He also acquired a distinct interest for galactic politics, despite the Jedi High Council's tendency to discourage Jedi from becoming too acquainted with the Republic's political sphere.

It was during his time as a youth that he first met Cepheus Gelen, an ambitious young Jedi with whom Dooku was instantly infatuated.

#### Knight and Master

Much is unknown about Dooku's early life as a Jedi; but, at some point, he was promoted to the coveted rank of Jedi Knight.

### Legacy

Though unprovable, Arawn Dooku was likely the ancient ancestor of Count Dooku, the Jedi Master who eventually became the Sith Lord, Darth Tyranus. In many ways, Dooku was very similar to his descendant: both were disillusioned with the Jedi Order and thought that it was doomed to fail due to its short-sightedness.

## Personality and traits

Master Dooku was a wise and respected Jedi historian during his time in the Jedi Order. He was calm, level-headed, and compassionate, which made him a capable diplomat for the Order in times of unrest. However, his compassion made him venerable to attachment, and, in his youth, he inevitably fell in love with fellow Jedi Cepheus Gelen, whom Dooku knew as "Ceph," as a result. This love would persist secretly for many years, during which time Dooku and Gelen became close confidents and friends. To the rest of the Order, Dooku was known as the more reasonable of the pair, while Gelen tended to be hot-headed and spontaneous. Gelen's turn to the dark side and death during the early Sith–Republic conflict caused Dooku to question his allegiances to the Jedi Order: the first of many incidents that would result in his eventual departure.

While a Jedi, Dooku was a pragmatist who initially sided with the so-called "Jedi Lord" and his Army of Light, a more aggressive sub-division of the Jedi Order. Dooku agreed that the Sith needed to be destroyed, however, after his duel with Cepheus Gelen, he began to think that a much worse threat lay on the fringes of the galaxy—something far worse, and of the dark side. However, none within the Order or the Army would listen to his concerns, and he ultimately took matters into his own hands—which would become a staple of his personality in the years that followed.

As a result of his years studying history and politics, Dooku was able to reclaim his title as a Count and enter galactic politics with ease. He was a cunning politician who knew how to use his wealth, his knowledge, his contacts, and his position as a former respected Jedi to make critical alliances in the Republic Senate; all of which made him an extremely influential being in the waning days of the Old Republic.

## Powers and abilities

### Lightsaber combat

As a senator, Dooku rarely made use of his lightsaber, and kept it more out of sentimentality and for self-defense. During his days as a Jedi, he was skilled in the elegant art of Form II and the more defensive art of Form III.

## Equipment

### Lightsabers

Dooku's lightsaber was disguised as an antique cane; the hilt of the weapon was hidden within the cane's handle. The cane itself was crafted from the wood of a brylark tree, which made it as strong as metal. The handle, which also acted as the hilt of the lightsaber within, was crafted from a combination of gold and aurodium with an electrum finish. The kyber crystal chamber was visible from the handle, where it was viewable through a "window" made of transparisteel. The blade was red despite Dooku being a Dark Jedi rather than a Sith.

This lightsaber was hinted to not be his original, and was likely built after he left the Order, as it was customary for a Jedi to surrender his or her lightsaber when and if they left the Order. The design and color of this original weapon are not known.

## Behind the scenes

Arawn Dooku's character was physically modeled off of Regis Lucis Caelum from *Final Fantasy VX*. He is "voiced" by Liam Neeson, the actor who played Qui-Gon Jinn in *Star Wars*: Episode I *The Phantom Menace*.

His given name, "Arawn," was inspired by the Welsh deity of the underworld of the same name.

### Inspirations

The character of Arawn Dooku was inspired by a variety of other fictional characters. Within the *Star Wars* franchise, Dooku was inspired by the character of Darth Traya for his eventual views of the Force. He was also inspired by the likes of the Jedi Revan and his own descendant, Count Dooku.

Outside of *Star Wars*, much of Dooku's backstory was inspired by Albus Dumbledore: particularly his connection to Gellert Grindelwald.

## Notes and references

1. ↑ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* — "A Test of Strength"