Ood Bnar: The Neti Jedi Master Who Guarded Ossus

1. Who is Ood Bnar?

Ood Bnar was a Force-sensitive Neti Jedi Master who lived for over five millennia, from before the Great Hyperspace War in 5000 BBY until 10 ABY. Born on the planet Ryyk, Bnar was stranded on Myrkr during his youth before eventually joining the Jedi Order.

Over the years, he became one of the most respected and revered Masters of his time. Bnar specialized in Sith history and preferred to avoid combat, although he often advised more martial Jedi on strategies to combat the dark side. His vast knowledge of Jedi and Sith lore led him to create a holocron, which was passed down through the generations for centuries. Bnar eventually became the understudy of Head Librarian Odan-Urr at the Great Jedi Library on Ossus.

After Odan-Urr was killed by Exar Kun during the Great Sith War in 3996 BBY, Bnar succeeded him as Head Librarian, though his tenure was short-lived. Bnar was among the Jedi who discovered that they had little time to evacuate before a Sith-engineered supernova in the nearby Cron Cluster would destroy Ossus.

While other Jedi scrambled to save what they could, Bnar sought to protect a collection of ancient lightsabers, hoping they would survive the impending shockwave. However, Exar Kun arrived on Ossus to scavenge any remaining artifacts. Realizing he could not defeat the Dark Lord of the Sith, Bnar transformed into a massive, immovable tree, blocking Kun’s access to the lightsabers.

Bnar survived the destruction of Ossus and entered a millennia-long slumber. He became revered by the native Ysanna tribe, who believed he was the source of their magic and performed the ritual of ascent at his location for 4,000 years.

In 10 ABY, Bnar was awakened to find Luke Skywalker and Kam Solusar confronting Sedriss QL, a Dark Side Elite who had taken a native girl hostage. Bnar freed the girl and ensnared Sedriss with his roots. When Sedriss attempted to use dark energies from Ossus’s skies against him, Bnar fought back, drawing power from the deep roots of Ossus itself. Ultimately, Bnar sacrificed himself to defeat Sedriss and save the two Jedi and the native girl.

2. What Challenges Did Ood Bnar Face as a Young Neti, and How Did the Jedi Order Find and Train Him?

Ood Bnar belonged to the Neti, a rare, tree-like species capable of altering and reshaping their bodies at will. His life began as a small seedling on the planet Ryyk, but soon found himself orphaned and stranded on Myrkr. He spent his youth on the planet—a period that, given the Neti’s long lifespans, could have lasted over a century.

Bnar, who was Force-sensitive, was discovered by the Jedi Order several centuries before the fall of the Sith Empire and began his training as a Jedi apprentice.

3. How Did Ood Bnar Rise to Become a Renowned Jedi Master?

Bnar excelled in his training and eventually became a Jedi Master. He was a highly respected Jedi Scholar, particularly interested in studying the dark side of the Force. Despite his extensive research into the Sith and the dark side, Bnar was never tempted by it. He possessed a unique ability to completely detach himself from the subjects of his studies, allowing him to learn about the Sith without succumbing to their influence.

After centuries of study, Bnar became a revered repository of Jedi knowledge, and the Jedi Order frequently relied on his vast expertise when confronting the dark side. While he was not known for his tactical skills, Bnar’s deep understanding of the Sith enabled him to advise his allies on their enemies’ weaknesses and the best ways to exploit them, indirectly helping to resolve numerous crises during his tenure as a Jedi Master.

Bnar did not participate in the Great Hyperspace War of 5000 BBY, but his close friend, the young Jedi Knight Odan-Urr, did. Both Bnar and Odan-Urr, who were exceptionally long-lived, became close friends and often taught young Jedi together.

Like Bnar, Odan-Urr was a Jedi Scholar, and after the war, he constructed a Great Jedi Library on the planet Ossus in honor of his late Master, Ooroo.

The Library housed a wealth of Jedi knowledge, including a Sith holocron that Odan-Urr had recovered after the Great Hyperspace War. Odan-Urr was appointed Head Librarian and Keeper of Antiquities, while Bnar served as his trusted understudy.

Over time, Bnar’s fellow Jedi encouraged him to create a Jedi holocron to preserve his vast knowledge for future generations. At the age of one thousand, he crafted a holocron containing extensive Jedi lore and a detailed history of the Sith.

To safeguard this knowledge, the Neti Master embedded a likeness of himself as the holocron’s gatekeeper. He entrusted it to a fellow Jedi, and it was passed down through the ages until it eventually reached Master Arca Jeth. Jeth later lent the holocron to Thon of Ambria, who was a close friend of Bnar.

Before 4000 BBY, Bnar took a young Human female, Shaela Nuur, as his apprentice. He taught her the ways of the Jedi, including lightsaber construction. Nuur excelled in her studies, impressing Bnar with her rapid progress. Confident that she would never succumb to the dark side, he decided to gift her his rare and sacred Solari crystal. He presented it to her in the gardens of Ossus after she completed her lightsaber, despite her initial shock and feelings of unworthiness.

Bnar, however, assured her of her worthiness and predicted that she would achieve great things. After her training was complete, Bnar remained without a student for the rest of his time as a Jedi Master.

Around 4,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, Bnar’s homeworld, Ryyk, was obliterated by a catastrophic supernova, which nearly exterminated the Neti species. Bnar, who was offworld teaching on Ossus at the time, survived, but the majority of his species perished. From that point on, only fragments of Neti culture remained, and information about the species became extremely scarce.

4. What Was Ood Bnar’s Role in Warning the Jedi About the Dark Side?

In 3997 BBY, Ood Bnar was among the thousands of Jedi who attended a significant convocation of the Jedi Order on the planet Deneba, convened by Head Librarian Odan-Urr. Odan-Urr was increasingly concerned about recent attacks on the Galactic Republic by a dark side sect known as the Krath and the Republic’s ineffectiveness in dealing with them.

The Krath, led by cousins Satal and Aleema Keto—members of the Tetan aristocracy—had journeyed to Onderon, a planet with a strong dark side tradition, where they learned basic dark side abilities.

The growing cult had already repelled a Republic/Jedi task force, largely due to Aleema Keto’s powers, and had audaciously declared war on the Jedi Knights. Odan-Urr called upon Ulic Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider, the two leaders of the failed Republic mission, to present a plan they hoped would eradicate the Krath.

However, Qel-Droma’s proposal was met with strong opposition. The young Human intended to infiltrate the Krath by feigning a turn to the dark side, planning to destroy them from within. Both seasoned and younger Jedi warned him against this, knowing he risked truly falling to the dark side if he pursued this path.

Meanwhile, the Krath were already scheming against the Jedi on Deneba. A Tetan Corsair hidden among the other ships above the planet unleashed a swarm of life pods, each carrying hundreds of newly produced war droids, down onto the mountainous terrain.

At the same time, the service droids assisting the Jedi turned against them, sparking a full-scale battle. The droids were programmed to target the highest ranking Jedi present. Although Bnar remained unharmed, not all Jedi Masters were as fortunate. Arca Jeth was slain by a war droid in front of his Padawan, Ulic Qel-Droma.

The Jedi ultimately defeated the Krath droids with minimal casualties, but Qel-Droma, feeling responsible for his Master’s death, resolved to carry out his plan despite the warnings of his fellow Jedi. Bnar, determined to prevent Qel-Droma from falling to the dark side, made another attempt to dissuade him.

In the Great Jedi Library on Ossus, Bnar and his old friend Odan-Urr met with Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider. The ancient Neti presented Qel-Droma with a centuries-old book authored by the influential Empress Teta, hoping it would aid him during his time in the Empress Teta system.

Although Bnar knew Qel-Droma was unlikely to change his mind, he introduced him to Odan-Urr regardless. Using the Sith holocron he had recovered over a thousand years earlier, Odan-Urr showed Qel-Droma the fate of a young Jedi who had attempted a similar plan—he fell to the dark side and killed his Master.

Though horrified by the possibility, Qel-Droma remained determined, believing he would become a hero. The wise Masters, knowing the likely outcome, bade the two Jedi Knights farewell, wishing them the protection of the Force.

5. How Did Ood Bnar Contribute During the Great Sith War?

Qel-Droma’s mission ultimately ended in failure. He fell under the influence of Aleema Keto and her dark magic, betraying his fellow Jedi. A group of Jedi Knights, including Nomi Sunrider, Qel-Droma’s brother Cay, Qrrrl Toq, and Dace Diath, embarked on a journey to the Empress Teta system in a bid to bring Ulic Qel-Droma back to the light. Before their departure, several Jedi Masters, including Ood Bnar, offered guidance.

Master Thon suggested that Qel-Droma might learn a lesson from his own mistakes, but Bnar disagreed. He warned that those who had embraced the dark side, like Aleema Keto, could provoke anger in a Jedi, clouding their judgment and hindering common sense. Despite the warning, the Jedi Knights proceeded, but they soon returned, their mission unsuccessful. Qel-Droma had refused to rejoin them, revealing his true allegiance.

Another young Jedi, Exar Kun, had also fallen to the dark side. The ancient Sith spirit Marka Ragnos proclaimed Kun as the Dark Lord of the Sith, with Qel-Droma serving as his apprentice.

Together with the armies of Mandalore the Indomitable and the Krath, Kun waged war against the Republic. The conflict’s first major casualty was Odan-Urr, who was murdered by Kun on Ossus after the Dark Lord discovered his Sith holocron.

With his old friend gone, Ood Bnar assumed the role of Head Librarian and Keeper of Antiquities at the Great Jedi Library. However, neither Bnar nor the other Jedi learned the truth behind Odan-Urr’s death; Kun had falsely claimed that Odan-Urr had named him a Jedi Master before passing away from old age and becoming one with the Force.

In secret, Kun had recruited several young Jedi, turning them to the dark side without the Order’s knowledge. He commanded his acolytes to kill their Jedi Masters while he sought out and killed his former Master, Vodo-Siosk Baas, on Coruscant. While Kun’s dark Jedi succeeded in killing their Masters, Oss Wilum and Crado failed to defeat Master Thon on Ambria.

Thon, along with Nomi Sunrider and Sylvar, traveled to Ossus to evaluate the damage. There, they met with Bnar in a chamber adjacent to the Great Jedi Library, where a group of Jedi Shadows, who were among the first to discover the slain Masters, joined them. As they discussed Qel-Droma’s fall and the deaths of the eight Jedi Masters, a young Twi’lek Jedi Knight named Tott Doneeta hurried in with news of an attack on the nearby Kemplex Nine space station in the Cron Cluster of the Auril sector.

As the Jedi debated their course of action, Thon advised caution. The station was of little importance, and Kun had no apparent reason to target it, leading Thon to suspect a trap. Despite this, three of the Jedi Shadows—Qrrrl Toq, Shoaneb Culu, and Dace Diath—chose to engage the Sith fleet and attempt to rescue those on the station, while the others stayed on Ossus to guard against a potential surprise attack by Kun.

Thon’s instincts proved correct; the assault on Kemplex was a diversion with catastrophic consequences for Ossus. Kun and Qel-Droma no longer needed Aleema Keto and Crado, who were becoming obstacles to their plans. Kun dispatched them on a suicide mission to the Cron Cluster, anticipating that the Republic and Jedi would pursue them. They did, and when Keto neared one of the Cluster’s stars, she used her Sith magic to trigger a supernova, intending to destroy the pursuing forces.

However, the explosion was far more powerful than Keto had anticipated, killing her and Crado and unleashing a shockwave that would soon devastate Ossus.

6. How Did Ood Bnar Sacrifice Himself to Protect Ossus?

While the other Jedi hurried to save as much of Odan-Urr’s vast collection of scrolls as possible, Ood Bnar retreated to a secluded alcove within the Jedi archives. There, he concealed several ancient lightsabers in a hidden compartment beneath the tiled floor.

As he secured them, Exar Kun entered, accompanied by several imposing Massassi warriors. Kun was scavenging for any artifacts left behind by the Jedi before they were lost forever, but Bnar was determined to stop him. Kun sarcastically thanked the Neti Master for preserving the artifacts for him, but Bnar remained resolute, igniting one of the ancient lightsabers and preparing to face the Sith Lord.

However, Kun had two significant advantages over the elderly Neti Master: a unique double-bladed lightsaber and superior dueling skills. Despite this, Bnar managed to hold off Kun for several minutes, skillfully evading his attacks.

Eventually, one of Kun’s Massassi warriors intervened, forcefully disarming Bnar. On his knees and defenseless, Bnar realized he could not defeat the Dark Lord of the Sith, but he was determined to keep the lightsabers out of Kun’s grasp. Drawing on his Neti abilities, he transformed into his true, tree-like form, standing as a guardian over the sacred lightsabers. Kun, recognizing his victory even without the lightsabers, left Bnar behind and fled to Yavin 4.

Meanwhile, Ulic Qel-Droma was severed from the Force by Nomi Sunrider after he killed his own brother. Thon and the other Jedi managed to save some of the scrolls and documents from Odan-Urr’s library, though they acknowledged that even with a year to pack, they would still have had to leave some behind.

Before departing, Thon visited his old friend Ood Bnar. Bnar, now immobile in his tree form, could still speak and connect with others. Thon couldn’t fully comprehend Bnar’s choice, but he accepted it and mourned the loss of his friend. Bnar reassured him, explaining that this was simply part of his life cycle and that he might even survive the impending cataclysm on Ossus. The two friends said their final goodbyes, never to meet again.

As a legacy, Bnar left behind his brown lightsaber crystal, later known as Bnar’s Sacrifice, for future generations.

His heroic actions during the battle were later immortalized in an artwork by the Rodian master artist Zyk-yadoon, which was displayed in the Remembrance Hall on Almas.

7. How Did Ood Bnar Assist the New Jedi Order After His Awakening?

The shockwave struck Ossus shortly after Thon’s departure, but as he had foreseen, Ood Bnar survived the devastation. However, the planet was left in ruins, and the intense radiation prevented the Jedi from rebuilding their libraries and training centers. Bnar was not the only survivor; a group of Jedi who couldn’t evacuate sought refuge in the vast caverns beneath the Eocho Mountains.

Over time, their descendants lost memory of their origins and eventually became the tribal Ysanna. Bnar, however, remained undiscovered by the Jedi of his era, and as time passed, his friends perished. Thon spent his last years on Ambria, while Shaela Nuur was killed shortly after the war. Bnar eventually entered a centuries-long slumber, enduring through various galactic eras, including the Great Jedi Purge in 19 BBY, which nearly wiped out the Jedi Order.

Although he was not forgotten, Bodo Baas, a descendant of Bnar’s friend Vodo-Siosk Baas, mentioned the Neti Master in his holocron, which later came into the possession of Luke Skywalker, a young Jedi who sought to rebuild the Order. The Ysanna came to know Bnar as the “place of Ascension,” believing he was the source of their magic. For 4,000 years, they performed rituals of ascent by tying individuals to him to imbue them with this power.

In 10 ABY, over four millennia after his transformation, Ood Bnar was awakened. Luke Skywalker and Kam Solusar, led to Ossus by Bodo Baas’s holocron, found two Ysanna, Jem and Rayf, bound to what seemed to be a massive, twisted tree. After freeing them, the Jedi were introduced to the Ysanna tribe, who, recognizing them as Jedi, allied with them.

However, Skywalker and Solusar were followed by two of Palpatine’s Dark Side Elite—Sedriss QL and Vill Goir—who brought troops with them as reinforcements. A battle ensued between the Ysanna and the Jedi against these forces. Goir was killed by Kam Solusar, leaving Sedriss alone against the two powerful Jedi. Desperate, Sedriss took Jem hostage and backed up against the massive tree that was Bnar.

The presence of so many strong Force-users, particularly Jedi, stirred Bnar from his slumber. Using his root-like limbs, he seized Sedriss and pulled him away from the frightened Ysanna. Realizing this would be his final battle, Sedriss attempted to draw energy from Ossus’s broken skies to defeat Bnar. But Bnar countered by drawing on the living energy deep within the planet’s soil.

In the end, both Force-users perished, annihilating each other. Although the Jedi were saddened that Bnar could not share his wisdom with them, the ancient lightsabers he had guarded helped in the restoration of the Jedi Order. Bnar, now one with the Force, left behind a small legacy: a tiny sapling that began to grow where he had stood.

Long after the conclusion of the Great Sith War, treasure hunters scoured the galaxy in search of journals believed to have been authored by Ood Bnar. By the time of the Battle of Yavin, the existence of these journals was still debated. The explorer Riyan Kiner, however, became completely consumed by his quest to find this elusive artifact, eventually losing his sanity.

8. What Were Ood Bnar’s Defining Personality Traits?

Ood Bnar was a revered figure within the Jedi Order, known for his profound wisdom. His deep understanding of both the light and dark sides of the Force, gained over centuries of study, made him an invaluable source of knowledge. The Jedi Order held his insights in such high esteem that they were preserved in a holocron.

Many students were sent to Master Bnar for guidance, as his extensive knowledge of Jedi lore often allowed him to foresee the outcomes of certain actions, having witnessed similar attempts in the past. Some of his teachings on the Force were even published by the Coruscant Jedi Temple in a collection titled “Lectures on the Nature of the Force.”

Throughout his long life, Bnar formed many friendships, fully aware that he would outlive most of them. He shared a particularly close bond with Thon, despite their differing views on several topics. He regularly conferred with other Jedi Masters, including Vodo-Siosk Baas, one of the Order’s most senior members. His dearest friend was Odan-Urr, with whom he maintained the Great Jedi Library on Ossus. Together, they often advised others, and Bnar held Odan-Urr in high regard, considering him among the wisest of Masters.

Bnar was also known for his mentorship, guiding many students with both advice and praise. His favorite apprentice, Shaela Nuur, received his rare Solari crystal as a mark of her progress. Although he was open to teaching the dark side’s dangers, he always cautioned students to carefully consider the risks before delving into it.

Bnar was a reserved and peaceful being, choosing to avoid the spotlight during times of crisis. He spent much of his time in solitude, which he did not mind. Disliking violence, he only learned basic lightsaber skills. Despite his preference for staying in the background, Bnar was willing to speak publicly and frequently participated in conferences with fellow Jedi. He strongly opposed the idea that Humans were superior to other species, believing that all life forms, sentient or not, were equally significant. Bnar viewed the Force as a binding element that connected all things, giving them equal importance.

A highly scholarly individual, Bnar possessed a rare ability to remain detached while studying various aspects of the Force, particularly the dark side. This detachment ensured he was never tempted to abandon the light, even during his millennia-long life. His unique perspective was crucial, as it allowed him to advise more martial Jedi on the weaknesses of the dark side and how to counter them.

Bnar’s selflessness was evident when he sacrificed himself during the Great Sith War, transforming to prevent Exar Kun from seizing the lightsabers. Although this transformation was inevitable for a Neti, Bnar could have delayed it, choosing instead to protect others.

9. What Were Ood Bnar’s Most Impressive Force abilities?

Bnar was a skilled Jedi, though he had a clear preference for study over combat, and his lightsaber skills were less effective against faster or more skilled opponents. Despite this, he was competent enough with a weapon, though he chose not to carry a lightsaber himself.

His Padawan, Shaela Nuur, became a proficient swordsman, reflecting well on Bnar’s abilities as a teacher. However, fully aware of his limitations, Bnar avoided one-on-one lightsaber duels whenever possible.

Although Bnar was not a master of lightsaber combat, he was a formidable expert in the Force, with a vast array of powers at his disposal. He demonstrated his prowess during a confrontation with Sedriss QL on Ossus. Sedriss attempted to harness the dark energies within Ossus’s atmosphere, but Bnar countered by drawing on the planet’s deep energies. The two powerful Force users were evenly matched, and their struggle ultimately led to their mutual destruction.