The Complete Ood Bnar Respect Thread

[The Prodigal Knight]

Ood Bnar is very underrated across the board, this collaborated effort between myself and Mushy should rectify that that. This RT will cover:

• Overall feats and hype
  
• Tree!Bnar
  
• Bnar's unparalleled understanding of the force
  

Credits to Mushy for compiling the quotes/scans/theories together with me, and thank you to Wollfmyth for creating the original Bnar RT on comic vine that this one will expand on. For formatting, quotes that are considered relatively impressive will be marked with a “★”.

[The Prodigal Knight]

_{"Do not grieve for me, Thon. This is my metamorphosis, my life cycle. I have shielded my lightsaber treasures… I have defeated Exar Kun… I am satisfied. And perhaps, my friends, Ossus will protect me… enough."}



This section covers Ood Bnar's hype and potency in his base form. His feats as a tree after metamorphosis are neglected.

General Hype:

According to a variety of sources, Ood Bnar is a notable Jedi Master, scholar, and teacher:

_{This Ancient Jedi Knight was once a student of the renowned Jedi Master Ood Bnar}

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

_{When the great Jedi Master Ood Bnar initiated his life-cycle change...}

Knight of the Old Republic II Prima Guide

_{Master Ood Bnar was a renowned teacher...}

Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 8

_{Master Ood was a great teacher... I'll never forget him}

"Shadows and Light" — Star Wars Tales 23

As a Jedi Master, Ood Bnar represents the most powerful and most capable Jedi of his time:

_{A deep understanding of the Force is a must, for a Jedi Master is able to unlock powerful secrets that few Jedi even dream of comprehending.}

Threats of the Galaxy

_{Jedi Masters have reached the top of their craft within the Jedi Order.}

Threats of the Galaxy

_{Jedi Masters are sent on important and dangerous missions by the Jedi Council. Whether or not a Jedi Master is encountered in the company of his Padawan Learner, he is an opponent who cannot be underestimated. Few mundane opponents can stand against the skill and ability of a Jedi Master.}

Threats of the Galaxy

_{Jedi Master An honorific given to the greatest of Jedi, those who are strong enough in the Force and patient enough in life --and even beyond -- to pass on their skills by teaching a new generation of Jedi.}

Star Wars Encyclopedia

_{Jedi Master An honorific given to the greatest of Jedi, those who are strong enough in the Force and patient enough in life --and even beyond -- to pass on their skills by teaching a new generation of Jedi.}

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

(★) What should also be noted is that he is on the equivalent of the Jedi council at the time, making him the "great Jedi Masters of this era":

_{The great Jedi masters of this era spend part of each day meditating together on the force}

Tales of the Jedi

_{Jedi Knights are superbly trained as warriors, and the members of the Jedi Council represent the best of the Order.}

Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia

_{The members of the Council are all distinguished Jedi who have proven their resolve, wisdom, and mastery of the Force throughout their years of devotion to the Order.}

Power of the Jedi Sourcebook

_{If you prove yourself to be among the most skilled and wise Jedi, then you may be given the highest honor - a seat on the Jedi High Council.}

Mysteries of the Jedi

This is impressive because his era was noted to be the Jedi in their "prime" and at their "summit of their powers". This is also the era where the Jedi were "numerous and strong":

Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide

Note: Both of these quotes are from KOTOR Campaign Guide, but they both apply to TOTJ master. The context of the first quote is regarding Jedi Knights during the Great Sith War (link) and the second quote is in the context of all the Jedi in the campaign guide, which includes TOTJ in its scope (link).

Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 8

Tales of the Jedi Opening Crawls

It was even implied that the sticks of his remains were put on the Jedi council:

"Shadows and Light" — Star Wars Tales 23

Note: Star Wars Tales' validity is up to debate, but the narrative intent behind these quotes is still there.

Ood Bnar is a notable Neti masters, with the Neti being among the species that are the most attuned to the force:

_{The Neti are a rare sight in the galaxy, but are among one of the species that are most attuned to the Force. Famous Jedi like Ood Bnar, Garnoo, Uro Koo and T’ra Saa were all Neti, as was Sith librarian Dail’Liss. They are thought to have evolved on Myrkr, but for reasons unknown moved their society to Ryyk in the Mid Rim. When Ryyk was destroyed when its star went supernova, their species became all but extinct. A few members survived and were able to spawn offspring, keeping their species part of the galaxy. Neti reproduce only once every few centuries, by producing seeds that can remain dormant for long periods. Neti are known for their ability to switch between their two adult stages. In the tree-like state, which can reach heights of up to five meters, a Neti can remain inactive for centuries, merely pondering their surroundings. The other state is a more humanoid-shaped form, in which they are fully mobile.}

Star Wars.com: Welcome to the jungle (link)

According to Jem, Ood Bnar is the source of the Ysanna's powers. The Ysanna were potent enough to assist the Jedi in driving away Sedriss' dark jedi, and Luke noted that each and every one of them have the potential to be future Jedi:

_{Jem: The ancient tree... the source of my people's power... gone?}

Dark Empire II Audio Drama

_{"Every one of these people could be a potential Jedi!"}

Luke Skywalker, Dark Empire II

_{Before Skywalker and Solusar could complete their search for precious information, Executor Sedriss tracked them down. When his Imperial shock troops attacked, the Jedi and Ysanna warriors managed to drive them back. Desperate, Sedriss took as hostage a young Ysanna woman, Jem. Then, surprisingly, the twisted tree’s branches and roots began to move and grappled with the executor. The tree was none other than the ancient Jedi Master Ood Bnar, who had clung to life and remained dormant since the conflagration swept Ossus millennia ago. Master Ood had stirred again to fight the dark-side warrior, and destroyed both himself and Sedriss in a final confrontation.}

-The Essential Chronology

The Ysanna's natural affinity to the force is so strong that Palpatine considered them for his clone bodies:

_{Three Ysanna prisoners from Ossus were taken to Vjun to serve as raw material in creating new clone bodies for Emperor Palpatine. The Ysanna were frozen in carbonite to await the future construction of a clone laboratory in Bast Castle}

Star Wars: Databank - Vjun

(★) Ood Bnar proclaimed himself a greater master of the force than Executor Sedriss, an extremely potent force user himself:

_{Ood Bnar: GET BACK SKYWALKER! THIS EVIL ONE IS TRYING TO KILL ME! BUT I AM A GREATER MASTER OF THE FORCE THAN HE!!!}

Dark Empire II Audio Drama

_{Perhaps the strongest disciple of Palpatine after Darth Vader, Executor Sedriss remained loyal to the Emperor after the death of his clone over the Rebel's Pinnacle Base.}

Handbook #3: Dark Empire

Ood Bnar was so powerful that Gnost Dural and other Jedi masters during TOR would meditate under his branches for the hopes of scraps of knowledge:

SWTOR Ood Bnar Codex Entry

Knowledge:

It was confirmed in a great deal of sources that knowledge of the force is directly correlated with power. Darth Bane stated that "knowledge is power" (Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil) and this acted as a core mantra in the philosophy of the Banite Sith. Both Darth Plagueis and Darth Wyyrlok have both respectively stated that knowledge leads to power, and OOU sources say that Yoda's knowledge of the force allows for him to compete with Palpatine. It is clear that knowledge of the force is directly connected to raw power:

Zannah agreed to take on hetton as her apprentice. They journeyed to Ambria, ostensibly to defeat Darth Bane, but the Sith Lord proved to be much stronger than Hetton had anticipated. With two slashes of his lightsaber, Bane severed Hetton’s arm before running him through, killing Hetton instantly. Hetton died without knowing that he had been betrayed by Zannah, who only sought to obtain his knowledge to help her Master grow in power.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

For a millennium, the Sith maintained their order in secrecy, passing down their evil heritage. As they gained knowledge of the dark side of the Force, their powers increased with each generation. Nearly forgotten by the Republic, the Sith patiently waited for the day they would find a weakness in the Jedi.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Scrapbook

Yoda’s knowledge of the Force makes him just as powerful as Darth Sidious. He can absorb Sidious’s Force lightning - and deflect it back! Concentration, focus, and a deep connection with the Force are all Yoda needs in a fight.

Star Wars: Mysteries of the Jedi

It was presumed that Hett had died during the execution of Order 66. In reality, he had taken the destruction of the Jedi Order as a chance to give in to and explore his emotions. Over time, he gained a great deal of strength in the Force, much of which came from his collections of Sith lore he discovered in his travels to Korriban. Following the guidance found in an ancient Sith Holocron, he eventually gave himself over to the power of the dark side, and became the Dark Lord known as Darth Krayt, a name honoring one of Tatooine’s most formidable predators.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

For the first time, he understood that the one didn't come in two shades only: dark and light, distinct and combative, never meeting in the middle to form gray. Those were ideals, and ideals existed solely for philosophers and theoreticians to argue over. In the real world, dark and light coexisted in varying proportions; nothing was ever static. Thus this former Jedi Padawan could turn to the dark side after a lifetime serving the light - and she could just as easily turn back to the light afterward, if she survived.

Light, dark, Shaak Ti had tried to tell him, they are just directions.

We're always moving, he thought, toward the dark or toward the light. It's impossible to stand still. Some, like Darth Vader and the Emperor, had been descending through the dark side for so long that the light must have become a faint and distant memory. Some hovered eternally in the gray, never entirely choosing a side. There were, in fact, no actual sides, just the direction in which one happened to be moving. It was all relative.

Coming to that understanding gave him a new kind of strength.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed novelization

Resurrected in a youthful clone body, Palpatine does not reveal himself immediately. Studying the dark side of the Force to become more powerful, his education results in three manifestos: The Book of Anger, The Weakness of Inferiors, and The Creation of Monsters.

Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide

_{“He understood that power came from knowledge, and his vast fortune had allowed him to assemble the priceless collection of ancient Sith teachings he kept secured in his private library.”}

Dynasty of Evil

_{"It seems that this contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of the Force, but our skills with a lightsaber.}

Attack of the Clones

Legacy 30

Ood Bnar has been a scholar for thousands of years and is one of the longest living Jedi Master in history, dedicating almost all that time to studying the force:

_{Ood Bnar, a Ryyk - orphaned and marooned on the planet Myrkr- became the gatekeeper of a Jedi Holocron millennia ago, before even the fall of the Sith Empire and the flight of its leader Naga Sadow. A Jedi scholar for hundreds of years, Bnar possessed the ability to completely sever himself from the subject of his study, whether it was the subtle manipulations of the light side of the Force or the raging, infested darkness of Sith magic.}

Tales of the Jedi Companion

Insider 28

This is corroborated by the Neti species' life spanning several thousands year, and their "old" age being 2500-3999 years old:

The Essential Guide to Alien Species

(★) After the death of Master Odan Urr, Ood Bnar replaces him as the head librarian on Ossus:
_{Ulic brought their forces to the library world to raid what remained and take huge stockpiles for their own use. A treelike Jedi Master, Ood Bnar, had taken on the mantle of librarian after Odan Urr. Knowing he could not protect every precious item from the oncoming blast wave, he was burying a priceless collection of ancient lightsabers when Exar Kun and his Massassi warriors marched in to take them. Just when he seemed to have lost his battle with Kun, Ood called upon the Force inside the soil of Ossus, transforming himself into a gigantic tree that protected the treasure and drove back the Dark Lord of the Sith. Taking his other plunder, Exar Kun departed from Ossus.}

Essential Chronology

_{The Jedi scrambled to retrieve as many vital artifacts as possible. Amid this chaos, Exar Kun and Ulic brought their forces to the library world to raid anything that remained. A tree-like Neti Jedi, Master Ood Bnar, had taken on the mantle of librarian after Odan-Urt's death. Knowing that he could not protect every item from the oncoming shock wave, Ood buried a priceless collection of ancient lightsabers just before the arrival of Exar Kun and his Massassi warriors. To protect his treasure, Ood called upon the Force inside the soil of Ossus and transformed himself into a gigantic tree. Gathering up the remaining plunder, Exar Kun departed Ossus.}

The New Essential Chronology

This would allow him to have access to an almost unlimited source of information, as Ossus is designed to be a "repository of all known information about ever sentient endeavor" and a "repository of knowledge of all sorts":

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Power of the Jedi Sourcebook

Luke Skywalker even noted that the new Jedi order have no hope of reclaiming the lost knowledge:
_{“These tapes—like the Tedryn Holocron and the texts recovered from the Jedi library at Ossus—contained little information about the hierarchy of the Jedi Order during the Golden Age, but there was invaluable data regarding Jedi training, meditation, and lightsaber forms. Although Luke knew the Jedi Order could not be restored to its former glory, he believed that it could be reinvented.”}

Jedi vs Sith: Essential Guide to the Force

The chamber of antiquities in particular contains more knowledge than Kun can ever use in a lifetime:

Tales of the Jedi

As the keeper of antiquities, Ood Bnar has complete and unlimited access to all knowledge and artifacts stored within the chamber:

Power of the Jedi Sourcebook

Much like all Jedi masters of the period, Ood Bnar would have conferences and meditation sessions with fellow masters on a daily basis to comprehend new knowledge:

Power of the Jedi Sourcebook

Tales of the Jedi

(★) Jedi Masters like Vodo Siosk Baas and Odan Urr also studied the Dark Holocron, possibly extensively. It is easily inferred then that Ood Bnar, the order's foremost expert on the Dark Side arts, would have done the same to an even greater degree:

<sub>“Odan-Urr kept this Sith Holocron for nearly a millennium before it was stolen by the Jedi Exar Kun, who used it to learn many secrets of the Sith”

[...]

“Locked within the recesses of this Sith Holocron—the only Sith Holocron, as far as anybody knows—are the forgotten histories and lore of the Sith, dating back a hundred thousand years and more.”

[…]
“because of the dangerous knowledge it contains—remains off limits to all but a few Jedi Masters.”

[…]
“After recovering the Sith Holocron, Odan-Urr kept the device at the original Jedi library that he founded on Ossus. It is puzzling that the Sith Holocron could have contained data about Naga Sadow’s escape from Empress Teta: this implies that the Holocron’s contents were updated by supernatural forces. Although it is not known how extensively Odan-Urr studied the Holocron, it was in his possession for more than a millennium, and records indicate that both he and Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas studied it without any adverse effect. Still, it is possible that some Holocrons may be more than ”</sub>

Jedi vs Sith: Essential Guide to the Force

Notably, the Dark Holocron is the most powerful Sith holocron in existence, holding lore dating back more than 100,000 years and is a major reason for Exar Kun's rise to power:

_{The most powerful Sith Holocron contained Sith teachings and histories that covered some hundred thousand years.}

The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology

_{Exar Kun might not have risen to power so quickly had Odan-Urr destroyed the Sith Holocron when he’d had the chance.}

Jedi vs Sith: Essential Guide to the Force

_{The construction and use of the first double-bladed lightsaber is sometimes credited to Jedi-turned-Sith Exar Kun, but according to the Tedryn Holocron, Exar Kun assembled his weapon by following instructions from a Sith Holocron, possibly prepared by the Jedi Exiles themselves.}

Jedi vs Sith: Essential Guide to the Force

*Credits to Ethan for this scan

Upon finding the lowly remains of the Ossus library, Luke Skywalker proclaims that the order during this time must be the prime of the Jedi's existence. These knowledge are absolutely crucial for Luke's attempt to rebuild the New Jedi Order. It can only be imagined how knowledgeable Ood Bnar is studying the full extent of said knowledge for thousands of years:

Dark Empire II

Notably, Luke and Tionne only recovered scraps of the temporary library assembled by the TOTJ Jedi prior to it getting consumed by a dying star:



The scraps of knowledge protected by Ood Bnar proved crucial for Luke's attempt to rebuild the Jedi Order:



Ood Bnar is one of the gatekeepers of the Jedi Holocron, one of the most comprehensive holocron in Jedi history:





Notably, the Jedi Holocron is Palpatine's most prized possession despite most of its secrets being unavailable to him:




Ood Bnar is also a gatekeeper of the Tedryn Holocron, which was necessary to teaching Leia the basics of the force needed to defeat Palpatine:




Ood Bnar is also a gatekeeper for Arca Jeth's holocron, which is passed down through the ranks of the Jedi Masters for thousands of years and contain critical lore to Sith history dating back to King Adas:








The implications are simple. Ood Bnar has access to a pool of near-infinite knowledge, ones that he has studied for centuries with close discussions and meditations with fellow Jedi masters on a daily front. Mere scraps of his knowledge, such as his prophecies in the Tedryn Holocron or the remains of the Teedio Library are already fundamentally game-changing to later Jedi like Leia and Luke. Given the combative implications of knowledge, such as Yaddle using her unparalleled knowledge in explicitly combative means:



Ood Bnar's combative tank should be massive.

Note: this section is a simpler version of the third section "Unparalleled Understanding of the Force". This section only deals with the amount of books and knowledge that Ood Bnar has consumed. The third section will be an in-depth rundown of the actual wisdom and understanding of Ood Bnar.

Combative Abilities:

It is noteworthy that combative abilities is undoubtedly Ood Bnar's greatest weakness, with lightsaber dueling being his least favorite form of combat:



(★) Despite this, Bnar was capable of holding his own against Exar Kun for a bladeslock, only falling due to a cheapshot by a Massassi Warrior:




It is interesting to consider the narrative intent of this. This fight is in the middle of a massive series of events displaying the dominant combative potency of Kun, having him one-shot Odan Urr and seize a quick victory over Vodo Siosk Baas. However, the comic deliberately does not show Kun taking down Ood Bnar, instead showing a cheapshot by a Massassi Warrior. It's easily arguable that this implies Ood's ability to hold against Kun in one on one fight for longer periods of time if not for the intervention of his henchman.

In fact, this quote implies the existence of a fight between them, which would probably last longer than a single strike:



Check out the Exar Kun respect thread to learn about his combative potency:

https://www.suspectinsightforums.com/t822-exar-kun-supreme-respect-thread-new-update-8-28-2022

For a better gauge of Ood Bnar's combative prowess, we can turn our attention to Shaela Nuur, almost exclusively tutored by Ood Bnar and is his best student, and thus can somewhat reflect on his abilities as well.

Shaela is one of the best Jedi hunters falling the events of the Great Sith War, frequently dealing with Sith Spawns and alchemically enhanced monsters:



Shaela Nuur contributed to the near extinction of the Tarentarek species across the galaxy:





She ultimately went down trying to fight two tarentareks at once in Naga Sadow's tomb, one of the most focal points in Korriban, already a super potent dark side nexus. Clearly she is a very capable combatant who is trained almost entirely by Ood Bnar.

Notably, Tarentareks are alchemically enhanced versions of rancors who typically requires teams of Jedi to fight:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx0tjP_Zx4w

Other Abilities:

Here is the D6 stat sheet of Ood Bnar created by Tales of the Jedi Companion:



Note: the iteration of Ood Bnar in the Companion is purely a gatekeeper of the Jedi Holocron, and thus cannot manipulate the force. This doesn't imply that the actual physical Bnar cannot do the same.

He also has neat showings like some force sense:

[The Prodigal Knight]

"These lightsabers belong to the Jedi…I will protect them with my life if I must!"



This section will cover Ood Bnar in tree form. For simplicity, tree Bnar will be uniformly referred to as Wood Bnar, since Bnar is very W in his tree form.

Shapeshifting:

(★) As a member of the Neti species, Wood Bnar has the ability to shapeshift by will, being capable of transforming into a tree at a moment's notice:







The Neti are a rare sight in the galaxy, but are among one of the species that are most attuned to the Force. Famous Jedi like Ood Bnar, Garnoo, Uro Koo and T’ra Saa were all Neti, as was Sith librarian Dail’Liss. They are thought to have evolved on Myrkr, but for reasons unknown moved their society to Ryyk in the Mid Rim. When Ryyk was destroyed when its star went supernova, their species became all but extinct. A few members survived and were able to spawn offspring, keeping their species part of the galaxy. Neti reproduce only once every few centuries, by producing seeds that can remain dormant for long periods. Neti are known for their ability to switch between their two adult stages. In the tree-like state, which can reach heights of up to five meters, a Neti can remain inactive for centuries, merely pondering their surroundings. The other state is a more humanoid-shaped form, in which they are fully mobile.

StarWars.com: Welcome to the Jungle

Special Qualities: Metamorph -- A Neti has the innate ability to alter its shape and size at will. A Neti can vary its size anywhere from Medium-size to Large to Huge. A Neti can also alter its form to be roughly humanoid, squat and quadrupedal, or solid and treelike. Changing size and shape is a full-round action, and alters some scores like Hide, Defense, and Attack. (Refer to the Star Wars Roleplaying Game revised core rulebook for details on size modifiers.) Even in quadrupedal or treelike form, a Neti has manipulative tendrils to operate tools and make attacks. A Neti in quadrupedal form is more difficult to trip or move with a bantha rush (receiving a +4 stability bonus on rolls to resist these effects), but it cannot run or charge. A Neti in its stationary tree form is extremely resistant to these attacks (+12 stability bonus on all rolls to oppose bantha rushes and trips), but it is immobile. The extra wound points a Neti gains for being Huge disappear if it assumes a smaller form. A Neti that takes 12 or more points of wound damage in Huge form cannot reduce its size until healed.

Tra Saa Saga Statblock

This ability is demonstrated by Wood Bnar when he turned into a tree to combat Exar Kun:



When transformed into the tree form, a Neti gains extra resistance abilities and become almost indestructible:



(★★★) Wood Bnar demonstrates this ability by becoming an "unyielding tree" and blocking the advances of Exar Kun, "defeat him", and throwing him on his ass:





Ood was defeated in combat, but had one last trick Kun had not anticipated. Drawing on the Living Force, Ood literally grew roots and burrowed into the ground. He formed an impenetrable barrier of the Force that even Exar Kun could not cross.

The Official Star Wars Fact File #119

"Do not grieve for me, Thon. This is my metamorphosis, my life cycle. I have shielded my lightsaber treasures… I have defeated Exar Kun… I am satisfied. And perhaps, my friends, Ossus will protect me… enough."

Wood Bnar - Tales of the Jedi

Ood resists Kun's attempts to steal the lightsabers by undergoing a final metamorphosis, plunging roots into the ground and driving Kun back with a blast of power drawn from the depths of Ossus.”

Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith #6

Notice the impressiveness of Wood Bnar's tree form, as he can still demonstrably hold and use a lightsaber even as a tree.

(★) In pure tree form, Wood Bnar tanks a supernova called noted to be "more devastating than anything the galaxy has ever seen":




Ossus still bears the scars of the Cron Supernova: its surface is a seared wasteland of rock and sand. But even this degree of desolation is shockingly mild; that the planet was not rendered into a charred ball of molten rock, or even obliterated completely, is nothing short of miraculous.

Little academic work has been put forward to explain this unlikely survival; only conjecture. The initial cause of the supernova was unnatural; perhaps this explains the unnatural results? Ossus was a stronghold of the Jedi; does the inherent life force of such a place make it more resistant to destruction? Could the unique astrophysical structure of the Adega system where Ossus is found have played a role?

Regardless of the reasons, the continued survival of Ossus offers the promise that its ancient mysteries may one day be unlocked.”

The Unlikely Survival of Ossus Codex Entry

Power Channeling:

As a tree, Wood Bnar has a special ability to channel the power of light side nexus through him. He channels powers "beyond [Kun's] imagination" from Ossus to blast him back:



Ood resists Kun's attempts to steal the lightsabers by undergoing a final metamorphosis, plunging roots into the ground and driving Kun back with a blast of power drawn from the depths of Ossus.”

Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith #6

Notably, Ossus has powers that are enough to grant light side users "unmatched" abilities:



(★★) Wood Bnar suicide bombs and destroys Executor Sedriss, who is noted to be a "deadly enemy" to Dark Empire Luke Skywalker and the strongest Dark Jedi under Emperor Palpatine:




Then Sedriss called down electricity from the atmosphere, Ood drew up power from Ossus' core. The two combatants annihilated each other.

The New Essential Guide to Characters

Several thousand years later on the planet Ossus, Bnar reawakened to help save Jem Ysanna, a young woman with powers in the Force. He ultimately sacrificed himself to destroy the evil Imperial Military Executor Sedriss.

[...]

The Executor was destroyed by the power of an ancient Jedi, Ood Bnar.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

The dark side adept Executor Sedriss took Jem hostage in the scuffle, but the actions of Skywalker and the reawakened Jedi Master Ood Bnar saved her.

Star Wars Databank: Ysanna, Jem

Kam: Luke, can you feel that?

Luke: Sedriss is drawing dark power out of the atmosphere, but Master Ood is drawing energy from the ground beneath. The strain is tearing this place apart.

Dark Empire II Audio Drama

Notably, the power of Ossus has been significantly scarred since the Great Sith War due to the destruction of life force, so the pool of energy Wood is drawing on is significantly less than what he had access to during the prime of the planet:



When the tree began to move, it revealed itself as Master Ood Bnar, who had clung to life since the firestorm has swept Ossus millennia ago.”

New Essential Chronology

This feat is very impressive as Sedriss is quite a high quality combatant:

Perhaps the strongest disciple of Palpatine after Darth Vader, Executor Sedriss remained loyal to the Emperor after the death of his clone over the Rebel's Pinnacle Base.

Handbook #3: Dark Empire

Sedriss and Vill Goir met Luke Skywalker and recent Jedi recruit kam Solusar on the plains of Ossus. Had it been merely a contest between dark side adepts and Jedi, Sedriss might have been victorious.

Dark Empire Sourcebook

[The Prodigal Knight]

"Sometimes entities who have been initiated to the dark side can seduce a Jedi into giving way to the power of anger. Once rage is unleashed, it is difficult to control. It leads one farther and farther from the power of light. It even destroys ordinary common sense!"



This section will deal with the most impressive aspects of Ood Bnar: his incorruptibility in the face of the dark side and his unparalleled understanding of the force. Let's begin:

Incorruptibility:

(★★★) Ood Bnar is the order's foremost expert on the dark side of the force, being able to study it extensively without any repercussions:





Ood Bnar's understanding of the dark side constantly proves crucial to the Jedi efforts:



Note, this is a skill that cannot be taught, as can be seen from the corruption of Bnar's padawan Shaela Nuur, who has Bnar's confidence will remain pure in the light. Yet, she ultimately fell. Only the strongest of the Jedi can resist the temptations of the dark:





So dark side resistance only has to do with the purity of your soul. Notice that the power of dark side temptations and the difficulty of resisting them is one of the core axioms of Veitch's verse:






The ultimate task of the hero is to resist the dark side. How does one do that? By reaching enlightenment and understanding the essence of the force, thus gaining the strength to do so:



This is a great transition to our next section:

Unparalleled Understanding:

The Tales of the Jedi era Jedi are created by Veitch based on the conception of Buddha. That is, they are enlightened to the true purpose of the force:




They are enlightened because they understand the true essence of the force, which Ood Bnar teaches them:



Now the way Luke Skywalker resisted the dark side and returned to the light is by understanding the power of the luminous beings, which is the "greatest" power in the universe. In a force harmony with Leia, Luke realizes and understands the power of the luminous beings and thus strips Palpatine of the force:





This is one of the most potent attack possible by the Jedi, and Tom Veitch goes into great detail explaining the rationale behind the feat and the powers Luke called on in DE endnotes:






This isn't something unique to Luke though. He is rediscovering a power known by the "great masters of old". The idea that oneness and the ability to call upon the power of the luminous beings, which is understanding the deepest strata of the force, is repeatedly connected to the Ancient Masters:




What he found instead was formless, supple, and fathomless-an infinite emptiness, but as serene as a wind toppling trees to encourage new growth. A being of light, Jacen was drawing into himself all of Onimi's lethal compounds, neutralizing them and casting them out as sweat, tears, and exhalations. He understood at last why he had failed to catch Anakin's lightsaber when Luke had tossed it to him: he was never meant to catch it, because he had become the lightsaber. He had attained the ability to cut through any resistance in himself; to sever the bonds of preconception; to open a gaping hole into a reality more expansive than any he had ever dared imagine; to heal.

As his grandfather had done, he had broken through the apparent opposites that concealed the absolute nature of the Force, and found his way into an unseen unity that existed beyond the seeming separateness of the world. For a moment all the cosmic tumblers had clicked into place, and light and dark sides became something he could balance within himself, without having to remain on one side or the other.

The consciousness that was Jacen Solo was strewn across the vast spectrum of life energy. He had passed beyond choice and consequence, good and evil, light and dark, life and death. All that had been required of Jacen was complete surrender-a technique once mastered by the Jedi Order but at some point misplaced; transposed to an emphasis on individual achievement, which had opened a way to arrogance. In that the path was available to any who chose to seek and follow it, Jacen understood that the discovery was really a rediscovery.
Jacen realized that, in a sense, he had paraphrased Onimi. He had passed beyond the tradition of the Jedi Order into a more embracing reality. But instead of attempting to steal the authority of the gods, or to become a god, *he had finally allowed himself to merge with the Force in its entirety and become a conduit for its raw power, which flowed through him like the thundering headwaters of a great river. The conjoining of the Force and his Vongsense enabled him to render himself small enough to follow Onimi wherever he went or attempted to hide; to counter Onimi's every action, and merge with his living vessel on a molecular level.

Star Wars: The Unifying Force

Now TOTJ is written by Veitch, who also wrote the DE Endnotes, and you can clearly see the connection. After all, the entirety of TOTJ is conceptualized to fit into the Jedi in their prime, the great Jedi knights of old, who protects the galaxy and understands the power of the luminous beings:




So now we established this connection between the TOTJ masters, or the "great masters of old", and the ultimate Jedi power to "unlock the force in all its intensity". Now let's connect this back to Ood Bnar:

First, Ood Bnar is obviously aware of the luminosity of the force, calling Nomi Sunrider a "luminous being":



(★) The path to become a Jedi Master, i.e., the path to unlocking the truth and become a "great master of old" is to follow the teachings of the wise Ood Bnar:



Ood Bnar teaches the most fundamental definition of the force, once again indicating this high level of understanding:



Ood Bnar's farsight is constantly hyped, showing his unlimited understanding of the way the force flows and the way the dark side operates:





(★) Understanding the mantra of Ood Bnar allows the Jedi Padawans to instantly use the force in a simpler manner:



The TOTJ method of using the force is incredibly advanced, with Anakin gaining insane power-ups and growths upon learning it from Ulic:

The ancient Jedi Master warned that the knowledge he would pass to Anakin would let him resist the effects of the Force-stripping Harvester and the Dark Reaper it activated, but would perhaps give him too much power.

The Official Star Wars Fact File #107

Although the knowledge given to Anakin allowed him to destroy the Dark Reaper, Obi-Wan was uncomfortable with the power that his Padawan now wielded.

The Official Star Wars Fact File #107

"Yes, I can teach you to harness the power of the Force around you, making you immune to the Dark Reaper's effects for a short time."

Ulic Qel-Droma, Star Wars: The Clone Wars Video Game

Follow the advice of Ulic Qel-Droma throughout this fight and you grow more powerful than you can imagine.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Prima Official Strategy Guide

[The Prodigal Knight]

Respect the tree. Understanding Ood Bnar's mighty potency is simple.

• In humanoid form, Ood is a solid combatant with unparalleled knowledge that are often directly combatively applicable
  

• Can freely transform into Wood Bnar by will which allows him to be nigh-indestructible and channel the energies of any light side nexus to perform incredibly feats
  

• Has unparalleled understanding of the deepest strata of the force which are necessary for a Jedi to "unlock the force in all its intensity" and become a "great master of old"
  

Ood Bnar on a potent light side nexus is easily a top 30 combatant of all time, and combine that with his supreme knowledge and wisdom and you have a top-tier character. Respect him

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