I have an “Episode II” poster that says “A Jedi shall not know anger. Nor hatred. Nor love.” To that, a cynical fan might add “Nor personality.” Because while that arena duel of insects vs. lightsaber-wielding Jedi in “Attack of the Clones” certainly looked cool, we didn’t really get to know many of those warriors in the prequels.
That’s what the expanded universe is for, of course, and the comics and novels have been hard at work introducing us to these Jedi, starting with Ki-Adi-Mundi in a comic that came out just before “Episode I.”
Nothing against the comics or novels, but “The Clone Wars” has done the most to make these Jedi of the Old Republic into full-fledged characters with personalities. This is because we see how they move, how they fight, how they speak and what they think about the war.
Everyone has to have a favorite among these new old-school Jedi. Showrunner Dave Filoni favors the rock-solid Plo Koon, some lean toward the always-smiling Kit Fisto, and as of late, the gruff Even Piell has made a splash. But my favorite Jedi who has blossomed into a complete character on “The Clone Wars” is Luminara Unduli, with her crisp confidence and pragmatic view of life. And what is that lovely accent (delivered by voice actress Olivia d’Abo)? The “Star Wars” equivalent of French?
If her Padawan, Barriss Offee, should die on a mission, Luminara says in a Season 2 episode, she will mourn the loss but not let it change her. By comparison, Anakin, faced with the prospect of Ahsoka dying, seems ready to turn to the Dark Side just by thinking about such a thing.
Although slightly more by-the-book, Luminara is similar to Obi-Wan (and if there’s Jedi fan fiction out there, you know plenty of fans have put these two together) in that she has a motherly/big-sisterly relationship with Barriss just as Obi-Wan has a fatherly/big-brotherly relationship with Anakin. At times, Luminara has also served as a great female role model for Ahsoka, who often finds herself as just one of the guys when she’s hanging out with Anakin, Obi-Wan and a bunch of clones.
Luminara’s maternal nature puts the lie to “A Jedi shall not know love.” She’s a Jedi, but she’s also a decent, caring human being. … OK, technically she’s a Mirialan (thanks, Wookieepedia), but you get the idea.
Main image: Lucasfilm