Who’s Who in the Star Wars Universe – Shaak Ti

“Thank you for believing in me, General.”
“It is not a matter of belief, Fives. It is simply the right thing to do.”

―Fives and Shaak Ti

Shaak Ti was a female Togruta Jedi Master and member of the Jedi Council who served the Jedi Order in the waning years of the Galactic Republic. During the three-year conflict of the Clone Wars, she took the rank of Jedi General and supervised the training of the Republic’s Clone troopers on Kamino. Ti was killed whilst meditating during the attack on the Jedi Temple by Darth Vader.

Shaak Ti gained a seat on the Jedi Council at some point following the blockade of Naboo. The Galactic Republic was in a state of turmoil during this time, as the Secessionist Movement, led by the former Jedi Count Dooku, threatened the stability of the Republic. The Secessionist Movement led to debate over the creation of a military force to combat an impending war. After the attempted assassination of Naboo’s senator Padmé Amidala, Ti and the other members of the Jedi Council assigned Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi to investigate the assassin behind the attacks on the senator while his Padawan Anakin Skywalker protected the senator.

Shaak Ti participated in the Battle of Geonosis, the conflict that sparked the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Separatist Alliance. As a participant, she was a member of the Jedi strike team assembled by fellow Jedi Council member Mace Windu to rescue Kenobi, Skywalker, and Amidala from being executed by the Separatists. The Jedi strike team along with the help of the Republic’s new clone troopers would successfully rescue the trio and win the battle.

“I am a Jedi, where the individual and the groups are one and the same—much like you clones.”
“Which is why Fives and I are looking out for each other.”
“As individuals, but not as a group. You are where you need to be. Solve your problems as a whole, not as individuals. I have decided to allow you and the rest of your squad to take the test again tomorrow.”

―Shaak Ti and Echo

Early in the war, Ti was assigned to the watery world of Kamino in order to oversee the production and training of new clone troopers at the primary cloning facilities in Tipoca City.

“The droids are spread thin. We must press our offensive now!”

―Shaak Ti

Shaak Ti greets Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker on Kamino.

After the Republic intercepted a message between General Grievous and Asajj Ventress discussing a planned attack on Kamino, Ti and Prime Minister Lama Su greeted Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Knight Anakin Skywalker when they arrived in Tipoca City with reinforcements. A Separatist fleet soon arrived and engaged the Republic blockade that defended Kamino. Ti monitored the progress of the battle from Tipoca City’s control room alongside Kenobi, Lama Su, Captain Rex and Commander Cody. She noted that the Separatist fleet was not large enough to defeat the blockade, and ordered Skywalker to lead the Republic’s fighters in assaulting the enemy. Several Munificent-class star frigates were destroyed protecting Grievous’ flagship, with their debris crashing in the ocean near Tipoca City. Kenobi became concerned that the battle was too easy, and left Ti and the others to investigate the wreckage. He discovered Aqua droids assembling Trident-class assault ships underwater but was unable to warn the city before the droids began their assault, which was led personally by both Grievous and Ventress.

When the control room came under assault by several Aqua droids, Ti quickly dispatched them and contacted the other Jedi, noting the attacking droids were spread thin throughout the city and that the Republic needed to press their counterattack quickly. While Kenobi engaged Grievous and Skywalker hunted down Ventress, who attempted to steal a genetic sample of the clone’s DNA, Ti led the clone troopers in pushing the droids back to Tipoca City’s main hangar, contacting Cody to inform him on the progress of the battle. The remaining droids were soon destroyed and the Separatist fleet retreated, although both Grievous and Ventress managed to escape from Kamino.

Shaak Ti was present during the funeral of the six Jedi killed during the bombing of the Jedi Temple Hangar. She also attended the Council meeting in which Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin accused Padawan Ahsoka Tano of masterminding the attack, prompting a shocked reaction from Ti and the other masters.

After the capture of Ahsoka Tano, Ti was also present during Tano’s trial in the Chamber of Judgment, where Tano was expelled from the Jedi Order and forfeited her ranks within the Grand Army of the Republic.

Toward the end of the war, Master Ti oversaw the testing and investigation of the clone trooper known as “Tup,” who had seemingly gone rogue and killed the Jedi Master Tiplar during a battle. She oversaw the Kaminoan doctor Nala Se’s test on Tup which yielded nothing and sends “Fives”, a friend of Tup, for examination.

The medical droid AZI-3 suggested a phase 5 atomic scan on Tup. Se claimed that the scan could kill him and instead they should terminate the clone and do an autopsy on his body, as she believed that the cause of his behaviour was a virus, while Ti believed that the cause was mental. Ti then contacted the Jedi Council on Coruscant to discuss the issue, who told her to bring the clone back to the Jedi Temple.

Ti was then alerted to an invader alarm on Kamino which she found had been triggered by Fives, who, along with AZI-3, had run an atomic scan on Tup and extracted a tumour which he believed to be the cause of Tup’s behaviour. Tup soon died muttering that he was “free of the nightmares”. Ti and Se contacted Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine and told them about the situation. The Chancellor told them to bring the data to the Grand Republic Medical Facility on Coruscant. Ti, however, invoking her authority, decided to take the data to the Jedi first—much to the protest of Se—and told Fives that one last test would be conducted on him before he could return to duty.

Before she could leave, Ti was alerted that Fives was attempting to escape. She gave chase but was unable to catch him before he left in an escape pod with AZI-3. As they attempted to track him down, Ti felt that they were searching on the wrong page. Her suspicion turned out to be true when she learned that someone was accessing the Jango Fett template data. Ti, along with the troopers and Se, discovered that it was indeed Fives and AZI-3. They gave chase but, again, were unable to capture him. Ti realized that they were researching something and weren’t planning to escape. She later saw Se quietly leaving the place and followed her with her Clone Troopers. She arrived in time to see Fives holding a blaster to Se and told him to surrender.

She learned that Fives, assisted by AZI-3, had discovered that a tumour had been bio-engineered and had suspected a larger plot to be the cause of Tup’s traitorous actions. The duo had also discovered that all troopers, including Fives, had been implanted with the same organic inhibitor chip. Nala Se claimed that the chip had been placed to inhibit aggressive behaviour, while Fives told Ti that the chip’s malfunction in Tup had caused him to lose his mind. When he told them that he had removed his chip, Se claimed that Fives was a now threat and should be terminated.

Master Ti again invoked Jedi authority, insisting that both Fives and the chips were sent to the Supreme Chancellor for investigation, rather than let the troopers be terminated by the Kaminoans. Fives thanked her for trusting him, to which Ti replied that she was only doing what was right. Ti led Fives, as well as Se, to the Supreme Chancellor on Coruscant. Fives insisted to the Chancellor that the chips should be removed from the clones, while Se still claimed that he was a threat. The Chancellor then requested Ti and Se to wait outside while he talked with Fives. As Ti was meditating outside, she heard blaster fire and opened the door to see Fives disarming the Chancellor’s troops and aiming his weapon at him. The Chancellor claimed that Fives had tried to assassinate him. Ti chased after the fleeing clone. She ordered Fives to stop, but he ignored her and ran away.

Ti met with Master Plo Koon, Grand Master Yoda, Master Windu and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and told them about Fives’ actions. Skywalker, whose legion Fives belonged to, expressed disbelief upon hearing that he had tried to assassinate the Chancellor. Ti told them that the Kaminoans believed that a virus had caused the clones’ inhibitor chip to malfunction, resulting in this behaviour, while Fives believed that he was the victim of a conspiracy. Windu then said that Fives should be captured alive to uncover if there was any conspiracy. Skywalker said that he would bring Fives in with the help of Clone Captain Rex. Ti warned him to be cautious, as the removal of the chip might have changed Fives.

Ti was present later when the Chancellor told the Jedi that his investigation had led him to believe that a parasite native to Ringo Vinda, the planet Fives and Tup were on, had caused the chips to malfunction and that an inoculation for it had been developed which would be administered to the clones.

Shaak Ti appeared to Yoda in a vision on Dagobah, in which she was impaled by Anakin Skywalker’s blue-bladed lightsaber whilst meditating.

At the end of the Clone Wars, Shaak Ti failed to prevent General Grievous from slipping onto Coruscant and kidnapping Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. On the night the temple was attacked by Darth Vader, Ti recorded a message urging whoever found the Holocron to continue the legacy of the Force, and not to let the Purge be the end of the Jedi. As she meditated during the attack, Ti was killed by Darth Vader.

“Whoever is seeing this… it’s up to you now. Don’t let our deaths have been in vain. Don’t let this be the end of the Jedi.”

―A Holocron of Shaak Ti

Shaak Ti created a Holocron, before the fall of the temple, bearing all her teachings and a history of the Clone Wars and Order 66. She urged the finder of her Holocron to restore the Jedi Order. Many years after Order 66, Ti’s Holocron was found by Luke Skywalker in Grakkus the Hutt’s collection of Jedi artefacts.

Stay tuned for more Star Wars articles coming out soon and may the force be with you!