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Ki-Adi-Mundi was a Force-sensitive male Cerean Jedi Master of the Jedi Order who served on the High Council in the twilight years of the Galactic Republic and played a major role in several battles during the Clone Wars. Born in 92 BBY, Mundi was discovered at age four by the Jedi An'ya Kuro and became one of the few permitted by the Jedi Order to be trained starting beyond infancy. After more than two decades as a Padawan to Master Yoda, Mundi was named a Jedi Knight and returned to Cerea to liberate his home village from a gang of raiders. Assigned the Jedi Watchman of the Cerean sector, Mundi was granted a rare exception to the Jedi Order's ban on marriage due to his species' low birth rate and had a polygamous family of five wives and seven children, although he tried to avoid developing emotional attachments to them.

Like many Cereans of his generation, Mundi favored his home world's isolation from the galaxy, speaking out against off-worlder technology and encouraging Cerea to maintain their independence from the Republic. Mundi was held in high regard by members of the Jedi High Council, on which he occasionally sat in during the absence of Master Micah Giiett. He was eventually offered a permanent seat on the Council despite not yet having obtained the rank of Jedi Master. Before accepting, Mundi rescued his daughter Sylvn from the captivity of an agent of the crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure, and in doing so uncovered a secret Cerean smuggling ring and illegal Trade Federation activities. Shortly after formally joining the Council in 33 BBY, Mundi was sent to seek the lost Jedi Sharad Hett on Tatooine. Following Hett's death, Mundi agreed to continue the Jedi training of his son, A'Sharad Hett.

While Mundi and Hett grew close, the Cerean eventually agreed to turn his training over to Kuro after Hett felt tempted by the dark side of the Force during a lightsaber duel with bounty hunter Aurra Sing. As the Confederacy of Independent Systems uprising threatened the stability of the Republic, Mundi was among the Jedi dispatched to Geonosis in 22 BBY to confront the Separatist Droid Army, marking the beginning of the Clone Wars. Now a Jedi General commanding the Galactic Marines branch of the Grand Army of the Republic, Mundi participated in several major battles, including the battle of Hypori, where he barely survived a lightsaber duel against General Grievous. Mundi's entire family was killed during the Battle of Cerea, but the Jedi overcame his grief by further committing to his Jedi duties. He briefly assumed the Jedi training of Anakin Skywalker following Obi-Wan Kenobi's presumed death.

Mundi also dueled the Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress on Coruscant after exposing a spy from within the Galactic Senate working with her. Along with Kenobi and Luminara Unduli, Mundi led an assault against several Separatist battle droid foundries on Geonosis. Following the assault Mundi earned the "everlasting respect" of Anakin Skywalker, as Mundi killed a total of 65 droids and Geonosians during the assault. As the Clone Wars approached conclusion, Mundi suggested to the Jedi High Council that Supreme Chancellor Palpatine may have become too powerful and that the Jedi Order might need to assume control of the Republic for an interim period until a transition of power could commence. Mundi was leading the Galactic Marines to battle on Mygeeto in 19 BBY when Palpatine began the Great Jedi Purge with Order 66, resulting in Mundi being shot to death by his own clone troopers.

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Biography Edit

Early life Edit

Birth and infancy Edit

"Take him. We need a Jedi of our own, one who will be here always. This… must not go on." ―Ki-Adi-Mundi's father giving him over to An'ya Kuro for Jedi training [src]

Ki-Adi-Mundi, a Cerean male, was born in 92 BBY on Cerea. He was one of several children in the Mundi family but was the only boy among his siblings and one of the few males in his home village, as the birth rate for male Cereans to females was one-to-twenty. Among his siblings was an older sister, Droe. His father was a farmer and, for the first four years of his life, Mundi lived on the family farm, where his father and mother were content to raise him in a secluded lifestyle typical of Cereans,[7] who largely shunned technology and lived in isolation from the rest of the galaxy. As a youth, Mundi was drawn to off-worlder technology, but his father warned him embracing it would come at too high a price, something that Mundi did not understand as a young child.[12]

Throughout his early childhood, Mundi demonstrated great skill with the Force and was able to levitate items and sense danger, although his abilities were unstable due to lack of proper training. On at least one occasion, an item Mundi lifted with the Force exploded in mid-air due to this instability. Mundi's home village was periodically attacked and pillaged by a gang of raiders led by Bin-Garda-Zon. During these raids, Zon repeatedly broke into the Mundi household, smashed their belongings and demanded financial tributes from them, which the family always paid to avoid problems. Mundi could sense Zon's approach prior to these attacks, and his family would hide Mundi in concealed floor compartment before Zon arrived because the raiders would kidnap male children due to the species' low birth rate.[7]

Despite the family's seclusion, rumors of Mundi's abilities with the Force began to spread even outside of Cerea. In 88 BBY, when Mundi was four years old, a Jedi Knight named An'ya Kuro, better known simply as the Dark Woman, traveled to Cerea after hearing stories about the child. Although most Jedi are trained starting from infancy, she nevertheless hoped to take Mundi to Coruscant, the capital of the Galactic Republic, where the Jedi Order could test him and assign him a Master to train him in the ways of the Force. When Kuro arrived in her starship, which Mundi called the "metal beast," Mundi's siblings fled at the sight of the unfamiliar technology, but Mundi stood his ground and insisted he was not afraid. When Kuro descended from the craft, Mundi immediately sensed she had come for him, even before she identified herself.[7]

Once she explained her motives to his family, Mundi demonstrated his Force abilities for Kuro by levitating items and describing his sensory abilities. After Kuro announced her desire to take Mundi to Coruscant, Mundi's father asked whether he simply be taught in his home village or at the Cerean capital of Tecave City. When Kuro said this was impossible due to the commitment required by the Jedi lifestyle, Mundi's father angrily refused to allow him to leave. During this conversation, however, Mundi sensed that Zon's raiders were approaching the village and that an attack was imminent. As Mundi and his sister Droe were hidden away, Kuro volunteered to defend the village against the raiders, but Mundi's father urged against it because he believed the gang would only act more aggressively toward them later, once Kuro had departed.[7]

Mundi listened as Zon smashed the door in, physically beat his father and stole several of their belongings, although they did not find Mundi himself. Once Zon and his men had departed, Mundi's father lifted him out of the hidden compartment, tearfully wished him goodbye and told Kuro she could take him to Coruscant. He believed Cerea needed a Jedi protector of their own or the attacks from raiders like Zon would never stop. An emotional Mundi promised his father he would work hard in his training, become as powerful and strong as possible, and then come back to Cerea to protect his family and defeat Zon's men.[7]

Jedi training Edit

"Remember, Ki-Adi-Mundi, nobility in many hearts lives! Find it you must, and cherish!" ―Yoda to Ki-Adi Mundi during Jedi training [src]

Some Jedi expressed concern that, having missed four critical years of instruction, Mundi was too old to begin his training and that his childhood on Cerea would impair his judgment.[13] Nevertheless, the Jedi Council agreed to let Mundi be trained, making him one of a very few Jedi, along with Jedi Knights Eeth Koth and Anakin Skywalker, to be accepted at such a late age prior to the New Jedi Order, and he became relatively well-known as a result of this distinction.[14] Kuro would have liked to have taken Mundi as a Padawan herself, and sensed he had the potential to be her greatest apprentice, but the Council only entrusted her with more challenging students.[8] Instead, Jedi Master Yoda was assigned to train Mundi. Nevertheless, Mundi often referred to Kuro as "First Teacher" and remained immensely grateful to her for the rest of his life. While many regarded Kuro with suspicion for her unorthodox and aggressive Jedi training techniques, Mundi regularly defended her and her methods, and refused to refer to her by the name Dark Woman as others called her.[8]

For the next 21 years, Mundi learned the ways of the Force under Yoda's tutelage. Mundi traveled to many different planets as part of his Jedi training,[15] and eventually built his own lightsaber,[7] which had a purple blade.[16] As Mundi got older, his ability with the Force proved strong and his ability with the lightsaber exceptional; he had no difficulty deflecting shots from multiple remotes during training sessions.[17] However, Mundi also showed occasional signs of arrogance and willfulness during his training,[17][16] which Yoda sought to counter by teaching him humility. During one session, when Mundi fought off remotes, Yoda warned him to watch his "blind spot" and, when Mundi insisted he had no blind spot, Yoda tripped him with his gimer stick.[7] Like most Jedi, Mundi also occasionally experienced difficulty with his both his Force power and lightsaber training, but Yoda provided him reassurance on those occasions.[17]

Throughout his training, Mundi had always made clear his intention to one day return to Cerea and free his family from the persecution of the criminal raiders there. Although Yoda did not sense anger or fear in his Padawan, he was concerned Mundi's motivations were based on a desire for vengeance, which could often lead to the dark side of the Force.[7][16] Mundi insisted this was not the case and that he was driven by the desire for justice, not revenge. Nevertheless, Mundi admitted he hated Bin-Garda-Zon for what he had done to his family, and Yoda urged him to avoid feelings of hatred and to instead pity Zon, who Yoda said had already lost his own personal battle with the dark side.[7] The Jedi Master also encouraged Mundi to seek out and cherish the nobility in the hearts of other living beings,[18] and taught him the future was constantly in motion and that the truth of any given situation is not always clear until more time passes.[17] Mundi was the last Jedi directly trained by Yoda before he retired from direct Padawan-Master training and became a staff instructor teaching Jedi Initiates at the Jedi Temple.[19]

Return to Cerea Edit

"This mission you speak of, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Jedi Knight…about justice it is? Or revenge?" ―Yoda to Ki-Adi-Mundi [src]

After passing his Jedi Trials, Mundi was named the Jedi Watchman of the sector that included his home planet of Cerea,[8] just as many Jedi return to the service of their birth planets.[14] Mundi returned to Cerea in 67 BBY at age 25 with the intention of following through on his promise to protect his family from the raider gang, although Yoda again warned him not to become consumed with revenge or anger. Upon arriving home, Mundi was greeted with love and excitement from his family, who he entertained with tales of his Jedi training and experiences on other worlds. Later, his father informed him the village was still persecuted by the raiders, although Zon himself no longer participated in the raids. Although the raider base was rumored to be very dangerous, Mundi insisted he did not require any additional assistance from the villagers and would confront Zon and his men himself.[7]

Mundi rode an Aryx at night to Zon's camp in the hills outside the village, where he disguised himself as a drifter until reaching the inside of the camp. Upon arriving, Mundi revealed his identity and announced his intention to challenge Zon, hoping eliminating the leader would disorganize the rest of the gang and allow the local authorities to deal with the remnants. Mundi overconfidently boasted he could beat the man with both hands tied behind his back. Mundi was taken to the gang's new leader, Bin-Garda-Zon's daughter, who had previously defeated her father in combat to take control of the raiders. Treating Mundi's boast literally, she ordered her guards to tie his hands behind his back, then engaged Mundi in combat with her spear. Taken aback by how quickly his plan fell apart, and not yet strong enough in the Force to win under such circumstances, Mundi was quickly defeated and rendered unconscious.[7]

Mundi later awakened tied to a wooden post inside a tent, where an older and weaker Zon threatened him with a vibroknife. Zon intended to slit Mundi's throat, then use that accomplishment to attempt to regain power from his daughter. However, Mundi used the Force to loosen the ropes binding his wrists, then subdued both Zon and the guards who responded to the commotion. Upon exiting the tent he was confronted by the gang leader, who this time said she would battle him to the death. Mundi offered her the chance to surrender, but she instead attacked. More cautious this time and no longer restrained, Mundi easily disarmed her and won the fight, although he did not kill her. Surrounded by dozens of her fellow raiders, Mundi knew he could not defeat them all based on sheer numbers, so he feigned bravado and ordered them all to disband and stop pillaging the villagers, or else they would have to face him.[7]

This threat largely worked and the gang began to dissipate except for Zon, who hurled a vibroblade at Mundi with the hopes of winning his command back. Mundi used the Force to easily push the blade aside, but left Zon alive, recognizing that leaving the former gang leader powerless and inconsequential was a fate worse than death for Zon. The victorious Mundi then returned to his family.[7]

Jedi Knight Edit

Establishing home and family Edit

"The Jedi Code forbids attachments. I cared for them but I tried to remain unattached. It was always…difficult." ―Ki-Adi-Mundi speaking about his family [src]

As the planet's Jedi Watchman, Mundi lived on Cerea and quickly cultivated a deep love and appreciation for his home world,[8][15] and gained a great deal of respect among the Cerean community.[20] Despite having been drawn to off-worlder technology in his youth, Mundi came to develop a very different perspective in his adulthood, as did many other Cereans his age.[12] Like his father before him,[7] Mundi now believed Cereans should take pride in their technologically-primitive culture and resist opening itself too much to outside worlds that would seek to change and modernize their planet, which he felt could lead to unexpected and disastrous consequences. As a Jedi Watchman, Mundi developed a network of contacts who provided him information about the activities on and around Cerea, including the Ortolan Ydde, who outwardly claimed to only care about the money Mundi gave him, but secretly admired the Jedi Knight.[18]

Due to the Cerean's social customs and low birth rate for males, Mundi was granted an extremely rare exception to be allowed to marry and have children, which was usually strictly forbidden by the Jedi Order as Jedi were not allowed personal attachments. Although Mundi cared for his family, he was required by the Jedi Order not to view them as attachments, a balance that Mundi found extremely difficult.[21] Like all Cereans, Mundi practiced polygamy due to the 1-to-20 male-to-female ratio among his species.[12] Mundi first married Shea, his bond-wife, and later married four honor-wives, including Mawin.[20][1] Shea remained Mundi's closest and most trusted wife, and he felt he could hide nothing from her, so much so that Mundi suspected she had some of the Force within her.[12] Mundi had seven daughters with his wives,[20] none of whom were born by Shea, which bitterly disappointed her.[12] Mundi desperately wanted a boy, but tried to conceal his disappointment from his wives; he avoided having children with Shea because he did not believe he could hide his feelings from her.[12][22]

Mundi and his family lived in a large house not far from Concave City. The polygamist nature of Mundi's family inevitably led to tension and arguments among his wives. The honor-wives occasionally envied Shea's status as the bond-wife and, in turn, Shea was often jealous of them because she had never bore any children. Mundi often had trouble understanding his wives' emotions and responding accordingly, which would upset them further.[12] Among Mundi's daughters was Sylvn, who he had with Mawin. Sylvn demonstrated rebellious tendencies and anger issues as early as age six, when she regularly drew pictures of angry faces. Although this concerned Mawin, Mundi assured her it was normal youthful behavior and nothing to be worried about. Sylvn's rebellious tendencies continued into her teenage years, when she began spending time with the dissident Maj-Odo-Nomor and his swoop gang, the Techrats, but Mundi nevertheless felt she was a good girl and that her actions were not a source of concern.[12]

Early Jedi Council service Edit

"I would urge you to consider Ki-Adi-Mundi. Though he is still but a Jedi Knight, he previously stood in for Giiett and has demonstrated exceptional judgment and valor." ―Mace Windu recommending Ki-Adi-Mundi for the Jedi High Council [src]

Ki-Adi-Mundi was held in high regard by members of the Jedi High Council, and he was occasionally asked to sit in on High Council meetings and participate in their decisions in the absence of Jedi Master Micah Giiett.[23] Yoda, already very familiar with Mundi from his training, held the Cerean in high regard,[24] and Jedi Master Mace Windu believed he demonstrated excellent judgment and courage.[23] Mundi sat temporarily on the Jedi Council in 44 BBY, a time of particularly high tension and increased security due to a failed assassination attempt against Yoda within the Jedi Temple. Also during this time, Obi-Wan Kenobi, then 13 years old, briefly left the Jedi Order and tutelage of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn to assist with the Melida/Daan Civil War. Mundi was present at the meeting when Kenobi appeared before the Jedi Council to apologize for his brief departure, requesting to return to the Order. Like the other Council members, Mundi expressed reluctance and disappointment with Kenobi, and said he did not believe Kenobi recognized that he had violated the trust not only of Jinn, but of the entire Council.[25]

Also in 44 BBY, Mundi was present when Sha Koon, a Kel Dor Padawan and niece of Jedi Master Plo Koon, appeared before the Jedi High Council at the behest of her Ithorian Jedi Master Saldith during the Stark Hyperspace War. Sha Koon explained that her uncle had communicated with her via telepathy and asked her to approach the Council so they could speak to Plo Koon through her. When Saldith vouched for Sha Koon's credibility, the Council agreed to join their minds with her, which led them to dispatch a Jedi strike force to Troiken to assist with Plo Koon's mission there.[26]

Following the death of Giiett during the Yinchorri Uprising in 33 BBY, the Jedi Council was forced to consider a permanent replacement for Giiett. Although some considered Jinn for this vacancy, Windu advised against it because of Jinn's headstrong and iconoclastic personality and instead strongly supported Mundi for the position. Yoda did not object to Mundi's selection, but did not immediately voice support for it either, as he was distracted by his concerns over who was responsible for causing the Yinchorri Uprising.[23] The possibility of Mundi joining the Jedi Council was expressed to him during this time, but before formally accepting the invitation, Mundi returned to Cerea and his duties as a Jedi Watchman so he could consider the matter.[27]

Conflict on Cerea Edit

"Silais looks at our world and sees backwardness. If he could see it through my eyes, he'd find the view far more appealing. I see a world and a people in harmony with nature, who choose not to sully their waters and their air with the noxious emissions of motorized craft." ―Ki-Adi-Mundi urging to the Council of Elders to reject Silais' offer to join the Galactic Republic [src]

Despite his allegiance to the Jedi Order, Mundi actively lobbied for Cerea to reject proposals to join the Republic, in doing so, encouraging his species to maintain their neutrality. In 33 BBY, Silais, a Twi'lek representative, encouraged the Council of Elders to join the Republic and called Cerea a backward world due to its lack of technology. In response to these remarks, Mundi spoke passionately in defense of the planet, calling Cerea's lack of technology as a virtue rather than a detriment. He argued giving greater power to off-worlder influences would make the planet as unpleasant and corrupt as the Outsider Citadel cities. The Elders were so moved by Mundi's speech that they rejected Silais' request without even taking the matter to a vote, which prompted the Twi'lek to view Mundi as an enemy. Shortly after this speech, a distraught Mawin informed Mundi that Sylvn had run away with Maj-Odo-Nomor, and Mundi promised to find her and bring her home. He found both Sylvn and Nomor at a Pro-Tech Movement rally, where Republic diplomat Bron was encouraging an agitated crowd of young Cereans to reject their elders advice and embrace off-worlder technology.[12]

Emboldened by his earlier speech before the Council of Elders, Mundi attempted to sway the crowd against Bron's way of thinking, but succeeded only in antagonizing them further. Too late, Mundi realized Bron tricked him into addressing the crowd because Bron knew it would anger them and make Bron himself appear accepting of outsider opinions. Incensed by Mundi's words, Nomor encouraged the crowd to physically remove Mundi from the rally. They picked him up and began carrying him, but Mundi resisted fighting back because he felt they were only children and presented no real danger. Distracted while calling out for his daughter, Nomor grabbed Mundi's lightsaber, but accidentally activated it and killed a Cerean bystander. Nomor and Sylvn fled and the confused crowd mistakenly believed Mundi killed the bystander himself, much to Bron's delight. Although the crowd called on Mundi to be charged with murder, surveillance footage and an examination on the skin cells on Mundi's lightsaber proved that Nomor was responsible for the death. Nevertheless, Bron used the incident to spread rumors and create a sense of mistrust about Mundi and the Council of Elders.[12]

The elders allowed Mundi to go free and bring Nomor and his accomplices to justice, which they indicated included Sylvn. They did not, return Mundi's lightsaber, however, because they claimed it was required for evidence. Mundi immediately returned home, where he found four members of the Techrats gang—Skeel, Kordren, Twin and Sylvn herself—had broken into his house and stolen his groceries. Mundi suspected they had stolen the food because they were harboring Nomor, and he traveled via Aryx to the Outsider Citadel to find him. There he sought his source Ydde, but learned he had gone into hiding and was missing for the last two days. Ydde's wife told Mundi he had was afraid for his life after overhearing the smuggler Ephant Mon speaking to somebody else about a shipment. Believing the shipment to be related to the Swoops, Mundi found Ydde in a nearby cantina, but Ydde refused to talk to him despite offers of money and stormed off.[18]

Due to the rumors Bron had spread about Mundi, most of the Outsider Citadel citizens distrusted Mundi. A group of alien outsiders—led by a Devaronian who previously lost half of his left horn in a fight with Mundi—attacked the Cerean, overconfident because he lacked a lightsaber. Mundi easily fended them off with hand-to-hand combat, but when the attackers continued to heavily outnumber him, he summoned his Aryx, who rushed into the fray and helped Mundi defeat them. Citadel security forces arrived after the scene ended, which meant Mundi had to face another inquiry before the Elders the next day. Not far away, Mundi discovered the dead body of Ydde, who had been shot to death at close range by what a Mundi determined was likely a skilled assassin. The guilt-stricken Jedi blamed himself for Ydde's death.[18] During the inquiry the next day, Elder Nar-Somo-Dali, a friend of Mundi, insisted the search for Nomor was growing out of control and considered relieving Mundi of the duty due to his personal involvement because of his daughter. Dali refused to return Mundi's lightsaber and explained the Council was proceeding with caution because some members of the public saw the pursuit of Nomor as prosecution for his Pro-Tech beliefs, but Mundi said the Council should instead be focused on doing the right thing.[17]

After using a Jedi mind trick on a Gran prisoner with knowledge of Ephant Mon's activities, Mundi learned where the smuggler was hiding Nomor, but they were gone before Mundi arrived. He discovered a sketch of an angry face that Sylvn used to draw when she was young, and felt despair over never recognizing how troubled she was. Distracted, he nearly failed to detect an attack by FLTCH R-1, a huge mercenary droid left behind by Mon to attack the Jedi. In his haste to depart, however, Mon failed to calibrate the droid's target system, so Mundi was able to dodge it's attacks and escape. As he was fleeing, Mundi ran into a Cerean messenger sent by Nar-Somo-Dali. The Jedi directed the messenger into the sewers with him and drew FLTCH R-1's fire away from the boy, but was struck and injured by one of the droid's blasts and nearly crushed by falling debris. The messenger ran to assist him and delivered Dali's message by returning Mundi's lightsaber and explaining that Dali had taken to heart Mundi's earlier statement about doing the right thing. The now-armed Mundi disabled the approaching FLTCH R-1 with one swoop of his lightsaber, then collapsed. The messenger took the unconscious Mundi back to Dali, who placed Mundi into a bacta tank to treat his injuries.[17] Upon learning that Mon had fled the planet with Nomor and Sylvn, Dali obtained permission from the Jedi Council to extend Mundi's jurisdiction, freeing the Jedi to pursue Nomor anywhere in the galaxy. These efforts furthered Bron's arguments that the Cerean search for Nomor was personal and unjust, as many Cereans felt the pursuit should be dropped now that he was off the planet.[28]

Rescuing Mundi's daughter Edit

"Valuable he has been already. More valuable he yet will be." ―Yoda recommending Ki-Adi-Mundi for the Jedi High Council [src]

Dali received word that Mon's ship was located in orbit around the planet Tatooine, but that it was infested with 2,000 dangerous divvik pupae ready to hatch. When communication with the ship failed, Dali freed Mundi from the bacta tank early so he could continue his pursuit right away, even though the Jedi was still not fully recovered. Silais provided Mundi with a starship and a crew of marginally-effective droid prototypes from a bankrupt manufacturer, which Silais insisted were the best he could provide on short notice. They included maintenance droid J1M, navigator B3NK, medical droid 2-ROB and pilot FLTCH R-1, who had been reprogrammed since previously attacking Mundi. After a 10-hour flight, the crew arrived at Tatooine, where it was impossible for B3NK to detect whether Sylvn was alive because the thousands of divviks aboard Mon's ship made it impossible to separate lifeforms. Mundi detected Mon's presence aboard the ship and, despite the mortal danger presented by the divviks, donned a spacesuit and boarded the craft.[28] Aware there were too many divviks to fight single-handedly, Mundi attempted to move quickly through them and fought his way through the ship. Mundi used the Force to navigate himself to an escape pod where Mon, Sylvn, Nomor and Twin were hidden inside.[22]

Mundi offered to bring them back to his ship, but Mon instead explained the pod's electrical circuit was damaged and the outside hatch could only be opened manually from outside the pod. Mon ordered Mundi to open the hatch, which could fatally expose Mundi to the vacuum of space, or else Mon would manually eject the pod himself and kill all the occupants, including Mundi's daughter. When Nomor tried to resist Mon, the smuggler shot him to death. Mundi recognized Mon intended to follow through with this threat and agreed, but first ordered FLTCH R-1 to get a reading on both the escape pod and Mundi himself. After opening the hatch and allowing the pod to eject, Mundi leapt through the airlock door and toward his own ship, where the robot crew quickly picked him up and safely brought him aboard. Mundi pursued the escape pod into Tatooine's atmosphere, where they initially met resistance from Trade Federation ships, despite the fact that Tatooine was outside the Trade Federation's jurisdiction. Mundi used the Force to trick the pilots into abandoning their pursuit,[22] then landed the ship on Tatooine and tracked the pod, but found it empty besides Nomor's body. The crew followed the trail until it was lost in an ion storm, prompting the Jedi to become distraught over the thought of losing his daughter, and regret having previously desired a son rather than appreciate his own daughters.[22]

Upon learning Sylvn was taken to a Hutt Citadel owned by the crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure, Mundi believed his daughter was being held as bait in a trap meant for the Jedi himself. Mundi secretly ordered J1M to enter the cargo bay, where he planned to drop the droid along with non-essential material from the ship. Mundi hoped Jabba would believe unloading the cargo was an attempt by Mundi to simulate damage to his own ship, but in fact, Mundi planned to have J1M infiltrate Jabba's shuttle and download his cargo manifest. Mundi then ordered his crew to prepare for an air battle and piloted the ship toward the Hutt Citadel, where they were pursued by several atmospheric flyers. Mundi recognized they depended upon air circulation to fly, so he flew his ship close to the planet's surface to create a sandstorm, clogging their air intakes and destroying several of the ships. He then dropped his cargo, including J1M, and Jabba fell for the ruse and launched a shuttle to collect the debris. Upon arriving at the Hutt Citadel, Mundi found Sylvn and Twin surrounded by guards and chained to an ion attractor atop of a tower during an ion storm, where they were at risk of becoming electrocuted by bursts of plasma. Mundi had the robot crew take over piloting, then dropped onto the tower along with FLTCH R-1 to assist the girls. Mundi blocked a plasma blast with his lightsaber just as it was about to strike the ion attractor, then killed the guards while FLTCH R-1 untied Sylvn and Twin.[24]

After embracing his daughter, the four returned to the starcraft and exited the system just as Jabba's shuttle was releasing its garbage, including J1M. Mundi picked up the droid, who had successfully downloaded the cargo manifest, revealing the Trade Federation had obtained several illegal items from Jabba, violating the Republic's rules of engagement. Mundi decided not to continue pursuing Ephant Mon and instead left Tatooine and dispatched the Trade Federation information to Coruscant. After returning to Cerea, testimony from Sylvn and Twin dispelled the public's suspicions about the pursuit against Mundi and calmed the hysteria previously caused by Bron's rumors. Around this time, Mundi sensed a disturbance in the Force among the Republic, but it was too diffuse for him to determine a specific cause. Dali suggested he spend as much time with his family as possible before Jedi Order business would force him away from Cerea. With his outlook on family changed by Sylvn's recent abduction, Mundi finally got Shea pregnant and this time insisted he did not care whether it would be a boy or a girl.[24]

Upon learning of Mundi's recent actions, Yoda became impressed that the Cerean was able to carry out his mission and obtain helpful information about the Trade Federation even while his own daughter's life was at risk. Yoda formally recommended that Mundi indeed be selected for the vacancy on the Jedi High Council. Mundi was summoned to Coruscant, where after a vote among the Council[24] he was inducted to their ranks despite not yet having obtained the title of Jedi Master, an extremely rare accomplishment.[16] Mundi continued to serve as the Jedi Watchman for the Cerean sector while serving on the Council,[29] and although he now began spending more time on Coruscant and less on Cerea, he often missed his home world and felt uncomfortable among the modern cities and excessive technology of Coruscant.[8]

Jedi Council member Edit

Mission to Asmeru Edit

"Again, we are betrayed." ―Ki-Adi-Mundi [src]

Ki-Adi-Mundi joined the Jedi High Council just as the Nebula Front terrorist organization made an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum. Mundi was present during a Council discussion with Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn about the matter, where Jinn said he did not believe Valorum was really the Nebula Front's intended target and that he felt the organization had more duplicitous motives. Mundi was one of seven Jedi—along with Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Saesee Tiin, Yaddle, Vergere and Depa Billaba—selected to investigate the attempted assassination and apprehend leaders of the Nebula Front. Following a lead, the Jedi traveled to the planet Asmeru aboard the Consular-class cruiser Prominence, accompanied by another cruiser, Ecliptic. Mundi watched from a starboard viewpoint as the Prominence navigated the minefield around the planet and listened into the Nebula Front contacting the ship and asking them to leave one of their vessels in orbit around the planet, as a sign of good faith, while the other one landed. Mundi, like the other Jedi, did not feel comfortable with the proposal, but they ultimately agreed to it.[30]

As the Prominence approached the planet, they were attacked by Nebula Front Tikiar starfighters and the Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser Famulus, which destroyed Ecliptic and forced Prominence to crash into a lake on the planet's surface. Mundi, the other six Jedi and a few surviving members of the Judicial Forces escaped from the ship and swam to a nearby island; the diminutive Yaddle rode on Mundi's shoulders to safety. The survivors traveled to a high vantage point among the boulders where they watched vehicles searching for them and, when a Human from the Nebula Front approached and asked to speak peacefully to them, Mundi revealed himself to him along with Jinn and Tinn. The man said they felt the Republic was allying itself with their enemy, the Trade Federation, by hosting the upcoming Eriadu Trade Summit. While the Nebula Front said they would not attack the Jedi and other survivors, they intended to leave them stranded on Asmeru and effectively hold them hostage unless the Republic canceled the summit. By nightfall, Mundi took turns at guard duty along with Jinn, Kenobi, Depa and Saesee.[30]

The next day, when the Jedi heard someone approaching, Jinn and Mundi investigated and captured an Ossan, one of the enslaved natives of the planet. The Ossan offered to help the stranded survivors escape the planet, and led Mundi and the others through underground tunnels to a nearby city, where they planned to commandeer a ship and escape. As they arrived, however, they were attacked by members of the Nebula Front. Mundi, Jinn and Kenobi stood back to back and deflected blaster bolts with their lightsabers as they worked their way into a plaza, trying to reach the nearby CloakShape fighters before any of the terrorists could get to them. They were attacked by a gunship, however, which forced Jinn and Kenobi to take cover as Mundi wildly parried the vehicle's shots. The three Jedi were forced to pull back, but eventually they made their way forward again, along with Tiin. As the four Jedi spread into a wedge formation and deflected shots with their lightsabers, a group of Ossan slaves revolted against the Nebula Front just as Lancet starfighter reinforcements from Eriadu arrived to help the Jedi. The tide of the battle was quickly turned and the Nebula Front militants surrendered.[30]

Eriadu Trade Summit Edit

"Should we order the delegation to remove the droids, Master?"

"Whoever is watching may decide to trigger the droids into action. If that happens, it could appear that we posed a threat, prompting the droids to respond with blasterfire."" ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ki-Adi-Mundi [src]

Mundi returned to Coruscant after the Asmeru incident to await the Eriadu Trade Summit. During this time, Mundi received a transmission from Jinn and Kenobi that they were pursuing Nebula Front official Arwen Cohl to the Eriadu, and Mundi delivered that message to the others on the Jedi High Council. When the date of the Summit arrived, Mundi traveled to Eriadu along with other fellow Jedi to provide protection. Mundi and Tiin patrolled the seats of Seswenna Hall, where the Summit was held, searching for any disturbances in the Force. The two Jedi learned that Cohl's freighter had been spotted at a nearby customs warehouse, where several custom agents were attacked and tied up by armed assailants. Mundi and the other Jedi traveled to the warehouse, where they split up on airspeeders to search for the assailants. Mundi, riding along with Vergere, helped locate the Nebula Front militants, who opened fire on the airspeeders with missile launchers from the rooftop of a building. Mundi and the Jedi engaged the attackers along with help from Judicial Forces members. They eventually captured six terrorists, including a Gotal wearing a mimetic suit that Mundi and Vergere subdued, but found neither Cohl or the Nebula Front leader Havac among them.[30]

Interrogating the captured assailants, the Jedi quickly realized the entire encounter was a distraction to keep the Jedi occupied while the Nebula Front advanced their secret plans back at the Eriadu Trade Summit. The Jedi returned to Seswenna Hall where, later, Kenobi and Jinn shared with Mundi and the other Jedi information they had obtained from Cohl: that Havac planned to use a droid from the Trade Federation Directorate to assassinate Chancellor Valorum. Kenobi suggested ordering all droids removed from the delegation, but Mundi said that could prompt the Nebula Front to trigger the droids into opening fire. Mundi suggested getting someone aboard the Trade Federation freighter to shut down the central control computer, thus disabling the droids, but there was no time. Mundi, Tiin and Kenobi took positions in front of the Trade Federation rostrum with their lightsabers ready to deflect fire from the droids. However, when the Trade Federation Directorate activated their force fields, thus ensuring no blaster shots could enter or leave their shielded area, their droids suddenly turned on them and opened fire, killing all present Directorate members as Mundi and the other Jedi looked on helplessly. They later learned it was the Trade Federation Directorate, not Valorum, who had been Havoc's target all along.[30]

Later, also in 33 BBY, Mundi attended a Jedi High Council meeting during which Jinn and Kenobi were informed Jedi Master Adi Gallia had gone missing during a covert mission to the planet Esseles. The Council had obtained a datacard informing them the research facilities on Esseles had progressed to the full-scale manufacturing, and that a factory owned by Trinkatta Starships was building 50 experimental vulture droid starfighters equipped with hyperdrives. Concerned about this potential threat, the Council had dispatched Gallia to investigate. After losing contact with her, the Council assigned Jinn, along with Vel Ardox and Noro Zak, to travel to Esseles and find Gallia. The Council ordered Jinn to leave Kenobi behind, but Jinn brought his Padawan along with him anyway.[31]

Prior to the mission to Obredaan, Kenobi and Mundi had a lightsaber duel in the Jedi Temple; Kenobi was victorious in the duel.[32]

Reemergence of the Sith Edit

"Impossible! The Sith have been extinct for a millennium!" ―Ki-Adi-Mundi's reaction to the return of the Sith [src]

In 32 BBY, Mundi was still working toward the rank of Jedi Master,[1] when he and the rest of the Jedi High Council were approached by Qui-Gon Jinn, who had recently escaped the Trade Federation's blockade of the planet Naboo. Jinn told the Council of a lightsaber duel he had with a Zabrak warrior who was well trained in the dark side of the Force. Jinn believed the attacker was a Sith Lord, a claim that the Council met with incredulity. Mundi, in particular, insisted it was impossible as the Sith had been believed extinct for a millennium. Mace Windu agreed with Mundi, but the Council agreed to further investigate the attacker's identity.[6]

Jinn also presented the Council with a nine-year-old Human boy named Anakin Skywalker, who he had discovered during his recent stay on Tatooine. The child had a very high midi-chlorian count and Jinn believed him to be the Chosen One, identified in a prophecy as the one who would restore balance to the Force. Mundi and the other Jedi were skeptical, but agreed to see the boy.[6] Upon meeting Skywalker, Mundi sensed a danger in the child that he could not fully explain, and felt leery not of the boy himself but of what he could become in the future. The Cerean came to believe the disturbance he felt in the Force during his previous trip to Tatooine was somehow connected to Skywalker's presence on the planet. Mundi was so amazed by Skywalker's strength with the Force that the Cerean questioned the reliability of his perceptive abilities for failing to have located the boy on Tatooine himself, which he considered a personal failure.[13]

It was initially decided, however, that Skywalker was too old to begin Jedi training. Mundi agreed with this ruling, although he felt he should have been more empathetic since he himself had also been trained at a later age.[13] Later, Jinn's suspicions about the Sith were proven correct when the Zabrak warrior, later identified as Darth Maul, killed him in a lightsaber duel during the Battle of Naboo.[6] Mundi grew extremely troubled by his failure, and the failure of the Council, to recognize that the Sith had indeed returned as Jinn foresaw. He had trouble finding peace in the months that followed, even during meditation. Under the circumstances, Mundi and the rest of the Council agreed that Skywalker would be trained as a Jedi, but Mundi secretly harbored feelings of discomfort about the boy and intended to be more watchful of him than of other Padawans.[13] The Cerean traveled to Naboo to attend Jinn's Jedi funeral, and was also present the next day at the Theed Royal Palace for the celebration of Naboo's liberation from the Trade Federation.[1] Upon the realization that the Sith had indeed resurfaced, Mundi and the other members of the Jedi began feeling major disturbances in the Force.[33]

Seeking Sharad Hett Edit

"I've had dreams! Great dangers await you—dangers that whisper of the Dark Side! Within the deserts of another's heart, your life will be changed forever! Listen to the Force! Let it guide every step and thought! Beware on this world to which you go, Ki-Adi-Mundi! Beware!" ―An'ya Kuro, to Ki-Adi-Mundi [src]

By 32 BBY, Mundi formally obtained the title of Jedi Master,[34] although he modestly continued to refer to himself as a Jedi Knight in the weeks immediately following this promotion.[8] Following an attack on Mochot Steep, a Jawa trading site on Tatooine, the Jedi Council received word about a series of increasingly violent attacks by Tusken Raiders on that planet. Yoda and Eeth Koth spoke privately to Mundi about the matter in the Jedi Temple, and revealed they believes one of the Tusken leaders was Sharad Hett, a famous Jedi Knight who had gone missing 15 years earlier. Mundi knew Hett by reputation, but had falsely believed him to be dead. In light of the recent reemergence of the Sith, Yoda feared that if Hett were still alive, or whether he had succumbed to the dark side of the Force, which they felt could make him vulnerable to being recruited by the Sith.[16] Yoda asked Mundi to seek Hett because they believed he was the only Jedi powerful enough to fight him who did not know him personally, thus Mundi would harbor no reservations if Hett had to be fought or killed. When Mundi accepted, Yoda explained he would first have to seek an audience with Jabba Desilijic Tiure to request safe passage through the desert without Jabba's forces interfering with the mission. Mundi expressed disgust with the concept of meeting the Hutt, still angry over Jabba's previous abduction of his daughter Sylvn, but he agreed to do so and departed for Tatooine.[16]

Due to the secretive nature of Mundi's assignment, he was to depart from Coruscant in a Consular-class cruiser via a nondescript building rooftop rather than a spaceport. As he awaited the cruiser, Mundi was visited by An'ya Kuro, who he had not seen for several years after she went into a self-imposed exile for allowing the Jedi trainee Aurra Sing to be kidnapped and lost as a child. Mundi comforted Kuro and assured her Sing's fate was not her fault. He could not tell Kuro details about his upcoming mission, but as his ship arrived, Kuro warned him she had dreamt of a great darkness awaiting him on the planet he was visiting, and urged him to beware of the dark side of the Force. Mundi traveled to Tatooine and landed at one of the Mos Eisley spaceport docking bays owned by Ohwun and Chachi De Maal which, although run-down and cheap, provided Mundi's mission with further cover and was the closest available port to Jabba's Desilijic Complex. Unbeknownst to him, Mundi's movements were being tracked by Sing, now a bounty hunter, who had been hired by the Hutt crime lord Gardulla Besadii the Elder to find and kill Hett. Upon arriving at Jabba's complex, the Hutt explained he would normally seek revenge for Mundi having stolen Sylvn, who he considered his slave and property, but Jabba feigned ignorance over the identity of Sylvn's rescuer so he would not have to attack Mundi.[8]

With little patience for Jabba's antics, Mundi repeatedly insulted the Hutt and insisted he would one day pay for his crimes, but for now demanded free passage to The Needles,[8] where the Tuskens had established camp.[35] Jabba claimed to admired Mundi and granted this request, offering him a Bantha-II cargo skiff along with his henchman Hoonta and five other guards to accompany Mundi on the trip. The Jedi suspected it was a trap, but nevertheless accepted. His suspicions proved true when the skiff was piloted into a dangerous sandstorm and the guards attacked the Cerean. Mundi tried to persuade them to surrender, but when they instead attack, the Jedi easily killed them all with his lightsaber and Force skills. However, the skiff crashed and flipped over, leaving Mundi with a broken arm and forcing him to travel the rest of the trip on foot. While climbing the mountain foothills at The Needles, Mundi was attacked by womp rats and, while fending them off, fell into a krayt dragon lair. As Mundi attempted to fend off the creature, he was watched from above by a band of Tusken Raiders, including Sharad Hett and his son and Jedi learner, A'Sharad Hett. Sharad was originally suspicious of Mundi's motives for seeking him, but when he learned he had been sent by Sharad's former teacher, Eeth Koth, he and the Tuskens jumped down into the lair to help Mundi and slew the krayt dragon.[35]

Afterward, Hett explained to Mundi that Jabba had recently flooded the Tatooine black market with a surplus of outdated weapons he had received, then provoked farmers and off-worlders into a conflict with the Tusken Raiders to drive up the demand for those weapons. Around 100 Tusken Raiders were killed as a result, and the recent barrage of brutal attacks by the Tuskens were conducted in an attempt to repel those attacks. Mundi condemned Hett's justifications, claiming the Jedi should use their power to defend and protect others rather than attack. Nevertheless, Mundi detected that Hett remained with the light side of the Force and asked him to return to the Jedi Order to help combat the rising threat of the Sith. Hett refused to abandon his fellow Tuskens. However, as they were speaking,[14] the tribe was attacked by dozens of skiffs and speeder bikes commanded by Gardulla, who hoped wiping out the Tuskens would end her rival Jabba's weapon profits and improve her own stature.[14] Mundi, Sharad and A'Sharad attempted to reach the rest of the Tusken tribe before they charged, but were too far away and they attacked Gardulla's forces. As the Tuskens were getting bombarded by Gardulla's explosives, Mundi and A'Sharad took to higher grounds as Sharad rallied his warriors and helped organize their attack. From afar, Aurra Sing used a sniper rifle to kill the Bantha Mundi and A'Sharad were riding, thus slowing their ability to assist with the battle.[9]

Sing engaged Sharad in a lightsaber duel and, before Mundi and A'Sharad could arrive to help him, she stabbed Sharad through the heart. Mundi recognized Sing as Kuro's former student,[9] and he was disturbed not only with her abilities with the Force, but also by the fact that she had killed multiple Jedi in the past, which was evident from her collection of stolen lightsabers.[33] Mundi tried to persuade her to turn away from the dark side of the Force, but she nevertheless attempted to finish off Sharad with her lightsaber. When A'Sharad stopped her and nearly killed her himself, Mundi implored him not to do so for fear of succoring to the dark side himself. A'Sharad hesitated long enough for Sing to escape. With the majority of their Tusken tribe wiped out from the battle, A'Sharad announced his intention to return with Mundi to Coruscant to further learn the ways of the Force. With his dying breaths, Sharad asked Mundi to take A'Sharad as his Padawan and continue his Jedi instruction, a request the Cerean accepted. After Sharad died, Mundi and A'Sharad departed Tatooine for Coruscant.[9]

Upon his return, Mundi presented a report to the Jedi High Council and announced he had taken A'Sharad. Due to Sharad Hett's wide recognition among the Jedi, Mundi also issued a recording to the entire Jedi Order about Hett's death, explaining that he had stayed true to the light side of the Force right up to the end.[36] A'Sharad, who had never before left Tatooine, had difficult adjusting to life on Coruscant and the other worlds of the galaxy, but Mundi was able to empathize because of his feelings for Cerea and helped A'Sharad with the transition. Mundi allowed Hett to receive some training from An'ya Kuro, who sparred with the young Padawan and trained him in her unconventionally violent and brutal method. Some, such as Jedi Masters including Mace Windu and Even Piell, found her approach unorthodox and disturbing, but Mundi defended her and insisted she be allowed to continue.[33] Throughout Hett's training, Mundi could never convince the Padawan to remove his Tusken Raider mask.[37]

Emissary to Malastare Edit

"The treaty negotiations must be handled with the greatest of care. The potential for danger is great, but we remain the most logical candidates for the task. I, for one, volunteer." ―Ki-Adi-Mundi [src]

Later in 32 BBY, Mundi attended a meeting where the Jedi High Council described the long-standing conflict between the government of the planet Lannik and the Red Iaro terrorist organization, which appeared to be drawing to a stalemate. When the Red Iaro sought peace negotiations on the Gran-dominated planet Malastare, they asked for six Jedi to attend and ask as arbiters for the negotiations. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine requested that all six come from the Jedi High Council given the importance of maintaining peace with both sides of the conflict. Mundi agreed with this logic was among the first Jedi to volunteer, along with Mace Windu, Even Piell, Adi Gallia, Plo Koon and Yaddle.[33] The group, along with A'Sharad Hett, traveled to Malastare within a matter of days, where they were greeted by Gran Senators Ainlee Teem and Baskol Yeesrim. The Jedi were suspicious of their Gran hosts, who they sensed that ulterior motives for hosting the negotiations.[15]

While the rest of the group were escorted to their quarters by Teem and Yeesrim, Mundi lagged behind to offers words of comfort to Hett, who felt continue to feel uncomfortable on worlds other than Tatooine. Once the two caught up with the others, they found Piell and Gallia being fired upon by a Red Iaro Lannik and a hooded member of the theocratic sect Order of the Ffib. Mundi and Hett drew their lightsabers and ordered them to surrender, but the two attackers fled. The Jedi gave chase and Mundi questioned two nearby Gran guards as to their whereabouts but, much to the Cerean's frustration, the Grans claimed not to have seen anybody pass by and the duo escaped. Mundi noted that for them to sneak blasters onto the spaceport, the attackers must have been either very cautious, or they received assistance in getting past security. The Jedi sensed growing danger on Malastare, but nevertheless continued with their mission,[15] although Mundi ordered A'Sharad to remain alert. The emissaries were next taken to Governor Gujdim Wiphshun's palace, where the negotiations were to take place involving Gran Senators Wphshun and Aks Moe, Lannik Prince R'cardo Sooflie IX and Red Iaro leader Myk'chur Finux Zug.[38]

The Jedi attempted to guide the peace negotiations, but the talks failed to lead to any significant progress, with both sides becoming combative and refusing to consider demands from the other. Matters were further complicated by the fact that both Sooflie and Zug treated the Jedi disrespectfully and felt their presence was there was not required. After Windu called a recess in the talks for a day to allow all parties to calm down, Sooflie's military advisor Hutar Zash offered to give the Jedi a ride on to their quarters on their two EasyRide passenger airspeeders. Mundi, A'Sharad, Yaddle and Koon rode on an airspeeder with two Lannik escorts, while Windu, Piell and Gallia rode in a second with Zash and another Lannik. However, it turned out to be an ambush: the Lanniks wore thermite bombs around their torsos with the hopes that sacrificing themselves to kill the Jedi would help Red Iaro's cause. Piell thwarted the attack on his airspeeder by literally cutting the vehicle in half with his lightsaber, causing the three Jedi occupants to fall into the path of podracers participating in the Phoebos Memorial Run. The Lannik on Mundi's airspeeder were so distracted by this development that the Jedi was able to push them both out of the vehicle.[38] Yaddle and Hett then took the speeder's controls, while Mundi directed them down into the podracing event and helped them catch and rescue Windu, Piell and Galla.[39]

The Jedi realized the Red Iaro terrorists who attacked them had been wearing uniforms from the House of Lannik, and that they had meant for the attack to have been ordered by Sooflie, thus ensuring his rule would be brought to an end and the Red Iaro would assume his power. This led the Jedi to conclude that, once the attack against them failed, the Red Iaro would try to assassinate Sooflie himself. They sped to Sooflie's chamber, where Mundi was the first to crash through a ceiling window with his lightsaber drawn to defend the Lannik prince. The Jedi arrived just as Zug and his men were preparing to feed Sooflie to a pair of akk dogs, non-sentient predators native to Haruun Kal. The Jedi successfully defeated Zug and his men, during which time Mundi provided instruction to Hett, warning him not to underestimate the enemies nor to boast upon defeating them. Although Sooflie was saved, the peace negotiations were called off in light of the recent developments, and Mundi and his fellow Jedi returned to Coruscant.[39]

Hunt for Aurra Sing Edit

"I don't know why, or how, but she is neither a disciple of the light or the dark. She is somewhere in between. An assassin, perhaps, but not a random murderer." ―Ki-Adi-Mundi speaking of Aurra Sing [src]

Over the next two years, the mutual respect between Mundi and Hett continued to grow, and Mundi not only taught the Padawan everything he knew, but felt he was learning from Hett as well. However, the Cerean began to sense that Hett's instruction would need to continue elsewhere and that Mundi would soon have to pass him along to another Jedi Master.[36] In 30 BBY, Mundi and the rest of the Jedi High Council received reports that the Jedi J'Mikel and Peerce, as well as a squad of Republic Peace Officers, were slain by Aurra Sing within the walls of the Jedi Temple. Council members were disturbed by such a vicious attack right in the heart of Coruscant, but when they suggested Sing had fallen to the dark side, Mundi insisted he did not believe it was so and that Sing fell somewhere between the light and dark sides. The Council was approached by An'ya Kuro, who wished to track down and kill Sing, but Mace Windu felt her past connection to the bounty hunter would cloud her judgment. Kuro sought support from Mundi, who said he had to support the Council's decision, but volunteered to seek out Sing himself in Kuro's place. Hett also volunteered, prompting concerns from Yoda that Hett was simply seeking to avenge his father's death, but Mundi defended his Padawan and insisted Hett would resist such temptations from the dark side. Adi Gallia also volunteered to accompany the two Jedi.[40]

Traveling in a Consular-class cruiser, the three Jedi followed intelligence from Republic scouts and tracked Sing to the Kamdon system, where they engaged her cruiser in orbit around a jungle world. Mundi locked his proton torpedos onto Sing's ship and sent her a transmission ordering her to surrender to Republic arrest or be destroyed. When Sing did not slow down, Mundi felt he had no choice but to destroy Sing's ship, and disregarded a warning from Gallia that she felt a disturbance in the Force. Sing, however, had ejected from her cruiser in a starfighter, which Mundi's sensors failed to pick up due to cover from a nearby asteroid belt, allowing Sing to get behind the Jedi craft and opened fire on them. Since Mundi had diverted all power to the front shields, Sing caused critical damage to the Consular-class cruiser. Mundi, A'Sharad and Gallia fled to an escape pod and ejected seconds before Sing took another pass and destroyed the ship.[41] Sing believed the Jedi dead and exited the system. The escape pod's comlink and thrusters were defective, so the Jedi were left to drift in space until its distress beacon was detected by a Mon Calamari ceremonial ship carrying Tikkes, a Quarren senator from Dac. The ship took the pod aboard and rescued the Jedi.[42]

Tikkes claimed to be on Galactic Senate business to inspect unclaimed investment properties, but the Jedi sensed he had his own agenda and that his plans were somehow connected to their quest to find Sing. Although Tikkes offered to drop them off at the nearest outpost, Mundi insisted they remain with the Senator until his work was complete, much to the Quarren's discomfort. The Mon Calamari vessel then ascended to the jungle planet regularly bombarded by meteor showers. Upon landing, Mundi discovered traces of the mineral quald runium, which is what Tikkes actually traveled to the planet to mine. Mundi and the other Jedi sensed danger and remained on guard, although the Cerean explained to Hett that it could simply be a natural feeling from the planet itself. Shortly after venturing into the planet, several of Tikkes' Quarren guards were killed by deliberately-set traps and mines. The ensuing explosion caused Kuro, who had secretly established her own safe haven on the world, to reveal herself. The Quarren, believing her to have set the traps, open fire and shoot Kuro through the shoulder, prompting a horrified Mundi and Hett to run after her. As they approached, however, they were intercepted and attacked by Sing, who had traveled to the planet to kill both Kuro and Tikkes.[42]

Hett wished to pursue and attack Sing, but Mundi ordered him to stay focused on the mission and get Tikkes and his men safely back aboard their ship. Mundi ordered Gallia to pursue Sing as the Cerean himself aided Kuro. After finding her alive, Mundi and Kuro raced to assist Gallia, who was wounded by one of Sing's mines but still alive. As Mundi and Kuro tended to Gallia, Sing infiltrated Tikkes' ship and killed all his Quarren guards before engaging Hett in a lightsaber duel. Mundi and the other Jedi arrived back at the ship just as Hett defeated Sing and rendered her unconscious. Although Mundi congratulated his Padawan on the victory, Hett was disturbed because he had desired to kill Sing, and he feared he was still at risk of falling to the dark side despite all of Mundi's teachings. No longer feeling worthy of his Jedi training, Hett asked to renounce his Padawan status and return to exile on Tatooine. However, Kuro asked to continue Hett's training herself, explaining she had more experience in struggling with the dark side and could pass these skills on to Hett. Mundi left the choice with Hett, who felt he needed Kuro's instruction and accepted. At that moment, the planet was bombarded by another meteor shower, which provided Sing the cover she needed to escape. Tikkes, Mundi and the rest of the Jedi departed the planet on the Mon Calamari ship and returned to Coruscant.[43]

Pre-Clone Wars years Edit

Mundi missed Hett like a son,[43] but accepted the Padawan's decision to leave with pragmatism and concentrated his focus on serving the Jedi Order.[36] Later in 30 BBY, Mundi and the rest of the Jedi High Council attended a private ceremony in which the Kiffar Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos was named Jedi Master, and the Twi'lek Padawan Aayla Secura was named Jedi Knight, following both their roles in the successful rescue of Nat Secura on the planet Kintan.[44] Mundi continued to serve on the Jedi High Council in 29 BBY, when they received reports that a Sith holocron had been located on Kodai. Concerned that the holocron could fall into the hands of the Sith, the Council dispatched Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, to recover the holocron. Mundi shared with the two Jedi his deep concerns about not only the holocron, but about disturbing messages Jedi across the galaxy had recently received making threats that the Sith were returning to power, some of which contained images of Jedi being violently killed. Mundi was also present at a later meeting when Kenobi and Skywalker brought the holocron to the Jedi Temple after successfully recovering it, much to the Cerean's visible happiness and relief.[45]

The next year, Mundi was present when Kenobi appeared before the Council to report information he had obtained that the insectoid species Colicoid may have been working with the T'surr slave trader Krayn to take over the galactic spice trade. The Council agreed to Kenobi's request to investigate the Colicoids' activities on Nar Shaddaa and attempt to infiltrate and expose their operation.[46] In 27 BBY, Mundi participated in a conversation among his fellow Council members about the threat posed by the Annoo-dat Prime General Ashaar Khorda, who was rumored to have obtained a mysterious weapon that he planned to use against the Republic. Upon narrowing Khorda's list of possible targets to Coruscant, Corellia and Alderaan, the Council decided to dispatch the Jedi Masters Yarael Poof, Oppo Rancisis and Eeth Koth, respectively, to safeguard those worlds. The strike proved to later take place at Coruscant, where Poof helped to successfully repel Khorda's attack at the cost of his own life. Mundi later attended Poof's Jedi Funeral, where he stood behind Mace Windu as he delivered Poof's eulogy.[47]

Later that same year, Kenobi appeared before Mundi and the Council to warn them of the danger posed by the son of Xanatos, Granta Omega, who wanted revenge against the Jedi for his father's death. Kenobi believed was planning to dominate the galactic bacta market through the mining of titanite on the volcanic world of Haariden. Mundi pointed out the Council's options in dealing with Omega were limited because he had not yet committed a crime. When Kenobi said Omega had paid bounty hunters and soldiers to attack the Jedi, and claimed Omega had drugged Skywalker, Mundi pragmatically claimed that Kenobi could not prove those accusations. Nevertheless, the Council authorized Kenobi to seek out Omega.[48] In 24 BBY, Mundi and Plo Koon helped disperse a mob of 20 sociolog students from the University of Coruscant who broke into and vandalized a Jedi Temple lobby in protest of the "Baby Ludi" custody case. Jedi Padawans had originally attempted to contain the mob but they pushed through and the Padawans were unwilling to harm them with their lightsabers. Mundi and Koon used Jedi mind tricks on the mob to make them leave peacefully.[49]

Clone Wars Edit

First Battle of Geonosis Edit

"He is a political idealist, not a murderer." ―Ki-Adi-Mundi defending Count Dooku [src]

In 22 BBY, Mundi attended a meeting with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in his private chambers, along with fellow Jedi Mace Windu, Yoda, Plo Koon, Kit Fisto, Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee.[50] Palpatine explained an alarming number of star systems were breaking away from the Republic to join the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a Separatist movement led by the former Jedi Master Count Dooku. The Senate was to consider a vote on the establishment through the Military Creation Act, a move Palpatine claimed he wished to avoid if possible, as some feared it could lead to war with the Separatists.[51] As the meeting concluded, Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo, who had just survived an assassination attempt, arrived and explained she believed Dooku was the attacker.[50] Mundi, who knew Dooku from the Jedi Temple before he had left the Jedi Order,[36] expressed strong doubts and insisted Dooku was merely a political idealist who was incapable of murder. Nevertheless, Palpatine requested that Amidala be placed under the protection of Obi-Wan Kenobi to ensure her safety.[50]

Later, when Kenobi reported that the bounty hunter Jango Fett had attempted to arrange Amidala's assassination, Mundi and the Council ordered Kenobi to track the bounty hunter down, and commanded Anakin Skywalker to bring Amidala safely back to Naboo.[50] Later, Mundi listened along with the rest of the Jedi High Council to a message from Kenobi, who explained he had tracked Fett to the droid foundries of Geonosis, where it appeared the Trade Federation was about to take delivery of a droid army. Kenobi explained Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray was behind the attempts on Amidala's life, and that the Trade Federation was committing its army to Dooku and the Separatists, along with the Commerce Guild and the Corporate Alliance.[52] Kenobi's transmission was interrupted as he was attacked by a droidekas, prompting a meeting in the Republic Executive Building between Mundi, Yoda, Windu, Palpatine and the Senators Bail Organa, Ask Aak, Jar Jar Binks and Mas Amedda. When the Jedi explained only about 200 fellow Jedi were available to go to Geonosis to stop the Separatist forces from assembling, the Senators made plans to vote Palpatine emergency powers so he could call into the recently-discovered clone army into battle.[51]

Windu assembled a strike team of 212 Jedi to rescue Kenobi on Geonosis. Mundi was among the Jedi who traveled to the planet's surface and infiltrated the Petranaki arena, where Kenobi, Skywalker and Amidala were about to be executed. Mundi appeared at a ledge overlooking the arena along with Aayla Secura and Plo Koon, all of whom ignited their lightsabers as Windu personally confronted Dooku. Although they were desperately outnumbered by the Separatist Droid Army, Mundi and his fellow Jedi engaged the droids in a bloody battle.[50]

During the fighting, Master Mundi was in charge of a failed attack aboard a Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ship that had landed on the planet's surface.[53]

Warning: The following section is cut content. It contains information cut from the final release of a Star Wars medium or otherwise unpublished. Everything said in this section and not elsewhere did not happen in the "proper" The following section is. It contains information cut from the final release of amedium or otherwise unpublished. Everything said in this section and not elsewhere did not happen in the "proper" Star Wars Legends continuity.

Amid the fighting, Mundi led a group of seven other Jedi, including Plo Koon, aboard a Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ship that had landed on the planet's surface. The group hoped to find the ship's control system and disable the battle droids. The Jedi were met with intense fire from battle droids as they entered the ship, forcing them to deflect blaster shots madly from all directions. Two of their ranks were killed before reaching the inside of the craft. Once aboard, they met further resistance as they navigated the hallways of the ship and another Jedi was killed. The group finally reached the bridge of the ship, where Mundi raced to the controls and deactivated them as the other four Jedi defended themselves, another one of which succumbing to enemy fire. After Mundi deactivated the controls, the battle droids both inside the control ship and on the battlefield outside suddenly deactivated, allowing the Jedi a few moments of rest. Just as suddenly, however, the droids reactivated and starting firing again, and Mundi realized they were able to operate independent of the control system. Two of the four remaining Jedi in Mundi's team were killed as the droids surrounded Mundi and Koon, who were forced to surrender and escorted back outside with the other Jedi.[54]

Cut content information ends here.

After several tense minutes of fighting, the majority of the Jedi were slain and Dooku's forces gained the upper hand, rounding Mundi and about 20 other surviving Jedi into the center of the arena.[51] Before he could kill them, however, the Jedi were rescued by the Republic's newly-acquired clone army, led into the arena by Yoda aboard Low Altitude Assault Transports. As the gunships opened fire on the droids, the Jedi resumed their lightsaber battle against the droids, with Mundi deflecting blaster shots and fighting back-to-back with Amidala.[50]

Mundi and Windu got aboard the gunship with Yoda, and the Cerean helped Kit Fisto get aboard before taking off and escaping the arena. As they flew away, Yoda insisted to Windu and Mundi that they must attempt to prevent Dooku's escape or he would rally more systems to his cause. Windu ordered the pilot to land in an assembly area in the desert where he, Mundi and Fisto met up with five clone commando units.[50] Mundi took command of one of the clone units and led them into a fierce ground battle,[1][36] where they engaged B2 super battle droids, W-series droidekas, DSD1 dwarf spider droids, OG-9 homing spider droids and other battle droids. Mundi continued to fight until the Separatists ordered a full retreat.[50] Mundi was one of the few Jedi to survivor the battle at Geonosis, which formally marked the beginning of the Clone Wars. The Cerean took no comfort in surviving the battle, however, as he knew the conflict ahead would be brutal.[36]

Battles of Lianna, Hypori Edit

"We can't face him!"

"We must try, Padawan!" ―Sha'a Gi and Ki-Adi-Mundi, about General Grievous [src]

After the battle on Geonosis, Mundi was named a Jedi General and became one of the forefront Jedi leaders of the Republic's military forces during the Clone Wars. One of his first tasks as general was to command the clone trooper forces on Lianna,[1] where the Republic had established a vitally-important Sienar Fleet Systems facility that was manufacturing starfighters and developing twin ion engine technologies. Mundi, along with fellow Jedi Master Cei Vookto, were tasked with defending the planet from a major Separatist invasion. The Republic proved victorious in defending the planet, but Vookto was killed in the battle, which also resulted in many clone and civilian casualties, along with the devastation of much of the planet's surface. Afterward, Mundi attended Vookto's Jedi Funeral, where he stood alongside the deceased Jedi's former Padawan, Dama Montalvo. Windu gave Mundi command of Vookto's troops and temporarily assigned Montalvo as his Padawan, although the assignment would prove very brief before Montalvo was reassigned to another Jedi Master.[11] Shortly after the battle on Lianna, Mundi attended the funerals of Jedi masters Knol Ven'nari, Jon Antilles, Nico Diath and Fay, all of whom were killed during a mission on the planet Queyta seeking an antidote for the chemical weapon swamp gas, which was used to destroy a Gungan on Ohma-D'un.[55]

Four months after the battle of Geonosis, Mundi was assigned to a task force led by Jedi Master Daakman Barrek that was dispatched to the planet Hypori, along with fellow Jedi Shaak Ti, Aayla Secura, K'Kruhk, Tarr Seirr and Sha'a Gi. Following up on intelligence gathered by Barrek and Gi, the Jedi and their accompanying clone troopers were to destroy a large droid factory on that planet. However, the mission became a disaster almost immediately upon the task force's arrival at Hypori. Space mines destroyed all of the Republic's transport ships, causing the Acclamator-class assault ship carrying the Jedi to crash behind enemy lines on the planet. Barrek was quickly killed and the Republic forces were soon surrounded by thousands of B2 super battle droids. The clone troopers who survived the crash were all killed by blaster fire and the six surviving Jedi were forced to take cover among the debris of the assault ship.[56] As they hid, the battle droids suddenly ceased fire all at once, much to Mundi's confusion.[57]

Fleeing deeper into the wreckage, most of the Jedi were disheartened and believed death to be imminent, but Mundi attempted to calm them and encouraged them to stay focused. General Grievous, the cyborg Supreme Commander of the Confederacy armies, who had never before been seen by surviving members Republic, called out to the Jedi and promised them a noble death if the surrendered. A panicked Gi insisted they could not face Grievous, but Mundi said they had to try. Mundi remained calm and cautious, but Gi panicked and ran out of the ship, where Grievous leapt onto him and crushed him to death. Grievous then battled the remaining five Jedi simultaneously, using two lightsabers in a form of combat the Jedi Order had never faced before. Mundi was nearly struck down, but leaped onto an overhead rafter and launched a powerful Force push at Grievous. The general dodged the attack, however, and continued his duel with the Jedi, striking down K'Kruhk and killing Seirr. After Grievous hurled Secura away, Mundi and Ti attacked from either side of the general, but Grievous kicked Mundi, and sent him hurling into nearby wreckage, where he dropped his lightsaber.[57]

As Grievous disarmed and nearly killed Ti, Mundi fought himself free and tried to Force pull his lightsaber back, but the general grabbed it. Mundi instead used the Force to steal one of Grievous' own lightsabers,[57] then dropped through the unstable ground to a cavern underneath just as Grievous leaped toward him. The two dueled for several more minutes, which left the Cerean exhausted and his shirt torn. Grievous disarmed Mundi and was about to strike him down when a company of Advanced Recon Commandos reinforcements led by Captain ARC-77 arrived.[58] Mundi leaped away as the clones opened fire, forcing Grievous to take cover. After ARC-77 ordered the clones to fall back, Mundi tried to insist they pursue the general, but the captain said they did not have time and the surviving Jedi would die if they stayed. Mundi hesitantly returned to the clones' LAAT/i gunship, where he was horrified to find Ti and Secura were on life support and the other Jedi were presumed dead. The gunship escaped Hypori,[58] and afterward, Mundi informed Windu about Grievous, whom he explained was well trained in the Jedi arts. Mundi's intelligence ultimately helped the Jedi Order be better prepared to engage Grievous in the future.[59]

Command of Galactic Marines Edit

"There is something very touching about them. They look like soldiers; they fight like soldiers; and sometimes they even talk like soldiers. They have all the finest qualities of the fighting man. But behind that is nothing—no love, no family, no happy memory that comes from having truly lived. When I see one of these men killed, I weep more for him than for any ordinary soldier who has lived a full and normal life." ―General Ki-Adi-Mundi, regarding the clone troopers under his command [src]

As a member of the Jedi High Council, Mundi was privy to some of the Jedi Order's most sensitive information during the Clone Wars. Near the end of 22 BBY, Windu sent a confidential datatape to Mundi and fellow Council member Agen Kolar informing them that the Weequay Jedi Master Sora Bulq had turned to the dark side of the Force. Windu explained that Bulq's fall to the dark side stemmed from his use of Vaapad, a form of lightsaber combat created by Windu and Bulq that forced the combatant to tread dangerously close to the dark side when using it. Windu also shared with Mundi and Kolar his fears that Quinlan Vos had learned the technique and could be at similar risk.[13] Additionally, when Vos appeared to succumb to the dark side and joined the Confederacy, Mundi was one of the few Jedi who knew that Vos was actually an undercover double agent still working for the Republic. In 21 BBY, Mundi was present at the Jedi Temple with Yoda, Windu and Tholme when Kolar contacted them via holocomm to inform them of his discovery on Nar Shaddaa that Vos was a traitor to the Jedi Order. Mundi knew this was not the case, and privately lamented having to lie to Kolar, but the other Jedi insisted it was necessary to make Vos' apparent defection appear legitimate.[60]

Also by 21 BBY,[61] the development of more specific units with specialized skills within the Grand Army of the Republic led to the formation of the Galactic Marines, an elite and heavily-armed rapid-reaction unit that became one of the most fearsome and versatile of the Republic forces. The Marines were placed under the command of Mundi and CC-1138, a clone marshal commander also known as "Bacara."[62][63] Mundi occasionally clashed with the outspoken and independent Bacara, who so fiercely sought the best performance from his soldiers that he would reassign men who did not meet his standards without consulting the Cerean. Mundi considered Bacara unusually aggressive for a clone and made repeatedly reports about those concerns.[63] Nevertheless, the two had respect for each other and maintained an effective working relationship despite their occasional animosity. Mundi and Bacara agreed on several elements of warfare, including the use of the Unstable Terrain Artillery Transport as a military transport and vehicle, one which they put to use in several Clone Wars battles.[62]

Ki-Adi-Mundi's entire family, including all five of his wives and all eight of his children, were killed during the Battle of Cerea,[36] a brutal conflict that resulted in more than one million casualties,[64] and destroyed much of the planet.[65] The damage was so extensive that there were no bodies of Mundi's family members left to bury.[21] Although Mundi had always strived not to become attached toward his family per the Jedi Code, he nevertheless felt the attachment following the tragedy.[1] However, Mundi recognized he had to accept their passing and move on to stay true to the Jedi beliefs,[21] so after mourning only in private, Mundi applied himself more thoroughly to his work as a Jedi General to overcome the grief. This helped prevent Mundi from running any risk of falling to the dark side of the Force after his loss.[36]

Battle of Aargonar Edit

"Rally the troops and prepare to fight on, and trust the Force!" ―Ki-Adi-Mundi to Bultar Swan on Aargonar [src]

When the Separatist Droid Army opened a new front on Aargonar, a world that fell on the border of Republic and Separatist space, Mundi was ordered to lead the Republic's efforts to defend the planet. Jedi General Bultar Swan was to accompany Mundi,[66] and the Cerean also traveled to the hospital world New Holstice to collect further reinforcements in the form of Anakin Skywalker, A'Sharad Hett and Hett's Padawan, the Nikto Bhat Jul. Mundi was particularly overjoyed to once again see his old Padawan Hett,[36][66] who by now had attained the title Jedi Master.[66] Mundi and his fellow Jedi brought an army of clone troopers to Aargonar, where they were met with heavy fire from the battle droids and debilitating sandstorms on the desert world. Mundi established his troops on a Republic base on Aargonar, but the transport ship carrying Skywalker, Hett and Jul was shot down and crashed elsewhere on the planet and Mundi had no immediate word on their survival. Swan asked Mundi whether he wanted to retreat and surrender Aargonar to the Separatists, but Mundi felt the Republic could not afford another loss so soon after the recent Battle of Jabiim, and doubted the forces could escape the planet amid the sandstorms.[37]

With the base about to be overrun by the Droid Army, Mundi decided his forces would maintain the base as long as possible, then withdraw to the nearby Vondar Canyon, from which they would launch a counter-attack once the sandstorm dissipated. Before retreating from the base, Mundi ordered that whatever supplies could be taken be gathered and that all other equipment be disabled so it could not be seized by the Separatists. Mundi fought alongside his troops right up until they all retreated back to the canyon, where the battle droids could not reach them due to the sandstorms, although Mundi knew the droid would attack once the storms cleared. When the droid army indeed began advancing on them, the clone troopers' targeting and communication systems failed due to storm damage. Swan lamented that they could suffer a loss even more devastating than Jabiim, but Mundi said they must place their trust in the Force and rallied the troops. Around this time, Mundi felt a disturbance in the Force from elsewhere in the planet. Unbeknownst to him, this stemmed from Skywalker attacking Hett after experiencing flashbacks of the murder of Skywalker's mother Shmi at the hands of Tusken Raiders.[37]

Later, when the storms cleared and the battle was about to resume, Mundi and Swan personally rode LAAT/i gunships to survey the battlefield. Swan argued they were exposing himself at great risk by going airborne, by Mundi insisted it was their duty as leaders and that they could only properly monitor the battle from the air. Mundi's forces sustained heavily casualties from the battle droids and IG-227 Hailfire-class droid tanks, prompting Swan to order the units to fall back while she and Mundi flew low and provided covering fire from the air. At that moment, however, Skywalker and Hett emerged in a Gunship Bomber Enhanced from an underground tunnel in the middle of the battlefield. They were being chased by an enormous gouka dragon, which emerged from the tunnel and destroyed many of the Droid Army forces. With Skywalker and Hett joining the fight, Mundi's forces quickly drove back and defeated the Separatists.[37] Although the battle proved a Republic victory, it was also among the bitterest and most costly battles that Mundi experienced throughout the Clone Wars.[36] Mundi was later surprised to learn Hett was no longer wearing his Tusken Raider mask, something Hett said was inspired by his experiences with Skywalker. When informed Jul had been killed, Mundi mistakenly assumed the disturbance he felt earlier was caused by the Padawan's death. With the battle complete, the Cerean then tended to the prisoners his forces had taken.[37] The Separatists withdrew from the sector surrounding Aargonar after the battle, so Mundi ordered the Republic's own forced be reduced in the area as well so they could be diverted to other fronts.[10]

Training Anakin Skywalker Edit

"It is good to see you, Obi-Wan. And I will gladly return your Padawan to you. Perhaps he will obey you."

"What, Anakin not obeying? I can't believe it!" ―Ki-Adi-Mundi and Obi-Wan Kenobi [src]

Mundi and Skywalker traveled to Senate Building on Coruscant, where they stood alongside Palpatine in his repulsorpod to make a report about the Aargonar battle to the Senate in the Grand Convocation Chamber. Palpatine publicly credited Skywalker for the victory and gave no acknowledgment to Mundi, although Skywalker explained others deserved credit for the success. Meanwhile, following Obi-Wan Kenobi's presumed death during the Battle of Jabiim, the Jedi High Council requested Mundi temporarily take over Skywalker's Jedi training, to which the Cerean agreed. While Mundi's troops were being refitted, Mundi was ordered to look into reports of increased piracy against Republic starcraft in the Varonat system.[1][10] Around this time the Galactic Senate passed the Enhanced Security and Enforcement Act, a law that expanded Palpatine's powers, and one Mundi feared would make the Republic's enemies more combative and make the Jedi's efforts policing the galaxy more difficult.[21] After a brief audience with Palpatine,[10] Mundi and Skywalker departed along with Plo Koon and Adi Gallia for the planet Varonat.[21] Skywalker had trouble opening up to Mundi,[27][21] but the Cerean hoped that would change in time. Skywalker strongly believed Kenobi was still alive, although Mundi pragmatically claimed that Skywalker's thoughts were misleading him and suggested the Jedi Master would have tried to contact them if survived Jabiim. Mundi tried to help Skywalker cope with the loss of Kenobi by explaining how he recovered from the loss of his own family on Cerea.[21]

Flying in Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptors, Mundi, Skywalker, Koon and Gallia engaged the pirate attack ships and mothership around Voronat. Mundi ordered them to surrender but, as the Cerean feared, they refused because the felt passage of Enhanced Security and Enforcement Act meant they would be destroyed anyway. Skywalker took a pass at the mothership, despite Mundi's orders to fall back because it was too dangerous. As he approached the ship, however, Skywalker was suddenly distracted by a Force call from Kenobi, who was indeed still alive and stranded on the planet Riflor. Skywalker nearly crashed directly into the mothership but was called back to attention by Mundi just in time for him to fire his shots, destroying the pirate ship. Mundi chided Anakin for his reckless behavior. When Skywalker explained he felt Obi-Wan's presence on Riflor, Mundi initially did not believe him because he felt nothing himself. When Plo and Gallia encouraged him not to disregard Skywalker's vision, however, Mundi agreed to follow Skywalker into hyperspace to Riflor. Upon arriving at the planet, however, Mundi recognized his new Padawan was correct, for he could now sense Kenobi's presence as well.[21]

Mundi sent word for Republic reinforcements to meet them there, but Skywalker insisted they could not wait for them and headed down tot he planet, much to Mundi's chagrin. The Cerean nevertheless followed Skywalker down, and the two Jedi dropped into the middle of a battle in which several bounty hunters were trying to capture or kill Kenobi and Alpha-17, and Advanced Recon Commando clone trooper who had escaped Jabiim with Kenobi. Even as they engaged the bounty hunters in battle with their lightsabers, Mundi rebuked Skywalker for his lack of patience and failure to follow orders. Skywalker was extremely concerned with Kenobi's well-being, but Mundi ordered him to stay focused on the fighting at hand. Kenobi and Alpha-17 eventually reached Mundi and Skywalker, where the four of them together easily defeated the remaining bounty hunters. Mundi was pleased to see Kenobi alive and returned Skywalker to his tutelage, happy to be relieved of such a difficult and headstrong student. The four survivors later reunited with Koon and Gallia aboard a Acclamator I-class assault ship, where Kenobi explained his escape from the Dathomirian Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress, which he later debriefed the Jedi High Council about.[21]

Dueling Asajj Ventress Edit

Following multiple ambushes against Republic troops by General Grievous, the Jedi Council deduced the Separatists had planted a spy on Coruscant and ordered Mundi to investigate. Mundi quickly identified a Human senator as the traitor and organized a company of clones to catch the spy in the act.

Aboard a LAAT/i gunship, they followed the senator to a Coruscant rooftop, where they observed him providing a datachip containing the Jedi Order's entire war strategy to Asajj Ventress. As Mundi and the clones descended to attack Ventress, she slashed the senator across the chest with her lightsaber, recognizing his usefulness as a spy had ended. Mundi then engaged Ventress in a duel, using a single lightsaber against the Dark Jedi's paired lightsabers. Amid this duel, clone trooper aboard the gunship opened fire against Ventress, but she evaded the shots and leaped onto the ship, killing the troopers as well as the pilot. Mundi jumped aboard the gunship to pursue Ventress, but she leaped out just before the vessel crashed onto a rooftop below. Mundi survived the crash and crawled out of the wreckage, but Ventress was able to escape with the datachip. Mundi tended to the injured senator, who told Mundi his traitorous aide Messo would rendezvous with the Separatists on the planet Mon Gazza and attempt to deliver them the datachip. Just before the senator died, Mundi promised to protect his family, who the senator feared were in danger from the Separatists.[67]

Mundi and Yoda later appeared before Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to debrief him about the recent developments. In light of the intelligence failure and risk of the Republic's battle plans falling into enemy hands, Palpatine insisted the Republic press forward their offensive as soon as possible, despite appeals from Mundi and Yoda that doing so would place many Jedi and clone troopers at risk. After leaving Palpatine, Mundi suggested to Yoda that the Jedi Order attempt to recover the stolen datachip from Messo before it reached the Separatists. Yoda agreed the action could potentially save millions of lives. The two sent a holocomm message to Kenobi, Skywalker, clone Captain Rex and Ahsoka Tano, Skywalker's Jedi Padawan, all of whom had just participated in Battle of Queel. After informing them of the situation, Mundi and Yoda assigned Skywalker to Mon Gazza to intercept the datachip, while Kenobi and the others remained on Queel to continuing fighting the battle droids there. Skywalker would later ultimately succeed in this mission.[67]

Return to Geonosis Edit

Mundi: "Sixty-five, Skywalker." Skywalker: "Um, sorry?" Mundi: "My total—65. So what do I win?" Skywalker: "[pause] My everlasting respect, Master Mundi." Mundi: "Oh." Kenobi: "That is a gift Anakin rarely bestows, I assure you." ―Ki-Adi-Mundi, Skywalker and Kenobi discuss enemy kills Listen (file info) [src]

Although Geonosis had been captured by the Republic at the onset of the Clone Wars, resistance from the Geonosian natives and their loyalty to Count Dooku proved stronger than the Jedi Order anticipated, and the Jedi soon discovered Separatist leader Poggle the Lesser had established several battle droid foundries on the planet capable of creating thousands of weapons.[68] The Jedi Council dispatched Mundi, Kenobi and Luminara Unduli to lead a massive clone army fleet to retake Geonosis and destroy the droid foundries,[69] the destruction of which was viewed as essential to the Republic war effort. Determined that the second battle on Geonosis go better than the first, Mundi reviewed intelligence reports extensively looking for deficiencies in the Geonosian defenses, and spent hours discussing battle tactics with Clone Commander CC-1993, also known as "Jet."[70] The Jedi traveled to Geonosis along with a huge fleet of Venator-class Star Destroyers and Acclamator I-class assault ship. Aboard the bridge of one of the Star Destroyers during the voyage, Mundi and Kenobi lamented at the Republic's failure to recognize how loyal the native Geonosians remained to the Confederacy.[68]

Later, a hologram meeting session was held between Mundi, Kenobi, Skywalker, Unduli, Ahsoka Tano, Palpatine, Yoda and Mace Windu to discuss the battle plan. Mundi, Kenobi and Skywalker were to lead three separate fronts of a three-pronged attack on a Ray Shield Fortress generator, which protected the primary droid foundry where Poggle had established his command post. Mundi and Jet were to lead a northern advance through the Geonosian defense lines to a staging area called Point Rain a short distance from the shield generator. The troops would establish a defensive perimeter around the staging area, where Mundi's forces would meet up with those of Kenobi and Skywalker, who would be coming in after leading their forces through central and southern advances, respectively. Once they rendezvoused, the three Jedi were to combine their forces on an attack against the shield generator. Mundi suggested if either of the three forces were met with heavy resistance that prevented them from reaching the staging area on time, the others should wait until they arrive before advancing on the shield generator.[68]

With their planning complete, the Jedi split up to mobilize forces for the upcoming battle. Shortly after Kenobi and Skywalker's men entered the battle, Mundi boarded the LAAT/i gunship Separatist Nightmare and launched along with Jet and a company of clones aboard the Resolute, the flagship of Admiral Wullf Yularen. Mundi led several other gunships into the battle and were immediately met with extremely heavy gunfire. Several of the ships among Mundi's forces were destroyed, and Mundi quickly lost contact with Skywalker after his own gunship was shot down. Many of the ships were carrying All Terrain Tactical Enforcer and Mundi ordered them to be dropped to the ground right away, before they were all destroyed all with the gunships. Immediately after issuing this order, the Separatist Nightmare was struck by enemy fire and crashed onto the planet surface below. Many of the clones aboard were killed but Jet and Mundi survived, although the Cerean was injured, particularly in the area of his left ribcage. Jet reported that only Kenobi's forces made it to the staging area, and that Skywalker and his men had crashed were caught in a firefight with the Geonosians.[68]

Mundi ordered the injured among his men to be loaded onto the AT-TE walker, and then for the forces to move forward toward a nearby bridge, where Mundi hoped to meet up with Skywalker's forces on their way to Kenobi's position. As the forces traveled through a large caltrop field, Mundi went up ahead and used his lightsaber to cut down the giant caltrops so his tanks could pass them unharmed. Jet requested air support from Ylaren, but the admiral denied the request, claiming all starfighters and other resources were engaged elsewhere in the planetary invasion. Upon arriving at a trail leading up to a clifftop cave, Mundi split up his forces, ordering the AT-TE walkers to take the longer route to Kenobi's position while the Jedi took a squad of 13 clones to investigate what Mundi believed was a shortcut through the cave. Mundi admitted to Jet he did not know for sure the cave would be a faster route, but could only trust his instincts. After entering the cave, which disrupted their communications, Mundi sensed an incoming presence and ordered his men to take defensive positions just as a swarm of winged Geonosian warriors attacked them.[68]

Several of the clones were swept up and carried deeper into the cave to be killed, but Mundi ordered the men not to stop and continue pushing forward. Despite heavy casualties, Mundi's men cut their way through the cave, and upon reaching the other side, the Cerean ordered his clone flame troopers to fire their flamethrowers. Most of the remaining Geonosians were killed, allowing Mundi and his surviving troops to exit the cave. Afterward, Mundi made contact with Skywalker, who informed him the path to the staging area was now clear but that Kenobi's forces were being overwhelmed by the enemy there. Upon a request for air support from Skywalker, Yularen dispatched a Y-wing bomber squadron, which dropped their munitions on the advancing Separatist tanks just as Mundi, Skywalker and Tano arrived at Kenobi's position. The Jedi regrouped and determined that, despite their losses, their combined forces were still sufficient to destroy the shield generator. Skywalker took a small force through the shield barrier and jammed the Geonosians' scanners, which freed the AT-TE walkers to fire upon the shield generator without risk of being targeted. Once the generator was destroyed, Mundi led the rest of the clone troopers into the battle via gunships.[68]

After they landed, the remaining Geonosians at the Ray Shield Fortress were outnumbered by the clones and forced to surrender, marking the end of that phase of the battle. The injured Mundi and Kenobi were unable to continue with the rest of the attack, and were to be taken back to the fleet along with the other injured soldiers for bacta tank treatment. Skywalker was left in charge of the remaining Republic forces, which were to set out for Poggle's primary droid foundry. Before departing the planet, Mundi overheard Skywalker and Tano boasting about their number of kills during the battle, and the Cerean noted that his own kill total of 65, which was greater than that of either of the two other Jedi and thus earned Skywalker's respect. Mundi and the rest of the injured left the planet,[68] while Skywalker and Unduli later led a successful effort to destroy the primary droid foundry.[71]

By the time Mundi recovered from his injuries in the bacta tank, he was aboard a Jedi transport docked at a Geonosian landing zone. Anxious to return to the mission at hand, Mundi reviewed strategic charts and maps to help continue the search for Poggle, who had escaped the primary droid foundry. Mundi and Kenobi were contacted via holocomm by Unduli, who had been tracking Poggle and believed he was hiding at the nearby Progate Temple. Mundi felt that location was unlikely because little would have survived the first wave of Republic attacks there, wh