Jaru was a male stormtrooper serving the Imperial warlord Jerec during his search for the Force nexus called the Valley of the Jedi. When the Valley was finally discovered in 5 ABY on the planet Ruusan, Jaru was among the stormtroopers assigned to excavate it. After a worldquake shook Ruusan, Jaru was trapped under a massive piece of ceiling but was rescued by Yun, one of Jerec's Dark Jedi.

Biography[]

Jaru was a male stormtrooper who served the Imperial warlord Jerec during his search for the long-lost Valley of the Jedi, a powerful Force nexus that contained numerous trapped Jedi souls.^[1] In 5 ABY,^[2] Jerec discovered the Valley on the planet Ruusan and dispatched a detachment of stormtroopers to begin excavation works there. Jaru was one of the dispatched troopers, who were commanded by Major Vig.^[1]

Days after the excavation works began, a worldquake shook Ruusan. When it occurred, Jaru was standing near a cargo module inside one of the Valley's underground chambers. As a result of the worldquake, a massive piece of ceiling fell on Jaru, who survived only because he had been bending over at the moment. The cargo module was half-crushed but absorbed the initial impact of the cave-in and held the slab aloft. Still, Jaru was trapped beneath a boulder the size of a hovercraft,^[1] which began to inch down, threatening to crush him.^[3] An Imperial officer, several troopers, and two construction droids tried but failed to lift the boulder off Jaru. Moreover, another set of tremors hit, causing large chunks of rock to fall and kill one of the other troopers.^[1]

The rescue attempt was witnessed by Yun, a member of Jerec's cadre of Dark Jedi, who was overseeing the excavation works. Driven close to the light side of the Force by the spirit of the late Jedi Master Qu Rahn, Yun decided to save Jaru. Using the Force, he lifted the rock into the air, allowing the officer and the troopers to pull Jaru out. The troopers then loaded Jaru onto a makeshift stretcher and carried him to the surface.^[1]

Personality and traits[]

Jaru was well known among Jerec's troops for the size of his nose and the ability to spit farther than anyone else in his unit. He was also skilled with a grenade launcher.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

Jaru first appeared in Dark Forces: Jedi Knight, a novella written by William C. Dietz^[1] that was published on October 14, 1998.^[4] and later appeared in the audio dramatization of the novel,^[3] which was released in December of the same year.^[5] The audio drama contradicts the novel in a number of ways, stating that it was a piece of wall that fell on Jaru^[3] instead of a piece of ceiling.^[1] Also, construction droids do not participate in the first rescue attempt, and are instead estimated to arrive in three minutes. Additionally, in the audio drama, the rescue team is commanded by Major Vig himself.^[3]

Appearances[]

• Dark Forces: Jedi Knight (First appearance)
• Dark Forces: Jedi Knight audio drama

Notes and references[]