Asajj Ventress | A History Of The Sith Assassin

Asajj Ventress, the Dathomirian Nightsister who was a Jedi Padawan before she turned into a Sith assassin, always has had a complicated history. The origins of the character began during production of the prequel films as the character Count Dooku, who initially was intended to be female. With the casting of Christopher Lee, the idea tabled of Ventress was tabled, and she did not make her debut until Genndy Tartakovsky's 2003 animated series Clone Wars. She was brought back for the more popular and long-running show The Clone Wars, where her character’s background was more heavily fleshed out.

Ventress’ original concept art was based on the idea that her clothing should look similar to a samurai, something that is reflected in her appearance during the Nightsisters episode of The Clone Wars. From the moment the audience first meets her and sees her dark lips, pale skin, piercing eyes, and dark clothing, they know she is someone to fear.

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Although Ventress was born into a clan of Nighsisters on Dathomir, she was stolen away at a young age and raised as a slave by the pirate Hal’Sted on Rattatak. After Hal’Sted’s death, Ventress was discovered by Jedi Master Ky Narec, who took in the young child after discovering her Force abilities. Ventress grew close to Narec, who taught her the ways of the Jedi while they worked together to better the population of Rattatak. When Narec was murdered, Ventress took his death as a brutal blow to herself and embraced the dark side of the Force in his absence.

Count Dooku saw the opportunity when he came across Ventress, and he trained her as a Dark Acolyte in the ways of the Sith. When the Clone Wars break out, Dooku gives Ventress command of the droid army, and she later encountered many face-to-face battles with Jedi such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. As the war progressed, Palpatine himself was concerned about Ventress’ ever-growing power and ordered Dooku to kill her. Although Dooku attempted to strike down his apprentice, she ultimately survived and traveled back to Dathomir and sought revenge on the Count.

With the help of Mother Talzin, Ventress chose Savage Opress, brother of Darth Maul, as her personal Trojan Horse to be the tool that would destroy Count Dooku. What Ventress was unable to foresee was Savage betraying herself and Dooku, but Ventress escaped just in time. Dooku, furious that Ventress would send an assassin after him, orders an attack on the Nightsisters, with Talzin and Ventress among the few survivors. In exile at this point, Ventress became a bounty hunter and forged her own path.

During Ventress’ time as a bounty hunter, the audience began to see a side of compassion from her that she was not known for. When she had no one to work for but herself, Ventress begins to help others, including Jedi such as Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. After Ahsoka was wrongfully accused of the Jedi Temple bombing, she escaped to the Coruscant underworld to avoid further persecution. There, she ran into Ventress, who sympathized with the young Padawan’s situation. Although helping Ahsoka served no benefit to her, Ventress helped her escape and solve the mystery of who was behind the bombing: Ahsoka’s friend Barriss Offee.

Ventress’ story reached its final chapter in the novel Dark Disciple. Based on an unfinished The Clone Wars arc, the novel follows Ventress’ life after her story in The Clone Wars ends. Dark Disciple opens with Jedi Master Quinlan Vos, who recently returned to Coruscant under the pseudonym Tal, and was immediately requested to attend a council meeting. There, Vos is informed of the plan to assassinate Count Dooku, which he accepts. Plans are arranged for Vos to have a partner in completing this mission, and Yoda suggested Ventress, Dooku’s former apprentice.

Vos finds Ventress, and the two work together, though they keep each other at a distance until Vos reveals to her that he is a Jedi Master. In turn, Ventress tells him the truth about her background, and the two become closer, eventually developing a romantic relationship. Ultimately, Ventress’ story ends in a moment of pure selflessness. In a final battle, Dooku attacks Vos with Force lightning, but before it can strike him down, Ventress shoves him aside and absorbs the blows herself and sacrifice herself for the man she loved.

Although her story is intricate, Ventress proves to be one of the most well-rounded characters in the entirety of the Star Wars franchise.

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Written by: Elizabeth Reese

Sources: Wookieepedia

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