The Surprising Character Responsible For Asajj Ventress' Lightsabers

Ventress Was Not The Original Owner Of Her Distinctive Lightsabers

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago • 4 min read

There are many unique paths to be walked in the Star Wars universe, Jedi, Sith, smugglers, bandits, bounty hunters, citizens and slaves. Some characters, like Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, have a singular role and end up excelling at it, while others roam across the galaxy, seeking a place to fit in. Such is the case with Asajj Ventress. Born a Nightsister, but taken from her coven and enslaved, before being taken in and trained as a Jedi by Ky Narec, eventually falling to the dark side and serving the Separatists under Count Dooku. It was in her service to Dooku that she was given a twin pair of curved hilt lightsabers, much like Dooku's own signature weapon. The lore surrounding these weapons is now the stuff of Legends, but the story of how they came to be in Ventess' possession can be found in, of all places, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter.

The character of Jango Fett was a fan-favorite as soon as he stepped onscreen in 2002's Attack of the Clones. The Mandalorian foundling, turned feared bounty hunter was well-portrayed by Temuera Morrison, who has repeatedly returned to Star Wars to act and voice Jango, the clone troopers that were created from his DNA, and his unaltered clone and son, Boba Fett. In a prequel era that many regard as the golden age of Star Wars video games, it was a forgone conclusion that a game based on the bounty hunting career of Jango Fett would be a hit with fans. With a wide arsenal of weaponry, thieves and murderers galore for the player to apprehend and dispatch, and a well-written plot that tied directly into Attack of the Clones, the game was extremely well-received by the Star Wars fandom.

The game tasks the player, as Jango Fett, to apprehend a Dark Jedi by the name of Komari Vosa. This Dark Jedi was once apprenticed to Count Dooku who trained her in the Jedi arts, including the construction of lightsabers. Vosa took inspiration from her master, crafting twin, hook-hilt sabers, the very same weapons that would eventually make their way into the hands of Ventress. As a bounty hunter, Fett was uniquely suited to track down and neutralize Dooku's former apprentice, as Vosa used her great power in the Force to become the leader of the Bando Gora, a crime organization and dark side cult, on par with the Hutt Cartel or Crimson Dawn. Fett's history, connections, and experience within the Star Wars underworld allow him to move freely and subtly as he hunts Vosa across the galaxy. Which isn't to say that the player doesn't have to occasionally blast their way through a pack of well-armed enforcers. Vosa is eventually defeated by the player and is summarily executed by her former master, Count Dooku.

After being bested in combat by Jango Fett, and destroyed by her former master, Komari Vosa's lightsabers were taken from her body by Dooku. After proving himself competent against a practitioner of the Jedi arts, Jango was recruited to become the template of the clone army. An opportunity that payed handsomely and offered Fett an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy as a Mandalorian warrior. Jango would eventually regard Boba as his true legacy, as Jango personally trained his son in the warrior ways of Mandalore from a customary young age. This didn't stop him from still becoming the DNA template for the clone army however, as Jango saw it as a way to enact revenge on the Jedi for destroying the Mandalorians who followed Fett during the Mandalorian Civil War.

Dooku, still in need of an assassin, traveled to the planet Rattatak where he met Asajj Ventress, the fallen Dathomirian Jedi. Determined to prove herself to Dooku, she destroyed every competitor in a gladiatorial tournament, demonstrating her combat prowess. Dooku, impressed by her power in the Force and her reckless hatred of the Jedi, took her in as his Sith acolyte to lead the droid armies of the Confederacy and wage war against the Republic. It was at this time that Dooku present the fallen Vosa's blades to her replacement, Asajj Ventress.

While this backstory for Ventress' weapons is no longer cannon, as the majority of it is found in Legends content such as Bounty Hunter and Ginndy Tartakovsky's Star Wars: Clone Wars, there is little in this tale that contradicts current cannon. Regardless of her weapon's origins, Ventress continues to be one of the most dynamically written characters in Star Wars with a long, well-developed redemption arc that culminates in the Dark Disciple novel. Ideally we will one day see this story brought to The Clone Wars collection on Disney+ alongside Maul's journey back to Mandalore in Son of Dathomir and Obi-Wan and Anakin's adventures on Utapau in Crystal Crisis, perhaps as Lost Missions Volume 2.