Luminara Unduli is one of the Jedi Masters of the Star Wars SAGA. She first appeared in the Attack of the Clones, and was played by Mary Oyaya. The word Luminara seems to be inspired from the Latin word lumen or lumin which means light. The light can represent the mental capability, wisdom, or even the purity in her case.

Luminara Unduli was born on the planet Mirial, which was a cold and dry planet. Its habitant was despondent while their world was oppressed by the Trade Federation. Luminara Unduli however was lucky. She was taken into the Jedi Order at a young age, and so lived through little of the misery known to most Mirialans had to. As a young Jedi, she dedicated herself to physical educations, and disciplines. She trained heavily to improve her corporal prowess, working over the course of years to enhance her flexibility and agility, but she learned much too, to be once a wise Jedi. She had amazing lightsaber skills, as she became a master of Form III and had some skill in Form V, too. Luminara finally became a wise, skilled, powerful, respected Jedi knight, namely a Jedi Guardian. As a Jedi knight she befriended other Jedi, she was a close friend to fellow Jedi Shaak Ti and Quinlan Vos.

Right after the Invasion of Naboo by the Trade federation, Luminara Unduli became a Jedi Master. Honoring the cultural traditions of her native people, which required that any Mirialan child given to the Jedi Order be trained by Mirialan masters, she took only Mirialans as apprentices. Her best known Padawan was Barriss Offee. Luminara was calm and patient Master. Her former Padawan Barriss Offee noted that she was a skilled teacher. She was strict, and didn't let her students slack. Barriss Offee was pretty much flavor of Luminara master, her stance, moves, Force-use, moral issues she was just like mirroring her Master's character. Luminara sometimes scolded her, but rarely actually lost her temper with Barriss. Although Luminara was a dogmatic, determined, and strong-minded teacher, and held the Padawans with strong hands, she still was not unerring. If she was mistaken, or was wrong, she was brave enough to admit it, and even to apologize her own Padawan, or happened to be Ahsoka Tano!

Attack of the Clones - Luminara Unduli Geonosis scene

When Obi-Wan Kenobi was captured by the Confederacy of Independent Systems on Geonosis, Luminara and her Padawan joined Master Mace Windu's quickly launched rescue mission. When Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Senator Padme Amidala were brought to the Geonosis arena to be executed, Luminara, Barriss, and 212 other Jedi revealed themselves to Count Dooku, who was personally overseeing the planned execution. A heated but short battle followed where 179 Jedi Knights fell in battle before Master Yoda arrived with the newly-created clone army in several Republic gunships to rescue the thirty or so Jedi who remained alive in the Geonosis arena. Luminara and her Padawan survived, and joined the battle as Jedi generals, or commanders on the surface. Barriss Offee graduated successfully, everything, that she learned from Master Luminara was tested in a real combat in the hell of Geonosis, and was proven more than enough!

Clone Wars cartoon - Planet Ilum Luminara Unduli scene

Four months after the Battle of Geonosis Luminara led her Padawan to the secret Jedi temple on the icy world Ilum, where the two traveled to complete Barriss's final lightsaber construction ceremony as a Padawan. Moments after the observance was completed, the two were attacked by invisible Separatist chameleon droids which had infiltrated the temple in an attempt to destroy the cavern's precious natural lightsaber crystals.

Their perfect harmony and choreographed movement made the Jedi pair invulnerable against the tons of droids, and they destroyed many of them. (Their moves, and poses was found so spectacular by the figure creators, that one of their best poses was pictured in this statue.) Finally the temple was brought down upon itself by mines the droids had set before attacking. Luminara and Barriss plunged into the depths of the temple cavern as many rocks and colorful crystals buried the two Jedi lady underneath!

The Jedi were trapped. Barriss reached out bodily with the Force to halt the falling debris above her, and succeeded, only to glance at her master. Luminara sat beside her in meditative harmony with the Force and falling stones, creating some sort of defensive umbrella above the two of them. The apprentice joined the master in reflective poise, and, together, they calmly held up the crushing vault of stone which piled above them. But their strength couldn't last for good. Luckily Master Yoda felt their battle, and rushed to the scene, and I think after some hours of difficult kinetic trick removed the tons of debris from them, saving the two Jedi lady, and escorting them back to the Naboo ship, where Padme Amidala and the droid were waiting them, as we could see in the Clone wars cartoon.

Clone Wars 3D animated film - Luminara Unduli scenes

After Nute Gunray was captured on Rodia, Luminara and Anakin Skywalker's Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, escorted the Separatist leader to trial. While interrogating him, Luminara tried mentally probe his mind with a Force trick, but the Neimodian Viceroy tried to past Luminara's influence. However, before the Viceroy could reveal anything, the Tranquility was attacked by Asajj Ventress' battle droids. After Luminara and Commander Gree managed to destroy the army of the super battle droids, she sensed Ahsoka was in danger in the detention area, and rushed to help her against Ventress, who was sneaking in the dark toward her destination. Luminara saved Snips, but Assajj managed to escape from them. Luminara left her behind and refused Ahsoka's help, since she thought Ventress would not be too much for a Jedi Master, she believed that she could defeat an assassin with such "untrained" fighting skills. However, at the engine room, Luminara soon realized her mistake as Ventress blinded temporarily her left eye with steam from a coolant pipe. Although Luminara quickly healed her eye with her intensive and very powerful healing technique, and recovered her eye sight, she got the underdog, and Asajj Ventress defeated her. For Luminara's luck, Ahsoka again disobeyed an order, and left her post. Before Luminara could suffered the final blow, only the timely arrival of Ahsoka Tano saved her from being killed by Ventress. Luminara did not failed to apologize the young girl, and gave her full marks, claiming she is a great Padawan, and Anakin Skywalker can be proud of her.

In the second season of Clone Wars, Luminara Unduli appeared again. She came with her Padawan, Bariss Offee, to aid Anakin and Ahsoka Tano against the new Separatist secret weapon, the Suoertanks. Luminara fought side by side with Anakin Skywalker in the front lines, while here Padawan and Ahsoka went separate ways, infiltrating into the Geonosian hive, finding a difficult way in the maze of the underground catacombs. After many exciting adventures, they succeeded, and Luminara continued her investigation alone, racing off with a speederbike, to find out what is behind the mysterious acts in Geonosis. Later on, she will be captured, and kept prisoner in the royal chamber of the Geonosian Queen, but hopefully Anakin, Obi-wan, and some brave clones came to rescue her.

Revenge of the Sith - Luminara Kashyyyk scene

Luminara Unduli's third appearance was in Episode 3, in the Kashyyyk scenes. Luminara was one of several Jedi generals dispatched by the Jedi Order to protect the Wookiee world. Luminara commanded the first units of the Grand Army to land on the Wookiee homeworld, including the 41st Elite Corps led by Commander Gree, Luminara's old "faithful" aide-de-camp. She was quickly joined by units commanded by Quinlan Vos and Commander Faie, and later Master Yoda himself. Luminara master could be seen while she was instructing some elite corps troopers with tactical advices. When the CIS droid invasion started, Yoda told Luminara to charge the left flank of the droid army. Simultaneously, Quinlan Vos, alongside Chewbacca and Tarfful, was sent across the lagoon to lead an attack on approaching Separatist forces. Luminara's soldiers managed to keep the sea wall (which was also seen in Battlefront 2, this wall protected the city from the sea) intact until General Yoda could arrive to push the Confederacy back, who retreated. Luminara turned to the healing of wounded clone troopers and Wookiees as the battle neared its end, with her legendary healing abilities. This "great" moment was used by Commander Faie to kill the Jedi lady. After they received Order 66, they even did not wait until Luminara finished healing their injured comrades, but as a thank you, they shoot her in the back at once. When the Galactic Empire emerged, official records compiled by Sate Pestage stated that Luminara was executed because she was a "conspirator in the plot to overthrow the Republic", and was need to kill right away. Eight months after the execution of Order 66, the Wookiees created a memorial to the Jedi lost on Kashyyyk. Her image stood above that of Quinlan Vos, and adjacent to Master Yoda's.

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 written by: Norbert Rostas 2010.04.25.