After 20 years, Star Wars still hasn’t explained the Lost Twenty - the Jedi Masters who left the Order, with some of them becoming Sith Lords. To be a Jedi is to commit yourself to the cause of light and life. Although Jedi strive for inner balance, the vast majority find themselves discovering wholeness through community. But for a select minority, this simply isn’t enough.

In Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, George Lucas introduced the concept of the Lost Twenty. These were 20 Jedi who ascended to the rank of Master, but who ultimately chose to leave the Order. Each departure must have shaken the Jedi to the core, because these were Jedi whose names were known throughout the Order; they were once celebrated for their heroism and wisdom, but they had forsaken the Jedi Code. Count Dooku was the last of the Lost Twenty, and he didn’t just leave the Jedi - he became a Sith Lord, founder of the Separatist movement, responsible for beginning the Clone Wars. But how did Dooku fall, and who were the other members of the Lost Twenty?

Dooku Was The Last Member Of The Lost 20

Many parts of Dooku’s story are still something of a mystery, although parts of his story have been told in Cavan Scott’s audiobook Dooku: Jedi Lost and the animated series Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. Although Dooku trained under Master Yoda himself, the flaws in her character were always visible; he was always prideful, training in the showy lightsaber form of makashi, and trusting his own judgment over the will of the Force. Like Anakin, he grew convinced he deserved to sit on the Jedi Council; this was initially withheld because of his maverick ways, and Dooku grew to resent the Jedi who sat on the Council. A number of missions shook Dooku’s faith in the Republic, laying the foundation for the Separatist movement he would go on to found.

Dooku’s fall parallels Anakin Skywalker’s in other ways. Like Anakin, he had a secret attachment- but his was to an entire planet, not to a lover. He had been separated from his family as a child, but circumstances conspired to bring him into contact with his sister Jenza when he was a teenager. Dooku came to care passionately about his homeworld Serenno, and matters came to a head when an ancient Sith beast was awoken that threatened Serenno. Dooku disobeyed orders to protect the planet, and quit the Jedi to take his family role as Count of Serenno. His departure shocked the Jedi, not least because by this point Dooku was well respected for his wisdom; the Jedi allowed him to continue visiting the Jedi Temple for years, a decision that proved to be a mistake.

Star Wars Legends Introduced Phanius, A Sith Who Was Once A Jedi

The Star Wars Expanded Universe was known for building on even the smallest idea established by Lucas, but surprisingly the Lost Twenty were only discussed a little. One notable exception was the Jedi named Phanius, who left the Jedi Order to found a Sith faction known as the New Sith. He was originally name-dropped by Terry Brooks in his novelization of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, and his story was later detailed by Abel Peña in several reference books.

Peña was heavily influenced by Count Dooku when he fleshed out Phanius, imagining him as a wise and intelligent individual who nevertheless became deeply committed to the dark side. He lived some 2,000 years before the events of the prequel trilogy, and was always a controversial figure in the Jedi Order due to his individualistic philosophy of the Force. Phanius found a Sith Holocron, and its teachings further corrupted him, leading to the re-emergence of the Sith after a period where they had been believed rendered extinct. Phanius serves as a reminder that the Sith can never be truly wiped out, so long as a fragment of their teachings remains; the dark side will always be seductive, appealing to those who are more self-absorbed. Darth Ruin is arguably non-canon now, given the Expanded Universe was branded non-canon or Legends after it was acquired by Disney, but the status of the novelizations is unclear - and Darth Ruin is mentioned in one of those books.

Radaki Became The Sith Lord Darth Krall

Star Wars Legends was surprisingly reluctant to identify members of the Lost Twenty, the Jedi Masters who abandoned the Order. The same has proved true in canon, with only two members of the Lost Twenty officially identified. The first of these is Radaki, who became the Sith Lord Darth Krall.

According to Master Yoda, Radaki became a powerful Sith Lord; he is noted for a mysterious triumph in the so-called Battle of Wasted Years, and for taming something called the Nightmare Conjunction. More recent comics have tied him to a brief alliance between the Sith and the Drengir, a race of carnivorous plant-creatures steeped in the dark side. The alliance was only a brief one, with Dark Krall and other Sith participating in a ritual that trapped the Drengir in a form of stasis using ancient Sith relics.

The connection to the Drengir is important for dating the fall of Radaki. According to Star Wars: Timelines, this dates to circa 2,500 years before the Battle of Yavin. This means the Lost Twenty run further back than many had previously believed; it’s possible they are all twenty Jedi who fell to the dark side since the schism thst created the Sith 5,000 years ago.

Will Keeve Trennis Become One Of The Lost 20?

Lucasfilm’s ongoing Star Wars: The High Republic transmedia initiative appears to be telling the story of another member of the Lost Twenty. Keeve Trennis was knighted 200 years before the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and she battled against space pirates known as the Nihil and a resurgent Drengir infestation. Her name has already been associated with the Lost Twenty in stories set later in the timeline, and recent comics have seen Yoda experience a vision in which he recalled her leaving the Jedi Order in emotional circumstances.

Star Wars has always been a transmedia franchise, with countless other mediums exploring ideas established by George Lucas. The Lost Twenty, however - the Jedi Masters who left the Order - remain something of a mystery. It will be fascinating to see whether other members of the Lost Twenty are introduced over time.