Vidara Jurness

Vidara Jurness was a humanoid alien mercenary who worked in the Black Mask gang alongside the human mercenary Vect Nokru and the mercenary Ayo Bons, operating out of Daiyu City on the planet Daiyu. In 9 BBY, the gang was hired by the Third Sister, an Imperial Inquisitor, to kidnap Leia Organa, princess of the planet Alderaan. Having caught Organa in the forests of Alderaan, they imprisoned her on their ship and brought her to the planet Daiyu. As the Third Sister expected, former Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi came to rescue Leia. At first, the mercenaries—including Jurness—managed to capture Kenobi, but the Jedi escaped by taking out the mercenaries with a spice he had obtained earlier.

Biography

"Hello, Princess."
"Why are you here?"
"Just waiting."
"For what?"
"For you."

―Vect Nokru and Princess Leia Organa, on Alderaan^[1]

During the Imperial Era, Vidara Jurness worked with the human mercenary Vect Nokru and the mercenary Ayo Bons as part of the Black Mask gang, which operated out of Daiyu City^[3] on planet Daiyu.^[4] In 9 ABY,^[5] the gang was hired by the Imperial Inquisitor known as the Third Sister to kidnap Leia Organa, princess of^[1] the Core Worlds planet^[3] Alderaan. The real goal of the Inquisitor was to lure Jedi-in-hiding Obi-Wan Kenobi into a trap, expecting^[1] the Alderaanian senator^[3] Bail Organa to ask the former Jedi Master to save his daughter. After traveling to Alderaan, the group waited for Leia in the forest and successfully captured her after shooting an Alderaan guard in a short chase. Jurness then pulled a bag over Leia's head. After holding her hostage aboard their ship,^[1] Nokru contacted the Third Sister after brushing off counsel from the mercenary.^[6] Following this, the mercenaries took Leia to The Den, a shady business in Daiyu City, and locked her in a cell.^[4]

Jurness and her colleagues, pinning Kenobi to a wall

After their arrival on Daiyu, the group waited for Kenobi, who—as the Third Sister had expected—had been asked by Bail to save his daughter, to arrive. Once Kenobi had entered their hideout, the three ambushed him and managed to pin the Jedi against the wall while threatening him with their blasters. Jurness then took Kenobi's lightsaber and handed it to Nokru, who was having a talk with Kenobi about how he had become vulnerable. However, Kenobi fled by taking out the mercenaries with spice he had obtained earlier.^[4] The mercenaries were left locked in their own cell^[7] as they writhed in pain—enveloped by spice dust—until Third Sister arrived to demand where Kenobi was.^[8] Sometime after Kenobi and Leia's escape, Jurness escaped from the cell and cleaned^[4] her^[2] blaster. The Third Sister approached Nokru to put a bounty on the Jedi and inform all bounty hunters on the planet about Kenobi's presence, although the princess and Jedi were ultimately able to escape Daiyu.^[4]

Personality and traits

Vidara Jurness was a humanoid alien who had green, scaled skin and black hair that she kept styled in a ponytail.^[1]

Skills and abilities

Before the gang's attempt to kidnap Leia Organa on the patrolled grounds^[1] of the Royal Palace of Alderaan,^[9] Jurness showed her skill of remaining undetected.^[1]

Equipment

The mercenary was equipped with a blaster. She wore a long-sleeved, black top, a gray-brown sleeveless jacket with three cylinders and an electronic device on the front, black pants, a belt with a holster for her blaster, and black boots. The crew of the three mercenaries also had a starship.^[1]

Behind the scenes

"Director Deborah Chow was such a joy to work with, and Ewin McGregor [sic] was an absolute gem of a person. Coordinator JoJo Eusebio held it down! And the team was full of energy and badassery."

―Amy Sturdivant on the filming of Kenobi^[10]

Vidara Jurness first appeared, albeit unidentified, in "Part I," the first episode of the Disney+ live-action television series Obi-Wan Kenobi,^[1] which premiered on May 27, 2022.^[11] She is portrayed by Amy Sturdivant,^[1] whose previous Star Wars roles include serving as a stunt double for the mercenary Carasynthia Dune in the Disney+ television series Star Wars: The Mandalorian^[12] and potraying a clone trooper and a stormtrooper in Obi-Wan Kenobi's other episodes. She particularly enjoyed working with the show's director, Deborah Chow; Kenobi's actor, Ewan McGregor; and stunt director Jojo Eusebio. The alien's scaly skin was applied to Sturdivant during filming via a layer on top of the actress's skin.^[10] Jurness was first identified in the 2023 reference book Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide^[3] within a section written by Emily Shkoukani.^[13]