Zaviel Tepp

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Zaviel Tepp was a Force-sensitive individual who served as a Jedi of the Jedi Order during the High Republic Era. They were known to Jedi Padawan Bell Zettifar and Jedi Master Elzar Mann for being skilled in lightsaber combat, with the former having witnessed Tepp display their skills at one point. As Zettifar watched Jedi Master Porter Engle destroy mole mines on the Outer Rim planet Elphrona in 232 BBY, he considered the Master's skill to surpass those of Tepp.

By 228 BBY, Tepp served as a blademaster in the Order. That year, the blademaster attended a mission briefing in the Jedi Temple on the Core Worlds planet Coruscant and was selected as part of a team serving as backup to the Luminous Nine, a team of Jedi who were to travel to the Wild Space planet Sophros to stop the spread of the infection known as the Blight. After the Luminous Nine were able to hold back the Blight's spread, Tepp and the rest of the secondary team retrieved the members of the team who were to return to Coruscant.

Biography

Comparisons with Porter Engle

Zaviel Tepp was an individual who lived during the High Republic Era.^[1] By 232 BBY,^[3] they had become a Jedi of the Jedi Order,^[1] becoming particularly skilled^[2] in lightsaber combat and known to Jedi Padawan Bell Zettifar for their ability. At one point, Zettifar witnessed Tepp display their lightsaber skills.^[1] That year,^[3] as the Padawan witnessed^[1] Jedi Master^[4] Porter Engle destroying mole mines at the Blythe homestead on the Outer Rim planet Elphrona during a raid by the Nihil pirates, Zettifar considered Engle's skills to be beyond those he had seen from Tepp.^[1]

Briefing for a defining mission

By 228 BBY,^[5] Tepp had become a blademaster in the Order.^[2] That year,^[5] the blademaster was invited to a briefing held within the Room of a Thousand Fountains in the Jedi Temple on^[2] the Core Worlds^[1] planet Coruscant, having been selected by the Jedi High Council to be part of a backup team to a team^[2] known as the Luminous Nine^[6] that was to travel to^[2] the Wild Space^[7] planet Sophros. The purpose of the mission was to return twelve Nameless—Force-consuming creatures that had been weaponized by the Nihil during its ongoing conflict with the Jedi and Galactic Republic—to their homeworld, believing it would also bring an end to the threat of the Blight, an infection that had been spreading across the galaxy. While in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, the blademaster's presence was mentally acknowledged by Jedi Master Elzar Mann, who knew Tepp.^[2]

During the meeting, the Jedi were briefed on how to use the Rod of Ages, a Force artifact capable of controlling the Nameless. When the fallen Jedi Azlin Rell was confirmed to be one of the members of the Luminous Nine, a ripple moved through the room and Jedi Knight Reath Silas attempted to defend Rell's inclusion by stating that he would be essential to their mission. After Zettifar—by this point a Jedi Knight—questioned why the fallen Jedi was locked up within the Jedi Temple if he was as safe as Silas claimed. Before Silas could respond, all of the Jedi present, including Tepp, focused their attention on him, with the Knight stating that he would be able to handle Rell.^[2]

Afterward, Grand Master Ry Ki-Sakka listed the members of the backup team—Vernestra Rwoh, Torban Buck, Ceret, Indeera Stokes, Cohmac Vitus, Lily Tora-Asi, Tepp, Kirak Infil'a, and Council Member Yarael Poof—informing them that they had been selected in the event of anything going wrong with the first team's mission. Following the conclusion of the briefing, the Jedi present broke off in smaller groups, eventually leaving the Room of a Thousand Fountains.^[2]

Panic at the Jedi Temple

A short while later, the members of the secondary team—privately dubbed the Other Nine by Buck—were all present in a viewing gallery overlooking the members of the Luminous Nine at the Jedi Temple's primary hangar as the Nameless were being loaded into the Ataraxia, a cruiser the group were to use to transport the Nameless to their homeworld. After Rwoh lamented that she wanted to be useful, Tepp, referring to her as a kid, told her that if she wanted to then she should focus on the task she had been given.^[2]

As the Other Nine remained in the viewing gallery, they suddenly heard a shout of terror coming from the hangar, leading them to all head to the room's window, with Tepp ask what was happening. They soon learned that the sound had come from a Republic soldier who had become terrified by one of the Nameless and raised his rifle at the creature. Despite the efforts of the Jedi and the other soliders to calm him down, the soldier shot at the Nameless' pallet and set it free.^[2]

After the creature bit the leg of^[2] Jedi Master^[8] Arkoff—one of the Luminous Nine—Buck broke the viewing gallery's window in order to help Arkoff while the rest of the Other Nine remained in the gallery. The incident ended with the death of the solider, and Buck being forced to sever Arkoff's leg. Eventually, the Luminous Nine departed Coruscant for their mission, with Buck replacing Arkoff after the incident with the Nameless.^[2]

Retrieving the Luminous Nine

The Luminous Nine's mission ultimately resulted in the death of Buck, as well as all twelve Nameless due to the intervention of Eye of the Nihil Marchion Ro, who had personally traveled to the Nameless homeworld in an attempt to prevent the Jedi from ending the spread of the Blight. Masters Avar Kriss and Mann decided to remain on the planet, knowing they would need to in order to ensure that balance between the light side and dark sides of the Force on the world remained so the Blight's spread could be held back.^[2]

During the course of the first team's mission, the members of the Other Nine departed Coruscant. At the conclusion of the Luminous Nine's mission, the Other Nine emerged from hyperspace above the Nameless homeworld, and planned to travel through a barrier around the planet known as the Veil in a shuttle piloted by Stokes to retrieve the members of the first team that were to return to Coruscant. After they picked up the Jedi, with Ro also having been taken prisoner by the group, they headed back to Coruscant.^[2]

Personality and traits

According to Torban Buck, Zaviel Tepp regularly spoke with a gruff tone. The blademaster believed that to be useful, one should focus on the task they had been given, and to think about what was rather what was not. When Tepp advised that to Vernestra Rwoh, Buck mentally noted that while it was good advise, he would have told it to her more kindly. As the incident between the Republic operative and the Nameless took place, the blademaster called out asking what was happening in a tone that Buck believed sounded almost irritated.^[2]

Powers and abilities

As a member of the Jedi Order, Zaviel Tepp was Force-sensitive and trained to wield the Force. According to Bell Zettifar, Tepp was skilled in lightsaber combat, though he considered Porter Engle^[1]—one of the most highly regarded lightsaber duelists, whose skills were unparalleled^[8]—to be able display skills beyond what he had seen from Tepp.^[1] Elzar Mann believed Tepp to be among the best and brightest of the Jedi Order and to also be particularly skilled in combat, which led him to consider Tepp as a wise choice by the Jedi Council to be part of the Jedi's backup team.^[2]

Equipment

Zaviel Tepp utilized a lightsaber.^[1] During the briefing in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, the blademaster wore bright white-and-gold temple robes.^[2]

Behind the scenes

Zaviel Tepp was first mentioned in the 2021 novel The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, written by Charles Soule as part of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project's^[1] Phase I.^[9] Tepp later made their first appearance in the 2025 novel The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi, written by Soule as part of the multimedia project's^[2] Phase III.^[9]

Appearances

• The High Republic: Light of the Jedi (and audiobook) (First mentioned)
• The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi (and audiobook) (First appearance)

Notes and references