Billaba, Depa

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Coruscant

• Species:
  Chalactan

• Gender:
  Female

• Size:
  1.68 meters

• Weapon:
  lightsaber

• Affiliation:
  Jedi Council

• 

From the Movies

A serene yet strong presence on the Jedi Council, Depa Billaba was one of the members of that august body during the waning days of the Jedi order. Billaba sat between Eeth Koth and Plo Koon. She was present when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn brought the young Anakin Skywalker before the Jedi Council, requesting that the boy be trained as a Jedi. Billaba also attended Jinn's funeral and the victory parade that marked the liberation of Naboo shortly thereafter. The Force runs strong in Billaba's family, and a close relative of hers is also a Jedi Knight.

From the Expanded Universe

The orphaned Billaba was rescued from the space pirates who slew her family by the respected Jedi Master, Mace Windu. Windu sensed Billaba's Force potential, and brought the six-month old infant to Coruscant for training. On Coruscant, Depa learned to use her special abilities for the good of the galaxy. She has embraced the traditional culture of Chalacta in honor of her slain parents. As a result the Jedi Master was particularly attuned to the minds and personalities of her peers in the Council Chamber. Adorning the bridge of her nose are Chalcactan marks of illumination, testament to her spirituality. Shortly after the Battle of Naboo, Billaba followed her former master Mace Windu to the smuggler's moon of Nar Shaddaa on a mission.

At the start of the Clone Wars, while the Jedi raced to Geonosis, she remained on Coruscant and supervised the young Jedi clans. At the onset of the Clone Wars, she went to the battlefront at Haruun Kal, where the trying conditions there seduced her to the dark side of the Force. Mace confronted her, and Depa succumbed to a coma.

Behind the Scenes

This design, found among some of the Episode I Art Department's earliest character sketches, introduced a spiritually inspired figure to an already diverse lineup of potential Jedi Council members to appear in The Phantom Menace. Even though the figure obviously underwent several revisions, it is not hard to find a resemblance with the Depa Billaba character seen briefly in Episode I.