During the Clone Wars, Darth Sidious contacted the bounty hunter Cad Bane with an audacious request: steal a Jedi holocron from the vault inside Coruscant’s Jedi Temple. Bane agreed, but holocrons were closely guarded by the Jedi. He demanded triple his usual rate and a Rogue-class starfighter with elite weapons and a cloaking device.

Bane sent the changeling bounty hunter Cato Parasitti into the temple disguised as Jedi Master Ord Enisence, while he and his techno-service droid Todo 360 infiltrated the complex through its ventilation system. The Jedi detected the intrusion, but Bane fooled them into thinking the communications center was his target. He entered the vault and located the holocron sought by Sidious.

While the Jedi captured Parasitti and intercepted Todo 360, Bane donned a Jedi robe and slipped away with his prize. The Jedi were baffled by the theft, as holocrons were of little use to non-Force users. But they became alarmed when Parasitti told them Bane’s next target was Bolla Ropal. Ropal was the keeper of a kyber memory crystal containing data about every known Force-sensitive child in the galaxy – data that could only be read when combined with a holocron.

Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano pursued Bane to Devaron, but arrived too late -- the bounty hunter had captured Ropal and taken the Jedi and the crystal to a Separatist frigate. While the Jedi prepared to board the frigate, Bane tormented Ropal, killing him when he refused to open the holocron.

A boarding party of Jedi and clones infiltrated Bane’s ship – which gave the ruthless bounty hunter an opportunity. After all, he needed another Jedi to unlock the holocron.

Bane managed to separate Anakin and Ahsoka, capturing the reckless Padawan. When Anakin caught up with Bane, he found Ahsoka bound and trapped in an airlock. All Bane had to do was tap a control on his gauntlet and she would die. Anakin reluctantly opened the holocron, which Bane activated with the crystal. The bounty hunter then escaped in the chaos, and Sidious used the information in the stolen holocron to kidnap several Force-sensitive children.

Kanan became a member of an anti-Imperial cell operating on the Outer Rim world of Lothal. His crew took on a new member, an orphan named Ezra Bridger. Snooping in Kanan’s quarters, Ezra found the holocron. He had no idea what the strange object was, but filched it anyway.

Ezra still had the holocron when he was captured by Agent Kallus and thrown into a detention cell. Drawing on his powerful innate Force abilities, Ezra opened the holocron, revealing a holographic message from Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Ezra’s ability to open the holocron proved that he was strong with the Force. Kanan explained this to him, and offered to train him as a Padawan – an offer the boy accepted.