5 Reasons Why Plo Koon Should Be Your Favorite Jedi
There are many brilliant members of the Jedi Order. Star Wars has provided a myriad of Jedi occupying different niches, varying wildly aesthetically, and employing a variety of moral ideals. We have seen Jedi march to the beat of their own drum (Quinlan Vos), Jedi fall away from the Jedi Order due to idealism (Count Dooku), Jedi serve with dedication in the face of extreme personal trauma (Obi-Wan Kenobi), and we have seen Jedi grow from Padawan learner to true masters of the Force (Ahsoka Tano).
Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of, if not, the most popular Jedi. He is very easy to like. He has loved and lost, he has invested himself in service and brotherhood and has remained himself while those broke apart. Mace Windu, if nothing else, embodies cool. Ahsoka Tano is the Jedi we see at nearly all stages of life; a generation of Star Wars fans grew up with her. However, when I was 7 or 8 years old sitting on my bedroom floor in Roswell, New Mexico booting up my PlayStation 1 to play Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles, I never had to worry about my main being taken: Plo Koon.
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Plo Koon is my favorite Jedi by quite a bit. When I was taking notes for this piece, a few reasons became apparent. He is empathetic, he displays incredible leadership (especially under difficult circumstances), he is very powerful in his practice of the Force, he is a brilliant pilot, a cunning detective, he is striking aesthetically, and he has a one of the widest collections of lightsaber colors throughout Legends and current canon.
For our first point, let’s start with the most subjective on the list, his striking aesthetic. He, being a Kel Dor from Dorin, cannot survive breathing heavily oxygenated air. As a consequence of this, he must wear a breathing apparatus that Star Wars fans have come to affiliate with him. In my college and graduate school years my interest in film grew into a passion. Since I was very young, I have loved films with monsters or aliens in them. In my young mind, Plo Koon with his breathing equipment and orange color, sat on a shelf with the great aliens of cinema. It seems like he should be terrifying, but he just isn’t. Or at least he wasn’t to me. Perhaps, his Jedi robes anthropomorphized him to me. Maybe it was seeing other characters exist alongside him. Whatever the case was, where I feared the xenomorph, I loved Plo Koon.
For our next point let’s discuss his personality. In so far as we can see, he is consistently level-headed and empathetic to those around him. The book Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi notes him as being known for his “calm and kind demeanor.” I think one of the greatest ways to understand who Plo Koon is, is to analyze situations multiple Jedi have been in and see how the different parties handled them.
In the instance of teaching opportunities, when compared to Mace Windu, Plo Koon glows. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars we see several instances where Plo provides guidance to clones and other Jedi, most notably Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano. In similar scenarios, Mace Windu allows his personal feelings (notably distrust) to seep out into his words and actions. This is evident in his prickly treatment of Anakin Skywalker on a few occasions in the film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Force lightning is characterized as the “ultimate physical manifestation of the Force” and is also noted as being one of the “most malicious forms” by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi. We see a few individuals employ this technique in the films, notably Darth Sidious and Rey Skywalker. We also see the ability in video games like Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (utilized by Anakin Skywalker) and in the The Force Unleashed duology (utilized by Galen Marek). A lesser-known student of this manifestation was Plo Koon.
Plo Koon’s Force lighting was a little different than the versions we have come to know. The first way was that despite lightning being the outcome of the method, it wasn’t Force lightning at all. Force lightning is a method practiced exclusively by dark side practitioners. Plo Koon’s version is formally referred to as “Electric Judgment.” It differs in that it is not sourced from the dark side as Darth Sidious’ was, and as a result of this, it takes on different visual characteristics. Electric Judgment appears green or orange to the naked eye, unlike the versions of Force lightning we have been exposed to in the films, that appear white or blue. When used by Jedi, in the rare instances that it is, it is used to stun, unlike the torturous examples we see Darth Sidious illustrate in the Star Wars films.
Another reason Plo Koon deserves consideration of being your favorite Jedi is that he is an incredible pilot. The heart-wrenching Order 66 sequence in Revenge of the Sith provides the last images we have of Plo Koon. They consist of his Jedi Starfighter being shot down by friendly fire while on a mission on Cato Neimoidia. His flying prowess is heralded by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi. I wish we could have seen more of his abilities in the films; however, you can see his talents on full display in Star Wars: The Clone Wars!
The final reason is simple: his lightsaber! If one were only familiar with the current canon, Plo Koon wields a blue lightsaber. However, this has not always been the case. It has actually been a very interesting topic to track over time. When I was 7 or 8 playing Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles, my mind was transported to a world of infinite possibilities upon seeing Plo Koon’s lightsaber. It was yellow! Throughout Star Wars materials he has wielded yellow (from Star Wars: Republic: Emissaries to the Jedi Power Battles video game), orange (Star Wars: Republic: The Stark Hyperspace War comic book arc), green (Star Wars: Republic: Dreadnaughts of Rendili comic book arc), and blue (current canon) lightsabers.
I hope this list, if nothing else, helps you appreciate Plo Koon a little bit more. I hope you had fun and may the Force be with you!
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Source(s): Wookieepedia