Theory: Could 'Star Wars Eclipse' See The Inclusion Of A Young Dooku?
The cinematic trailer for the upcoming Star Wars video game Eclipse features a short scene with Master Yoda standing alone in the Jedi Council Chambers, staring out at the skyline of Coruscant. Although the trailer includes some familiar species, like Duros and Neimoidians, Yoda is the only familiar character we know of who will appear in Eclipse. A new theory now states that the game might feature another well-known person from the time of the prequel era: Count Dooku.
As the game is still in early stages of development and might not come out before 2025 or 2026, Lucasfilm hasn’t given out much information on Eclipse, other than that it will take place during the High Republic, an era that ran from around 300 to 82 years before the Battle of Yavin. Still, as the trailer features Neimoidian battleships that look quite similar to the ones from the prequel trilogy, it is somewhat safe to assume that the game will be set at the end of the High Republic era, like the upcoming Disney+ series The Acolyte, with there surely being some connection between the two.
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Dooku was already 80 years old during the first Battle of Geonosis, which sets his year of birth at 102 BBY. So, if the game takes place in the latter decades of the High Republic, it is quite plausible that a young Dooku could show up, either as a youngling or an apprentice to Master Yoda.
Most of Dooku’s backstory has been revealed through Cavan Scott’s audio drama Dooku: Jedi Lost (2019), which was also released as a script in the same year: He was born to the rulers of the planet Serenno, Count Gora and his wife Countess Anya. Gora feared and despised the Jedi and when Dooku showed signs of Force sensitivity, his father contacted the Jedi Council to take his son away. But instead of waiting for the Jedi Seeker, he abandoned the helpless Dooku outside the palace without any protection.
During his Jedi training, Dooku always strived to be better than his comrades, which led to some clashes with other younglings but also to a friendship with fellow student Sifo-Dyas. Although Dooku usually tried to stay within the boundaries of the Jedi Code, he became interested in ancient texts and Dark Side artifacts, kept deep under the Jedi Temple, much to the dismay of his teachers. After his Initiate Trials, Yoda took Dooku on as his apprentice, teaching him in the ways of the Force.
Dooku would later become a Jedi Knight and then a Master, taking on Qui-Gon Jinn as his own apprentice, before leaving the Jedi Order and becoming one of the Lost Twenty, but all this was years after the end of the High Republic.
With Yoda confirmed to appear in the game, it would make sense to also include Dooku, especially if the events of Eclipse take place during a time when the later Sith Lord was already the apprentice of the Grand Master, Yoda.
Assuming that Dooku will actually be part of the cast of Eclipse, it remains to be seen if he will just be featured in some cut-scenes, or if he could be a playable character. Dooku was very skilled lightsaber duelist and, as the trailer has clearly hinted at, there will be some lightsaber action. Having Dooku face a powerful adversary would make for an exciting chapter of the game. Eclipse, or at least one of the chains of events in the game, will be considered cannon and Dooku defeating a major opponent could even be his official Jedi Trial.
Additionally, it would also make sense to include Dooku in Eclipse, from a pure marketing standpoint. So far, the books and comics that have been published under the High Republic banner have taken place more at the beginning of this era and so all the events and characters involved lack any connection to the time of the Skywalker Saga, except for Yoda of course, who was training younglings even back then.
Putting the game closer to the prequel trilogy and including Dooku, a pivotal character of this timeframe, could provide a connective tissue that could attract more casual Star Wars fans, who otherwise have no affiliation to the High Republic. And after all the High Republic Era was first mentioned in Dooku: Jedi Lost.
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Sources: Screen Rant