Spoilers for Star Wars: Yoda #5!The Sith Lord Count Dooku was a respected Jedi master before succumbing to the dark side, but a new Star Wars comic suggests that long before he left the Order, he was working to corrupt the padawans under his care. Dooku mentored Qui-Gon Jinn and Rael Averoos during his time in the Jedi order and later became the master of the Sith assassin Asajj Ventress, Darth Maul’s brother Savage Opress, and the fallen Jedi Quinlan Vos. Every one of them fell in one way or another, and now a never-before-seen pupil is following suit.
In Star Wars: Yoda #5 by Jody Houser and Luke Ross, the Wookiee Jedi youngling Krrsish is plagued by visions of fellow initiate Gheyr, a Trandoshan left orphaned in the aftermath of a battle between Wookiees and Trandoshans. Krrsish’s visions not only portray the battle that left Gheyr the sole survivor, but they also suggest that Gheyr will eventually attack him. Yoda urges Krrsish to not allow vague images to affect his judgment, while Dooku advises him to instead prepare and eventually act on this warning granted to him by the force. Krrsish follows in Dooku’s footsteps, and by the end of the issue attacks an innocent Gheyr with the intent to kill.
Dooku Undercuts Yoda's Training of Future Jedi
This wouldn’t be the first time Dooku was shown to favor violence as a quick path to eliminating threats. In the Tales of the Jedi miniseries, he is reprimanded by the Jedi for instigating conflict even if Dooku did so to protect Republic citizens. The audio drama Dooku: Jedi Lost further delves into his taste for violence along with his disillusionment with the corruption of the government and its growing control over the Jedi order. These dark traits seem to have influenced his poor advice to Krrsish. Indeed, he may have gone even further - actually sending his apprentice the visions that have prompted this horrifying attack.
Dooku's Fall Was So Gradual, It's Impossible to Draw a Line
Dooku’s independent spirit and great disdain for the corrupted Galactic Republic were all early signs that he’d eventually turn to the dark side in order to reshape the institutions that governed the galaxy. His advice for Krssish to essentially eliminate a fellow Jedi before she can become a threat is a very Sith-like suggestion that speaks to his fall being already underway - even at the point where he was so trusted, Yoda recruited him to train young Jedi. Dooku may be testing the Wookiee to see if he’s susceptible to the dark side and if he’s worthy of becoming his Sith apprentice. However, it’s not entirely clear if Dooku at this point is already a dark side user corrupting a young Jedi’s mind - as Palpatine later did to Kylo Ren - or if he is still a Jedi Master pursuing his personal interest in genuine Force visions. The lack of a clear line between these two eras in Dooku's life makes it clear how his ambition and curiosity led to his fall.
Either way, Dooku casually encouraging a youngling to walk a dark path clearly shows where his future allegiances will lie. This act could even be one of the things that captures Darth Sidious’ attention and later convinces him to take on Dooku as his next apprentice after Maul’s death. Dooku may not stand out as the same awe-inspiring threat as Star Wars' other Sith lords, but his life of teetering between Jedi master and Sith apprentice grows more complex and compelling with every new addition to his backstory.
Star Wars: Yoda #5 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!