| “ | We will always struggle. But that is the test. It's the choice to keep fighting that makes us who we are. | „ |
| ~ Cere to Cal Kestis. |
| “ | Cal.....Trilla. | „ |
| ~ Cere´s last words before her death in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. |
Cere Junda is the overarching protagonist of the Star Wars: Jedi trilogy, serving as the main protagonist of the 2019 comic book series Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Dark Temple, one of the two deuteragonists (along with BD-1) of the 2019 video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the tritagonist of it 2023 spin-off novel Star Wars Jedi: Battles Scars and a major character and minor playable character in its 2023 sequel Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
She is a former Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars. She took on Trilla Suduri as her apprentice and the two survived Order 66. Suduri turned to the dark side and became the Inquisitor known as the Second Sister. Junda became a mentor to another survivor of the purge, Cal Kestis and worked with him to find her master's holocron on Bogano.
She is voiced and motion-captured by Debra Wilson, who also voiced Storm in X-Men: The Official Game, Ellie in Ice Age 2: The Meltdown video game, and Grace Walker in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and Wolfenstein: Youngblood.
History[]
Cere Junda was a padawan to master Eno Cordova. Junda and Cordova were later sent by the Jedi High Council to oversee an excavation of a temple located on the planet Ontotho but in the process, they were caught up in a battle between the Fylar Freedom Fighters and the local security forces. During the course of the battle, Junda often worked with the Fylar Freedom Fighters. She would eventually would attain the rank of Jedi Knight and take Trilla Suduri as her padawan.
At some point, she acquired a Holocron and would later upload Obi Wan Kenobi's altered Jedi beacon message to it.
When order 66 was issued Cere and her padawan Trilla managed to escape it alive with a group of younglings. After a tragic event resulting in her apprentice Trilla Suduri turned into the Dark Side and becomes an Inquisitor for the Empire, and afraid that she would be lured in by the pull of the Dark Side in her anger, Cere cut herself off from the Force. This effectively meant she was no longer a Jedi and not easy to find by the Empire. She remained connected to the Force to a degree, and was able to feel its call to her.
Although rather than listening to the call, she rejected it. She would also sell her lightsaber Kyber crystal, but kept the hilt until she gifted it to Cal in 14 BBY.
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Junda became a mentor to Cal Kestis.
After leaving the Mantis Crew, she joined up with the Anchorites on Jehda, where Cere later reunited with her estranged pupil. She was handed the contact codes to the Hidden Path by Cal, which in turn, was given to him by Brother Armias, who sacrificed himself for it. After the last compass to Tanalorr was found, everyone got ready to go, but Bode Akuna, who betrayed Cal, gave their location to the Empire, and took off with the compass. Cere managed to survive the subsequent assault on the Archive, but died during an intense lightsaber battle with Darth Vader. Her sacrifice ensured BD-1 escaped with the contact codes.
Biography[]
Background[]
Not much is known about Cere Junda's past, but she was found by a Jedi seeker and brought the Jedi temple on Coruscant. Learning how to control the force, she constructed her own lightsaber on Ilum and became the padawan under Jedi master Eno Cordova. During her service to the order, she reached the rank of Jedi Knight and was given Trilla Suduri to be her padawan.
The Jedi Purge[]
When Emperor Palpatine decided to enact his plan to take over the galaxy, he executed Order 66 on the Clone Troopers to kill the Jedi within their proximity. Cere and Trilla survived the purge and rescued several younglings, deciding to go into hiding as the order was destroyed by the new republic. Despite their attempts to escape the Empire, they were captured and tortured to become Darth Vader's Inquisitorius. Cere initially resisted torture until Trilla was brought to her, having fallen to the dark side and titled the "Second Sister". Junda became enraged at drew upon the dark side to escape, deciding to go into hiding while planning to fight against the Empire and rebuild the order.
Afterward, Cere started to disconnect herself from the force to prevent the Empire from finding her, failing to save her padawan and guilt for drawing power from the dark side. She soon came into contact with the Latero Greez Dritus, hiring him to help her reach locations on the Stinger Mantis. Despite her hesitance with Greez, the two developed a friendship to the point that Junda attempted to pay off his gambling debts to the Haxion Brood by giving them her kyber crystal.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order[]
While checking imperial channel for Jedi, Cere and Greez travel to Bracca after learning that the Inquisitors were heading there when learning of a Force sensitive individual there. Finding the Jedi battling the Second Sister, Cere and Greez brought Cal Kestis onto the Mantis after evading Trilla. Junda informed Cal of her plan to rebuild the Jedi Order and brought him to Bogano to enter the vault due to Cordova traveling there previously. Kestis returned with Cordova's droid BD-1 and revealed that Cordova had hidden a holocron there, as it archived force-sensitive children across the galaxy. Believing the holocron could be the key to rebuild the order, Cere had Greez travel to Zeffo to find a hidden chamber.
As Cal explored Zeffo for the chamber, Cere kept in contact with him and later advised to return when the Imperial's brought ATST's to the planet. Once Kestis returned, Junda explained her past and Cal informed her of Cordova's message telling them to go to Kashyyyk. Reaching the forest planet, the crew encountered Saw Gerrera and his group fighting against the Empire, and Kestis took over a walker to help them. Junda continued her contact with Cal as he helped Gerrera rescue the Wookies from captivity, and learned that the Empire was searching for a second tomb on Zeffo. Returning to the planet, Trilla arrived and revealed herself to Cal, whom was later captured by the Haxion Brood before he return to the Mantis.
Learning of Cal's location, Cere and Greez rescued Kestis from the arena, and Dritus apologized to Kestis for his actions. Cal confronts Cere on the revelation of Trilla being the Second Sister, but they are interrupted by one of Saw's soldiers telling them they found Tarfull. Back on Kashyyyk, Cal bested the Ninth Sister in combat and learned from Cordova's message that they needed the Zeffo astrium in order to access the vault on Bogano. With the astrium being in a tomb on Dathomir, the crew travel to the planet to obtain the astrium. Cal encounters the Nightsister Merrin, whom is being manipulated by the fallen Jedi Taron Malicos for his own goals.
Kestis narrowly avoids the resurrected Nightsisters when returning to the Mantis, explaining that he damaged his kyber crystal when encountering a force specter of his master Jaro Tapal. Junda advises him to find another crystal on Ilum, where he succesfully crafts dual-wielding lightsabers from both of his masters. Returning to Dathomir, Cal defeats Malicos with the assistance of Merrin, whom decides to join the Mantis crew after obtaining the astrium. On Bogano, Kestis obtains the holocron, but is ambushed by Trilla before leaving with the item. Once Cal returns to the Mantis, Cere and Cal join forces to confront the Second Sister on Nur.
In the fortress, Cere and Cal battle their way to Trilla, whom Kestis bests in combat and attempts to persuade to return to the light side. Before her padawan can, however, Darth Vader arrives and kills the Inquisitor for her failures. Junda and Cal attempt to defeat the Sith Lord, but manage to escape with the holocron and leave Nur. On the Mantis, Cal destroys the holocron, deciding to leave the force to choose the fates of the children on the archive.
The Hidden Path[]
Around 10-9BBY, the Mantis crew separated on their own terms as Cal remained determined to defeat the Galactic Empire, as Cere decided to rebuild the order on Jedha. Becoming the leader of the Hidden Path, Junda worked with the planet's locals, Narkis Anchorites and provide anyone shelter from the Empire. At some point, she reunited with her master Cordova, bringing him into the fold to rebuild the Jedi's archives. In addition, Cere became a mentor to Merrin, whom decided to join her cause after exploring the galaxy.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor[]
In 9BBY, Cere reunited with Kal, Greez and BD-1 on their journey with Bode Akuna to reach Tanalorr, a planet that is protected by the Koboh Abyss. Needing to find a way to navigate the abyss and stop the fallen Jedi Dagan Gera, Cordova tasked Kestis with reaching Dagan's base and lab to retrieve information. When Cal and the crew returned, they brought two damaged devices, which Eno learned where compasses to navigate the abyss to reach Tanalorr. However, one of the compasses was stolen by the Nihil marauders when they invaded the planet centuries before. Junda remained on Jedha to continue her leadership of the Hidden Path, but sympathized with Cal on leaving the Mantis prior.
Cal and the Mantis managed to stop Dagan and his right-hand Rayvis in their attempts to reach Tanalorr, ultimately ending with Kestis and Akuna killing Gera and claiming the intact compass. Returning to Jedha, Cere celebrated with the group on their victory and agreed to Cal that the Hidden Path could move to Tanalorr. The following day, the Hidden Path's base is attacked by the Empire, with Bode betraying the team, killing Cordova and escaping with the compass. As Cal chased after Bode, Cere worked with Merrin and the Anchorites to fight against the imperial troops. She then had Merrin return to Greez on the Mantis as she returned to the archives with BD-1 to obtain the contact codes.
After giving the codes to BD-1, Cere was confronted by Darth Vader in the archives, battling him until she was criticaly injured during the duel. As Vader left the archives, she was found by Cal, with her final words being his and Trilla's name. Following her death, she and Cordova were given proper funerals after Kestis defeated Bode on Tanalorr. Despite her death, Junda's Force ghost spoke to Cal to guide Bode's daughter Kata through the darkness.
Quotes[]
| “ | May the Force be with you. | „ |
| ~ Cere Junda to Cal Kestis. |
| “ | Darth Vader: You have grown stronger Cere Junda: No. I've only let go of my fear. |
„ |
| ~ Darth Vader and Cere during their duel. |
| “ | Cal. Guide her through the darkness. | „ |
| ~ Cere's Force spirit to Cal. |
Gallery[]
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