Lit When do the Jedi learn about Ventress?

Specifically, when do the Jedi learn Ventress' name? In the 2003 Clone Wars (her first appearance) Ventress never tells Anakin her name. Then, in the earliest chronological episode of TCW (season 1, episode 16) Obi-Wan addresses her by name. When did he learn who she was?

 

Pre-Reboot I think it was in the Clone War era comics, specifically i'd guess during her mission to Ohma-D'un where she faced Anakin and Obi-Wan, or her mission to Ruul where she faced Mace. Though it could have also been during The Cestus Deception. Haven't read that novel in years, but it's the earliest Clone Wars novel that released and I know she appeared in it. At the least, it certainly wasn't on screen, seeing as she appeared once in the original series and "died" and when she first appeared in TCW you already pointed out her name was known.

 

The Clone Wars comics - written around the same time as the 2003 miniseries - has Obi-Wan meet Ventress and, eventually, be captured by her. During his captivity he learns her history.

 

They first encounter her in SW Republic #52 but AFAIK she doesn't identify herself, but they know her name suddenly in SW Republic #53.

 

Fay does, at least, and Obi-Wan does when recounting the events to the rest of the Jedi.

Fay: "Goodbye, Asajj Ventress."
Ventress: "I feel you in my head, stealing my memories and my name."

He may simple have overheard.

 

I think there is a month and a half gap between the two -- in the original timeline. So there time for intelligence to get some information on her. Especially after her confrontation with Mace Windu a couple weeks after Republic #52. The reports from the two missions would have both described her and the Jedi Order would have been concerned by the powerful Dark Jedi; they'd have likely spent resources trying to identify her. Tholme and Quinlan Voss had an extensive spy network within the separatist movement so the information wouldn't have been too hard to obtain. I known this is an out of universe explanation, but I think it's plausible.

 

I'm fairly certain he knows her name before that though. It's like DigitalMessiah said.

I guess it could be during The Cestus Deception. Has anybody read that?

 

They know her name in that - I think it's set some time after issue 52.

 

Huh. This is pretty weird then. I'm positive it isn't Republic. I guess it is possible that it occurred in the background like JediKnight75 said, but it's odd that there's no real "introduction" for her then.

 

In Jedi: Mace Windu (Feburary 2003): the scene with Bulq and Mace includes her name:

Mace: "It was a mistake to expose you to Vaapad. I see that now."
Bulq: " I have perfected it. I have harnessed all that is inherent in it. I am now its true master -- and yours. You can no more withstand me, Windu, than the others can withstand my companion, Asajj Ventress."

Republic 52, by contrast, came out in April 2003.

 

...I guess that's it then. Asajj was unknown to Windu in that comic, so I guess that would mark the first time her name was actually said to one of the Jedi. From there, Windu chats with Anakin and they realize they faced the same dark side adept. Kind of unsatisfying, but I'll take it. Thanks!

 

I wonder if the dynamic between Obi-Wan and Ventress in the first TCW episode, and in the movie - was written to hint at their offscreen history (seen in the Republic comics)?

 

That's the way I always took it, yeah.

 

I think so. Which is now a little awkward, considering that none of that has happened anymore...

 

It doesn't make any sense otherwise, two strangers don't banter like that.

 

Follow up question (better than starting a new thread, I guess): how do the Jedi know about the Rule of Two? When Bane starts it, the Sith are clearly thought to be dead, and yet Yoda mentions it in TPM.

 

A Jedi fell to the Dark Side or something a couple hundred years before the movies and came to the knowledge but the Jedi didn't believe it.

 

As Force Smuggler said:


Kibh Jeen informed them of it, though he was ignored due to being a Dark Jedi.