Shaak Ti - Premium Format Figures

The Jedi Master Shaak Ti was born amidst the sprawling savannas and canopied rainforests covering the wild planet of Shili. Taken from her home as an infant, the Togruta girl grew strong in The Force through her academy training and, later, as a Padawan before being elevated to the status of a Jedi Knight. As a Jedi Consular, Shaak Ti focused her studies on strengthening her internal connection with The Force, shunning physical conflict unless absolutely necessary.

Her subsequent peaceful demeanor belied her abilities with a lightsaber, however. After planning and engaging in the first Battle of Geonosis, Shaak Ti continued to play a significant role in battles throughout the Clone Wars, She was there defending future generations of Clone Troopers during the First and Third battles of Kamino. She barely escaped with her life during a deadly encounter with General Grievous at the Battle of Hypori. And during the war, she was responsible for all Clone Trooper training on Kamino.

By the time Chancellor Palpatine initiated Order 66 to the clones of the Grand Army of the Republic, Master Shaak Ti was overseeing the protection of the Jedi Temple. Despite a heroic defense against Darth Vader and his 501st Legion, Shaak Ti was inevitably overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Clones sent to slaughter the Jedi on that day. Forced to retreat, she aided in the evacuation of several Jedi from the Temple before escaping from Coruscant and into deep space.

Shaak Ti eventually made her way to the wilds of Felucia, a planet strong with the Dark Side of the Force. There she remained hidden in exile for years, training her Padawan, Maris Brood, while bringing the balance of Felucia more in line with the Light Side ... until the day came that Darth Vader learned of her presence there, and sent his secret apprentice, Starkiller, to assassinate her.

Shaak Ti and Starkiller battled fiercely at the edge of a great Sarlacc pit, with the Jedi Master enlisting the aid of the giant creature in her struggle. In the end, however, the raw power of Starkiller proved too great, and Shaak Ti, grievously wounded, threw herself into the Sarlacc Pit, where she vanished in a flash of brilliant light.

At this point we just don’t know how it’s possible anymore that Sideshow Collectibles can successively make the latest Premium Format Figure better than the last, but it’s true. They’ve brought forth plenty of well-represented characters across the entire Star Wars saga into this collectible format. Characters from the films, from the Expanded Universe and The Clone Wars franchises have already been masterfully created. But now they have released the first offering based on The Force Unleashed multimedia event and its done so well that we’re already hoping that they release a few more characters from this source very soon. Always in motion is the future, but one thing collectors can count on in the Premium Format Figures line is an excellent array of high quality collectibles with exponential growth in quality and artistry. Shaak Ti has now graced the line, but in a way that you might not initially expect. Sideshow Collectibles didn’t go with the most obvious Prequel Trilogy version of her. And thankfully they took a narrower route with her approach instead. Based on her appearance in The Force Unleashed video game multimedia event, Shaak Ti is available in stunning one-quarter scale looking as sexy as she probably ever will and based on a scene in which she confronts Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, Starkiller. This Premium Format Figure will leave you speechless. There is no question about it. Although we’re personally not necessarily fans of collectibles in this format when electronics are incorporated into these very expensive collectibles, it ends up that it’s just one of the best features of Shaak Ti. Sideshow has mastered this feature and we wouldn’t want to have Shaak Ti any other way. In the game, she ends up near the maw of the Ancient Abyss, a revered Sarlacc Pit on Felucia, because she can no longer stay off Starkiller’s vengeful attack. And that is exactly where this Premium Format Figure has been frozen. Shaak Ti stands cautiously around the great beast complete with dirt and grime covering her in various spots with the teeth of the Sarlacc behind her. There are even remains of a previous victim or victims lying around as well.

Sometimes you need time to digest whether or not how well the likeness turned out for some of the pieces in the Premium Format Figures line. But with Shaak Ti, no time is needed at all. In fact, we found ourselves gasping at how stunning and brilliant the finished piece looked as soon as we removed her from the box. As you know, we have been defensive of the conservativeness of the Togruta species. They are typically adorned in clothing and robes that cover their bodies completely. But that all changed with The Force Unleashed, and this collectible represents the more popular liberal take on Shaak Ti. It has opened the doors somewhat and the same approach was also carried forward to Ahsoka Tano in The Clone Wars film and television show. Be that as it may, Shaak Ti received a ton of positive attention for being scantily clad and it makes complete sense why this happened. She is a beautiful Togruta woman with a fantastic body and very sexy curves. There is something about her supposed vulnerability that ironically makes her more powerful and respected. All of these gorgeous details translated exceptionally well into polystone. Keep in mind, this wasn’t the first time we received this particular style of Shaak Ti in some sort of collectible format. Hasbro jumped on board first and provided collectors with the exceptional 2010 LC Shaak Ti (BD61) figure, part of the final and exclusive wave of the Legacy Collection. That was a fantastic interpretation of her based on her appearance in The Force Unleashed video game, but it can’t hold a candle to this collectible that is multiple times larger in scale and has a budget that allows for gorgeous hand-painted details and mixed media materials. We’re not knocking the action figure at all, but you do have to realize how much detail is missed in something that is in the 3.75” scale versus one that is in one-quarter scale. Shaak Ti has so many beautiful details that we’re not entirely sure where to begin, but we can tell you that she is striking as a whole and there isn’t anything we can think of that could make her better.

Shaak Ti doesn’t have too many parts, although both arms have hand attachments. The right arm is for the lightsaber holding hand. There is a special plug in that attachment that provides some resistance so that it stays firmly in place. (We should also note that he foot plugs into an electronic switch in the base too. It’s all part of the electronics for this collectible.) After installing the batteries (there is also an AC power cord option), simply press the button on the back of the base and watch the brilliant blue lightsaber light-up magnificently. Whether it is dim light or bright light, the blade illuminates unbelievably well. This technology was first brought into the Premium Format Figures line with the Cyborg Darth Maul (Darth Maul With Mechanical Legs) piece. (This lightsaber approach was also used for the beautiful Aayla Secura Premium Format Figure as well.) Definitely one of her better assets, Shaak Ti is also made more authentic with the way Sideshow Collectibles approached the very little clothing she is wearing. She has a real fabric loincloth, and then underneath that is a faux leather skirt. She also has a metal belt around her waist. The leg wrappings are stunning as well. It looks like real gauze and they have been painted beautifully. Her feet are relatively filthy as you might expect, but the sculpting is just mind-blowing. They’ve etched the jagged creamy white tattoo-like patterns into her “flesh” and have painstakingly painted them neatly and in the lines. For exclusive collectors, Sideshow has added an interchangeable left forearm that is holding Starkiller’s lightsaber hilt. It adds perplexity to the piece and leaves the viewer with a false conclusion of her fate, perhaps leaving it a bit open-ended. She sadly dies by throwing herself in the maw of the Sarlacc before Starkiller could strike her down. But that's not really what the Premium Format represents. There is nothing here but positive amazement to enjoy with Shaak Ti. Sideshow Collectibles did an incredible job with her. Fans of female Jedi better jump on board and secure her soon for your own collection. While more pieces exists than a characters like Darth Talon, Shaak Ti’s quality is infinitely better and will command more interest. She is absolutely a collectible you need.