Among the many works that George Lucas took inspiration from are the films of Akira Kurosawa. And Star-Wars-ologists know that Lucas’ favorite Kurosawa flick was The Hidden Fortress, a movie full of shots that Lucas just lifted wholesale. It’s fitting then that ‘The Hidden Temple’ gets real old school, bringing our heroes together just in time for Jariah Syn’s roaring rampage of revenge.
“Star Wars Legacy” #25-31
Story by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema
Written by John Ostrander
Illustrated by Omar Francia, and Jan Duursema
Inked by Dan Parsons
Colored by Brad Anderson
Lettered by Michael Heisler
Published by Marvel
Originally published by Dark Horse
Well, sort of. He roars and he rampages, but Syn’s revenge is ultimately unfulfilled. Reading this series, I’ve found Syn to be extremely compelling. Sure his anger can sometimes be irritating or even repetitive, but when contrasted with his other emotions you see the full picture beneath the facade. Because it turns out that’s what his anger is- a facade. He’s spent this entire series raging against the Jedi for killing his dad, but we learn here that his dad was a really bad dude. We’re talking murder, human trafficking (well, alien trafficking), and a whole lot worse. That Jedi who killed him? That was self defense.
And I really love when Star Wars gets into its whole radical peace and compassion thing. Syn was no match for Master Rasi Tuum, but Tuum doesn’t strike him down. He just begs Syn to remember his dad as he really was- and it’s hard. It’s cool when pirates smirk as they blast fools in the face. But it’s equally cool when a Jedi Knight uses words, persuasion, and the truth to defuse a situation.
Syn isn’t the only one who is denied vengeance for his father. The Jedi council also decides not to support Cade’s mission to assassinate Darth Krayt. The morality of this choice is a little harder- Krayt is out there committing genocide- but you can see the council’s trepidation. The way things are going, it seems pretty clear that Cade is positioned as Krayt’s heir. Cade doesn’t want to be a Sith Lord, but he’s seeing all that he could accomplish with great power, and his allies are starting to fear him. I’m not like, glad for him. But it does make for a compelling conflict!
Then comes ‘Vector.’ I admit I was a little confused when I turned the page and it told me I was reading part 9 of 12. A little research brought me up to speed. ‘Vector’ was a crossover between the various “Star Wars” comics that were being published in 2008. Following the story of Celeste Morne, the series takes her from the “Knights of the Old Republic” era to the rise of Vader, to the original trilogy of films, and finally to this era, over a century after the movies. Morne is battling a threat introduced in the hit video game Knights of the Old Republic: the zombies plague of the Star Wars galaxy, the Rakghouls.
A bunch of the story is… fine. A problem with crossovers is that they feel urgent in the month-to-moth wait for new issues, but reading them years later lessens that impact. I also feel nothing for the love triangle between Cade, Blue, and Azlyn Rae. I like all three characters, but seeing Blue reduced to this jealous shrew is not only regressive, it’s tired and played out. Fortunately, Rakghouls are pretty scary and make for a compelling threat. And even more fortunately, we get to spend time with my favorite characters in this entire series: Antares Draco and Ganner Krieg, the Imperial Knights.
There’s a nuance in the philosophy of the Imperial Knights that I think is pretty rad. They don’t see the Force as good or evil, simply a tool to be wielded. That’s why their lightsabers are white instead of red or blue. Their sabers aren’t part of them. They’re interchangeable tools, to be grabbed before battle and locked back in a box when they are done. But instead of being edgy nihilists, the Knights spend a lot of time considering their morality. Not in the epic abstraction of “if I do a bad thing, will I go Dark Side crazy?” In a normal human way.
Continued belowConsider the moment when Draco and Krieg are forced into firing upon an Imperial garrison. Krieg feels guilt, as part of him feels loyalty to the Imperial Army. But Draco is over it. If they choose to serve the Sith, they are no longer his allies, they are treasonous enemy combatants. Later when Azlyn shows a moment of hesitation, Draco mentions that he might have to kill her. But Krieg is aghast, and says he would die to prevent that from happening. The two of them really get into it, debating the points of duty vs conscience, and when personal feelings should get in the way of service.
I’m not saying that I need these morally grey dudes with the tryhard names to replace the Jedi in all my Star Wars media. But I like the contrast. There’s a place for all sorts of moral philosophies and codes of ethics surrounding the Force. To me, this was the biggest wasted opportunity in Rise of Skywalker. The Jedi aren’t synonymous with Goodness. They recommend an approach to living a good life, and that approach is obviously extremely suspect in the text of Star Wars.
I’d also like to take a moment to consider the design of Jedi Master Celeste. Everything about her screams Jan Duursema. This is the same artist who drew a sexy Twi’lek, Aayla Secura so well, that George Lucas added her to the movies. Duursema loves drawing a particular kind of strong, beautiful woman. Celeste’s piercing blue eyes, impressive braid, and midriff revealing space-tunic-halter-top thing is an academy in Duursema quirks. For that reason alone I really like the character, even if her presence in this series feels a little forced.
It all comes together in a hell of a finale though. Just a mess of characters, monsters, motivations, lightsabers, and one-liners in a glorious symphony of stupid comic book action. By the end, Celeste is dead and the ghosts that haunt her banished. Azlyn is mortally wounded, and taken by Cade and his crew. The Imperial Knights are hit hard by the loss and in pursuit. But the biggest twist of all is Darth Krayt seemingly killed by his vizier Darth Wyyrlock. It’s the exact way to end a crossover. The foreign element brought in from the other comics may be gone, but the plot and characters are forever changed by the encounter. It seemed like we would have to wait another dozen issues before Cade could attempt his assassination of Krayt, but now the game has changed. Always in motion is the future, but I trust in the Force and I trust in Ostrander and I trust in Duursema. See you next week!
Star Wars Track of the Week: Darth Traya by Mark Griskey from Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
