As I had previously guessed, The Dangerous Rescue ended the three-part story-arc that began with The Deadly Hunter. Watson introduced us to her latest villain, Ona Nobis, only to have her killed by Adi Gallia at the end of the story. Like my reactions to Xanatos’ demise I was wary if Nobis had indeed perished, but a quick look at her write-up on wookeeipedia confirms this. She appears only in the last three books and is never heard from again. It’s reasonable she could make a ‘back from the dead’ appearance down the line somewhere in Star Wars mythology (She’s a great villain short story writers could pull into their narratives). It’s plausible she could have survived the fall since she was Sorrusian in race and could therefore “compress their skeletal system”. I think a species that can compress their skeletal systems could likely survive falls from great heights.
As it is, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, with the assistance of Adi Gallia and her padawan Siri, save the day. Zan Arbor is arrested along with her accomplice Uta S’orn, and Noor R’aya (what’s with all the apostrophes?) the poor retired Jedi master, is saved and brought home unscathed.
The point of interest I want to focus on in this story is the last character I mentioned: Noor R’aya. Though only used as a MacGuffin in this narrative, I find the idea of retired Jedi Masters living out their old age fascinating. Not much is given about Noor, except what Gallia says about him: “Noor had a deep connection to the Force that led him to choose a life of meditation when he became an elder. He left the Temple and returned to his home planet, Sorl, where he planned to live in quiet seclusion” (33). Gallia tells us that his seclusion was short lived as Noor’s artistic abilities eventually led him to make toys for the local children, and his days of solitude were no more.
A few Jedi master’s came to mind when I read about Noor. Most obvious is Yoda, himself a wizened old master, strong with the Force, looking to live the life of an ascetic in the wilderness. I also thought of Jolee Bindo, from the KOTOR video game. He also chose a life of solitude on Kashyyyk. What these three Master have in common (R’aya, Yoda, and Bindoo) is that they forwent Temple life in their old age, and looked for the peace of nature. Granted, Yoda’s seclusion was not by choice, but I imagine him making the same decision whether Palpatine was successful with Order 66 or not.
Conversely, an elder which chose Temple life in their retirement rather than seclusion, and one I won’t get to for a while, is Tera Sinube from the second season of The Clone Wars. Instead of retreating to nature, he chose to stay in the bustle of Temple life, and every so often get in on the action. I wonder; do old Jedi Masters become like sannyasa, renouncing the world of the material, owning nothing but tattered robes for their backs, and a bowl to hold their food for which they have begged? I’ve always wondered: does a Jedi’s power diminish as he or she grows older, or does it increase, but because of the Jedi sentiments around detachment, do they simply let go of the immense power they have amassed?
What do most Jedi do when they become too old?
Turning my attention from old Jedi to young ones, is it just me, or is Obi-Wan Kenobi quite the ladies’ man? First there was Cerasi, and now Astri. We also know from The Clone War series that he develops feeling for Duchess Satine. I’m looking forward to how Obi-Wan will handle his sexuality, and all the tension it will inherently bring to his story.
For my next post I’m going to look at a break in the Jedi Apprentice series, a special edition JA titled Deceptions. Until then my friends, may the Force be with you.
Old Jedi: Well Yoda, while still one of the best duelers and Force-users of the galaxy, was already very old during the prequel era. Still he stayed as a lifetime-member of the High Council and an informal leader of the Jedi. Even if I'm not blaming Yoda for what happened in the end (that was all Sith and Anakin himself), he pretty much ruled the Jedi for centuries, taught many of the High Council members, and so it was mostly his teachings that were the ideals of the Jedi in latest centuries. This could be compared to the Banite Sith, whose even primary teachings have changed and evolved under different Dark Lord for thousand years.
ReplyDeleteBut now I have gotten off the topic. My ideas are that it depends of the Jedi and the era. Jolee Bindo lived in the Old Republic. Remember that at the time when he exiled himself (just after Exar Kun War) many Jedi Masters were living like monks away from other Jedi, some with their students.
There hasn't been many sources telling about retired Jedi in the Golden Age of the Republic, but I think that some retired to other worlds and some stayed in the Temple but took no missions anymore.
And yes, Obi-Wan is a ladies man. Plus in here he's 17. It's normal, even for a Jedi.
You make some good points about Yoda. Maybe he would not have led a life of seclusion unless he was forced into it. Until you elucidated the point, I never really comprehended just how influential Yoda’s worldview has been to the Jedi Order over the centuries; indeed, it is his philosophy and view of the Force which has guided Jedi customs, tradition, and dogma over the generations. Though this does provided stability (in opposition to the Siths constant philosophy change with every leader) It makes me wonder if his voice has become TOO dominate, and maybe call into question (just to play devil's advocate) if his version of Jedi orthodoxy.
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