41 BBY: Jedi Apprentice: The Deadly Hunter

April turned out to be a very busy month. I was hoping to maintain my streak of seven posts a month, but alas, my work and home duties need to be attended to first before any time can be spent on the SWCP. The Rugby season is still in full swing with no end in sight for another three weeks, and assignments come in nearly daily from my three classes – I’m still eyes deep in marking. Hopefully I can make up the difference in May and June, but enough about me – let’s move on to Star Wars :)

The Deadly Hunter, book eleven in the Jedi Apprentice series, introduces us to Watson’s newest villain: an un-named bounty hunter who is Sorrusian in race and can disguise herself masterfully. Our intrepid heroes Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi have unwittingly caught themselves up in this bounty hunter’s orbit, and find themselves faced with new danger and intrigue.

The Deadly Hunter was a fun read but wasn’t one of my favorite JA titles to date. There was nothing wrong with it, it was a great little sleuth story, but it simply failed to capture my attention completely.

There were, however, some neat lines in it that warrants some discussion. Firstly, what the hell is a “vibro-mop”? “The Togarian stood behind them with a bucket and a vibro-mop” (58). Does a mop really need to vibrate? Is the mop impervious to lightsaber strikes? Can a gaggle of custodians armed with vibro-mops take on a squad of sith? What’s so special about the mops in the Star Wars universe? I think Watson got a little to ‘sci-fi’ for the sake of sci-fi and started sci-fi’ing objects that really didn’t need it.

On the topic of weapons however, I thought the bounty hunter’s weapon of choice – the lightwhip – was an intriguing element of her character. The lightwhip as the bounty hunter’s go-to weapon could imply some sort of force training or sensitivity, as to date the only other character we’ve come across to employ this weapon was Githany from Jedi vs. Sith – a former Jedi herself. I’ve learned not to under-estimate Watson’s villains, as Xanatos was about as formidable as they come, and I expect nothing less from the un-named bounty hunter in this story.

As it is, the story ends with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan on the losing side, with Master and Apprentice separated. Any bounty hunter that can do that has my respect.

Outside of vibro-mops and light whips, what I also found of interest in this story was Qui-Gon’s mention of how Jedi have dealt with some force-sensitive children in the past. Far from being ‘baby snatchers’, Qui-Gon makes it clear that the Jedi don’t take all force sensitive children from their parents, and indeed, such a large decision is the parent’s choice: “Many parents chose to keep a force-sensitive child. There are many paths in life. You make the best choice you can for your child” (75). The Jedi often get a bad reputation as child kidnappers who brainwash children into an ascetic-like martial existence, but as we see from Qui-Gon's own words, such a choice is not up to the Jedi, but the parents themselves.

I’ve been sitting on this post for over a month now, and I haven’t picked up a Star Wars book in some time. Hopefully this week I can get ahead of my work and re-start my journey which I have momentarily paused. For my next post I’ll be looking at book 12 of the Jedi Apprentice series: The Deadly Experiment. Until then my friends, may the Force be with you.

42 BBY: Jedi vs Sith - The Essential Guide to the Force: Telepathy: Saesee Tiin Address

Thank the maker for Spike TV and its dedication to running Star Wars marathons on the weekend. If it wasn’t for a little downtime with Luke, Leia, and Han this past Saturday I may not have worked up the energy to write this post. I’ve been highly engrossed with my teaching duties this past week and I didn’t think I’d have any time to write this month, but fortunately I got ahead of the curve on Friday which enabled me to sit down on a Sunday afternoon and spend some quality time with Mr. Lucas’ world.

And thank the maker for Plaristes! If not for his attention to detail I would defiantly miss little gems The Essential Guide Jedi vs. Sith has to offer a Star Wars chronologist.

My post today focus’ upon pages 65-67, which delineate on the subject of Jedi telepathy, and how this ability affected Jedi Master Saesee Tiin, and his relationship with his own Jedi Master Omo Bouri.

Master Saesse Tiin, an Iktotchi Jedi who is not given to speaking, recorded for future padawan’s his experience with telepathy, and did so by outlining the strengths and weaknesses of such an ability. His most amusing line for me was how this ability caused him much embarrassment: “For unlike my peers, I was a natural receiver and transmitter of thoughts, a condition that I – not then able to organize incoming thoughts or consistently contain my own deliberations – often considered a hindrance and, at times, an embarrassment. I will not share details, but allow you to imagine” (66). And imagine I did! I think that one of the things that would probably cause Master Tiin embarrassment would be the thoughts of other Jedi revolving around the subject of sex. He was probably privy too many intimate thoughts of fellow Jedi members, if not for him, then maybe for each other. Cause for embarrassment indeed!

The other aspect of Master Saesse’s recording which I found educational was the history he provided for young padawans about his Master, Omo Bouri. Not even remotely humanoid, Master Omo Boui was a sentient parasitic species called a Wol Cabasshite. What made this relationship work for Saesee Tiin was that he was unable to read his Master’s thoughts, because his physiology was so foreign his Iktotchi brain was unable to decipher anything the Jedi Master said: “At first, I couldn’t understand his thoughts or a single word he said. It was a most refreshing experience” (67).

Upon investigating what Omo Bouri looked like on Wookieepedia, I discovered the picture above. This picture if not one of master Omo, but what a Wol Cabasshite looks like, and remarkably, this species had a split second cameo in Return of the Jedi!

In the ‘behind the scenes’ section of the Wol Cabasshite write-up, it gave a description of how the inclusion of this small alien in Lucas’ ’83 film evolved into the backstory of Master Saesee Tiin: “The Wol Cabasshites first appeared in Richard Marquand's Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, where they were shown, fleetingly, in the Jabba's Palace sequence. They were first named in the "Jabba's Palace Limited" set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game. The backstory and elaboration of the species was provided by "ejmacki" through StarWars.com's Hyperspace feature, "What's The Story?," which worked with information provided in the card game. The "What's the Story?" information would later be used by Ryder Windham in his 2007 reference book, Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, and in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.”

I know I’ve beaten this drum before, but this is a prime example of intertextuality and allusion at work, again, in the Star Wars universe. Text influencing and affecting how future text see and engage with images and stories that have come before it. I love this stuff!

For my next post I’m going to look at Watson’s Jedi Apprentice #11, The Deadly Hunter. Until then my friends, may the Force be with you.

42 BBY: Yaddle's Tale: The One Below

The One Below is one of my favorite Star Wars comic shorts. Tales Volume 2 was the first Tales trade paperback I bought and I remember reading it cover to cover and thoroughly enjoying it.

This story has a bunch of little elements to it that I really like. Firstly, I found Yaddle’s Master Polvin Kut an interesting Jedi.

Given to anger Kut fell to the dark side shortly before his head was ripped off by Advozsese warriors, which was an epically gruesome scene. Still harboring his hatred for Tulak, a warlock who killed his family, Master Kut gave into his rage and revenge, and received the results that such emotions reap.

What I find remarkable about this particular bit of the story was that Polvin was asked, presumably by the Jedi council, to be the one to deliver the colonies of Koba from Tulak. I suppose it was the council’s hope that Kut would be beyond such notions of revenge, and possibly sent him there as a test of his emotional detachment from the situation. Unfortunately for the Jedi Master, if this was the motivation of the council, he failed miserably.

The second little element of this story which I found neat was the mention of Tulak being a “warlock”: “Over two hundred years ago, The Jedi Knight Polvin Kut was summoned to liberate the colonies from the Advose warlock, Tulak”. My first instinct to this honorific was that it must’ve been a typo, and Vickie Williams (the letterer of this tale) really meant to write the word “warlord”, but through human error wrote “warlock”. Though with that being said I think the use of the title “warlock” for Tulak is vastly more intriguing. I hope it’s not an error, but intended, because it raises so many more interesting prospects for the Star Wars universe. The term “warlock” further supports the idea that Star Wars is really fantasy disguised as science fiction, and the idea of warlock warlord running around this universe only increases its mystery and danger.

The third element I found of interest was the introduction into Star Wars history of much of the Jedi council. I think this is the first time Evan Piel enters Star Wars chronology, along with many other Jedi Masters on the council. Even Piell has been one of those Jedi that has fascinated me since his first appearance in The Phantom Menace. I’ve always wondered about that little Jedi that has a resemblance to Master Yoda. I’m looking to forward to finding out more about him, which will make the Citadel trilogy from The Clone Wars that much more significant.

Moving along, I always find Yoda’s dogmatic nature a little amusing. When discussing Yaddle’s knighthood, Piell, Yaddle’s advocate on the council, had to contend with Yoda’s adherence to Jedi tradition: “Too old to resume the life of a Padawan she is, too much anger. A Jedi must complete her training. Another Master she needs”. Piell quickly strikes down Yoda’s assertion, and says the council is there to discuss her knighthood, not her re-training. After Piell’s re-telling of Yaddle’s story, Master Yoda softens his position, and he along with the other members of the council welcome her back into the Jedi order, but surprisingly not as a knight, but as a full-fledged Master.

Which brings me to the knighting ceremony; this is the first time in Star Wars history we have textual evidence of this ritual (I think prior to this Dooku mentions its “civility”), and boy, was it a plethora of lightsaber inaccuracies. I usually don’t get to upset by a Jedi with an improperly coloured lightsaber, as there are hundreds of ways to explain why a Jedi might have a lighsaber not their usual colour, but Yoda with a yellow saber? Mace with a blue one? Plo Koon with an orange saber? There were even a few red sabers in there for good measure. It was quite the rainbow. Still, it was neat to see how the Jedi go about promoting within their ranks.

My final point in regards to the comic short The One Below has to do with the main protagonist herself: Yaddle is the Jedi Master I’ve been waiting for: a peaceful, patient, and humble Jedi only drawn into combat as a last resort. A teacher and a healer before she is a warrior, she is one who loves her enemies as herself- the model of unselfish love. No wonder she went straight from Padawan to Master. She gained enlightenment in that hole, and rose from the darkness of death and solitude as a bright and enlightened Buddha.

For my next post I’m going to engage with The Deadly Hunter, book 11 in the Jedi Apprentice series. I’ll also deal with Hate Leads to Lollipops sometime soon as well. Hopefully I can keep my 7 post streak up for the month of April, but this month is crazy busy. Until then my friends, may the Force be with you.

43 BBY: Star Wars Tales #20: George R. Binks

George R. Binks, the story of Jar Jar’s father, is an angry tale. Written by Tony Millionaire, who is also known as Scott Richardson, Gorge R. Binks provides for readers some history into the Binks family. You can read the plot synopsis here.

I don’t really know what to say about this particular piece of Star Wars “canon” – if it should even be considered that. I hope before long it’ll be regulated to infinities because the spirit of the tale resonates with a deep and cynical anger leveled towards the goofy Gungan we all love to hate. This fanatic hatred of Jar Jar Binks manifests itself into the story of George R. Binks, and gives all haters of Jar Jar something to enjoy. If you dislike Jar Jar Binks then this is the tale for you.

I wouldn’t call myself a lover of all things Jar Jar, but in the twelve years that he’s been involved in Star Wars canon he’s grown on me. I think what Richardson really wants to do in this story is have Jar Jar blow his own brains out, but he can’t, so he instead has his father making a failed attempt on his own life. We also find out that Jar Jar’s father really doesn’t love his mother (or Jar Jar for that matter), and has no qualms about sending his young son into danger.

Richardson has no love for Lucas’ creation, that much is clear, and Tony Millionaire obviously dislikes Jar.

George R. Binks is a strange tale that I’m glad I’ve left behind.

For my next post we’re going to move ahead another year in Star Wars history, to Star Wars Tales volume 5, and the story of Yaddle: The One Below. Until then my friends, May the Force be with you.

43 BBY: Jedi Apprentice: The Shattered Peace

One of the reasons I found Revenge of the Sith so emotionally devastating was its visceral presentation of Order 66. It showed the Jedi at their most vulnerable, and revealed for us an aspect of their nature: that of fallible and mortal being. In The Shattered Peace, book 10 of the Jedi Apprentice series, a little of that nature was revealed in Qui-Gon Jiin.

After finding Leed, the Prince of Rutan, and convincing him to return to his father and accept his burdensome kingship, Qui-Gon thought he had completed a successful mission, and blissfully fell asleep under a benevolent Senali sky. Unfortunately for the Jedi Master, kidnappers snuck under his nose and kidnapped the prince. King Frane, the king of Rutan, rightfully angry at Qui-Gon, asked him where all his Jedi training was the night his son was stolen: “While you fools were dreaming, they stole him from right under your noses! How could you let this happen? You are Jedi! Obi-Wan admired how Qui-Gon could meet insults with composure. ‘Jedi are not infallible King Frane…We are living beings, not machines’” (69). I’m always pleased to see an author deal with the Jedi in a human way, not because I enjoy seeing the Jedi fail, but because it means I can relate to them; they’re not god-like beings, simply fallible humans with extra-ordinary powers.

As it is, The Shattered Peace was an appealing chapter in the history of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi because it showed their continued growth as both a Master and a Padawan: “’ Well, it is good to hear that you don’t know everything,’ Obi-Wan told his Master with a smile. ‘Not nearly, Padawan,’ Qui-Gon said. ‘Not nearly enough, I suspect. Even with sureness, there must be doubt. It is the Jedi way’” (130). Along with the notion of these two both growing as people, I also enjoyed the Jainist sentiment behind Qui-Gon’s words – that clinging to absolutes is dangerous.

Lastly, one small but curious aspect of The Shattered Peace which caught my attention was the mention of “laser arrows”: She (Drenna) hoisted her crossbow to her shoulder and began to fire a rapid volley of laser arrows into the trees” (82). I wonder is this weapon was similar to the type used by the Night Sisters of Dathomir in the Night Sister trilogy featured in season three of The Clone Wars. Does anyone have any information on these types of weapons? They’re pretty cool.

Fort my next post I’m going to take a look at Tale #20: George R. Binks. It should be interesting. I’m purposely passing over chapter 1 of The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and deal with that source at the end of its chronological date as a retrospective on old Ben’s life. Also, I’m going to pass over the flashback of Prelude to Rebellion, and deal with it at its framed narrative date. Until then my friends, may the Force be with you.

43 BBY: Jedi Apprentice: The Fight for Truth

Looking at the cover of issue #9 of the Jedi Apprentice series – a picture of a young Obi-Wan with a little blonde girl – and noting the title of the book: The Fight for Truth, which seemed rather cheesy to me – I really didn’t expect too much from this particular JA title. But I was wrong. Of all the books I’ve read in this series so far, this was the one I enjoyed the most. I think the reason I enjoyed this title the most was because of the ironic motivations of its antagonists.

Thus far, we’ve moved the chronometer ahead one year in our examinations of Star Wars history, and I’m reminded of an old saying from a friend of mine: ‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time’.

Acknowledging the movement of our galactic calendar and turning our attention to the material at hand, The Fight for Truth had some similarities to the story of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in Legacy of the Jedi: there is an oppressive government watching and controlling its people, dissidents are dealt with harshly, and freedom is an illusion. The Jedi enter this scenario, de-stabilize the ruling party, the populace revolts, and good government is installed. However, there was a twist of irony in this story, as the reason the planet Kegan was isolationist in its foreign policy and oppressive towards its people was because of visions of an evil future had by the ruling couple.

What makes the planet Kegan from The Fight for Truth and Junction 5 from the Legacy of the Jedi so freighting is that places like this exist in our own world: North Korea, China, and Cuba for example. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to live in such oppressive cultures. But the motivations of V-Tan and O-Vieve in the repression of their citizens, though not justifiable, have a touch of irony, as all their efforts to protect their people were an attempt to avoid the coming storm of Emperor Palpatine. This notion wasn’t expressed in such specific terms, but both had visions of a terrible future to come: “’O-Vieve has prophetic visions,’ O-Melie explained. ‘V-Tan has dreams. Many of their predictions have come true. That is why the people of Kegan trust them. O-Vieve had a vision of the Jedi. She claims that en evil force will engulf those who are close to the Jedi’” (70).

One of the most ironic lines in the book came from Davi, a young student befriended by Obi-Wan and Sari: “’It’s not that I don’t trust you,’ Davi said worriedly. ‘But the power of evil that controls the galaxy might be telling you things that aren’t true. Misinformation is spread to confuse the people and keep them in line’” (77). This line reminds me of Count Dooku’s speech to Obi-wan in AOTC: “What if I told you that a Dark Lord of the Sith had gained control of the Senate?” Both Davi and Dooku are speaking the truth, but what is a Jedi to do?

Though O-Veive and V-Tan had noble intentions, the fear of their prophetic visions lead them to a totalitarian state, even if it wasn’t their original intent: “It began as an anti-crime measure’ O-Melie explained. ‘Society was stable, but petty theft and pilfering was common after we changed to a bartering system. V-Tan and O-Vieve proposed we use autohoppers as security devices, and we all voted on it. ... No one expected that it would be used to monitor conversations and activities. It happened slowly, and now we are watched all the time’” (67-68). Like Legacy of the Jedi, I wonder if Watson is making commentary on the USA PATRIOT act which was signed into law shortly after the events of 9/11. But like my other posts regarding this matter, I could be reading too much into this.

Another element of The Fight for Truth I enjoyed beyond the ironic visions of its antagonists was how the collection of a Force sensitive child was handled. Far from the accusations of baby stealing, the events of this story are set in motion by a set of parents asking the Jedi to come and test their child for Force sensitivity. Yoda asks Qui-Gon and Adi Gallia, along with their padawns, to determine the child’s Force capability. After the resolution of the planet’s political landscape, it is the parents who decide to let the child go to the Jedi temple for training, which must have been a difficult choice indeed: “’Nen and I have decided that it is best for Lana to go,’ she said, tears in her eyes. ‘I have seen what the Jedi are and what they can do. We must honor her gift’” (135). Granted this is but one case is several thousand, but it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if the parents had denied the Jedi’s request to adopt (for lack of a better word) the child.

The last element of the book I enjoyed was Qui-Gon’s own vision of the future: “Sun suddenly burst through the clouds overhead, dazzling Qui-Gon’s sight. The glare caused Obi-Wan features to blur and dissolve. For a moment, Qui-Gon didn’t see the boy. He saw an elder man, alone, living in a desolate planet; his only companions his dark memories” (137). A prophetic and sad vision from an excellent Jedi with a pitiable ending.

For my next post I’m going to examine The Shattered Peace, book 10 in the Jedi Apprentice series. Until then my friends, may the Force be with you.

44 BBY: Jedi vs. Sith

Pages 84-85 in Jedi vs. Sith is a mind-blowing piece of text. It details a report to the Jedi Council given by Plo Koon on his use of Force lightning.

Plo Koon. Force lightning.

What’s remarkable about this bit of text, above and beyond my two sentences previous to this one, is Plo Koon’s rational and detached disposition in recounting why he used this dark side ability. To provide some context for those not familiar with this story, Koon was placed in a hostage situation. A gunman had a blaster to the head of a 5 year old girl. The villain had already killed the girl’s family and was looking to escape. Plo Koon came upon the scene and used Force lightning on Pommel, disabling the bandit and rescuing the girl. He did not kill him, he simply subdued him.

Several points in his report surprised me. Firstly, Plo Koon’s remark that this was an ability he learned of at the Temple: “Like other Jedi, I learned of Force lightning at the Jedi Temple and I am well aware that it is regarded as a dark side power” (84). I think we need to do a careful reading of the text here because I think it could be easily misinterpreted. Plo Koon is not saying that he was directly taught how to use Force lightning, but that he “learned of” Force lightning, as if it was mentioned in a discussion with a senior Master detailing ‘why’ it is considered a dark side power. I’m not left with the impression that this ability is taught in class, rather, this ability is discussed in detail couched in a larger conversation on the nature of evil and the power that Sith may exhibit in combat.

Building upon Plo Koon’s comments here, what is also remarkable is that Koon naturally pulled upon this ability – it was instinctive for him. He says as much: “I believe I acted entirely instinctively when I extended my right arm toward Pommel and released a barrage of lightning” (84). This leads credence to the idea that Force lightning is not directly taught at the Temple. Rather, it’s something discussed in academic terms.

Another aspect which impressed me about Koon’s report was the Jedi Council’s reaction. They did not chastise him. They did not kick him out of the Order. The council asked him to meditate upon his actions. This to me speaks volumes on how much the council respects its members. The council trusts Koon’s judgment enough that after he meditated upon his actions, he himself would know if he acted accordingly. This is trust. This is honesty. Could this trust backfire on the council? Absolutely. But it’s the most fitting reaction and exemplifies what it means to be a Jedi. A Jedi is one who is honest with themself.

After meditating upon his actions, Koon comes to the conclusion that he did not act out of turn. He acknowledges that there could have been other ways to diffuse the situation, but the most expedient way for him to rescue the child was to use Force lightning. He goes even further and says he may consider developing this ability to use in combat in the future if needed: “I believe it would be wrong of me to ignore this power that I might develop into a useful technique for combat” (84).

What I find most remarkable about Koon’s report was his acknowledgment of his emotional state: “I did not feel anger as I directed the lightning at Pommel’s head, nor did I fear for the girl’s safety. I was calm and in control of my faculties. I merely acted to end the situation before any more innocents died” (84). I believe Koon when he says this too. He also acknowledges that the recent death of Master Tyvokka did not affect this particular scenario. He was not acting out of grief or anguish. Again, I believe him. If this report was given by Mace Windu, I’d have my doubts. But not with Master Koon. Interesting indeed.

For my next post I’m going to re-enter the Jedi Apprentice series and examine book #9, The Fight for Truth. Until then my friends, may the Force be with you.