RJ Writing Ink

Star War: History Abridged Pt 6.

You wouldn’t believe how long I’ve waited to write about this, people. Of all the stories from the Star Wars Expanded Universe, few rival the Jedi Civil War. This conflict would see the Republic and Jedi face their fallen comrades in a war that came close to ending them. How the war started isn’t as interesting as how it ends, though. So, if you haven’t played Knights of the Old Republic, then major spoilers ahead.

All Hail Darth Revan

The year, 3,959 BBY, one year since the end of the Mandalorian Wars. After the Mandalorians defeat at Malachor V, Revan and Malak, the Jedi who led the Republic to victory, had vanished. They took their fleet beyond known space in search of the remnants of the Mandalorian armies. Most people presumed them to be dead. They weren’t; they returned from deep space, alive, but not the heroes everyone knew.

What happened to them is a story for another day. What you need to know is that beyond the reaches of the Republic, Revan and Malak gave in to the Dark Side. Taking the titles of Darth Revan and Darth Malak, the former heroes turned their forces on their former comrades. In a short time, Revan had carved out a new Sith Empire poised to lay waste to the Republic.

What made the Jedi Civil War so terrible was the effect it had on the Republic and Jedi’s strength. Many of the Republic’s finest soldiers defected to Revan’s side. Anyone that was a threat to his campaign would be taken out. In addition, any Jedi unlucky enough to be captured would get coerced or tortured into joining the Sith. Revan’s ranks swelled as the Republic’s dwindled.

Then there’s the fact that Revan was a military genius. He knew how to hit the enemy where it hurt the most, and they could do little to stop him. On top of all this, the Dark Lord seemed to have an endless supply of ships, weapons, and droids. He was pretty much unstoppable.

Revan’s “Death”

By the year 3,957 BBY, the Republic was on its last legs. It seemed like nothing could stop Revan. He had to be taken out if the Republic wanted to win. So, they set a trap.

Among the Jedi, there was a young Padawan named Bastila Shan. Despite her inexperience, Bastila had mastered the ability known as Battle Meditation. In essence, a lets someone use the Force to strengthen the morale and coordination of a group to their absolute peak. In other words, a Force cheat code. Using her as bait, they lured Revan and Malak into a skirmish with a Republic fleet. Bastila then led a boarding party onto Revan’s flagship to capture the Dark Lord. It didn’t go as planned. Malak figured out was happening, and, seeing a chance to seize power for himself, fired on Revan’s ship. To the galaxy at large, it looked like Darth Revan had died, making Malak the new Dark Lord.

Except his betrayal failed. Revan survived, along with Bastila, but the former was on the brink of death, with most of his memories gone. Whether out of compassion or a need to finish her mission, Bastila chose to use the Force to save him. She brought him to the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, where the Council healed him. They decided to wipe his remaining memories and make him believe he was a soldier of the Republic, one that they could retrain as a Jedi. In time, they hoped that as his memories returned, he could lead them to the source of the Sith’s infinite army.

Knights of the Old Republic

The Council’s plan worked. The amnesiac Revan became a soldier of the Republic, whereupon he met Bastila once more. With the help of Carth Onasi, a veteran of the Mandalorian Wars, and many other companions, the group narrowly escaped the Sith’s destruction of the world of Taris. After relearning the ways of the Force, the Council sent them on a quest to find the source of the Sith’s army.

After traveling to several worlds and gaining more companions, things took a turn for the worse. Malak captured the group and revealed the truth to his former master and friend, while Bastila sacrificed herself to give everyone time to escape. Despite the world-shattering revelation, Revan chose to remain loyal to the Republic and continued his quest.

In 3,956 BBY, Revan’s group found what they were looking for: the Star Forge. A massive factory built by a long dead empire, the station drew resources from the very star that it orbited, letting create an infinite amount of weapons and ships for the Sith.

After a harrowing journey, Revan called the Republic to the Star Forge’s location, beginning the final battle of the war. Revan himself boarded the Star Forge and confronted Bastila, who had been broken to the Dark Side by Malak. Despite drawing on the Dark Side energy of the Star Forge itself, Bastila proved no match for the redeemed Revan. Using the feelings of love they had developed for each other, Revan brought Bastila back from the darkness.

Revan then confronted his former friend and apprentice in the heart of the station. Another epic battle ensued, and even with the power of the Star Forge at his disposal, Malak couldn’t withstand Revan’s might and was bested. Malak passed away as Revan looked on, and the Star Forge itself was destroyed. The Knights of the Old Republic had won, and the Jedi Civil War was over.

What Happened Next?

The Jedi Civil War was over, ended by the very man who had started it. Revan had redeemed himself in the eyes of the Galaxy and was once again a hero to the Republic. However, the damage to the Republic and Jedi was almost fatal.

The next five years were a period of chaos and strife as the Jedi and Republic were at death’s door. Meanwhile, remnants of the Sith continued to ravage the Galaxy. As for Revan, he disappeared back into the Unknown Regions. Those who knew him best thought he went in search of answers. Answers as to why he fell to the Dark Side and the truth about the Mandalorian Wars.

Make Revan Canon Again

In the next, we will cover the final portion of the Old Sith Wars, and I will touch upon what truly happened to Revan. If you want to learn more about him and his amazing story, though, play Knights of the Old Republic, available on Steam. I cannot reccommend it enough; he’s one of the best characters in Star Wars.

May the Force be with you.

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Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7, Episode 4 Review

Of all the Clones we’ve come to know during Star Wars: The Clone Wars, few have stood out as much as Domino Squad. As this FANDOM Article puts it, this quintet of Clone Troopers was abnormally quirky. Once they stepped up, though, they seemed like they would accomplish great things, and several of them did. Then one by one, they all died. However, the final season opened with the reveal that Echo was alive. Thanks to the Bad Batch, Rex, and Anakin, they rescued him from being used as a living computer. However, Echo has unfinished business with the Separatists, and regarding his future.

In a last-ditch attempt to retake Anaxes, Echo decides to use his cybernetics to mess with the droids. So they take Anakin, Rex, and the Bad Batch Squad to sneak aboard Admiral Trench’s ship to do just that.

Now, Tom Kane’s opening narration leaves us with the interesting question of whether Echo can still be trusted. Could years of captivity led to brainwashing by the Separatists? Considering how his comrades accidentally left him behind, it would be understandable for him to hold a grudge. However, I knew from the get go that Echo was going to stay loyal to his brothers, even if the Bad Batch didn’t feel the same. It also makes for unnecessary drama in the scheme of the episode.

Jedi Are Awesome and Anakin Channels his Vader

The real drama, though, comes in the form of Obi-Wan and Mace Windu’s attack on the main Separatist facility. Mace, in particular, gets a chance to show off how much of a badass he is. In a moment that would make Samuel L. Jackson proud, Mace’s voice actor gives the following speech to the battle droids.

They should have taken the offer.

However, the main drama this episode came from Anakin himself, who’s gotten a backseat most of this season. We’re only a few months away from Revenge of the Sith, and Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader. However, the Clone Wars and other materials have shown us that his turn wasn’t sudden. We’ve seen Anakin give in to his dark side several times in the show’s run, but “Unfinished Business” gave us his most Vader-esque moment yet. When he corners Trench on the bridge to get the codes to disarm a bomb, he makes it clear he’ll kill the enemy commander if he refuses; and he does! Granted, Trench tried to attack him, so it was self defense. Still, it was very unsettling to see him do this.

I said in another post that one of the Jedi’s biggest failures was their inability to truly help Anakin, and as we see in this episode, he needs help. He’s been fighting a war for three years and has lost so many friends and loved ones to it. As a result, he became protective of those he had left to the point he’d kill in cold blood. It’s part of the reason why he becomes Vader, and we’re already seeing what he’s going to become in just a few short months. It’s a sad sight, a truly sad sight.

The Future of Echo?

In the end, Echo is able to help the Republic retake Anaxes, and is promised medals and praise coming his way. However, and I wish they had explored this more, Echo realizes that he may not have a place in the regular Clone Army anymore. His cybernetics, while useful, won’t exactly help him in the heat of battle. In addition, while he has Rex, the rest of Domino Squad, his brothers, his family, is dead.

Thankfully, that’s where the Bad Batch comes in. Domino Squad was always quirky and one step away from being ‘defectives’. the Bad Batch could have ended up like them had things gone differently with their genetics. So, after admitting they were wrong to doubt him, the group offers Echo a place with them, which he accepts.

I’m happy about this end to the Bad Batch arc of The Clone Wars for two reasons. Firstly, it’s bringing Echo’s story full circle in a way. He lost his old family in Domino Squad, but now has a new one in the Bad Batch where he’ll fit right in. Secondly, it leaves the door open for future writers to tell more stories about Echo and his new comrades. What happens to them after the rise of the Empire, and what sort of things do they do? So much potential to be had!

However, I think the show’s ending this arc at the best possible time. I want to see Ashoka’s story continue next!

I Give “Unfinished Business” a 4.5/5

By the way, I loved Wrecker in this episode. “This is the happiest day of my life!”

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Star Wars: History Abridged

Welcome back to another post for Star Wars: History Abridged. In my last post, I summed up how the first Sith Lords arose. Once Jedi, now exiled for their beliefs, the first Sith Lords found Korriban and the Sith people. With their technology and the Sith’s raw Force power, they built a mighty interstellar empire far from the Republic’s prying eyes. However, as we all know, this wouldn’t last forever. In today’s post, I’ll be covering the first of the countless conflicts between the Jedi and Sith, the Great Hyperspace War. Buckle up, people; this is going to be a scorcher!

End of the Golden Age of the Sith

Two thousand years after the fallen Jedi came to Korriban, the Sith Empire had grown to encompass most of their region of the galaxy. Many Dark Lords rose and fell over the centuries, but eventually, power rested in the hands of the Sith Lord Marka Ragnos. While most of his people forgot about the Jedi and Republic, Ragnos was well aware of them. In addition, he was smart enough to know they’d lose a fight with them, so he forbid the Empire’s expansion. Those plans went belly-up when he died after a century of rule.

At his funeral on Korriban, two Sith Lords tried to claim the title of Dark Lord. On one side was Naga Sadow, who wanted to expand the Empire’s borders. On the other was Ludo Kressh, who wanted to keep the Sith within their borders. The two ultimately crossed blades, only stopping when the ghost of Ragnos himself appeared and basically told them to knock it off. Ragnos then warned all present that a new threat was upon them, and that the choices they made would shape the future of the Sith.

At that moment, a pair of explorers from the Republic jumped out of hyperspace on Korriban.

The Great Hyperspace War Begins

The Sith imprisoned the pair, a brother and sister, and then debated over what to do with them. That is, until Naga Sadow busted them out, framed the Republic for their escape, and took the twins to his personal fortress. There, he started training the brother in the Dark Side. When Kressh came looking for the escapees, he dealt with his forces and claimed the title of Dark Lord. While all this was happening, the sister escaped back to Republic space, not knowing that Sadow put a beacon on her ship. As a result, he was able to plot a course directly into the heart of the Republic. Thus began the Great Hyperspace War.

Utilizing Force illusions and a technique known as Battle Meditation to bolster his smaller army, Sadow led a lightning strike on the Republic. Core worlds like Coruscant suddenly became brutal battlefields. Fortunately, Sadow’s assault eventually fell apart. First, the brother of the two explorers, now Sadow’s apprentice, turned on him. Distracted, Sadow couldn’t maintain the illusions, and the Republic drove the Sith out. Thus, Naga Sadow was forced to limp back to Sith Space with what was left of his forces.

Guess who was waiting for him?

The War Ends and Republic and Jedi Screw Up

Turns out, Ludo Kressh survived and took control of the Empire while Sadow was gone. When Sadow’s fleet exited hyperspace above Korriban, Kressh declared himself the true Dark Lord. Rather than do the logical thing and unite against the Republic, the two fought each other again. Kressh was killed for good, but thanks to the ego/stupidity of both Sith Lords, the damage was done. The already battered Sith Fleet was further weakened. Then, to make things worse, the Republic Fleet showed up and steamrolled the Sith.

For Naga Sadow, there was only one option left for him: bail. He took his flagship, and his crew, and hightailed it out of the Sith Empire altogether. He would go into exile on Yavin 4, where his minions would people the temples that would make the moon famous in the future.

As for the Republic and Jedi, there’s no nice way to describe what they did next: they f***ed up. The Jedi decided to go around and destroy every trace of the Sith Empire they could find. They destroyed every scrap of culture, history, and most of the dark side artifacts they could find. The Sith that survived went into hiding, and if they didn’t hate the Republic and Jedi before, this basically cemented it into their minds forever.

Consequences

The short, but brutal, Great Hyperspace War came to an end, but its legacy would shape the galaxy for the next five thousand years. Thanks to the Jedi’s “destroy Dark Side on sight” mentality, they almost wiped out the Sith culture. Thus, the survivors would carry an eternal, and honestly, justifiable, hatred for the Republic and the Jedi.

Speaking of survivors, the Jedi missed a lot of spots. Naga Sadow, the mastermind behind the war, would escape into exile and spend the rest of his days on Yavin IV. Eventually, he put himself into stasis to await the day when a powerful Force-wielder would come to carry on the ways of the Sith. In other corners of the galaxy, remnants of the Sith Empire would survive and rebuild in secrecy. In time, their descendants would threaten the Galaxy on a scale few would ever see. However, that’s a story for another day.

As before, this is a story that I wish Disney kept within the canon. Epic battles, political intrigue and betrayal, and the stories of heroes on both sides. It’s like Game of Thrones for Star Wars here! Also, I refuse to call Korriban by its new name, Moraband. I don’t care if George Lucas likes Moraband more; it’s my preference!

May the Force Be With You!

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