The assault by the Rakatan Empire has pushed the Je’daii defenders back to the central planets of the Tython System. The outworlder Xesh has turned his back on the Je’daii and returned to his Rakatan Master, Skal’nas, as a Force Hound.
Captured by the Rakata, Je’daii Daegen Lok was forced under torture to reveal the location of the Infinity Gate—an ancient device at the bottom of the chasm beneath the Temple of Anil Kesh through which Skal’nas plans to unleash his armies on the galaxy. Working together, Skal’nas and his Force Hounds used the Force to blind the Je’daii Seers to the Rakatan plans.
But in one final vision, Je’daii seer Tasha Ryo glimpsed the Rakatan’s target—and the fact of Xesh’s betrayal!
The Review
After an incredibly strong run thus far in the Force Wars story arc, issue #4 falls a bit flat. Having faced defeat by the Rakatan, the Je’daii have retreated to their home world of Tython. Our heroes prepare for the on-coming war. Shae’s loyalty to the Je’daii and her burgeoning love for Xesh are called into question, but she insists she will strike him down without hesitation if given the opportunity. Tasha Ryo appears, even though she and the other seers have been cut off from the Force itself by the evil invaders. However, she has brought with her the holocron of A’nang, along with her fellow seer, Ters Sendon. The two plan on meditating upon it, hoping to unlock some secret that will save their forces.
A huge space battle ensues, with the Rakata soundly trouncing a hidden space armada intended to slow their murderous wave. While the battle rages on, it is revealed that Skal’nas wishes to take the planet on foot so that he can access the Infinity Gate which would allow him to transport his army throughout the galaxy. The Rakatan Predor selects his previous Force Hound, Trill, to lead his armies into war, what appears to be a suicide mission. Trill is outraged and pledges to destroy Xesh. She begins her retaliation immediately, sparking the enslaved Je’daii aboard her ship into a frothing anger, which in turn unleashes a powerful wave of Dark Force energy.
In standard Dr. Evil, unnecessary monologue from the bad guy fashion, Skal’nas goes to some length to explain that the entire battle simply is a ruse to allow them to access the Infinity Gate unheeded. As the Je’daii avoid the chasm in which the gate is housed like the plague, this seems a bit superfluous at best, overkill at worst. The battle rages on, with the Je’daii clearly overwhelmed while the Predor makes his way towards his goal. Xesh warns his master that all who have entered have gone mad or worse, and Lok, whom they’ve dragged with them in chains to lead the way, laughingly agrees. The Rakatan tells Xesh to simply focus on the sigil implanted in his mind, one which looks suspiciously like the gear symbol of the Old Republic. Lok swears vengeance upon Xesh as slave and master head off towards the gate.
Meanwhile, Sek’nos breaks free from his slave cell and proceeds to destroy his captors. In doing so, he also frees a number of prisoners who emit only Dark Force energies. The group asks leave to take down their Rakatan slavers, and the Je’daii readily agrees. While this occurs, the two seer awaken the holocron. Upon learning of the Rakatan invasion of Tython, the spirit of the crystal informs them both that it is time for the planet itself to awaken.
Lok kills two Rakatan who were intent on killing him before taking down many more, thereby fulfilling his earliest vision when he entered the chasm for the first time. Naturally, Lok gets cocky and is nearly killed before Sek’nos saves his life. Shae then appears, reuniting the main Je’daii warriors once again. Lok shares the secret of focusing on the sigil to break through the chasm’s barrier, and off they go.
While this clearly has been my favorite arc of the Dawn of the Jedi, this was not my favorite issue. The storytelling seems a bit sloppy here. Why has Xesh so quickly and fully returned to his former slave master? Either it’s a very obvious set-up for action to come, or it’s very out of character. Secondly, the main villain’s habit of broadcasting his plans and intentions is lazy writing. After a brilliant build-up thus far, here, we sputter. I’m not too concerned, though. I expect the series to end on a high note before Marvel takes all things Star Wars back under its wing.
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