The Je’daii homeworld of Tython is under attack by the armies of the Rakatan Empire—seeking the ancient Infinity Gate, in the chasm below the temple of Anil Kesh, which would allow them to conquer the galaxy.
While battles raged across the planet, Je’daii seer Tasha Ryo consulted an ancient holocron for guidance. She was shown that Tython itself was awakening for this very battle, but not what that meant for the Je’daii.
And that knowledge may have come too late, for the Rakatan commander Skal’nas and his newly reverted slave Xesh have already begun their descent to the gate. Je’daii Shae Koda and Daegen Lok follow, despite the danger of the madness-inducing barrier known as the Chaos Wall…
The Review
And with Issue 5 of the Force Wars story arc, we come to the conclusion of the Dawn of the Jedi storyline. The series pumped new life into Star Wars comics, opting to trace the roots of what would become our favorite Force Wielders centuries before we meet Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. At times, this has been the best Star Wars book Dark Horse had to offer. Unfortunately, likely due to the impending Marvel Comics takeover of the brand, the final issue feels a bit rushed.
The issue starts with the Je’daii and Rakatan armies engaged in battle on the planet Tython. Xesh continues his path as a “reborn” Force Hound, blindly following his master, Skal’nas, as the two attempt to pierce the Chaos Wall to access the Infinity Gate, which would allow the power hungry Rakatan the ability to travel amongst the galaxies, sowing destruction in his path. Somehow, though the Chaos Wall has driven everyone who ever encountered it mad, the two are able to bypass its defenses by focusing on a sigil. Seems like a pretty weak line of defense to me, but there you have it.
Cut to the Je’daii locked in mortal combat with the invading forces. Sek’nos Rath provides exposition and backstory for readers who must have missed the penultimate issue.
Back to the Chaos Wall, Shae and Lok are in hot pursuit of Xesh and Skal’nas. Lok remains one of the more interesting characters, as one is never quite sure exactly whose side he’s on. Here, he attempts to take control of Shae’s mind, goading her towards the Dark Side. Shae, however, seems to find solace in her loving memories of Xesh previously, when he came to her as his own man, not under the influence of the Rakatan, when he was her Tau, and rebukes his mental advances.
On the battlefront, Sek’nos nearly allows his anger to overtake him, almost killing Xesh’s former partner in the process. Instead, he merely knocks her unconscious. Will Sek’nos become the first truly dark Sith?
In the chasm, Lok, Shae, Xesh and Skal’nas engage in their own melee. Lok squares off against the Rakatan leader, attempting to take over his mind. Much to his surprise, however, Skal’nas’ mind proves too dark a place even for Lok. Taking advantage of this, Skal’nos stabs Lok through the chest with his blade. Shae and Xesh, meanwhile, lock Forcesabers as Shae attempts to draw her one-time lover back to the Light Side. While this battle rages on, Skal’nos finally opens the gate to his dreams of universal conquest.
Concurrent in lowest levels of the Anil Kesh temple, Tasha Ryo, the blind seer seemingly cut off from the Force, has communed with a Holocron which has informed her that she can sacrifice her mortal shell to once again become one with the Force and activate the planet’s defenses, the Tho Yor. While making her final preparations, Skal’nos tires of Xesh and Shae and attempts to slay the latter with a bolt of force lightening. This clearly was a poor move on his part, as Xesh goes ballistic and makes quick work of his former master. With the Tho Yor, essentially a Force cannon of sorts, decimating the bulk of the invading Rakatan legions, the remainder are driven back by infighting and planetary warships.
To wrap up the series, Lok refuses to seek balance, openly defying his Je’daii masters. Adding insult to injury, he informs them that he will continue his crusade until he’s sure all enemies are crushed. Cut to Xesh and Shae re-proclaiming their love and literally riding off into the sunset together.
As I’ve stated repeatedly throughout the Force Wars reviews, this was my favorite arc of the Dawn of the Jedi storyline. I imagine the writers had a great deal more in store for these characters, stories which we may or may not ever hear now that Marvel has taken the keys to a galaxy far, far away. Dark Horse has been a brilliant custodian for lo these many years, and it’s a shame to see them pushed unceremoniously out the door now that the Mouse is seeking further synergies amongst its properties. Unfortunately for readers, this resulted in a seemingly rushed conclusion to this story. There are some large shoes to fill for the new team. Here’s hoping they’re up to the challenge.
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