Star Wars comics history-Redemption of the Jedi

 

“Redemption” is the final Star Wars “Tales of the Jedi” series featuring the Jedi-turned Sith Lord Ulic Quel Droma, who was stripped of his powers at the end of that arc and went into exile (Much like a certain other Jedi Master who we’ll revisit this next Winter in The Last jedi). However, like Vader, he gets a chance at a partial redemption in this comic series. Writer Kevin J Anderson-who had crafted much of the “ancient Star Wars” stuff

It’s been a decade since the last Sith War, and Vima Sunrider-daughter of Nomi Sunrider, one of the heroes of the past arc-is now in her teens and wants to begin her Jedi training.

 

However, her mother is busy with Jedi politics and is unable to train her. Following clues from a spacer who dropped Ulic off, Vima decides to go to be trained by Ulic instead. However, someone else wants Ulic-A female Jedi named Slyvar, whose mate joined the dark side along with Ulic and died during the Sith war.

 

Vima gets to Ulic first, although Nomi arrives soon after and lets Ulic train her daughter as a form of redemtpion for his past crimes. However Slyvar arrives and tries to kill Ulic, who although he has no more force powers, can still use a lightsaber well. However, like Luke later on, Ulic eventually decides to lower his arms, and in doing so helps free Sylar of her own conflict.

However, Ulic is still shot and killed by the spacer, who believed it would bring him fame for killing a war criminal and sith Lord. Although mortally wounded, he is able to fade and become a “force ghost” (This is before the force ghost ‘rules’ showed up in Revenge of the Sith and Clone Wars).

 

However, Dark Horse-and the Star Wars Expanded Universe in general-were not done with the ancient Star Wars universe quite yet-it would come back in a big way in 2003’s Knights of the Old Republic video game….

 

 

Star Wars Comics history-Tales of the Jedi part II-Sith Wars

The next installment in the “Tales of the Jedi” series is “Dark Lords of the Sith.” This story-line deals in part with the rise of Exar Kun, a sith lord who, initially a promising Jedi apprentice (or “padawan”) starts to fall under the influence of the Sith Lord spirit of Freedon Nadd, who has already corrupted the heirs of a powerful system into creating a Sith cult, and causing an insurrection against the Republic. Ulic Quel-Droma, attempting to infiltrate the cult after the death of his master during the conflict, instead falls to the dark side and joins both them and Exar Kun as a dark lord of the Sith.

The two Sith Lords wage a war with the Republic in “The Sith War”, with the help of Mandalore and his warriors (a sort of more ancient-looking Boba Fett). 

There’s a few interesting things here. Kun’s base of operations is the Jungle Moon Yavin IV, which will later play a key role in the films as the base of the Rebellion in both the original Star Wars and the upcoming Rogue One. Turns out those temples on the planet are Sith Temples (Although a lot of this is no longer canon).

Kun also, when attacking Coruscant, wields a double-bladed lightsaber, something that would show up in the films proper a few years later with Darth Maul’s weapon in The Phantom Menace.

Eventually, Ulic Quel-Droma is confronted by his brother Cray, and Ulic ultimately slays him, stunning him back into the light side and turning him against Kun. However, he is stripped of his ability to use the force by his fellow Jedi. Kun is eventually defeated, but he decides to undergo a sort of ‘scorched Earth” tactic as a last resort. The ritual however traps his force ghost in the temples, where he will re-emerge in the “Jedi Academy” trilogy (Years later, Luke sets up an academy on the planet, unaware of it’s Sith connections).

The “Tales” saga would continue 2 years later in 1998, but Dark Horse would focus on new projects the coming year, including adaptations of several novels, as well as a series focused on R2-D2 and C-3PO, but independent from the old “Droids” cartoon.