Buy Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
6,900 BBY – 5,000 BBY
*So this is another section that can be found in Part Four of Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force. It’s only about a page and a half, but I gotta tell you, it’s one of my favorites so far.
*So, this section is really basically undated. Dino Jim’s timeline places it here, between The First Dark Sith Lords on Korriban, one of those Old Republic videos, and The Golden Age of the Sith, which is basically the span I noted above, sometime between 6,900 BBY and 5,000 BBY, which is a pretty big span.
*I might just note that Joe Bongiorno places it significantly later, actually after The Sith, at around 3,998 BBY.
*All this, I think, adds up to basically nobody really knowing exactly when this one should be. I think probably it should be at the earlier date rather than the later one as this does seem to smack a bit more of the Korriban Sith than of the later, more lackadaisical Sith of the first Knights of the Old Republic series. But that’s a judgment call, I guess.
*It is narrated by someone named Komok-Da. He opens with a clear statement of character: “I will tell you of Sith weapons, but only if you vow to use them, for nothing displeases me more than to know that a weapon gathers dust.”
*So, anyway, we get information on the Sith swords and exactly how they are able to deflect lightsabers. Apparently, the Sith didn’t have lightsaber technology until after the whole Naga Sadow kerfuffle, as Komok-Da says here that the Jedi were still refining the lightsaber when the Ajunta Pall and his guys were exiled after the Hundred-Year Darkness.
*You know, when I type a sentence like that, it actually makes me feel like an expert.
*Komok-Da recommends that a Sith craft his own armor and talismans as “assistants cannot always be trusted to serve one’s best interests.”
*So, the Sith lanvarok is discussed. I never really understood what those were, so this was helpful.
*Komok-Da then gets on my bad side by defending the concept of Sith poison, which I still say is a load of bunk. If you’re drugged out of your head and do something when you are literally out of control, you cannot fall to the Dark Side. You fall to the Dark Side by an effort of the will. Why is this so hard?
*What’s humorous is that Windham has apparently heard some criticism of Sith poisons, as he opens this section by saying, “One should never dismiss Sith poisons.”
*Mr. Windham, have you been reading my reviews of Knights of the Old Republic?
*If so, welcome. And I apologize for all those cheap shots about the Jar Jar books.
*In other words, me wompity du pompom to you!
*Then the section closes: “I am more than willing to provide detailed instructions on building any Sith weapon or concocting Sith poison. However, you must first demonstrate your ability to kill without mercy. Return to me with proof of your kill and you shall be rewarded. But be warned: I will not be impressed if you return with small prey.”
*So, I strangled my next door neighbor and I’ve been sitting here with the corpse in front of the book for like three hours and nothing is happening . . .
*No, seriously, that’s badass. I love the idea of a Sith holocron that only opens to the user as the user proves his mettle through cruelty and depravity. Imagine some of the things the holocron might ask you to do when you get into really heavy stuff! I mean, this seems like a great idea for a story, if you ask me.
*You know what? This sounds like a great idea for Exar Kun’s story: the pure minded Jedi researches the Sith, but finds he must compromise his soul to discover what the holocron has to offer.
*Yeah, it’s a shame they screwed Exar Kun’s story up, cause that actually could have worked.
*So, I know nothing about this Komok-Da, but I really dug his narrative voice. This was a simple section, but I think it’s pretty great actually.
Ryder Windham
** ½ out of **** stars.
*Next time, we’ll get a little more education and this time from someone we know! Join me next time as we learn about Sith Alchemy from a fellow name of Naga Sadow!