3,993 BBY
*Okay, so this story originally appeared in issue 23 of the Star Wars Tales series, which was next to last if memory serves. It was republished in the Star Wars Tales, Vol. 6 trade.
*So, the opening text box says this takes place three years after the Exar Kun War.
*DURON Qel-Droma?! Oh, what the heck is this crap?
*This is interesting . . . the Jedi are dispatched to kill some sort of Dark side creatures.
*Hmm, two of the Jedi are in love. This is NOT interesting.
*Master Ood. Great. I’m always up for more tree.
*Well, here’s a bizarre twist to the Jedi Code and its rules against love. It is apparently, at this point, considered A-OK for Jedi to have one night stands, as we see the righteous one, Guun Han, sleeping with a girl he picked up in a bar.
*And then Han says that he was just using her for information. “Do you think I enjoy this? I am carrying out the wishes of the council.” Reminds me of that great line from Thunderball: “What I did last night, I did for Queen and Country. You can’t imagine I got any pleasure from it.”
*Not that I believe any of that.
*I still like the image of a Jedi using a bow and arrow.
*Blah blah. They all die.
*There is one absolutely stunning image of the two Jedi in the darkness, their sabers the only light, illuminating a massive creature fading in from the shadows. Brilliant.
*So, my understanding is that this is kind of a prequel to KOTOR, the video game that is, not the comic series. Having not played it, though I do plan to rectify that, this story is essentially meaningless to me.
*In the end, this is unimaginatively drawn, predictably played out and uninterestingly characterized. Utterly bland and utterly inoffensive.
*CANONICAL STATUS: This short tale is probably mostly fabricated. This work is NOT RECOMMENDED as a historical resource.
*Average. 2 stars.
Josh Ortega
*All right, only the one story in this year. Next time, we’ll take another leap, this time of about seven years, as we travel to 3,986 BBY. Join me next time for Tales of the Jedi: Redemption.