Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival is a young adult novel, categorized within Legends, penned by Jude Watson. Serving as the second book in the Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice series, it introduces Xanatos, the former Padawan of Qui-Gon Jinn who fell from grace. Scholastic released the title on May 3, 1999.
Prioritize peace over succumbing to anger. Choose honor over nurturing hate. Find strength rather than yielding to fear.
The past of Qui-Gon Jinn continues to haunt him. How can he truly connect with the young Obi-Wan Kenobi, when he is still troubled by the treachery of Xanatos, his first apprentice? Xanatos was once a promising student…until the dark influence of the Force corrupted him. Qui-Gon believed he was gone, never to return.
However, Xanatos has resurfaced. And his goal is retribution.
Following the events detailed in Jedi Apprentice: The Rising Force, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi part ways temporarily on Bandomeer. Governor SonTag and VeerTa request Qui-Gon to represent the Jedi Order during a meeting between the Arcona Mineral Harvest Corporation and the Offworld Mining Corporation, fearing Offworld's response to VeerTa's establishment of the Home Planet Mine. Simultaneously, Obi-Wan is dispatched to the Eastern Enrichment Zone to assist the AgriCorps.
Xanatos acts as Offworld's representative at the aforementioned meeting, which concludes abruptly due to an explosion at the Home Planet Mine. The evidence points to a mechanical malfunction combined with gas accumulation as the cause. Xanatos offers financial assistance for the recovery efforts. While the Meerians perceive his offer as genuine, Qui-Gon remains skeptical of his intentions.
Obi-Wan, accompanied by his Arcona companion Si Treemba, discovers a concealed annex within the AgriCorps dome, containing numerous cargo containers bearing the Offworld insignia. Obi-Wan informs Qui-Gon, who instructs him to refrain from any action, except to contact him if he uncovers any indications of illicit activity.
VeerTa unearths a vein of ionite, which could compensate for their azurite losses, provided they can conceal its existence from Offworld. He questions VeerTa and Clat'Ha regarding the boxes Obi-Wan discovered, and they acknowledge having seen similar containers in other enrichment zones.
Obi-Wan and Si Treemba conduct a stakeout of the annex during the night. Obi-Wan takes the initial watch and encounters Xanatos. Their discussion is disrupted by Offworld security personnel, who mistakenly believe Obi-Wan and Xanatos are thieves and attempt to apprehend them. Obi-Wan is subdued by electrocution, rendering him unconscious.
Qui-Gon infiltrates Offworld Headquarters. Finding Xanatos absent, Qui-Gon accesses his office without permission. Unable to decipher Xanatos's coded files, he begins to suspect Xanatos of founding Offworld with the intention of seizing control of Bandomeer. He relays this information to Yoda, who advises him to allow Xanatos the latitude to commit an error. Qui-Gon wonders if he endangered Obi-Wan by not warning him about Xanatos and attempts to contact him, but Obi-Wan remains unreachable. Clat'Ha informs him that Obi-Wan has gone missing. He confronts Xanatos, but leaves to rescue Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan regains consciousness on the Great Sea of Bandomeer, forced to work on a deep-sea mining platform alongside other enslaved individuals. Guerra Derida, a Phindian, claims to have observed a container bearing the Offworld logo in the explosives storage area, but when they attempt to investigate, a silent alarm is triggered. To protect himself, Guerra falsely accuses Obi-Wan of theft.
The following morning, Obi-Wan is cast off the platform as punishment. Qui-Gon arrives to rescue him, employing the Force to assist Guerra in catching Obi-Wan with a tarp. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan make their escape, heading to the Offworld security office where they disable the electro-collars worn by all slaves (including Obi-Wan) and commandeer a landspeeder. Xanatos ambushes them on his speeder bike, and Qui-Gon steers them toward the Home Planet Mine.
Inside the mines, Xanatos confronts them, engaging Qui-Gon in a lightsaber duel before withdrawing and leaving Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to perish in an explosion. Qui-Gon discerns that all the Offworld cargo containers are actually bombs, set to detonate simultaneously across the planet. Obi-Wan utilizes ionite, which possesses a neutral charge, to halt the countdown on the master control, granting Qui-Gon sufficient time to disarm it.
Xanatos flees the planet before they emerge from the mines. Qui-Gon reveals that VeerTa was complicit with Xanatos, and Clat'Ha vows to atone for her transgressions. Qui-Gon formally accepts Obi-Wan as his padawan, and they embark on their next joint mission.
Xanatos's introduction to the Star Wars universe occurred in Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. The 2011 comic book miniseries Star Wars: Jedi—The Dark Side took inspiration from segments of this novel's narrative.
- ISBN 9780590519250 ; May 3 , 1999 ; Scholastic Inc. ; US paperback [1]
- ISBN 9780613168496 ; June , 1999; Sagebrush Corporation ; Library binding [3]