Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm

Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm, a comic book miniseries spanning five issues, serves as the initial story arc within the Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi comic series. This series delves into the Pre-Republic era, spotlighting the Je'daii Order, who are the forerunners of the Jedi Order. Dark Horse Comics released Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm over the first six months of 2012. The writing is by John Ostrander, with pencils by Jan Duursema, the acclaimed creative duo responsible for Star Wars: Legacy. With the exception of the opening segment of the first issue, Force Storm unfolds primarily in 25,793 BBY, a period prior to the divergence of the light and dark sides of the Force. The narrative of Force Storm centers around three young Je'daii Journeyers—Shae Koda, Sek'nos Rath, and Tasha Ryo—and Xesh, a Force Hound belonging to the Rakatan Infinite Empire, whose arrival on Tython precipitates the eponymous Force Storm. This story arc was later compiled into a trade paperback titled Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi Book One—Force Storm, which became available on December 12, 2012.

Plot summary

In the year 36,453 BBY, Talid monks from the Order of Dai Bendu residing on the planet Ando Prime sense the activation of the Tho Yor, an enormous pyramidal starship that has remained buried within the Andobi Mountains for centuries. The Dai Bendu monks embark on the Tho Yor, while seven other Tho Yor, scattered across the galaxy, send signals to the inhabitants of the planets where they are located. Subsequently, the Tho Yor traverse the galaxy, collecting Wookiees, Humans, Twi'leks, Selkath, Cathar, and various other Force-sensitive species, before all eight converge on the planet Tython situated in the Deep Core. Upon arrival, the eight Tho Yor encircle the ninth and largest Tho Yor, which hovers above a stone pinnacle, and then disperse across Tython as the planet is consumed by a powerful Force Storm.

The gathered pilgrims come to the understanding that their purpose on Tython is to study the Force, leading them to establish the Je'daii Order—a group of warriors and scholars whose designation originates from a Dai Bendu term signifying "mystic center." Given Tython's volatile reaction to imbalances in the Force, the Je'daii cultivate a philosophy centered on equilibrium between the light and dark sides of the Force, naming these aspects after Tython's twin moons: the radiant Ashla and the shadowy Bogan. Eventually, the Je'daii determine that Tython poses a hazard to those without Force sensitivity, prompting all non-sensitive individuals to migrate throughout the Tython system, colonizing the ten additional planets within the star system. Over the millennia, resentment towards the Je'daii intensifies, culminating in 25,805 BBY when the Twi'lek Despot Queen Hadiya of Shikaakwa initiates the Despot War in an attempt to seize control of the Tython system. Although Hadiya is defeated on Tython, the effects of the Despot War remain palpable even twelve years later in 25,793 BBY.

Cover art of Force Storm 1

Across the expanse of the galaxy, the Infinite Empire of the Rakata race undertakes the conquest of Tatooine, a planet initially discovered by Xesh, a Force Hound serving Predor Tul'kar. Tul'kar's superior, Predor Skal'nas, enlists Xesh to locate a planet strong with the Force situated in the Deep Core, a task that his own Force Hound, Trill, is unable to complete. As Xesh guides Tul'kar's warship, the Devourer, toward the Tython system, three young Je'daii Journeyers—Shae Koda, Sek'nos Rath, and Tasha Ryo—experience a vision of Xesh. This vision is also shared by Daegen Lok, a Je'daii who has been exiled to Bogan for seven years due to his descent into madness and imbalance. Prompted by their shared vision, the three Journeyers abandon their studies and venture into the Tython wilderness, where the crippled Devourer crashes, leaving Xesh as the sole survivor.

The antagonistic Force Hound briefly engages the Je'daii in combat, during which Shae Koda gains control of Xesh's Forcesaber before he escapes into the nearby Rift—a vast chasm saturated with the dark side of the Force, inhabited by strange creatures, and prone to intense seismic activity. Xesh's presence on Tython, combined with his dark side power and the deaths of numerous Force-sensitives among the slaves and crew of the Devourer, triggers a massive Force Storm that engulfs Tython. Koda, Ryo, and Rath pursue Xesh into the Rift, where the injured Force Hound battles Force-induced hallucinations and monstrous creatures. Temple Master Quan-Jang of Anil Kesh, one of the nine Je'daii Temples on Tython, investigates the crash site alongside Je'daii Rangers Hawk Ryo and Rori Fenn, following the Journeyers into the Rift. Meanwhile, Ketu, the Temple Master of Akar Kesh, convenes the other Temple Masters to enable the Je'daii Council to counteract the Force Storm.

The three Journeyers save Xesh from a saarl, a massive worm-like creature, but Xesh abandons them after reclaiming his Forcesaber, choosing to observe their struggle. However, Shae Koda's display of the light side of the Force and her commitment to protecting her friends pique the Force Hound's interest, leading him to rejoin Koda as Rangers Fenn and Ryo arrive to assist. Xesh successfully kills the saarl, but the Force Storm continues to intensify, centering on the Force Hound. With the support of the other Temple Masters, Quan-Jang restores balance to the Force and ends the storm, though his apparent death enrages Koda, causing her to activate Xesh's Forcesaber—a feat previously exclusive to the Force Hound—and attempt to kill Xesh before regaining control. Xesh, Quan-Jang, and the others receive healing at Mahara Kesh, the Temple of Healing, but despite the Journeyers' objections, the Je'daii Council banishes Xesh to Bogan in hopes that he will find balance.

Development

Rodolfo Migliari's painting, which was used as the cover art for the preview issue #0.

As early as 2003, Randy Stradley, the Vice President of Publishing at Dark Horse Comics, began advocating for a comic narrative exploring the origins of the Jedi. In that year, a painting depicting two characters—a male and a female Human—was commissioned from artist Rodolfo Migliari. During Celebration V in August 2010, John Ostrander and Jan Duursema, who have collaborated extensively and are the writer and artist behind Legacy, revealed their work on a new comic that would diverge from their previous Star Wars projects. At that time, their current series was Star Wars: Legacy—War, a six-issue miniseries that spanned from December 2010 to May 2011 and served as a continuation of their well-received Star Wars: Legacy series.

The official announcement of Dawn of the Jedi occurred at the 2011 New York Comic Con on October 13. Ostrander described the series as both epic in scope and personal in its storytelling. He and Duursema are collaborating closely with Expanded Universe continuity while striving to make Dawn of the Jedi accessible to a broad audience of Star Wars enthusiasts. It was disclosed at Comic Con that, similar to Legacy, Dawn of the Jedi would feature a diverse cast of characters from various species but would primarily concentrate on the Tython system rather than the larger galaxy. A preview issue 0, designed as an official guide for readers akin to Star Wars: Legacy (2006) 0, was announced with a release date of February 1 at Comic Con, and the launch date for the first issue was set for February 15.

During the creation of each Dawn of the Jedi arc, Ostrander and Duursema collaborate on the entire arc rather than working sequentially. John Ostrander and Jan Duursema jointly develop the story, with Ostrander writing the script and Duursema providing the artwork. Dan Parsons serves as the inker, Michael Heisler as the letterer, and Wes Dzioba as the colorist for the series. Duursema created the cover art for all five issues of Force Storm, while Gonzalo Flores designed the variant cover for issue 1, which was later used as the cover for the initial trade paperback.

Continuity

John Ostrander and Jan Duursema, the creators of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, intend for the series to be firmly grounded in established Star Wars continuity while remaining accessible to new readers. The series is situated in a largely unexplored era—Dawn of the Jedi necessitated the creation of a new publishing era, the Before the Republic era—and builds upon the limited existing information: specifically, the Jedi Order's establishment on Tython in the Deep Core, the onset of the Force Wars in 25,793 BBY, and the early Jedi's departure from Tython to Ossus following the Force Wars. Dawn of the Jedi also expands on the Rakata, a species that dominated the galaxy prior to the Republic and were introduced in the 2003 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game. While Dawn of the Jedi has encountered relatively few continuity discrepancies, there are elements within the Star Wars: The Old Republic video game, released shortly before Dawn of the Jedi, that contradict the series.

The Old Republic offers a concise summary of the Force Wars, depicting it as a conflict between the followers of Rajivari, one of the original four Jedi Council members, and the rest of the Jedi Order. Initially, Dawn of the Jedi did not reference any characters or elements from The Old Republic, but the second arc, The Prisoner of Bogan, featured both Rajivari and Ters Sendon, another Jedi Council member from the game. However, the issue of the Mother Machine, a Rakatan computer claiming responsibility for creating several Force-sensitive species to restore Force-sensitivity to the Rakata during the Rakatan Civil War, remains unaddressed. Among the species it claims to have created are the Twi'leks and the Zabrak, yet Force Storm portrays a relatively advanced Twi'lek society on Ryloth and numerous Zabrak in 36,453 BBY, thousands of years before the fall of the Infinite Empire.

When designing the ships, characters, and environments for the series, Jan Duursema had to essentially start from scratch, as very little of the Before the Republic era had been previously depicted. Duursema deliberately distinguished the Je'daii from the Jedi in their appearance, replacing lightsabers with the swords they were known to use and substituting traditional robes with more individualized armor and clothing. Unlike her work on Star Wars: Legacy, Duursema couldn't rely on existing designs for ships and technology, instead adopting a "retrofitting" approach to develop ships and technology that would eventually evolve into the technology of the modern Star Wars era. Duursema and Ostrander also created the worlds of the Tython system from the ground up, opting to focus solely on the Tython system rather than utilizing pre-existing locations from across the galaxy.

Reception

Force Storm 1 and Dawn of the Jedi 0 achieved strong sales in stores, with both issues selling out nationwide by the end of February. This led Dark Horse Comics to commission a second printing of both issues, followed by a third printing featuring special variant covers by Jan Duursema. However, some critics suggest that the series is more appealing to dedicated Star Wars fans and may not resonate as strongly with casual moviegoers.

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