Comics Join Me In Rereading: Knights of the Old Republic

This issue was the first one that saw any changes directly due to the impending series ending. "Demagol" originally did not awake this issue; that page was given to an expansion of the Crucible villain roster by two more characters, essentially establishing in Chantique/Barin'Jar/Golliard and the two others a quintet of villains to individually face, much like the Covenant.

I liked the centrifuge idea (having been a fan of the idea of them since "2001") but it was really hard to convey what was going on in comics, and I don't think we quite got it. A bit too much physics for Star Wars, anyway.

I do a little more physics in my latest novel, just announced. Not Star Wars, but it's kind of neat to have had a year last year where I was working on or had new releases for Star Wars, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica.

 

While this is an old meme by this point, and about the game and not the comic, I still figured I'd share this here:

 

That was new to me. I love it!

 

That was beautiful

 

Just a quick note that Monday is the final order deadline for retailers for Marvel's KOTOR Vol. 3, for people looking to finish their sets. It goes on sale March 20. Here's my tweet, with the various retail site links.

 

I've been breezing through this to catch up to the reread, and one of the things that I think is worth noting is how corporate personhood is much stronger, so to speak, in this era as opposed to the era of the films. Adascorp, Czerka; they have holdings of land and spaceships, which KDY doesn't, it appears.

 

I was definitely going for a maximalist view of corporate powers at the time — to the extent that they were basically setting foreign policy, as the series begins. The Campaign Guide says the Navy was essentially stuck running security for corporations (and not very happy about it).

 

Knights of the Old Republic 45: Destroyer, Part 1

Notes: http://www.farawaypress.com/comics/swknights/swkotor45.html

Starting with a flashback to the school for offshoots that Jarael has mentioned previously. There a much younger and more put together Golliard talks to the Headmaster, a Zeltron about how outta the way the school is and the latest shipment. But in return he asks if the Man has anything for them in return. To which the Headmaster points to a young Zeltron girl out among the offshoot kids getting into a fight. He calls her useless and disruptive, saying they can have her.

Fast forward to the present day and that young girl did indeed grow up to me Chantique. Who is now Golliards boss as a rather dark book end. We see what the Crucible actually does with one of there "training centers on the planet Volgax, where slaves from all walks of life including many republic citizens are forced into combat against each other in the "Proving Grounds" in a struggle for survival.

One Zayne is revealed to have been caught up in. As he is in the Pit's, disguised as a navy officer forced to fight a fellow recruit. He tries to talk him down but is force to hurt him by mistake defending himself.

The slavers watching then decide to force him to actually fight by putting him up against one of there veterans. The Vet quickly gains the upper hand on Zayne forcing him to use the force to push him off. Chantique arrives and calls that he be brought to her, while also revealing the other slave to be named Snout. She is told Zayne's fake name and backstory by Golliard, and then tells him he better get serious in the Pit or he won't last long, but also that he shows promise.

Zayne tries to talk to Snout, who looks dejected and doesn't respond. Bar'injar tells him not to waste his time as Snout has never spoken a word during his many years in the pits, and also explains that as a Caamasi, he shares and has all the traumatic memories and training of every other member of his species who has ever been in the Pits.

Zayne gets thrown back into training and is contacted by Gryph who tells him to break off. At what passed for lunch there, Snout breaks his silence to talk to Zayne revealing that Caamasi like him can tell he is a jedi with his abilities. Zayne confirms this and says he has friends who are coming to help, he also asks him what the point of the pits as Jarael never knew.

Unable to find the words Snout uses his abilities and Zayne's to show him through the force. Whats revealed is the traumatic memories of many Caamasi forced to fight in the pits for hundreds of years.

And in fact, the Crucible has been doing this a long time, not just since the Great Sith War, but through the Golden Age of the Sith as well. And all those centuries or trauma are directly inside Snouts head, never stopping.

Zayne is keeled over in pain while Bar'injar reveals Snout did what they expected. Chantique then declares that he is "ready"

Zayne awakes in Chantique's personal chambers and states that Golliard figured out his fighter was salvage, that they knew he was a Jedi, and that they found his tracking device. So his friends are coming, and its just the two of them. She states that Bardron gave her the recordings from jervo's world that showed him with Jarael, and it wasn't hard to piece together that he was also the Jedi who helped her at the asteroid.

Which is why they let him meet Snout, planning on him showing Zayne all his memories. Chantique is please with this meaning Zayne knows. He knows all the fighting and deaths are meaningless, with no point to them. Chantique states that violence needs no purpose and he should be above such thoughts, but then muses on the fact that Zayne doesn't kill and how its interesting that Jarael found him. Chantique jumps on Zayne's pain, asking him if he wants to know how "Your Jarael" could have once been apart of this. Chantique claims everything about her was a lie, that she was of the Crucible while also revealing her real name was Edessa. and that the tattoo's on her face supposedly mean 'Destroyer".

-"Your Jarael" at this point is probably the hardest of hard confirms about something romantic between the two being there in some form. To bad it comes in such a traumatic and ugly way.

-Speaking of which everything about the way Chantique acts and the design of her room evokes sexuality and seduction much more then is typical then Star Wars normal fair. Makes sense given what she sees between them and what she is trying to do.

-Apologies for the long time between posts. I sound like such a broken record, but its not me losing interest or anything. Real life just has a ton going on for me.

 

I have to admit that I was a big fan of that cover as a gross teenager reading comics.

 

Apologies for double posting, but is this a Mandalorian Wookie???

 

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 46: Destroyer, Part 2

Notes: http://www.farawaypress.com/comics/swknights/swkotor46.html

On the Hot Prospect Jarael is irate that the plan has gone belly up. Zaynes tracker had been working fine but went silent and now they have no idea where he is. With no Zayne or Slaves location to help rescue the muscle Gryph hired to help them free the slaves has taken another job.

Meanwhile Jarael endured an incredibly awkward conversation with Malek to ask for his help, but he is to busy off fighting the Mando's. So she turns to Elbee, remembering Zayne had been talking to him back on Jervo's world. Elbee remains silent at first and Jarael pleads with him to answer, saying he only got captured and turned into a slave in the first place because he was trying to help her. "Slave" perks Elbee outta his silence and he reveals that Zayne hadn't been taking to him that night but through him. He activates his transmitter and it connects to Shel

Back on Volgax, Chantique continues to gaslight Zayne about Jarael, saying she took part in it and once wielded the prod overseeing the pits. and with Snouts memories he now knows what it is to live it, what it really means. Zayne tries to argue back that Jarael coudnt have been a slaver for very long considering the amount of time she spent on Taris growing up, but Chantique deftly brings up that he doesn't actually know how old she is. He says he imagined it was sorta around his own(19). But Chantique reveals its closer to 25, with her only being 2 or 3 years younger then herself.

Chantique goes on tho say Jarael stabbed her in the back, Zayne doesn't believe her but then she shows her back, she wasn't being metaphorical Jarael really did stab her in the back. She was the overseer she mentioned to Zayne that she challenged. Zayne still argues that even if she did, she would have only done it to protect the other young slaves from her.

Bur Chantique aint having it, stating that the Crucible doesn't have healers so her injury meant she was sold off. To people who wanted slaves that couldn't do anything. Which is uhhhhhh really dire. But during that time she found power inside herself to survive, kill her new masters and find her way back to the Crucible and regain her lost position, and then to rise even higher.

Zayne is horrified she would willingly come back, but she says as Magister Impressor its different now. Now she has all the power and nobody will ever be able to hold that over her again. He wonders why she didn't use her new powers to try to change the system from within, or find her and Jaraels old classmates, but she states that she did find them, and put them someplace "ironic" as part of the perks of her new position.

Seeing Zayne is falling further into despair, Chantique claims that Jaraels slaves back in the day gave her the name "Destroyer". Zayne is reeling but he also realizes that Chantique isn't really trying to seduce him, he sees that she can look into his mind and influence his thoughts. he also discovers that she was the one who cut off Goethars horns.

Chantique immediately drops the sultry seductress bit and coldly tell him he's broken training and is being sent back. Back with bladed weapons to vs Snout. Zayne shouts out asking what the point of it all is, and what type of people would happily rip kids from there parents, but Chantique even manages to throw that back at him be revealing her father was the one who gave her to the Crucible in the first place.

Back in the pits Barn'in'jar mocks Zayne asking him if he expected the slaves to revolt. He also mentions that this isnt the first time Jedi have fallen into there hands, and it always ends the same. Zayne says not to bother giving him armor as he wont fight but is ignored, as they put people into the pits to see what they will do when pushed far enough. Such as causing a Jedi to lose faith or a Caamsi like Snout to become a killer.

Zayne tries to talk to Snout but he is interrupted by the Caamsi, who states that Zayne touching his mind cleared it, and he know understands how the Crucible started under the Sith lord Iedils to train captured peoples into armies, and why it will continue's to this day for know other reason then to keep existing selling slave armies to the highest bidder. He also knows that he will never be freed, they will keep him there alive to teach others until another Caamsi is captured to take his place.

Barny call for the fight to start, with Zayne to pleading to Snout that he doesn't have to fight, but is sadly rejected as Snout believes that already turned him against his nature and that it is to late, so he will fight. He then leaps into action, quickly gaining the upper hand on Zayne and throwing him t the ground. Diving on top of him with Knife in hand Snout apologizes to Zayne before using his hand which was holding back his own hand with the knife as momentum to impale himself.

Zayne is aghast and tries to heal him while Snout gives one more apology to him then tells him to try to forget as he dies.

Chantique kicks him while he is down one more time by saying 'Meaningless wasn't it" then states that she is done with him.

As the Crucible pulls out of the planet they complain to her they wouldn't need to if they just killed Carrick, but Chantique smugly and sadistically points out that both Snout and Jarael thought of Zayne as there savior, and with such a nice gift sent to her to fight Jaraels battle for her, it was only fair to return it.

A jubilant Jarael finds Zayne still on Volgax, mentioning that Shel helped them find it, which he would already know as she was his resource in the first place. Its also mentioned that Shel is working on Coruscant know, working for the Taris senator who managed to escape the Mando's final push. But her joy quickly diminishes as she realizes how unresponsive Zayne is being.

Zayne starts yelling at he about the things they did, what they do and is distraught she ever could have been apart of that. Jarael defends herself saying she was trying to help the other slaves as best she could. Zayne says it wasn't enough, she bites back that she was only 13. The Zayne asks why she would ever keep her tattoos with what the mean.

He then sees he needs some time to deal with it, but Jarael pointedly states she never wanted to deal with it in the first place until he pushed her and she also thought that meant they would deal with it together. She calls him out for being someone who has failed so often and yet still has incredibly high standards for others, and that if he still doesn't really know her after all they have been through then maybe its time to finally part ways for good.

As she walks back to the ship through the name she stops to bring up her marks, saying maybe he was right that keeping them was a bad idea, but she only kept them because the Marks in the Crucibles language and the name Jarael that goes with it translates to "Protector", leaving Zayne gobsmacked.

-Probably the darkest issue of the series along with the Toki one shot.

-Till this day I think Wookipedia lists the age gap between Zayne and Jarael as being 5 years. But if she is 25 and he is 19 it would be 6.

-Zayne going off on Jarael is probably his biggest mistake of his own making in the series, even if it is understandable. Most of his other mistakes usually have there origins in neglectful Teachers leaving him unprepared or outside factors he couldn't have prepared for.

-This issue sticks in my memory alot because when the series was coming out I had to wait for trades as a kid. So there was always periods were the only place I knew to keep up was the Wook. And the time were both Zayne and Jaraels articles ended with this issue and argument always made me anxious and dying to see them patch it up.

(Didnt help that i didn't have any idea about how long the series would go for or if that was just the actual ending for them/the series, didnt have my hands on the pulse of what was going on as a kid about things like forums or giving comics a definitive announced endpoint months in advance)

 

The big takeaway I had from this arc is that I really want a conclusion to all that Ieldis stuff, between the Crucible and Haazen's sword and Kerra Holt's hat. Like, I'm not sure the timeline, either - is he an Exile? A post Naga Sadow dude? etc.

 

The cover:



Also, for some reason I never realized that Jarael was supposed to be older than Zayne, especially that gap. I always thought they were the same age. Her being so much older, especially when they're both so young, puts a bit of a new spin on things. When you're 25, six years is a big gap. Even more when you're 19.

 

It resulted in a shrug from some, but the gulf looks bigger when you're that age. The bigger part of it was that Zayne's life had only been actively bad for less than a year, whereas this underscored she'd endured hardships for a lot longer.

Ieldis was, frankly, a D&D guidebook character to me: one of the guys they'd name relics after, only later to figure out who he was. I purposefully left the door open to his specific place in the timeline in case he turned out to be of some use later. That happened with Dreypa. While I don't know if they were contemporaries, my sense is Ieldis was probably older and more together than Dreypa, who was twisted like a bag of bread.

 

Knights of the Old Republic 47: Demon, Part 1

Notes: http://www.farawaypress.com/comics/swknights/swkotor47.html

The final arc of the Kotor comic, and it starts with a lovingly drawn flash back to uhhhh, the other Kotor comic, Tales of the Jedi. Specifically of Exar Kun storming the old Senate Chamber and slaying his former master with his new double bladed Lighsaber.

And in the modern day its being used for Demagol's court case, and in another call back we have a greatly drawn perp walk of him going into the building the perfectly mirrors Zayne's own perp walk to the Jedi Temple way back in Issue 6. Also it turns out Demagol is also introduced to the Republic spin of the Mando's sabotaging the defense flee that wiped out the "heroic" Draay family.

Demagol reacts to all of this wit a very out of it response, apparently still not quite used to being conscious after spending the better part of a year in a coma. But still aware enough to state that he isnt who they think he is.

Zayne, Gryph and Malak catch up while this is going on. They all agreed to testify. Malak asks about Jarael and Zayne says she's on her own now after they had a difference of opinion. Malak says he is sorry but not surprised, puffing himself up a bit as he describes who he thought she would be with, someone "older and more established indeed". He also mentions wanting to get back to the front as he has already won one battle to claim the remains of the Arkanian Legacy, which as he walks off he mentions that they found Eejee's mutilated body upon the wreck.

Gryph points out that Zayne didnt mention Rohlan is still with Jarael, but he says with Malak already amped up on Mando hatred at the moment, its not the right time. Rohlan is also the one who insisted they go once he heard "Demagol" had woken up.

Zayne says that despite that, and it making total sense for them to be here he still feels something is off. Gryph does to and reveals that he has seen Zayne's dad taking money from his account, Zayne apologizes, saying he planned to return the investment before he noticed, as the money was part a a little side gig he has going on. Naturally Gryph isnt thrilled about this, more keeping secrets from him is not something he appreciates. Of course Zayne points out that him and Slyysk have been keeping there own secret about how they escaped Serroco despite him asking multiple times.

Before Gryph can dodge the question again, they run into two large statues of him and Slyysk at what is apparently one of many restaurants he now owns. Finally relenting, Gryph tells about how when the Mando's attacked Slyysk realized they had no fuel to flee. So he picked up Gryph and hauled it all the way to a troop transport, then ran to the cockpit and took off in place of the missing flight crew who were on a sleep shift. The ship managed to escape the nukes by seconds and with it the half of a battalion that had been on board. Once they made it to the Republic, before Gryph could spin any tales of who they were the Defense ministry instead pounced on the chance to use them as propaganda hero's to star in holovids and sell toys along with good PR for the Republic. Gryph's brother even got the job portraying him in the vids.

With that they both muse on all the secrets and wonder about calling it quits. With Gryph and Slyysk having there restaurant and Zayne his secret project. Some jokes about how Elbee can then just stair at walls to his hearts content and doesnt have to be around the Mando who broke his hand anymore. But then Elbee perks up and states that the Mando who broke his hand wasnt the same one as the one they have been traveling with. Gryph and Zayne think his mind is off and try to remind him about Rohlan breaking his hand, but Elbee remembers just fine. He also remembers lifting him up that day, as well as the container that held "Rohlan" the next night, and the latter was noticeably lighter, making them clearly different beings. When they try to express some more doubt Elbee points out that he is a bulk loader droid, he knows how much things way.

All 3 start and stop, quickly pulling together there memories of Rohlan and see the time were a switch could have happened, as well as irregularities with how he acted and the things he knew about, particularity medicine and science. But most noticeably Zayne remembers when "Rohlan" called him human in anger, and then remembers that the Rohlan he saw without a mask was human, but Demagol wasn't, which Rohlan told him.

Zayne immediately starts freaking out, realizing he sent Jarael away with Demagol. Gryph asks Elbee why he never told them, and he says its because they never cared to ask him. Zayne immediately rushes off to make it right, first by fixing the very first thing they got wrong.

Off on Wor Tandell, Demagol has just finished a shopping trip, he returns to Jarael asking if he interrupted her, and she says its just that she is bad with partings, her and Zayne were barely speaking to each other, Campers goodbye was a hologram, and even when she was a kid she didnt get a chance to say goodbye to a childhood mentor because of the Crucible. Speaking of which she muses that it doesn't look like she will be taking them down and that she doesn't know what to do with her self. But Demagol does and says he has rented a ship with an adventure in mind.

Back in the Senate floor Malak is giving a thunderous speech about what Demagol did to him and the others, his testimony takes a turn into a PR speech about how the Mandalorians failed and will never defeat the Jedi, he gets into Deamgols face, taunting him with the "flesh carver" meaning of his name. Of course sense its actually Rohlan, being called that so many times has finally set him off and he leaps at Malak who knocks him away with the force He keeps dishing out brave lines about how they will defeat the Mando's and save the Republic, and Rohlan shoots back asking who is going to save the Republic in turn from them. The guards grab him as the crowd is working itself into a riot at this point and take him to the air pad were they hurriedly put him into a speeder that takes off with him. Hereing one of them call him Demagol again cause Rohlan to remove his mask bellowing that he isnt Demagol. Naturally the two guards know this as they are Zayne and Gryph in disguise, the former of whom immediately starts apologizing for the huge mistake they made and how know they need him to help fix it.

In Hyperspace Demagol talks to Jarael about what Zayne told them about her other classmates, how they were placed someplace "ironic" with some prompting from him she realizes it must mean Osidia, the very planet there school had been on in the first place. He also mentions that she told him she had tried to go back in the past but didnt know the coordinates as it wasnt on any chart. But he knows how to get there. Jarael wonder how, only for him to reveal that he was there the day she was born, and was at the school all that time watching her grow and learn. She is shocked as he unmasks himself revealing a Zeltron named Antos Wyrick, who was the Master and teacher at her school. He states that he failed to protect her back then, but know he will make it right and they will rescue her other classmates.

-Unlike the First arc of the series, where pretty much every guess and all the rampant speculation about how characters from the comic would become certain characters from KOTOR 2 was dead wrong. Demagol replacing Rohlan was a very common theory from pretty much the end of Flashpoint onward. Funnily enough at that time like I mentioned during those issues, people a'lot of people didn't quite catch the fact that Alek was Malak. Its an amusing thing to note that pretty much all the theories involving the video game characters were super wrong, but the theory about the two comic OC's was right on the money.

-This issue is pretty much the end if Malak's arc in the comic, if not his last appearance and really his usage can't be praised enough. By far one of the biggest complaints about Kotor 1 in hindsight is how 1 dimensional Malak comes off, especially once Revan, the Exile and the Triumvirate have tons of backstory and depth provided to them by 2. (2 also spends anytime it mentions Malak mocking him as a dumb brute, which is a harsh contrast to the treatment all the other fallen Jedi and Sith get) So in alot of ways this comic serves as his character expansion instead, and its a great one worthy of all the praise it gets. Really it highlights something I will forever adore about the comic. While it never does anything but try to tell its own story to obvious success, whenever it does brush up with the games its always in a way that makes them better. There is a symbiosis here that is remarkable and rare.

-I think Chris Avellone would love it to if he ever gets the chance to read it, especially the backstory for how he got his last name

 

In fairness, in the game Malak's does get a load of his men killed at Taris just because he got impatient, so you can see why they considered him a dumb brute. But this comic definitely gave him some much needed characterization, and was a good Fallen Jedi story where you can see why he made the choices he did. I found the "who will save the Republic from you" line memorable. I don't have a comment on the twist as I had spoiled it for myself, but it's still great to see it all come together.

Also I really love the cover. Of course with Malak holding the lightsaber like that he's coming dangerously close to accidentally cutting through his own chest, but something about the pose just works for me.

 

This was the only issue in this arc that I think would have remained the same if I'd had a full six issues for the storyline — or, perhaps, as they had in the old days, a double-sized issue for the fiftieth. I may even have suggested one -- I can't remember -- but DH generally didn't do double-sized specials.

 

Ah, the beginning of the end. Finally Zayne catches on about "Rohlan". Its too bad Rohlan spent so long in that coma, I liked him a lot, I wish we could have seen more of him. I know he won't be able to change the Mando wars much, but I was curious whatever else he got up to during that era.

I liked that the comic expand Malak's character a lot. Based on KotOR I, I felt a bit sorry for him sometimes, as Revan led and Malak followed him down the dark path. Not that Malak was innocent, but Revan got lucky with his amnesia and then got a do-over as it were. Throughout the comic we got glimpses of his good qualities, from Flashpoint onwards, but by now he's sliding down that slippery slope fast.

And I always love seeing TotJ references. Despite it being years since Exar Kun's war, it was nice seeing the KotOR comic treat it as really momentous, more than TotJ did perhaps, as TotJ was pretty rushed/compressed.

I'm still sad this comic ended (of course) but I was glad to see Gryph and Slyysk settling in happily on Coruscant. Usually continuing series always force the main characters to be in motion, but this is pretty much a happy ending for those two. And I still love that page with the statues, its such a perfect example of this series (hilarious yet with a good explanation for it).

 

Knights of the Old Republic 48: Demon, Part 2

Notes: https://www.farawaypress.com/comics/swknights/swkotor48.html

Jarael is shocked and ecstatic to see her old mentor both alive and a Mando. He says he has been for some time, that as the Head of the New Generation academy on Osidia he often had to travel off world. Until the time he returned to find the school pillaged and the students gone. He searched the galaxy for them for years to no avail until eventually running into the Mando's and joining them. He claims he tried to find solace in the nomad life but could never let go, Jarael asks if thats why "he" kept running from the Mando's which trips him up for a second before he recovers, claims yes and says that running into Carrick led him to her.

She asks why he never revealed himself in all the months they have been traveling together, and he says it was because he was afraid she wouldnt accept or trust him as he failed her and everyone else at the school. (With a callback to the very first arc "Were not just your teachers, were your protectors". But now he thinks they can make things right as they arrive at Osadia. Its also confirmed that its where Jarael was born. She says she has dreamed about lookin down on it from space and Demagol says so has he, and he has prepared for this, for them to be the other students salvation and his own redemption.

Back on Coruscant Malak is leading the search for "Demagol" and while doing so bluntly states to ignore any jurisdiction or rights that get in there way, one last show of the path he is heading down. Sadly for him Zayne has hid them away in a hobby garage he bought back during his vacation. Rohlan is rather understandably pissed, in a coma for months while everyone thought he was a guy he absolutely despises will do that to ya. But Zayne says its a good thing that he hates Demagol so much because he helped save Jarael from him once and now they need him to do it again.

Getting each other caught up, Rohlan goes on to explain why he was always running off, finding the Lieutenants Mandalor was cultivating to be against everything they stand for. His first runs involved finding out more about the latter where he learned from former aids that he was a Zeltron, but not a normal one, he was raised by the Iskalloni, cyborg slavers who roam the galaxy experimenting on innocents. Raised by them young he never developed any empathy and instead saved his skin by offering to take part in there experiments. Eventually the Mando's struck the Iskalloni, freeing many slaves including a young Warick. He was adopted into them and taught more about other species by there medics while Mandalor the Indomitable taught him martial arts. And when Indomitable was beaten by Ulic Qel Droma he had to know how. So he searched his cabin and found a robe Ulic had always carried with him. Hoping to find genetic material on it to study, but before he could the war ended in another defeat for the Mando's and the Indomitable was slain.

So he fled to the Republic were he became a researcher at an Arkanian university renamed after the recently deceased Arca Jeth were his lack of empathy or ethics fit right in. But that didn't last as the Adasca family eventually purged alien students from the schools. But he found friends afterwards in the Offshoot students who had been kicked out of the school beforehand, still tolling on. And it was there working with them that he discovered the robe wasn't Ulic's but his Master Arca Jeth which he kept as a memento.

With the robe he had Arca's genetic material, and he went back to the Mando's were he got patronage from those interested in avenging there defeat at the hands of the Jedi. With the Offshoots able to pursue science under that patronage Demagol, them and other volunteers established the research colony on Osadia. But in actuality a controlled experiment to create a race of Mandalorian Knights. Zayne of course expresses skepticism, saying you can't clone Jedi which Rohlan confirms they couldn't. They could only modify children in Vitro, but even then the first subjects proved unbalanced, something off in there genetic code. Which turned out to be because Arca wasn't a pure blood, he had Sephi ancestry, including the point ears they posses. But they had been damaged in a fire and the surgeons didn't bother fixing his ears, and afterwards the Adasca's ordered all historical records of him doctored so there hero could stay pure.

So the mixed blood was causing the problems, of all the parents in the project only the Offshoots has malleable enough genetics to adapt. which lead to the first success being the child of two of the researchers: Jarael. Soon there were others, all physically gifted, all connected to Arca Jeth in some way. Wyrick had studied Jeth's life and saw he had been able to pick up new skills very quickly, and in his students he saw the possibility of them all becoming force savants, even gaining power in proximity to each other, a new vanguard race to lead an uprising.

But he got greedy, wanting more Parents to birth him his super warriors he started bargaining with the Crucible for them to bring him more Offshoot families, but them being slavers, can't really trust them so once while he was off giving a report of his success to Mandalore they ransacked the school and took the students. And once all the researchers who lost there kids there realized that the slavers had first been brought there by Demagol, wanted nothing to do with him. So Demagol returned to the Mando's more cold then ever and willing to do anything to advance his science, eventually earning him his name.

And with that, Rohlan had learned enough about him to start looking into Cassus Fetts history when he met Zayne and Flashpoint happened, and the switch occurred when he came back after knocking him out. Demagol injected him with something and took his armor while talking like a mad man about Jarael, having made the connection that she must have been one of his students so he had to go with her by pretending to be Rohlan. After that Demagol injected him more times aboard the shuttle putting him into his coma.

Gryph is shocked that they were conned for so long, and Zayne notes that though he made them uncomfortable, he protected Jarael and they all had there quirks so they cut him some slack. Zayne also brings up Chantique, and how she was from the same place as Jarael, but she said she was sold into it. Rohlan reveals there was a Zeltron girl early on at the school, Demagols daughter with another Zeltron researcher on the project, but she just vanished one day and the mom committed suicide. They realize this means that Demagol sold his daughter into slavery because he thought she was a failure. Rohlan is incensed as children are supposed to be sacred to the Mando and ask if Zayne can help him make Demagol a smear on the ground.

Zayne says yeah and tells Gryph to get the door, where a fancily dressed Shel arrives having been called by Zayne from a senatorial Dinner party, she is rather unsupervised but annoyed that Zayne appears to have Demagol while people are going crazy looking for him noting he always manages to be or bring all the public enemies around. Zayne also has Slyysk bring Rohlan a gift, considering it a down payment for helping take down Demagol.

On Osadia Jarael and Demagol are scoping out the school, the Crucible is there with Bar'injar. Demagol proposes there there to secure the other students thinking they will all be as dangerous as Jarael. He then states that even though there are only two of them they will succeed and she will know what to do. But she will also be protected by special armor he had been making over the past several weeks and she will have the weapon of a great warrior in hand.

Zayne's gift is a party costume version of his armor, one of the products licensed by Gryph for "Spikes", Rohlan is rather annoyed that his spikes are gone, and that he is a sports hero. He then brings them down to whats under his garage, the Rogue Moon Project Command, an operation paid for with investments made by Zayne's dad using money from the exchange and the Bounty for the Strangler.

After Zayne turned down the Jedi's offer him and Shel got to talking that with both them and the Republic so focused on the war now nobody is really looking out for regular people. So they got the families of the other slain Padawans together and founded the Rogue Moon Project with Shel knowing how to build an organization through her time with the Taris resistance and her work with the Senator giving them tons of connections and information. Which is how Zayne found the Chancellor Fillorean and the Crucible. There dedicated to helping anyone like refugees or wrongly accused fugitives while the large powers focus on the big picture.

Gryph is shocked that Zayne did this all under his nose, he tries to play it off by saying the families and Shel are the ones actually running it, but Shel isn't having it saying he is carrying on in the spirit of the dead padawans and then shows his lightsaber had its crystal fused together from all of theirs as well as etching there names into it.

Before they can start looking for Jarael whoever Slyysk brings up that he found a microtag the other day while mopping, something Demagol dropped after he has used the chemicals he bought. The Tag is for Exar Kun's double bladed lightsaber, which Demagol managed to nab from the Momo's and had used the chemicals to get out of the Covenants resin. Zayne know Kun's history of corruption and despairs at that weapon being anywhere near Jarael especially with her force connection.

But he bolts up soon after with a plan, telling Shel to use her connections with the Senator to set up a top secret call noting that Demagol isnt the only one who knows where Osadia is, Golliard has to know to a weak link they can use, and to draw him out while Shel is making her own call he tells Rohlan to call Cassus Fett.

Hopefully before its to late as Jarael dressed in the body armor ignites Kun's blade.


-Summarizing backstory always takes up so much space in these things.

-Pretty sure this is actually the most text I have written for a single issue, there's really alot just to summarize.

-The way Zayne and Jaraels stories parallel each other with there terrible teachers including
"Were not just your teachers, were your protectors" really highlights how thematically consistent the series stayed, even once the Covenant left the stage.

-Not to mention continuity wise, the amount of threads tying together both Demagol's backstory and how the Rogue Moon Project came to be is really really high, to like an almost absurd degree.

 

Knights of the Old Republic 49: Demon, Part 3

Notes: https://www.farawaypress.com/comics/swknights/swkotor49.html

Near an Asteroid mining facility not far from the Ithor System a Republic Fleet under Admiral Karath are excited when a anonymous tip to the defense ministry bares fruit as a Mandalorian Raiding Fleet enters the system, Carth is also back on the bridge apparently having worked back up from his demotion.

Meanwhile Golliard and the Gladiator are also in the systems asteroid field hiding, having picked up the Mando's unscrambled signal. He plans to pick off any stragglers and life pods from both sides as well as maybe even stealing one of the cruisers for a new command.

But just as it seems like its about to kick off, the Mando's all jump to hyperspace instead. At the same time Karath receives a transmission from Zayne, who warns him there are pirates in the asteroid field off his starboard flank. Karath doesn't care at first, being at war and all but then Zayne tells him its Dace Golliard and that changes. Karath immediately has his fleet engage the Gladiator with the intent to capture it. Golliard tries to flee but see's the Hot Prospect and realizes what that means as tractor beams catch his ship.

As Slyysk moves the Hot Prospect to join the Republican boarders its revealed that Zayne is also talking to Cassus Fett. The attack was a feint they teamed up to set up allowing them to capture Golliard who can give them the coordinates of where Demagol would be heading. Cassus did this both because unlike Mandalore he despises Demagol, and to repay Zayne for saving them with his warning about the Rakghoul outbreak on Jebble. Rohlan also promised Cassus to remain "dead" as far as the rest of the Mando's are concerned as part of the deal for helping, with his debt paid Cassus wishes them good hunting.

Zayne boards to meet Captain Telettoth who informs him that Golliard went out an airlock and is heading to the mining facility but his escape is short lived as in a role reversal Zayne uses the Gladiators Skyreaper drones to catch him. Karath is rather jazzed to have him, turns out his dad died at the Battle for the Foerst shipyards during the Sith War as seen in Tales of the Jedi, which is also the same battle Golliard deserted during. But before he can be taken away Zayne tells him about Chantique taking the other students some place "ironic" which has to be Osadia. Golliard is amazed and says Chantique up and left in the middle of dinner to go there have having a dream which Zayne realizes must have been a Force vision. She also took Bar'in'jars crack security team with her. Zayne asks for the coordinates but Golliard spitefully says he can just find them in the ships databanks.

Gryph notes that the coordinates are a long way off from where they are, and its possible that they would arrive to late. Zayne looks to Karath to provide them with a fast way to get there. Karath is incensed that Zayne would dare ask a favor of him "after all you've put me through" which just pisses Zayne off who cuts him off by pointing out how ever since they met almost everything that Karath is famous for, and half his legend in general is actually stuff Zayne did but he got credit for. That some might call it a fraud, but Zayne would never say that obviously. Taking the hint Karath sulks off after telling Telettoth to take Zayne and co wherever they want to go.

Meanwhile on Osadia Jarael puts her new body armor and Kun's lightsaber to work, quickly taking out most of Barny's crack security team. Demagol quickly over powers Barny, who knows who Jarael is but doesn't know Demagol and asks what he wants. Demagol screams that he wants to where they hide his stolen children. Barny smugly states he has stolen many peoples children so how is he supposed to remember Demagol's? Demagol takes that about as well as you would expect and shoots him in the face. He then runs up to a perturbed Jarael, snatches the blade from her hands and uses it to kill the other security team members she had beaten down. Jarael tries to stop him but he shouts about "what they did to me, I mean to us" He then runs off to check the baracks telling a rather put out looking Jarael to check the training hall.

Back on Telettoths ship the man expounds more on the status of the Jedi involvement in the war. Turns out Malak was overselling it a bit, Revan's Jedi arent officially sanctioned by the council, instead after Cathar Revan brought back an idea used in the Sith War, an organized his Jedi as a mercy corps which in the 30 years since the war the Council has never rejected a request from a Jedi to serve in. Telettoth notes it was quite clever of Revan even as Rohlan points out its an obvious lie, those Jedi are going to fight. But for now as fragile as it is the Council is allowing it.

As the Captain takes Rohlan on a tour, Zayne notes it was lucky Shel found a connection between Karath and Golliard, as well as Karath being on patrol in the region. But Gryph isnt so sure, pointing out that Demagol is basically a bad break counter to every good break they have ever gotten, but that type of thing always happens to Zayne. He lists off all the other times Zayne has used the Force to achieve a positive result only for something bad to immediately follow it. Sensing a fix, Gryph point blank asks Zayne what he is doing. Zayne says the Jedi called it a learning disability, that whenever he reaches out with the Force he doesnt have a good grasp so fate sorta tips back and forth, which leads to positive outcomes being immediately followed by bad ones, or the reverse. He notes that timing like his, both for good or ill isn't something that would really happen without a nudge as he calls it, and sadly wishes he had gotten better control of it before Jarael caught the worst of it.

Gryph immediately notes that the Jedi were fools to call it a disability. The fact that he knows its coming means that he can plan for it, that in a way for him the Galaxy is a fair game because everything will balance out for him in the end. If he knows that then he can use it. Zayne perks up at that but also says he isnt calling Gryph master, but the Mastermind is fine with that and says he is smart enough to stay on the ship and let Zayne face death himself this time.

On Osadia, Jarael finds a torture room in the training hall and Chantique hurls weapons at her with the force, she destroys them easily. Jarael is surprised that Chantique is alive, the latter taunts the former about Zayne not telling her about her. She says she had a premonition about Jarael coming here with somebody else she couldn't see but she knew it wasn't her 'Boy Jedi". Jarael says that she explanined things to Zayne, that he will come around he just needs time. Chantique fires back that its time she wont have, and that as a boy Zayne doesn't want to deal with her problems, that she was able to turn him against her in one day and night (she emphasizes the latter). Jarael desperately says that she turned him against her but he sacrificed himself for her once. Chantique in a callback to issue six says once was enough, "Can't let him thinking that's sensible behavior" and says after this is over she is gonna look up Zayne and throw him back into the dueling pits.

This enrages Jarael who quickly engages Chantique and gains the upper-hand, kicks her in the face and stands over her disarmed form with Lightsaber raised screaming

"I want you outta my life!"


-The fight paneling is great in this issue.

 

Woooo! One Issue away from #50. This thread is an accomplishment.

​

 

Ah, almost the end. Or are you going to cover KotOR: War as well? Well, this is nearly the end of the main series.

Looking back, this was a bit of an awkward issue, with the quick transition from covering more of Demagol's backstory, what Zayne's been up to on his own, capturing Golliard and then even covering Zayne's Force "disability". Talk about a lot of content, especially a detailed discussion about Zayne's "bad luck". While Zayne's gotta be careful, as every lucky break means there'll be some bad luck coming sooner or later, as we see by War he's gotten used to it.

Its always nice to see loose ends wrapped up too. Especially with Zayne calling in that favor from Cassus and basically blackmailing Admiral Karath. Not to mention I always loved the continuity references (Arkania, the families of Zayne's old classmates, Karath and of course Exar Kun's lightsaber). And one last Carth appearance (too bad no time for more lines from him). Just one more issue to go. Ah, those were the good comic years.

 

I think KotOR: War is underrated, so I hope you'll cover those issues too!

 

Star Wars: Legends - The Old Republic Vol. 3 is out today, containing the last third of the series!

 

Knights of the Old Republic 50: Demon, Part 4

Notes: https://www.farawaypress.com/comics/swknights/swkotor50.html

The final issue of the best Star wars comic ever begins with Zayne and Rohlan falling with style down onto Osadia above the school, where in the training room Jarael has raised Kun's lightsaber preparing to finish Chantique off, who goads her on telling her to finish the job she started all those years ago when she literally stabbed her in the back.

Naturally in typical Zayne fashion, his dynamic entrance crash landing through the window ends with him landing on Jarael, knocking the blade outta her hands which Chantique quickly grabs. Typical Zayne bad luck seemingly, but in this case is it actually?

Chantique and Zayne cross sabers with her shocked that Zayne actually came back for Jarael. She shouts that she showed him what the Crucible does and that Jarael was one of them. Zayne isnt caught in her words this time, firing back that Jarael was the Protector, the slaves themselves named her that. And he remembers that now as he is able to fully process the memories Snout gave him, but he doesn't even need those memories because he knows Jarael. He then tells Chantique that she is the destroyer and a deceiver just like her father. Naturally mentioning the man who sold her into slavery sets Chantique off and Zayne answers her demands about what he knows about him by letting her read his thoughts to see that Demagol, her father is here at the school right now.

Elsewhere in the school Demagol desperately continues searching for the other students, only to run in Rohlan. Who promptly decks him and continues pummeling him while calling him naughty Mando words, laying into him for experimenting on children and saying he hasn't earned the right to armor, least of all his as he rips the chest plate off.

Demagol knocks him out with an unintentional force push and looks at his hand in shock, flabbergasted at what he just did.

Back with Zayne and Jarael he is catching her up to speed. She is baffled that he is telling her that her mentor Wyrick is Demagol,and that once Zayne mentioned him Chantique ran off. Its a'lot to take in and she is skeptical partly because of how they ended things last time they met but Zayne assures her that despite her justified disappointment in him, its all true and the school was a Mando expriement with all the kids being special, touched by the force in some way which is why he is glad she lost Kun's saber which basically radiates evil and was probably pushing her to kill Chantique. But Jarael says she wanted to kill Chantique but decided not to, really just wanting her to leave her alone, and she also says she felt nothing from the saber. Zayne is shocked by this because he could feel it while still outside the building but Jarael reiterates that she felt nothing.

But Chantique did as she mentions when she blasts both of them with the force. She reveals in the power she feels from the blade saying she feels like she doesn't even need the Cruible anymore, she has a destiny all her own, Zayne tries to talk he downs saying she doesn't know the risks of using the force and that the past has demons. But Chantique says so does she, but she wont for long after she kills them and then her old man. Only regretting that she didn't find him first.

Demagol of course instead found them and enters the scene by stabbing Chantique in the back screaming about where his children are. She shoots back that she is his child, his daughter Kessarah. But he doesn't care he means "The good children", "the ones that worked!" She weakly tells him that there in the school yard.

He rushed outside followed by Zayne and Jarael only to find know signs of the students, he turns back asking where are they, and Chantique tells him with a smile that she didnt say they were in the school yard, but that there in the school yard. She confirms to Demagol that she buried them alive, killing them. One student per year as a tradition to commemorate there parting. She had enough students to go for a long time but buried the rest when she found out that him and Jarael were coming to the school. Demagol is aghast insisting they could have been powerful if they had been taught to use the force, Chantique quips they should have been taught to hold there breath.

Demagol then says they should have been able to hold off a failure like her, but also that all is not lost because Jarael still carries the blood of Arca Jeth and can still be the basis for his Madalorian Knights. Jarael says she isnt going anywhere with him and Zayne says it wouldn't work anyway. Demagol asks Zayne what could he know as he is just another failure like Chantique and he never taught Jarael anything. But Zayne says he just figured out why that was so. The Force is incredibly strong in Chantique the daughter he threw away but not in Jarael or any of her engineered siblings. Oh Jarael has tons of physical talent and might be in touch with the Force in some way, but she isn't any type of Force prodigy. Jarael is surprised saying back on the comet she sensed the eruption but Zayne says so did he as the ground was shacking under there feet.

Demagol says that's preposterous, mentioning when he and Jarael focused to break the chain on Metellos 3, only to catch himself and slowly realize that it was he who broke that chain. Just like how he pushed Rohlan who arrives on the scene saying so, as well as unconsciously masking his presence from Zayne or any of the other Jedi the came across, also pointing out the other researchers at the school knew. If the students at the school could use the Force it wasn't because of any of his experiments, but the Force was in him and his blood daughter.

Demagol utters "The Daughter" as said daughter leaps at him with a bloody knife, Demagol uses the Force to call when of the two sabers to him, but unfortunately for him the one he pulled was Kun's and activating it skewers them both. As they both die Demagol's final words are saying he had a fifty fifty chance, but Zayne says not around him he didn't.

Everything balances out.

Days later on Coruscant Zayne has given Kun's saber back to the Jedi with an apology but says he still owes Jarael and apology for judging her. She tries to say he doesn't have to but he insists that he does, as he did exactly what she was afraid people would do if they found out, and even though his time with the Crucible was bad it never should have shaken his faith in her.

He then says what is probably my favorite line in the series:

"When you grow up never being good enough every day's a compromise between what you want to be and what you are. I know what you wanted to be for those people. And that's whats important"

Jarael is touched and says thank you, also noting that it was a standard year ago tomorrow when they first met in that junkyard. Saying its a shame they don't have more to show for it, but Zayne surprises her, thats why he brought her here this morning, saying happy anniversary he reveals her alive and well parents to her. Rohlan had met them while researching into Demagols past and when Zayne heard they were offshoots he had a feeling that was confirmed the day prior when he met them. Jarael embraces her parents tearfully thanking Zayne, he says to thank Rohlan as he couldn't have done it without him, but the Questioner has already quietly made his exist without anyone seeing.

The next evening at Gryph's restaurant which has of course become the epicenter of Coruscant high society with every important deal made at tables that are wired, naturally. Gryph is sorry that Zayne isnt saying, but he has alot of options at the moment, working with the Rogue Moon Project, helping the Jedi to teach learners with similar training problems to himself, that whole war thing and maybe just riding around on that nice new Speeder bike he has. But before any of that Gryph needs him to fake being a waiter at table 17 that has a question. Zayne says just this once, and that it better be good. And it turns out to be very good indeed with it being Jarael decked out in a very fancy dress wishing him happy anniversary. Zayne finds his tongue enough to ask how her parents are doing, she says good, amazed really with how she turned out, she'll be staying on Coruscant for awhile to get to know them and has been working out how to spend her time here.

Zayne asks what he question was and she says she here of Jedi who avoid emotional connections, physical contact ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). And he isn't one of those Jedi is he? Zayne says he isnt a Jedi at all and if he was he would flunk out, she says will see and the two kiss.* Zayne then naturally just has to kill the mood by that when she says physical contact she doesn't mean she is going to beat him up again is she?

"Oh Shut Up" is the proper response he gets while Gryph smug mugs at the reader with one finale...

"Mastermind!"

- The final kiss is appropriately Zayne x Jarael third, and Zaynes fourth in total. But more importantly its the first one that isn't part of some con/scheme/trick/desperate stalling tactic or anything else.

-"Physical contact" is bolded by the issue print itself, that is not my doing I am innocent even though I approve heartily.

-Gotta wonder what Rohlan would think if he ever found out what had really caused the Mando's to go to war.

-As you can see by coincidence I started writing this finale summary for the main series on the day the Old Republic Legends Volume 3 released.

-For those who asked I will be doing "War", sorta. It wont be an issue by issue thing like the Main series, just one big post summary summing it all up as well as some final thoughts on the entire series in total, real life stuff and other obligations eats into to much time right now for anything more.

-Thanks for everyone who bothered to read all this stuff, and put up with some stupid delays. Hope I got across the most impact full moments well enough and articulated why I thought they worked and why this really is the Holy Grail when it comes to not just Star Wars comics, but stands among the best of everything the brand has ever put out in any media format.

I sleep now, big tired.