Knights of the Old Republic #24: Knights of Suffering, part 3 (of 3)

I have to entirely agree with this. Lucien has an obvious chip on his shoulder having to do with his mother, his lack of his mother's particular Force talents, and being the odd man out of his particular cabal. How he was deemed an appropriate master for anyone, let alone Zayne, is a mystery. I believe it shows a startling lack of insight by the Jedi leadership of the era.

Of course, that seems to be a repeating theme.

 

I like this notion too, why? Kids develop at different rates and speeds. As societies it seems both the US and UK have an obsession with A-grades - recent news is league tables for individual pupils, just place a target on a few why don't you? - but there's nothing that says a kid who is in Set 1 for Maths will stay there through their school years. Equally there's nothing to say a kid who gets B and C gradses won't go and succeed at say, a Masters degree? But that very notion of potential is dismissed too easily. That Zayne's abilities have improved greatly with him being away from his teachers is somewhat damning of their teaching ability, but they wouldn't be the first teachers who only want to teach the easy kids.

 

I've always treated it that way, never seen any reason to think otherwise to be honest. I just figure Zayne is the opposite of Luke. Where Luke was able to learn extra fast, Zayne is a slow learner. If it can be done quicker than the Jedi claim, I don't see why the opposite isn't the case as well.

 

Its even worse in Zayne's case as Lucien intentionally neglected Zayne's training so that he could concentrate on Covenant matters. As the Handbook mentioned, with Zayne, Lucien could make minimal effort, and when Zayne failed whatever test they put him through, then everyone could just chalk it up to Zayne's lack of aptitude. This left Lucien plenty of time to handle the Covenant. Actualy, given how crazy the Covenant is, its kind of amazing that any of the Padawans grew up somewhat normal. Faith in Zayne is still a continuing theme in this comic, as most of the Jedi have showed no faith in Zayne, like when Zayne called Vandar way back in Commencement, Vandar thought Zayne was just delusional by that point, despite how unusual it was to have four Consulars assigned to one planet. Of course, at the time we thought that was just to keep the Covenant group together, but now we also know that the Covenant was searching for something on Taris too. And maybe Lucien became a Master because Masters were in really short supply after the last Sith War? The last Sith War seems to be the normal excuse for any idiocy in this era's Jedi Order.

And honestly, Zayne never really seemed quite... incompetent. Very clumsy, sure. Not gifted with a ridiculous amount of Force power like the Skywalkers were, true. However, he handled the telekinesis fine and seems to have the mind trick down too by Flashpoint. Then he managed to unscrew an armored wall in a warship's brig. It took him several days, but that's still a pretty impressive accomplishment, and quite non-violent. Zayne's still lacking in the combat department, as this issue showed (though he was up against a Master), but his friends more than make up for his inexperience.

 

Well, ner vod Kenobi_Kid just picked up this issue today, and I've gotta say, ori'kandosii!! Wookie Mandos! Quarren Mandos! Groin armour! Mandalorian armour deflecting lightsabers!! Oya!!

 

Wait, just what's going on with Lucien and No-Eyes?

 

I could say it in a very straightforward way -but that's no fun- or make a joke -the one that springs to mind is guaranteed to get misinterpreted as even worse than it actually is- so I think I'll let someone else handle it.

 

Let's see, how to describe that scene accurately, hm....

Alright, you know how Q'Anilia occasionally staggers as she has some premonition, visions, etc.? And how Lucien is usually the one to ask her if she's ok? Ok, to give some context, Raana Tey's just died on Taris, so the other Covenant members can sense her death. Lucien and Q'anilia are in a dark bedroom somewhere (probably Coruscant, but whatever planet it is, the bedroom looks like its in a very rich house, given the size of that window and the quality of the furnishings), alone without anybody else around. Q'Anilia isn't in her regular Jedi outfit (the one we see her in during Commencement and onward, the cloak and stuff), but instead some sort of dress, or maybe nightgown (I have next to no idea about clothes, sorry, but I think it looks feminine, and at the very least, no cloak), though Lucien's still in his regular clothes. They're standing close together, but its hard to tell if Lucien is just helping her to stand after her vision, or if it was something else. Q'Anilia tells Lucien that the worst has happened, and Lucien thinks Q'Anilia is feeling the death of Raana Tey, but she says instead that "He knows. He knows!", then switch back to Zayne and Shel swinging from a cable as Zayne says at least he has a name now, his next clue.

So before, we usually saw the Covenant together, but now, instead, the two are alone in a dark bedroom, which hints at something....

Whether they're just really close friends, or they don't actually follow the "no attachments rule," guess we'll find out eventually.

And when did Mando armor deflect a lightsaber? Although I'm not sure if thats Mando armor or whether its Zayne's special phrik vambraces.

 

Wookiee Mandos = Blasphemy.

Mandalorians wear wookiees. It has been that way since time immemorial.

 

Well, Master Vandar said that Zayne's potential is low. However, we know that Obi Wan Kenobi wasn't anything special amongst the Jedi Knights either yet he grew up to be the most wonderful badass that the Jedi ever knew until Luke Skywalker.

Oddly, to make another Buffy reference, I think Zayne Carrick is a lot like Wesley crossed with Xander. He's so eager to prove himself and anxious about pleasing his master (that he doesn't realize---doesn't actually give a **** what he does) that he's allowed himself to come to believe he's a screw up. Zayne adopted the role of the Class Clown because everyone else was so capable by comparison.

Now that he's realized that no one EVER believed in him or cared about him, he's started to harden himself up and start genuinely pushing to be better.

 

Well, JJM left wiggle room on the issue of Zayne's ultimate talent/potential.

Vandar said that Zayne appeared to have marginal talent for the Force... but also that the Jedi "didn't fully understand" how the Force manifests in the young.

Coupled with the fact that Demagol seems to be researching "the source/origin" of Jedi abilities, it seems clear that midi-chlorians have either not been discovered yet, or need to be rediscovered. (Edit: And don't they need to be discovered/rediscovered in 1000 BBY too, if the EG is correct?) So... yeah, things could go any way with Zayne. And then there's his Exileish "special relationship" with the Force to consider.

I mean, he's the quintessential Jedi Sentinel, really, isn't he? He got the short end of the stick in terms of combat and force prowess... but he just can't be stopped. (Note to self: KotOR gameplay jokes, Uli? Hang your head in shame.)

Oh, and Charles, I've now got Zayne pegged as a "rogue Covenant hunter"...

 

Maybe it is just that all my time amongst anime fandoms has trained me to look for romance everywhere, but I always wondered if there was something going on between the two when they had an entire panel dedicated to Lucian's reaction to seeing Q'Anilia for the first time...I mean, I guess it could have been jealously that his mother was already favoring the new kid, but his facial expression reminded me more of the classic "kid with a crush look".

Of course, at least one of them is going to die.

Speaking of which, I always found it strange that people think Lucian will be the one to live. He was the one who pushed for the killings so aggressively, even going so far as to lie to accomplish his goals. He seems to be the worst of the lot.

Rather, the Squid guy who's name I can neither pronounce nor spell...nor remember. He seemed the most sympathetic, the one who questioned the wisdom of the killings, the one outright refused to do it without orders from the top, and the one who showed the most guilt afterwards.

 

Numerous times during Zayne's fight with Raana (also, in issue 7, a Mandalorian can be seen deflecting a lightsaber strike with his vambrace). His spaulders take several strikes before Ranaa's lightsaber blade actually burns through, and it's mass-produced Neo-Crusader armour Zayne's wearing, which probably means it's made out of lightweight duraplast and not the more impervious (to say nothing of expensive and time-consuming to craft) Mandalorian iron.

All of the strikes were to his shoulders and back, not his forearms, so even if he wasn't wearing what are quite obviously standard-issue Neo-Crusader vambraces, it wouldn't matter anyway.

I think that's more of a Fett thing, personally.

 

The thing about Xamar and Feln is that they so far have had no character and have done nothing. I think it would be weird for one of the two background Covenant members to be the one who confeses and lives. I'm thinking it'll be Q'anilia.

 

Oh yes, and Shel is a cute blonde. Huzzah!

 

I was wondering...do you think there was something going on between Raana and Lucien too?

 

I'm a little annoyed by that. We've got Danni Que, Tahiri, Guri, and so on. Generic blonde beauties come after redheads for most overused in Star Wars.

 

Speaking of which, I always found it strange that people think Lucian will be the one to live. He was the one who pushed for the killings so aggressively, even going so far as to lie to accomplish his goals. He seems to be the worst of the lot.

If Lucien Draay is really based on Lucien Debray from the Count of Monte Cristo then I imagine it's because death is really too good a fate for Lucien. If Lucien dies in battle then he's going to suffer the least of the Covenant members. If Lucien is the one who confesses. Essentially, he's going to suffer far worse because he'll be the Jedi Master who bears the full scorn and horror of the entire Jedi Order.

I also believe he's not going to become a Sith Lord because it's so much more fitting that he's broken by the experience.

He'll watch not only the Covenant die but also realize Zayne had nothing to do with the Sith uprising. Worse, he'll probably see Zayne oppose the Sith.

 

The next person to call Shel "generic" dies by crushgaunt.

Besides, the "epic" heroines/love interests are mostly brunettes. Blondes tend to be fairly minor characters by comparison.

 

Q_M has a crush.

 

Indubitably.

 

Shel's cute enough, but she's no Jarael, that's for damn sure.

 

Hmmm... despite the point about him not becoming a Sith Lord, the Count of Monte Cristo comparison about how death would be merciful on him totally screams Sion to me. I've always wanted Sion to be explored as more tragic than the game gave credit. I never really felt as he liked being a Sith, it always seemed as if he blamed Kreia for inflicting it on him like some kind of curse. There would be an irony in Lucien became the very thing he had tried to prevent because he didn't believe in redemption and feared the Jedi would do to him what he did to the Padawans.

 

Meh. Call me weird, but I don't really like how...inflated Jarael's become. I'll take Shel any day over Jarael.

EDIT: I also have to agree with those that said that Xamar and Feln have been underused. The paragraphs they were given in the KOTOR handbook expanded their characters more than their appearances in the comic.

 

q'anilia's confession

q'anillia--masters of the council i have something to say that will upset you
vrook--go on
q'anilia--i killed shad you see me feln xamar and lucien are part of a secret covenent i saw a glimpse of the future the sith are returning we feared one of our pupils will turn to the dark side and.. and we killed them zayne was just in time to be executed as well but he escaped. he is innocent masters. we did it we are guilty.

after this the council finds the covenent and exiles them.

krynda--kreia
haazen--nihilus
lucien--sion
celeste--jedi exile