– Spoiler Review –
In Jedi: Fallen Order – Dark Temple #5, the truth is revealed about the war brewing on Ontotho and Cere Junda and Eno Cordova take their first steps towards their fateful moments as seen in the video game, Jedi: Fallen Order. This review will also function as my miniseries review, as everything I’ll have to say will be done so here, so dive in below to see my full feelings on Jedi: Fallen Order – Dark Temple!
As Cordova and Daa warned, the truth about the conflict between the Fylari and Ontotho is likely more complicated than at first glance, a lesson Cere learns the hard way as revelations come to light. As Neralli knocks out the inquisitive Cordova in the Temple, tracking down some secret weapon, Cere’s impatience means she can’t wait for her to come back out, so she takes the fight directly to Daa again, piercing his tank and offering terms…which he surprisingly accepts. Seems he did some digging of his own into what has all transpired and his previous confusion at Cere’s earlier accusations now rings true: Daa Corp hired on local help, but only Fylari, and they were the ones, under the guise of Daa Corp, who attacked the transport Cere and Cordova came in on back in issue #1. Seems they wanted a fight, and their independence, far more than originally expected, as Neralli comes blasting out of the temple with an impressive set of powerful weapons that begin to turn the tide of the fight. But the Republic finally comes to help, with a few Jedi Masters in tow, and the escalating conflict comes to an abrupt end when the Republic sets off a chain reaction when destroying the Temple. Cere and the Jedi rescue as many Fylari as are willing to come with, as not all of them wanted a war, but those who did stay behind, which we’ve seen in the “present” day sections involving the Second Sister Inquisitor. Cere’s hotheadedness might’ve gotten her and Cordova deeper in the mess on Ontotho than necessary, but given how she handled the overall situation and connected with the Fylari younglings (which we actually didn’t see much of in the comic), the Jedi Council promotes her to Jedi Knight, while Cordova’s obsession with the Temple resulting in him knocked out by the “enemy” sees him reassigned to the Jedi Archives. The planet of Ontotho is mostly in ruins, but they’ve started a joint government after rooting out the corrupt one, so as complex and dubious as they conflict ended up being, so too have the results, with a tainted, but happy ending as the resolution. I appreciated how the series didn’t quite end on a good note, as the conflict was far too complicated for one, and it fits with everything in the prequel era turning out to be less clean than the glittering Coruscant ever wanted us to believe.
As for how Dark Temple tied into Jedi: Fallen Order, I won’t spoil the game really here (though I will in my review, out FridayUpdate: it’s here!), but the connections between the two didn’t amount to terribly much: Cere becoming a Jedi Knight leads her on the path to becoming a Master to her own apprentice, before Order 66 hits, some five years before the game takes place; Cordova learns about the Zeffo here, an ancient race players will uncover as they follow his path investigating them; and in the present day, while his tenure in the library will begin his friendship with Jocasta Nu; and in the “present” day, it also sets up the Second Sister’s intervention in Cal Kestis’ adventure at a pivotal moment late in the game, though it wasn’t really necessary to include here. That could be said for all the connections, as they aren’t very important or weren’t already covered by the game’s dialogue/story. At the very least, we got more time with Cere (pronounced “sear” by the way as the game revealed), who ends up being the game’s best and most intriguing character, played wonderfully by Debra Wilson. Both the game and the comic make her out to be a very complex, but interesting individual to see more of, so I hope some of the events which take place between the end of this comic miniseries and the start of the game get a chance to be expanded upon, either in comic or novel form. Cordova’s eccentricities led to a good bunch of laughs in the comic, and as always, character actor Tony Amendola played the part with zeal in the game, so I wouldn’t be against seeing what other ancient cultures he dug up in his research…maybe connect a future Doctor Aphra story to one of his finds?
Here are a few other things:
- Like I said earlier, check back at the Manor for my review of the video game Jedi: Fallen Order on Friday! Update: It’s out now!
In the end, Jedi: Fallen Order – Dark Temple #5 and the miniseries as a whole has a solid story on its own with an ending befitting its complexities, but its indirect connections to the game fall short of expectations.
+ Mostly messy ending for a complex story
+ Cere and Cordova offer great characters to explore
– Connections to game fall flat
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
JEDI: FALLEN ORDER – DARK TEMPLE
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