– Spoiler Review –
Catastrophe strikes as Nawaam unleashes his kyber cannon, with Kara and crew rushing to help the survivors flee their devastated home. Yet when she’s trapped during her efforts to help, new truths come to light about Kara’s father, Lah Zhima, adding fascinating twists and further questions to the series’ story. And we’re just at episode three with Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi “Voice From the Past”!
Familiarity is a blessing and a curse, as it can function as a palatable way to bring in new and old fans alike, but it can also seem derivative. So far, Visions Presents: The Ninth Jedi has been able to use familiarity for the former, via remixing what we know and presenting it in new and interesting ways. I’ve enjoyed tracking its remixes, as they’ve done it in such a great way in the first two episodes alone. But by “Voice From the Past”, The Ninth Jedi feels like it’s stepping out on its own, leaving the remixing behind and making its own mark. This manifests first in the simple act of the heroes helping rescue citizens from a dying planet, the planet-killing superweapon actually missing for once, and so the close call feels even more harrowing as it’s now a race against time. But it really takes shape in the flashbacks, via Bibin’s Lady Tafflah, as we get a sense of the Jedi Order Master Reno Tsutara was trying to develop, Tafflah’s role in supporting it, as well as Zhima and Juro’s paths within the Order itself. It’s in the greater mysteries these answers offering new questions points to The Ninth Jedi heading in an interesting direction I really hope it maintains going forward and sticks the landing on.
When Lady Tafflah goes looking for an additional ship to help ferry the citizens away, further destruction from the asteroids created by the cannon’s passing puts her life at risk. Juro, Kwana, and Kara make it to her in time, but Kara’s efforts aren’t enough and it leaves the two women trapped in a hidden hanger with the ship they so desperately need with no way out. Despite the slow march of destruction of Bibin, there’s a sense of urgency in “Voice From the Past” up until this point which gets sapped once Kara and Tafflah are trapped. It feels somewhat convenient they have as much time as they do as it’s enough time for Tafflah to share what she remembers and knows about Zhima, Juro, Master Reno Tsutara’s Jedi Order, and its fall. I had imagined the remixing of Star Wars stories was going to extend into what brought about Tsutara’s Order’s fall, with my theories including Kara/Nwama being twins Zhima protected from a Tsutara who had seen a glimpse of a dark future in one or both of them, but boy was I wrong and I am damn happy for it. In fact, I really liked the direction they took, introducing an interesting conundrum and an unexpected path, which showcases how the ideals can be right, but too much responsibility and the power that comes with it can change/affect any being, no matter who they are. Yes, even storied Jedi Masters can make mistakes and fail, as no one is ever perfect and if they just kept on succeeding, how is that entertaining or contain potential/depth?
Tafflah is the one who welcomed Master Tsutara to Bibin and, as he helped open the local trade network, the citizens and her stood by his side to support the Order’s return. Zhima came to Bibin as a young Padawan, training alongside a slightly older Juro, and their success led them both to become teachers in their own right. For some reason, Juro left and didn’t return, though it’s not something we get more information on at this moment, so hopefully we learn more about that too. As for Zhima, he was tasked with combating any remaining Sith in the galaxy, and the more he did so, according to Tafflah, he came to relish the art of combat. At the same time, Reno became more and more embroiled in politics. Tafflah believed supporting Tsutara and the Order was cultivating the return of normalcy, of a potential government and trade, yet she eventually overheard Zhima confront Reno about the Jedi needing to stay out of politics. While she wasn’t there at the start of their fight, a key detail I missed the first time watching that reveals Zhima talking to Reno about staying out of politics is a different moment than the start of their duel, Tafflah’s there for a grand majority of it, including Zhima killing Tsutara and fleeing. Towards the end of the their lightsaber duel, both Tsutara and Zhima notice the younger Jedi’s lightsaber flickering, back and forth from blue and red, which is when the fight stops for a moment and Zhima backs away. And then he centers himself, realizing he’s letting anger control his actions, and takes a damn big breath. And when he’s calm and centered and focused, we see his blade has turned to…grey!? Grey Jedi is an interesting thing people have sort of taken and run with, but all it really means is someone who doesn’t totally agree with the Jedi Council/Order, but is still on the light side. Which, in this situation, is what describes Zhima, especially if he’s not into the Order being so into politics. There’s more to it than that and thankfully we learn WHY Zhima didn’t want the Order to be politically embroiled before the episode is over. Overall, I really enjoyed how the flashbacks were presented. There’s some slight stuttering in images, flickering quickly, to show it’s pieces of Tafflah’s memory. The animation’s slightly different too, not as crisp. A little more wavy, morphing, as if colored by time and memory. All sort of showcasing, beyond Tafflah’s narration, that it’s just her memories of this time and these events, not the totality of what happened and what the others felt or knew.
Because, as Juro and Kwana open the hanger doors conveniently after Tafflah’s able to wrap up her memories of what happened, Kara discovers a dark truth. Yet it’s a dark truth that helps Kara with her growing concern over his father’s past and actions. The ship Tafflah was trying to get was Master Tsutara’s, hidden away all this time. As they prepare to take off and grab the remaining survivors, Kara goes looking through the ship to find space and see where they can make more of it. The Force guides her and she presses what appears to be a secret switch, which opens a nearby hatch leading further into the belly of the ship. While this secret hold appears initially focused on a supply stockpile, Kara turns on a light and finds a shocking discovery that seems to clear her father of wrong doing. While Din Djarin and other bounty hunters doing what Kara uncovers here makes sense, for a Jedi Master like Tsutara, it’s certainly shocking and concerning. Tsutara was so focused on revitalizing trade, he started removing those who didn’t agree with his terms, which allowed him to skim from the top, and froze them in carbonite! Considering how much time has passed, those locked away have perished, further darkening his deeds. There’s a security recording they all later watch that shows Tsutara igniting his lightsaber and chasing after Zhima after the latter confronted the Jedi Master outside his ship, likely discussing the carbonite tomb. As I said earlier, this was a key detail I missed in Tafflah’s telling of events, as it shows their fighting starting by Tsutara’s ship and now we see why it even started. It appears the power and influence got to Master Tsutara’s head and he succumbed to the dark side in the process, thinking his cause was just given he was supported by the people of Bibin and he was reopening the galaxy. An archaic galaxy with no central government, and the push to try and bring some peace to it or connectedness, is something I hope the post-The Rise of Skywalker will cover, and it appears 2027’s Starfighter (which just got its first teaser) will to some degree!
Ethan keeps Juro apprised of the kyber cannon’s troubles, as whatever Zhima did to unsettle the giant crystal so it missed a direct hit, has caused it to backfire and be inoperable for the time being. But this results in Ethan’s wrist communicator being damaged and his ability to update them cut off. Knowing the power of the weapon and no longer sure of its progress towards operability again, Juro and team decide on an attack plan on Nawaam’s location, helpfully provided by Ethan before contact was lost. It’s a cool plan, using the miners’ asteroid ship to hide amongst an asteroid belt by Nawaam’s station and surprise attack the base. Given we’re about to hit the halfway mark with the next episode, as cool as it is we’re launching a big attack, I’m sure something will have to go wrong first…but I’m not sure of what and am both dreading and excited to see what it’ll be.
Here are a few other things:
- The score by Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi really amps up for the big battle between Tsutara and Zhima, though it has a haunting, almost regretful feel to it, like they didn’t want it to come to this battle. When Zhima’s blade goes grey and he finishes off Tsutara, I really liked the haunting, yet purposeful music in the moment.
- I was a little surprised the other miners and all their ships weren’t automatically coming to help, though how easily they did once requested, and their little noises of happiness for the deed, don’t offer any explanation as to why they were just floating around.
Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi “Voice From the Past” uncovers much of the mystery surrounding Zhima’s past, offering a glimpse of how the show is about to step forward into its own world in the second half.
+ The past takes shape
+ The Ninth Jedi taking its own steps forward, leaving remixing behind
+ Setting up for a big midway episode!
– The odd interactions/moments with the other miners
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on on Bluesky and Instagram @mynockmanor.
STAR WARS: VISIONS PRESENTS – THE NINTH JEDI REVIEWS:
Ep. 1: “A New Threat” | Ep. 2: “A Hidden Weapon” | Ep. 4 “Nawaam Attacks” | Ep. 5: “The Storm of Violence” | Ep. 6: “Light of the Force” | Ep. 7: “The Jedi Strike Back” | Ep. 8: “The Ninth Jedi”
STAR WARS VISIONS REVIEWS:
Vol. 3: “The Duel: Payback” | “The Song of Four Wings” | “The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope” | “The Bounty Hunters” | “Yuko’s Treasure” | “The Lost Ones” | “The Smuggler” | “The Bird of Paradise” | “BLACK”
Vol. 2: “Sith” | “Screecher’s Reach” | “In the Stars” | “I Am Your Mother” | “Journey to the Dark Head” | “The Spy Dancer” | “The Bandits of Golak” | “The Pit” | “Aau’s Song”
Vol. 1: “The Duel” | “Tatooine Rhapsody” | “The Twins” | “The Village Bride” | “The Ninth Jedi” | “TO-B1” | “The Elder” | “Lop & Ochō” | “Akakiri”
Related Material: Takashi Okazaki (one-shot) | Peach Momoko (one-shot) | Art of Star Wars: Visions Vol. 1 (book) | Star Wars: Visions #1 (comic) | Ronin: A Visions Novel (novel)