While the Sith may be Star Wars‘ abiding villains, there are others whose acts of evil are just as vicious – among them, Dark Jedi. As fans get a look back at the Jedi at the height of their power, a devastating Dark Jedi attack is revealed – one for which Yoda is at least partly to blame.
In Charles Soule, Ibraim Roberson, Fernando Sifuentes and Travis Lanham’s Star Wars: The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight #1, Yoda welcomes the dark Jedi Azlin Rell back into the Jedi’s good graces. Yoda believes that Azlin can help the Order combat the ongoing threat of the Nameless, and also speculates that he can redeemed from his past crimes. Desperate following the fall of Starlight Beacon and the activation of their Emergency Protocols, the Order reluctantly allow Azlin Rell to help.
However, Azlin has ventured further into the Dark Side than Yoda knows, and uses the Force to carry out a horrifying attack on Travyx Prime, crashing the patrol cruiser Galliance into the planet. Azlin’s motives are sincere – he sees the Nameless as an immense threat, and the attack as a vital way to cut off the Jedi’s enemies from ever accessing the deadly Force-eating predators.
The Dark Side Doesn’t Only Work Through Sith
Azlin Rell’s Attack on Travyx Prime Shows the Danger of Dark Jedi
While the Sith are often seen as simply adherents of the Dark Side, they are actually a very specific cult with precise beliefs and rituals. When he’s introduced to the Council, Azlin argues that his disagreements with the Jedi don’t place him in the same class as the Sith, insisting that just because he strayed from the light side doesn’t make him an outright enemy of the Jedi. Sadly, while this is partially true, it’s part of a far more warped view of his role – as an entire city burns beneath him, Azlin declares “This act was a gift, to everyone who touches the Force. Jedi, Sith, all of us.”
Yoda’s Mistake Just Killed Thousands
Yoda’s Trust in the Jedi Allowed a Dark Jedi to Fool Him
The Dark Side has many ways of tempting adherents to its side, and in Azlin Rell’s case, fear of the Nameless has robbed him of his moral core. Azlin has convinced himself that the Nameless are such a huge threat that almost anything is justified to fight back against them. Unlike the Sith, Azlin doesn’t cause this destruction in search of personal power, but through a sincere desire to protect the galaxy. However, by forsaking the core principles of the Jedi, he has committed an atrocity which is indistinguishable from the actions of a Sith – at least in practical terms.
This is a dark lesson for Yoda. Azlin Rell’s status as a Dark Jedi clearly gave Yoda hope that he could be brought back to the light. Seeing him as a potential asset and someone who could be redeemed, Yoda gave him access to all the tools and knowledge he needed to kills thousands – literally, since Yoda pulled many memories out of Azlin’s scrambled mind, including the importance of Travyx Prime. Indeed, it may be the spectacle of a city burning because of his folly that later persuaded Yoda there was no hope for Darth Vader.
Dark Jedi Show Why It’s Not Enough to Be ‘Good’
The Dark Side Can Turn Heroic Desires into Murder
While the Sith follow a specific creed that makes them incredibly dangerous, the Dark Side isn’t choosy about who it acts through. As a Dark Jedi, Azlin Rell’s desire to save others from the Nameless has transformed him into a monster every bit as deadly as a Sith – an assurance that when it comes to evil in the Star Wars universe, no single group has a monopoly on truly heinous acts.
Star Wars: The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
