Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures: Season 1: Story 32: Clash
What is it ? : The Young Jedi are to practice sparring, and Master Zanna asks Kai to practice against another student, Djovi Resmia, instead of his friends. The two use various moves not usually taught to Younglings and all other sparring stops as everyone watches the two fight.
Eventually Djovi disarms Kai, and Master Zanna calls an end to practice. As they eat in the hall later, Kai can't believe he lost to Djovi, and Master Zanna comes to speak to him, leaving Nubs to finish off Kai's dinner.
She leads Kai outside where Djovi is waiting for them, and she assigns them an assignment, the Rope Bridges are lit by glowing stones, and one has become damaged, she wants them to locate and return with the damaged stone.
The rope bridge requires force empowered leaps and speed to traverse and the two continue their rivalry as they try to be the one to locate the damaged stone. Pausing for a while, Kai tells Djovi why he wants to be a great Jedi, so he can help people, but while he's talking Djovi spots the damaged stone and begins racing back to the Temple with it. Kai give chase, but in trying to take the stone it falls far below.
The two talk, and Djovi admits he asked to spar with Kai, as he looks up to him and knows Kai is one of the best students at the Temple so challenges himself against Kai's standards. The two agree to work together, and find the stone on the forest floor, however the floor collapses revealing a deep tunnel.
The two leap after the stone, grabbing it and slowing their decent by stabbing their lightsabers into the tunnel walls.
By working together and passing the stone back and forth, they leap upwards, using their lightsabers as pitons to climb higher and higher and eventually out of the tunnel.
Returning to Master Zanna with the stone, she tells them that they have done well in working together, and she uses her lightsaber to scrape the stone revealing it's light inside, which she says is like the two boys who must find the light to help others. She then sends them on another assignment to return the now glowing stone back to it's rightful place and they race off together. . . .
High Points : A solid little tale about working together, which focuses on Kai, giving him a solo story as Lys had a few episodes ago. It moves along at a reasonable speed, and looks pretty nice, the rope bridge and glowing guide stones are an interesting location.
I was tempted to criticise that the two boys use their lightsabers to climb the tunnel, as how do energy blades hold their weight? But if lightsabers can parry physical weapons such as swords and electrostaffs, they must have some kind of physical strength, so this actually makes sense.
Low Points : But what doesn't make sense is the rope bridge which the guide stones illuminate, there are breaks in it and vertical segments which no one without force powers could traverse. Making it useless for non-Jedi, and dangerous for younglings (one slip of concentration and they plummet to their deaths below). If they'd mention it was an old path which was being repaired, it might make sense, which would give a reason why the stones needed repairing as well, but we're given the feeling that this is supposed to be a well used route.
So what do you really think ? : I was fine with this episode, giving Kai a solo story makes sense as they seem to have been trying it with the other Young Jedi, but since he's been the lead it didn't really feel necessary.
Final Words : The message of this one seems to be that "rivalry is bad", although it communicates this as "look for the light within a rival and see the good in them".
Score : 8/10
Comments made about this Article!
There are currently no comments for this article, be the first to post in the form below
