Knights of the Old Republic: War: Part 5 of 5
What is it ? : The Jedi Academy on Dantooine is under attack, the Masters move to protect the students, and Master Zhar Lestin recognises Dorjander Kace, and stands between him and the students telling them that help will come. But at that moment they see a Mandalorian Dreadnaught in the sky, and so surrender to save the childrens lives.
Dorjander gathers the children up, explaining their training will continue, but under the Mandalorians they will protect life, rather than acting to protect the riches of the Republic, herding them towards a shuttle that he sees descending from the Dreadnaught.
He meets with the captain of the Dreadnaught who identifies himself as Glomkettle and prepares to load the children aboard the shuttle, saying they will scuttle the Republic Frigate they arrived on. He senses something from one of the Mandalorians, and realises that it's Captain Dorvis worried about losing his ship, and works out that Glomkettle is actually Zayne.
Dorjander and his people capture Zayne, Dorvis and the Republic Crew, and he lectures Zayne on his bad luck. But Zayne points out that he knows his luck is all bad, so therefore can plan around it, and presses a button killing many of Dorjander's Mandalorians.
In the confusion, Zayne leads the Republic Crew and the Children aboard the Republic Frigate, and they scramble for orbit, but not before Dorjander uses his Jetpack to board the ship and he attacks Zayne.
The two fight, but Dorjander points out he never learned to duel, he learned to fight on the streets, and he knees Zayne in the groin, making him collapse and drop his lightsaber. Other Mandalorians arrive and inform Dorjander that the story about the trick that Zayne played on them to capture the Dreadnaught has spread and the Mandalorians want nothing to do with Jedi Magic, so have abandoned him. So Dorjander surrenders to Zhar and the Jedi Masters who get released.
Later on Coruscant, Morvis is commended and given a medal for capturing a Mandalorian Dreadnaught, while Dorjander is tried for crimes against the Republic, but it gives him a platform to speak from during his trial.
Zayne travels back to Phaeda having received a message telling him his Mandalorian allies have returned home safely. And on entering his family home, he finds his sisters telling stories of his youth to Jarael.
Afterwards he accepts a job as Special Diplomatic Agent aboard the Reciprocity with Morvis, as Morvis thinks they balance each other out. And Zayne thinks of something Gryph once told him, "If you can't be somebody, fake it."
High Points : So, Zayne does once again feel more like the character he became in the old series, and the use of his bad luck really works, as he has prepared for it, and turns it on Dorjander Kace and the Mandalorians. Although played as his bad luck, it actually just seems like good planning, there was a chance that the Mandalorians wouldn't fall for the con, so he booby trapped the shuttle to kill most of them when they took it. He was really lucky they didn't load the kids on first, or he'd have a whole load of dead younglings on his conscience.
Low Points : The Mandalorians turning their back on Dorjander Kace feels wrong, as while there are many elements of the Jedi which are like magic, levitation, mind tricks, etc. So aren't trusted by the warriors, they followed Ulic-Quel Droma as he beat their leader and was a great warrior, and they respect Revan for his abilities as well. But during this period in between, they suddenly don't respect Jedi combat prowess.
You could make a point that they don't want to rely on it themselves, but that would surely lead to them not respecting leaders or foes who rely on it as well.
So what do you really think ? : While the series got better as it went on, seeming as if the writer had to learn who Zayne was once again. It did lack in Gryph and Jarael. The original run of the comic did follow Zayne who was a terrible Jedi, learning skills from both Gryph and Jarael to make him a far better hero than he would have been otherwise. Likewise they learned to be heroic from him, and became better people too.
While this series could be look at a view of who he becomes afterwards, it just doesn't feel the same. He could almost be any Jedi hero for much of the run, only really becoming a con man with bad luck powers in the final couple of issues.
Final Words : So I'm done with the Knights of the Old Republic comic series, but next to them on my shelf is the entire run of Star Wars Legacy, which will be next for me to cover when I've got time.
Score : 8.5/10
Comments made about this Article!
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02/Dec/2024 16:37:53
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Posted by josejay00@gmail.com
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And Zayne faced an enemy even the Force would be powerless against - his girlfriend meeting his sisters. A meeting every man in his position hopes never to happen, but knows in the end that it's inevitable.
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