Review: Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #1

Star Wars has been around for a long time now and it’s a franchise that is near and dear to my heart. However, it seems that every couple of years they move the timeline further down from the original Star Wars movies – a move that I question. At some point, these changes will hit the bottom of the Star Wars barrel, if it hasn't already.

Dark Horse’s latest Star Wars installment takes place 25,000 to36,000 years before the battle in Yavin (before the Republic). The issue explains two things: (1) the early beginning of the Jedi and (2) and something that should be un-explainable, The Force. According to this storyline, The Force comes from an entity known as the Thor Yor. This entity was spread out in the form of nine different buildings located in different parts of the galaxy. One day, these nine structures activated and in each station, their inhabitants found enlightenment. The people boarded these structures and all temples merged together in the planet of Tython. By binding the structures, the people aimed to find the true purpose of Thor Yor. The originators of the merged temples were able to master the underlying skills tied in to The Forces and called themselves Je’daii. In other words, these dudes were the founding members of the Jedi.

These first Je’daii created a great civilization around The Force but their family members, which were not connected to the Force, experienced great danger in Tython. This led to a migration that left only the people that were “Force sensitive” on the planet. The migration did leave some nasty results most of the children of the Je’daii had estranged relationships leading to a war between both parties. Fast-forward a couple of years after the war: an empire called the Infinite Empire came to power. The Infinite Empire is slowly conquering planets and killing anyone sensitive to the Force thanks to the help of some hunters called Force Hounds. The Infinite Empire and the Force Hounds located a planet (which could be Tython) and wishes to eradicate and continue their intergalactic conquest.

To me Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi was a good idea but there was terrible execution. I like the fact the story is about the early beginnings of the Jedi. But I couldn't buy in to the reasons the Jedi came together. You can’t tell me that the Force is basically an ancient alien religion that one day “magically” brought different races together. This is a bit too much for me to believe. Also, the explanation as to why the Jedi lived in solitude was lacking as well. The Force Hounds’s introduction was flat. There basically bounty hunters who have Force powers…now, where have I seen this before?…..Oh yeah, does Darth Vader ring a bell?!

Like most Start Wars comics, I did enjoy the art on the book. There was good detail on the characters and the colors were vibrant, just as I would expect in from a Star Wars book. It is just sad to say that the story could not match to the good art.

For the fans of the Star Wars franchise, this book is an additional wrinkle in the huge Star Wars lore. The fans will enjoy the book for sure, but for people who just are sticking to the nostalgia of the old series; this book might have some explanation that may not be to your liking.

Score: 1/5

Story: John Ostrander and Jan Duursema
Written: John Ostrander
Pencils: Jan Duursema
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price : $3.50