Review: ‘Star Wars: Yoda’ #4 Takes Us Back to Coruscant With a New Arc and a Familiar Face
Issue #4 of Marvel’s Star Wars: Yoda comic series dives headfirst into a brand-new arc with some new characters and a familiar face.
Spoilers ahead…
As with the beginning of the previous story arc, we start back on Dagobah with Yoda rejecting the urgent calls of a voice in the Force.
Something that is only lightly touched upon in the Star Wars universe is the way Yoda changed following the downfall of the Republic. While he is introduced to audiences in The Empire Strikes Back in a very light-hearted manner — a cheeky mischievous character muddling about his swamp hut, picking fights with sassy blue droids — Yoda’s true nature in the original trilogy is one of resignation and sadness. He is more than reluctant to train Luke, and quick to abandon hope in him after he leaves to rescue Han and Leia. For all his wisdom, he is still very much consumed by his failure. Whilst I understand this comic series is more about exploring untold stories prior to the Imperial Era, I am looking forward to learning more about his spiritual journey on Dagobah.
Moving on to the main arc, this new story is set back in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, where Yoda summons Master Dooku in the Jedi Council chambers with a request for him. Yoda’s disdain for bureaucracy and politics was a key part of his character in The Clone Wars and the prequel trilogy, and is once again reiterated in his conversation with Dooku. Issue #4 also emphasises Yoda’s adamant aversion to visions of the future and acting upon them.
It is well established that he sees reliance on visions as an attempt to control the future, and therefore a path to the dark side. He senses that Dooku’s thoughts dwell on the future and asks him to instruct the younglings in order to ground him in a tangible present he can shape. I also want to point out the incredible artwork on this particular page, showing Dooku’s progression perfecting his stance and the shadowy figure of Sidious peering out of the darkness over his shoulder, an image you might almost miss if you don’t look close enough.
This issue expands on Dooku’s history and development as a character prior to his turn to the dark side, with a specific focus on his relationship with his old master. Yoda clearly had a great deal of respect for Dooku, suggesting he may be the greatest Jedi of his generation. They also discuss Dooku’s friendship with Sifo-Dyas, an old Jedi Master who was removed from his position in the Jedi Council due to extremist views, and would later order the clone army for the Republic out of fear of the future galactic conflict he saw in his visions.
Dooku somewhat encourages Yoda to potentially reconsider their decision, urging that the Jedi use their visions of the future to guide their light across the galaxy. The image of Sifo-Dyas and Dooku running gleefully through the Temple as children takes on a sombre tone, as readers know that years later Count Dooku would have Sifo-Dyas killed at the request of his new master, Darth Sidious.
The most intriguing part of this issue, however, is the introduction of the younglings, specifically the Wookiee initiate Krrsish. Dooku comments on the surprising nature of his friendship with a fellow Trandoshan initiate due to the history of their species and the antagonistic relationship they have. In Star Wars canon, this conflict comes from deeply-rooted Trandoshan beliefs that have led to the hunting and enslavement of the Wookiees. In Trandoshan culture, Jagannath points are awarded to hunters by their deity, the Scorekeeper, and Wookiees are worth the most amount of points.
There have only been a few nods to any kind of friction between the species thus far, such as in The Book of Boba Fett, where Black Krrsantan attacked a group of Trandoshans in Mos Espa seemingly unprompted. Furthermore, in The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano was involved in a Trandoshan poaching attempt that saw her helping Chewbacca.
Recently, however, with the release of new episodes of The Bad Batch, we are witnessing a deadly alliance between the Empire and the reptilian species, with a Trandoshan army utilised in suppressing Wookiee resistance against the Empire on Kashyyyk. This large scale alliance was previously only seen before in Star Wars Legends. Star Wars offering us a friendship between a Wookiee and a Trandoshan Jedi alongside the Trandoshan destruction of Kashyyyk at another stage in the timeline provides a really poignant message about the fragility of peace, the murkiness of war, and the nature of blood feuds, plus what happens to those who were never adopted by them.
Krrsish goes on to have a vision of the future, images of the Wookiee subjugation by the Trandoshans, Wookiees fighting back, and a Trandoshan Jedi and Yoda speaking to a group of Wookiee warriors, presumably toward the end of the Clone Wars. He confesses this vision to Dooku, who warns him not to tell Yoda or the other Jedi as he may be persecuted for acting upon them… like Sifo-Dyas was.
Overall, I think it is really great to see links between different mediums of Star Wars content to give the universe a cohesive spirit, and this is something I believe the Marvel comics do well. Seeing Dooku again and getting further backstory on his relationship with his old master was a good move at this stage of the Yoda series. Their relationship is an integral part of Yoda’s character and something we definitely needed to see here. Dooku challenged Yoda with convincing perspectives, and it is not a novel idea that if Yoda had reconsidered some of his more stringent beliefs, the fate of the Jedi may have been different.
I believe this issue provided some important context to Yoda’s feelings surrounding the loss of Dooku and especially their duel in Attack of the Clones, which was mirrored by the training demonstration they provide for the younglings. I hope that this arc will continue to pump life into this much-needed comic series.
RATING: 7/10
Rosalie Lambert is a law student from Australia with a deep love for Star Wars, fantasy, and epic stylistic storytelling. Growing up in the country, Rosalie has always loved nature and outdoor activities, and has a passion for human rights and social justice that she wants to work towards in her field of study.
