Warning: Spoilers for Star Wars: Jedi Knights #1!I thinkStar Warsjust changed the fabric of destiny in its franchise, and I kind of hate it. One of the coolest things about Star Wars to me was how destiny and fate were always a recurring theme.Everyone had a secret destinythat had major ramifications. Not only were those themes present, but Star Wars, as a franchise, remained consistent in how fate is portrayed from the beginning.
Unfortunately,Star Wars: Jedi Knights#1 by Marc Guggenheim and Madibek Musabekov seems to contradict everything that destiny has represented in the franchise in just a handful of pages. Young padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi has an intimate conversation with Master Yoda, who proceeds to explain howdestiny isn’t decided through the Force, but that there are multiple possible paths to the future that change as time progresses.
Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of destiny itself, let alone how destiny works inStar Wars?Several characters have had tragic fatesin the franchise’s history that were deemed virtually unchangeable, but now destiny is a guessing game? I’m having a hard time figuring out how that makes sense.
Star Wars' New Take on Destiny Differs from Past Iterations
Star Wars: Jedi Knights#1 by Marc Guggenheim, Madibek Musabekov, Luis Guerrero, and Clayton Cowles
Now, correct me if I’m wrong, or if I’m misunderstanding what years' worth ofStar Warsmovies, television shows, and comics have told me. The franchise is ruled by predetermined destiny. Everything that is meant to happen is going to happen, even if prophecies and visions don’t make it clear what is meant to happen. If the Force delivers to a Jedi a vision of the future,that future cannot be prevented. We saw that inRevenge of the Sithwhen Anakin saw a vision of Padme’s death that could not be prevented, unaware he was the cause of her broken heart.
InStar Wars, the future is unclear, but it’s always set in stone. At least, that’s what I thought before readingJedi Knights.
Similarly,the entire Chosen One prophecyforetold that Anakin Skywalker would bring balance to the force, and he did. The prophecy just didn’t foretell that he’d go to the Dark Side as Darth Vader and betray Emperor Palpatine years later before he could bring about that balance. InStar Wars, the future is unclear, but it’s always set in stone. At least, that’s what I thought before readingJedi Knights. In this comic, we see visions of the future thatStar Warsfans know will never happen.
As cool as it is to see Yoda in a Sith robe, no such thing happens in Star Wars canon. As thrilling of a cliffhanger as it is to see Qui-Gon Jinn potentially killed by someone who isn’t Darth Maul in Obi-Wan’s vision, this comic book series is a prequel toThe Phantom Menace. We know that these visions aren’t what happens canonically, so there’s little to no drama - only confusion. The problem here is that in a prequel story like this,the story itself is predestined.
The Story of Star Wars Is as Predestined as Its Lore’s Theme of Fate
Straying from the Canon’s Future Causes Confusion
This idea that Yoda introduces into Star Wars lore that the future is suddenly a multiple-choice answer not only contradicts the franchise’s previously established understanding of destiny, but contradicts the franchise’s future for itself. I love prequel comics likeJedi Knightsas much as the next guy, but unless we’re talking about comics that take place after the sequel trilogy, every comic is a prequel, severely limiting what the story can do for its characters. I’m not saying that this is a bad thing for these prequel stories. Any story taking place before the prequel, original, or sequel trilogies should be grounded in the events of canon.
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Like many longtime “Star Wars” fans, I am absolutely thrilled that Marvel Comics is about to shed more light on the post-Return of the Jedi era.
A groundedStar Warsstory can still be a great one, but its greatness becomes stifled whenit confuses the reader’s understanding of the franchise itself. I understand that this vision is likely intentionally meant to throw off its readers, specifically the die-hard ones well-aware ofQui-Gon’s final fatein the franchise. I want to remain patient and see where the story goes, but I can’t help but be thrown off by how the story contradicts its own lore. Yoda’s whole splintered futures theory just has me asking more questions that frustrate me than have me eagerly anticipating the next issue.
Star Wars Has Practically Turned into the Marvel Universe
This Latest Approach to Destiny Sounds More Like Multiverse Theory Than Fate
Yoda’s new assertion that fate in the Star Wars universe is, essentially, splintered into multiple potential futures sounds like multiverse theory to me, not unlike the kind you’d find in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU did the multiverse theory to pop culture thanks to the success of movies likeSpider-Man: No Way Home, so I guess it shouldn’t surprise me thatStar Warsis next to hop on the multiverse train. Then again,Star Warshas teased its multiversebefore. I’m just disheartened because destiny and predestiny as it works in the franchise felt so simple and concrete in the past.
Jedi Knights isn’t the only new Star Wars comic on the shelves, asStar Wars: Legacy of Vader#1 and #2 are available now from Marvel Comics!
Now, Star Wars' conception of fate makes it feel like the Jedi are just guessing as to what happens next. One thing may be destined to happen, potentially - but if it doesn’t, that just means the future can always be changed, which is less compelling to me, personally. Prophecies used to read like misinterpreted text in Star Wars lore that audiences and characters needed to further decipher to understand. Themes of destiny and circularity used to captivate me so much, but nowStar Warsseems to be killing my favorite thing about it.
Star Wars: Jedi Knights#1is available now from Marvel Comics.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
