'The Ninth Jedi' Introduces Controversial Expanded Universe Concept to Disney Star Wars
WARNING: Spoilers for Star Wars Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi follow.
After releasing three critically acclaimed volumes of the hit animated anthology seriesStar Wars Visionsover the past five years, one of the show's most beloved episodes has been expanded into a full-length feature-length series, now available to stream on Disney+.
Star Wars Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi, from Production IG and writer/director Kenji Kamiyama, takes place after the events of "The Ninth Jedi" from Visions Volume 1 and "The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope" from Visions Volume 3. It takes place approximately 1,000 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, although it should be noted that the new series is technically not canon. La Cara, the daughter of renowned lightsaber master La Zhima, continues her training with Jedi Master Margrave Yuro, who is gradually trying to restore the Jedi Order. Meanwhile, the warlord Navaam, who kidnapped Zhima, is determined to stop the rise of the new Jedi Order and take over the galaxy with his fledgling empire.
Released in 2021, The Ninth of the Jedi received attention and praise for its stunning plot twist (namely, the revelation that all Jedi were actually Sith Lords) and the unique concept of lightsabers that change color depending on the wielder's affiliation with the Force. The latter is especially true in the new series, as Kamiyama develops this unique idea by weaving in one of the most controversial elements from Legends/Outer Universe.
In the series, characters belonging to the light side of the Force use a blue, green, or purple blade when activating their lightsaber. In contrast, dark side characters use a red blade.Interestingly, in the middle of the series, Lah Zhima switches on a lightsaber of a different color - silver.
Initially, it is not clear why Zhima’s blade is silver, and not the color associated with the light side. Flashbacks to Zhima's past reveal that he killed his teacher Reno, seemingly without explanation, several years before the start of the series. In this attack, Zhima's lightsaber changed color from blue to silver.
Later, La Cara plunged into the world of dark forces, dealing with a group of villains. After this, her green lightsaber turned red. However, having repented, she again became silver.
Then, in the final part of the series, Nawaam's blade also changes color from blue to silver. Interestingly, Navaam is the antagonist and leader of the new Empire, but his lightsaber glows blue throughout the entire episode, until this climax.
The series is deliberately silent about the nature of the silver lightsaber, but provides enough information to build theories. Apparently, silver lightsabers represent a person who is neither all good nor all bad. One of the characters calls this a "state of nothingness." More specifically, a lightsaber that glows silver appears to reflect the owner's attitude toward killing. Kara's blade changes color from silver to green in the ending when she agrees not to kill anymore, while Zhima's blade turns silver when he comes to terms with killing his teacher. Killing without justification would be an act of the dark side and therefore deserves the red blade, but killing with justification is in a murkier moral realm. Is murder ethical if there is some reasonable justification behind the act?The new series seems to suggest that the answer to this question is that such an act is neither good nor bad, but somewhere in between.
The similarity of silver and gray colors, as well as the existence of characters at the intersection of the light and dark sides of the Force, indicate that the new series officially introduced the controversial concept of the Gray Jedi into the history of the Star Wars-era of Disney. In the Legends/Star Wars Universe, the Gray Jedi were independent Force users who attempted to balance both the light and dark sides of the Force without allowing the dark side to corrupt them. Gray Jedi often rejected the rigid dogma of the Jedi Code regarding emotional attachment and obedience, while recognizing that appealing to dark side emotions such as anger or passion could be used for good or neutral purposes without turning into evil.
Based on this definition, Gray Jedi appear to appear in Star Wars Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi. Characters such as Zhima and Navaam use dark side emotions and perform actions, such as murder, typically associated with the dark side, for purposes they consider benign or neutral. In turn, they are not completely associated with light, but also not completely associated with darkness.
The concept of the Gray Jedi in Star Wars has received considerable criticism over the years. Detractors argue that the Gray Jedi contradict the lore by fundamentally breaking the established rules of the Force, misinterpreting light and dark, and confusing institutional defiance with a magical in-between. George Lucas argued that the dark side is inherently corrupting.Thus, "balance in the Force" is perceived by most as the complete absence of the dark side, and not as a perfect combination of light and darkness.
It should be noted that since Star Wars Visions is not canon, the appearance of the Gray Jedi in the new series was not an unexpected part of the canon. However, their inclusion represents an interesting turning point in the history of theStar Warsstorytelling, as one of the most controversial elements from Legends/Extended Universe has finally returned to canon.