The worlds and peoples of Star Wars have undergone significant changes since the franchise’s debut in the 1970s. Iconic characters evolved out of one-offs with cool costumes, and entire mythologies, particularly surrounding the Force and the Jedi, took on major developments with each numbered entry and expanded universe addition. But with 1999’s introduction of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the Force underwent a sort of demystification with the revelation about Force sensitivity being dictated by the presence of midi-chlorians. It left little room for doubt in just who could master the ways of the Force.

Regardless of one’s feelings about this development, though, Star Wars as a franchise is notorious for breaking its own rules. While this can be a bit of a headache for more connected or canon works, side projects, such as the predominantly anime-infused set of short films from Star Wars: Visions, in which renowned creators and studios bring their own unique twists to the worlds conceived by George Lucas. Such is the case for one manga spinoff, Star Wars Visions: Tsukumo, in which midi-chlorians and assumptions about who could learn from the Jedi or even use the Force was changed in a pretty incredible moment that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Star Wars Just Dropped A New Story With A Surprising New Force-Sensitive Character

Following the events of the Purges of Order 66, there has been an impressive haul of stories set within Star Wars of the various Jedi figures who went into hiding while keeping the embers of their order from being snuffed out. Such is the case of Nagi Tsukumo, a Jedi Knight who never let go of his ideals, pledging to help his two accompanying droids to find Droid Paradise, despite living on the run and poisoned to the point of wearing what resembles a Clone Commando helmet as a life support mask. Tsukumo is the sort of Jedi whose devotion to his teachings was infectious enough to win the loyalty of not just Dee-Seven and Ee-Ten, but even a Jedi assassin droid sent to pursue him.

Tsukumo’s influence and wisdom are so great they even influence JK-00P, a droid trained on the history of the Jedi as part of his mission to understand them and more effectively hunt them down. But in witnessing the cruelty of their demise, JK-00P questions whether any of the Empire’s actions, including letting a rampaging Rancor bear down on a lone Jedi Knight before being implied to massacre a cluster of women and children, were truly the right thing. Tsukumo senses anger from JK-00P’s words, and questions when the droid states the conventional wisdom known by the Star Wars world and fans alike: that droids can’t use the Force. But Tsukumo asks him to question that.

Obviously, this isn’t a major canonical change that’ll be carried forward in the Star Wars timeline. But it poses an interesting hypothetical of whether droids, upon gaining sentience to a certain degree, could grasp at the concepts of the Force. Tsukumo sensed anger in him, which, if left unchecked, could have just as easily led JK-00P down a path to the Dark Side. But instead, he took JK-00P on as a padawan before his demise, with the droid bravely defending Tsukumo’s surviving companions, including an incredible moment where, defying all conventional Star Wars knowledge, a droid used the Force to pull in Tsukumo’s lightsaber and fight back against encroaching Stormtroopers.

It’s a pretty incredible moment, and well-drawn in a breezy read courtesy of Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi (Ultraman). The story is available in print and digital via VIZ Media at online retailers and wherever you can buy manga. While Star Wars Visions: Tsukumo should hardly be considered as rigidly loyal to the franchise mythos, it’s yet another example of the wildly creative worlds rendered in Star Wars: Visions.

The Worlds And Characters Of Star Wars: Visions Are Wildly Different (And That’s OK)

One really can’t get a better case for Star Wars: Visions being a wild divergence from the source material than in season 1. Some of the silliest moments include moments like in “The Twins” in which characters are visibly able to breathe in space, standing atop the hull of an X-Wing, before using his X-Wing’s hyperdrive to empower his lightsaber attack and carve through the entire hull of a Star Destroyer. It doesn’t take long for things to get weird, and this particular episode encapsulates everything that is weird and wonderful about Studio Trigger (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners).

Star Wars Visions: Tsukumo feels, comparatively, on the more tame side of things. It ostensibly resembles a high-quality Star Wars manga that otherwise obeys its own rules, with its central character, in typical Jedi fashion, boldly questions what’s otherwise known as common sense. It doesn’t necessarily bring Nagi Tsukumo the conclusions readers may come in expecting, but instead, it creates a messiah figure for droids, while still feeling utterly Star Wars-like in its final moments, intriguing to longtime Star Wars fans and discerning readers of the manga medium alike.

Release Date

September 22, 2021

Network

Disney+

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  Michael Sinterniklaas

  Tuskan Raider

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