Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Volume 1- Commencement

Zayne Carrick is a Padawan, or Jedi apprentice, on the planet Taris, along with a fellow group of students. However, Zayne has been charged with bringing a Snivvan con-man to justice. His constant attempts to bring the Gryph (Marn Hierogryph) to justice usually end in humiliation for him, but as the ceremony to be Jedi is fast approaching, he steps up his efforts, crashing the party held for the friends and family of his fellow classmates. However, when he finally brings Gryph in, he walks in on a scene of horror: his fellow Padawans slain by their Jedi masters. Apparently, his habit of constantly being late has led to him being the only survivor of his group.

Of course, he flees, and goes on the run. Gryph, the Snivvan he captured, is pegged as his "accomplice", leading to them banding together to survive. Zayne can't concieve of why the Jedi masters wished to kill all the Padawans, or why they blamed him for the deaths, but a trip through the seamy underbelly of the city brings them to a place called "The Junkyard", and a ship that can help them escape the planet, along with two aliens, Jarael and a man named "Camper". Leaving barely ahead of the city constable, the ship hides in a nearby asteroid field to escape. Zayne wonders what could have made the Jedi Masters go crazy and kill his friends, and hits on the idea of revisiting all the places they took their Padawans. On a small asteroid, he finds the droid that they took with them on their last test, and discovers that the Masters had been afraid of someone... or something. So afraid that they not only killed their Padawans, but did their best to destroy the droid who witnessed their visions of a Padawan destroying the Jedi order.

Zayne turns himself in, and the Masters reveal to him their version of why the Padawans had to be killed. Ironically enough, they say it was because the other Padawans objected to Zayne being made a Jedi Knight along with the rest of them, but Zayne has heard enough lies coming from their lips that he doesn't automatically believe it. The Masters slay the Captain of the Ship that brought him back and claim they have great plans for him... but he is rescued by the crew, including Camper and Zarael, who have never had anyone sacrifice themselves for them before.

Before they leave the system, Zayne sends a message to his masters, telling them he is no longer calling himself a Jedi, and that one of them will end up clearing his name. He doesn't care which, but he will hunt them down and kill them until one of them... the last one, clears his name. That one will live, and the rest will die. If his actions bring down the Jedi order, so be it. And to remember one thing- they started it.

This was a very unusual Star Wars novel, featuring a shocking act from Jedi Masters, who kill their own Padawans, Whatever the reason behind their decision, it shows how and why the Jedi fell. With Jedi like these, who needs the Sith to come in and destroy the Jedi? They are doing it to themselves!

Zayne's predicament is acute, since the rest of the galaxy at large have an image of the Jedi being wise, benevolent and always right. People reading the Star Wars stories have a similar image of Jedi, myself included, and this causes Zayne many problems, as no one else can concieve of the Jedi being responsible for the act that Zayne witnessed, and then lying about it afterwards. Even Zayne can't concieve of it, which makes it all the more shocking, somehow.

But there are hints here, of the Jedi that were the masters of Zayne and his friends holding secrets since they were taught by the mother of Zayne's master... hints that will be more fully explored in the second graphic novel, Flashpoint.

Is this an enjoyable story? Yes, but not a very comfortable one to read, due to the whole trust and betrayal issue. Still it's a story I enjoyed, and I want to read more.