Eiichi Shimizu brings to us a short, compelling story of a hopeful conclusion to an already inevitable ending in the Star Wars universe. In the wake of Order 66, Jedi Knight Nagi Tsukumo narrowly escaped the onslaught. Now deemed an enemy of the Galactic Empire, he and some droids he saved through his travels are searching for the fabled “Droid Paradise”, a rumor passed on between droids of a refugee planet somewhere in the far reaches of the galaxy…
From End to Beginning
A faint call for help gets picked up and subplants a rumor into desperate robots searching for a better life outside the mundane cycles of servitude. An Eden for droids circulates through an interconnected communications server for service droids and makes its way to Dee-Seven and Ee-Ten. Their designations are unknown, only that they were rescued by a lone warrior who is also fleeing from a premature deactivation. Star Wars VISIONS tend not to grasp the whole story from the beginning of each character, so the story of Tsukumo begins at its end. They commandeer a run-down ship that holds together just long enough to make their way to a forgotten planet, only to find isolation from all beings of the galaxy. No structures, no footprints, no life to speak of. So, already things are looking up.
Taking Solace in Death
Becoming one with the force can be a painful, messy business. Whether falling in battle or overexerting oneself by projecting an astral form across a galaxy could spell the end for a force wielder, but to go out from being poisoned is neither honorable, glorious, nor self-sacrifice. If anything, it’s just plain uncivilized. Nagi stayed true to the Jedi principles; saving lives, protecting the innocent, and for what? To be bested by betrayal. The helmet scarcely resembled a clone trooper from the Old Republic. It’s not meant to just hide Nagi’s face, but much like a certain dark lord, it helps him breathe while the toxin that’s slowly killing him still moves about in his body. And yet, in facing his own mortality, Nagi stays calm and collected, like a true Jedi, he stayed true to his code when ferrying the two droids to the promised land.
A Ghost Forged in Conflict
If there’s ever an interesting character in the Star Wars universe, it’s one that questions the ways of the Jedi. In this case, a droid, built by the Empire for one single purpose: to destroy the Jedi. And what better way to destroy a Jedi than with another Jedi, or at least one that has been programmed with all available knowledge of the Jedi order, their history, and lightsaber fighting style. But, as all artificial intelligence with a single function does, they take what they “know” and psychoanalyze and break down the Jedi philosophies and point out the flaws and contradictions.
If the Jedi choose life so much, does that not mean they’re attached to it? Any attachments are prohibited. And if the Jedi cling to their own lives, doesn’t that mean they fear death? Fear leads to the Dark Side, thus, the Jedi themselves are the creators of their ancient enemy, the Sith. Even though it was set off by the Empire to seek out any surviving Jedi, it was more likely left on its own to seek out answers to its conflicting algorithms and data. It’s not seeking a reason to destroy the Jedi, it needs to know why a Jedi exists at all.
An Empty Haven
The rumors were true, but they were just that, a rumor. Merely the distress signal sent by a single droid in an abandoned mining facility seeking to be rescued. Was it asking to be salvaged, or relaying the promise of salvation? In the end, the promised paradise turned out to be false, but it rather gave our journeymen the opportunity to become the salvation they so desperately sought after. With nowhere else to go, Nagi, Dee-Seven and Ee-Ten beget their own paradise, but not without dealing with one last trial: an unexpected visitor from the Empire.
The Duel
Even when succumbing to the poison, Nagi must face his cybernetic adversary. Still bereaved by conflict, the Jedi killer still can’t compute the Jedi principles programmed into it with its calculating logic. They face each other to see the true reason behind the necessity of the ancient order. One driven by rationality, the other by belief. As they clash, they not only clash with sabers, but with mixed ideology. The Jedi are a walking contradiction unto themselves. Yet, still they hold onto their ways to be a guiding light of hope when danger, corruption, and even the dark forces are birthed from the nether regions of the galaxy. What it boiled down to was faith over facts, the droid had in knowledge, but it lacked in experience, unlike Nagi. It had copied their fighting style, but without experience, it had no technique to overcome the unexpected. Even though Nagi was dying, he still managed to best his final opponent just by applying his own wisdom.
Final Thoughts
Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi had been working side by side for many years on many projects known worldwide. Huge titles such as Linebarrels of Iron (2008), Ultraman (2019) and Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom Zero (coming 2027) primarily as co-writers and animators. Now they’ve come together to work on VISIONS, putting their vast robotic, futuristic expertise as Japanese mangaka for the Star Wars franchise. VISIONS is an ongoing animated series that began in 2021. Now on its third season, it has won Outstanding Achievement in Music in an Animated Production in 2024, Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Production in 2024, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program in 2026.
Leave a Reply