Dark side novices Satal and Aleema, fresh from discovering secrets of the dark side in the tomb of Sith Lord Freedon Nadd on Onderon, return to their home world, where they depose their father as ruler and hold the populace in the thrall of their evil powers. Word of the takeover reaches the Jedi, who dispatch Ulic Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider to lead a Republic battle fleet to restore freedom. Meanwhile, another Jedi arrives on Onderon to investigate Lord Nadd’s tomb, a young Jedi named Exar Kun who has become a little too fixated on learning the secrets of the dark side. Defying his Jedi mentor’s wishes and lying about his credentials, Exar Kun learns that the spirit of Freedon Nadd is very much intact – and capable of teaching him everything he wants to know about the dark side of the Force.
The Republic fleet trying to remove Aleema and Satal from power is routed and regroups before another attempt. In addition to the rising tide of the dark side, the actions of Exar Kun are of great concern to the Jedi. But an attack on the Jedi meeting place results in the death of Jedi Master Arca. Ulic, who is already proposing that he go undercover as a fellow dark side acolyte to recover Kun, is griefstricken. Now even more certain that he’ll need to pose as a fallen Jedi to bring Exar Kun either back to the light or to justice, Ulic is willing to do things that the Jedi order would never allow to accomplish his mission and avenge Arca’s death – but that path may lead him to fall to the dark side himself.
written by John Whitman
based on the comic by Kevin J. Anderson and Tom Veitch
directed by Arthur G. Insana
music by John WilliamsCast: John Cygan (Ulic Qel-Droma), Glynnis Talken (Nomi Sunrider), Jim Ward (Master Arca), Peter Reneday (Exar Kun), Jack Noseworthy (Cay Qel-Droma), Jocelyn Blue (Aleema), Philip Clarke (Freedon Nadd)
Notes: There are roughly twice as many speaking parts in this audio play than there are names in the cast list, including critical characters such as Satal and Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas; as several voices are distorted by somewhat obvious electronic means, these other characters may simply be the credited cast members doubling or tripling up on roles. Also, Master Arca’s body vanishes after his death, which is said to be the Jedi way, though this is invalidated by the prequel films (which were produced after both the original Dark Horse comics and these audio adaptations), which make it explicitly clear that this way of “becoming one with the Force” was discovered by Qui-Gon Jinn and later learned by Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
LogBook entry by Earl Green