Opening crawl[]

4000 years before the time of Luke
Skywalker, the Jedi Knights were the most
powerful and respected force in the Galaxy. In
those days a Jedi Master named Arca of
Arkania sent three of his apprentices on a
mission of peace and justice.

The three young Jedi are Ulic Qel-Droma, his
brother Cay Qel-Droma, and the Twi'lek Tott
Doneeta. Aboard their ship, the Nebulon Ranger,
they cross the vastness of hyperspace to an untamed
world called Onderon.

As the three Jedi Knights meet with Queen Amanoa,
ruler of Iziz, the Beast Lords stage an unexpected attack
on the Royal Citadel, and the Queen's daughter Galia is
kidnapped.

Overriding the misgivings of his companions, Ulic Qel-Droma
decides to pursue the abductors. As the Nebulon Ranger takes
to the skies over Onderon's wild forests, a seeker-torpedo, fired
from the ground, finds its target!

Plot summary[]

A spurned rescue[]

After their starship Nebulon Ranger is hit by a seeker-torpedo, the Jedi apprentices Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma and Tott Doneeta crash-land in the Onderon wildlands. While Cay repairs the damaged lateral fin and sublight transponder, Tott encounters several Boma beasts in an abandoned jungle stronghold.

Using his Animal bond Force powers, Tott is able to communicate with the beasts and convince them to take them to Beast Lord Modon Kira's citadel where Galia is in the middle of being married to Modon's son, Oron. Ulic attempts to rescue her but she rebuffs his rescue attempt and tells Ulic that she wants to marry Oron.

The moment of truth[]

Modon settles things down and schedules a wedding banquet to discuss things with the three Jedi. Modon explains that, 400 years ago, a Dark Jedi named Freedon Nadd became King of Onderon, beginning a long line of darkness in the Iziz royalty. Modon's son Oron also tells the Jedi that his grandfather Drokko Kira was cast out of Iziz fifty years ago for challenging the dark side.

Modon Kira plans to gather the armies of the Beast Lords for a final showdown against Izi. He asks if the Jedi will help him to overthrow Queen Amanoa. Seeking to prevent hostilities, Ulic proposes using diplomacy to convince Amanoa that Galia and Oron's marriage can bring an end to the Beast Wars. Ulic convinces Modon and Oron to accompany them. Drokko asks the Jedi if they will help them wage war against the dark side if their mission fails.

Parleying with the Queen[]

After Cay repairs the Nebulon Ranger, the Jedi, Galia and Oron head back to Iziz to convince Queen Amanoa to end this war. Meanwhile, Modon rallies the armies of the Beast Riders for a final assault on Iziz. Cay manages to convince the Onderonian forces to let them land at the royal citadel. Queen Amanoa is furious that her daughter has betrayed her by marrying a Beast Rider and threatens to kill her.

Representing the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic, Ulic tries to convince Queen Amanoa to make peace with the Beast Riders. Galia tries to convince her mother that her marriage to Oron can bring a new age of peace. Striking a more aggressive tone, Oron warns that the skies will grow dark with the beating wings of their war beasts if she refuses to listen.

Angered by Oron's defiance, Queen Amanoa summons the spirit of Freedon Nadd and uses Sith magic to envelope them in darkness. The Jedi, Galia, and Oron managed to escape but Cay is trapped in the throne room. Oron contacts his father to inform him that the Jedi have failed and that war is imminent.

Battle of Iziz[]

The massed armies of the Beast Lords and their war beasts launch an assault on Iziz. The Onderonians launch their wave-weapons but the Beast Riders are also armed with firearms. Meanwhile, Cay tries to force Queen Amanoa to quench the darkness. However, he is shot in the hand by a royal guard, causing him to drop his lightsaber, which slices through the calf of a royal guard. The royal guard's comrade slices off his left arm with a vibroblade.

Queen Amanoa herself heads deep below the palace to the tomb of Freedon Nadd where she uses the dark side to demoralize her enemies. This causes the Beast Riders to lose control of their warbeasts Meanwhile, Ulic carries his brother into a dark corridor, where Cay detaches a droid's arm and takes it as his own.

High above Iziz, Jedi Master Arca Jeth uses his battle meditation to turn the tide of the battle, bringing victory to the Beast Riders. A royal guard is about to kill a Beast Rider but Arca's battle meditation strengthens the Beast Rider, giving him the upper hand over the guard.

Emerging from the palace, Ulic, Cay, Tott, Galia and Oron discover that Modon's Beast Lords have won the battle and the city has surrendered. Shortly later, Master Arca lands his starship SunGem and meets with his apprentices. Arca is disappointed that his apprentices, particularly Ulic, did not sense the dark side at work on Onderon. Arca explains the mechanics of battle meditation, a technique that he has not yet taught to his apprentices.

Exorcising the dark side[]

Seeking to defeat the source of the dark side, Ulic, Cay, Tott, Arca, Galia and Oron go down into the Freedon Nadd's mausoleum of Freedon Nadd, where Amanoa is instantly killed by the light given off by Master Arca. While recognizing her mother as evil, Amanoa is upset that Arca killed her. Arca explains that he did not kill her but that the dark power that sustained her fled because the light side is stronger.

After uncovering the remains of Freedon Nadd, Arca recounts the history of the Dark Jedi. Four centuries ago, Nadd was seduced by the dark side and apprenticed himself to a Dark Lord of the Sith. Unable to become Dark Lord of the Sith, Nadd made himself King of Onderon. Following his death, his tomb became a focal point of dark side energy, ensuring that his power was passed from generation to generation. While her ancestors belonged to the dark side, Arca reassures Galia that she is free and encourages her to let go of the past.

Following the end of the Beast Wars, Galia and Oron Kira consecrate their marriage under the laws of the Republic, unifying the warring tribes of Onderon into a unified people. While celebrating with his apprentices, Arca warns them that the battle with the dark side is not over since Freedon Nadd still has followers in the city and there are rumors that Galia's father Ommin is still alive. He warns that they have to stay on Iziz for a while.

While speaking with Master Arca, Ulic recalls that Freedon Nadd was a Jedi and asks how can a Jedi, trained in the ways of the light, fall to the dark side. Arca explains that this has happened more than once but says that it is rare for a Jedi to fall to the dark side. He wishes that it will never happen to Ulic.

Media[]

Cover gallery[]

Cover art by Dave Dorman

Front cover

Appearances[]

Collections[]

Explore all of Wookieepedia's images for this article subject.

• Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – Knights of the Old Republic
• Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi—The Collection + The Freedon Nadd Uprising
• Star Wars Omnibus: Tales of the Jedi, Volume 1
• Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: Tales of the Jedi Vol. 2
• Star Wars Legends: Tales of the Jedi Omnibus

Notes and references[]