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classicanalyzer · 4 months

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Star Wars Visions - Journey to the Dark Head Thoughts and Analysis

"I'm sorry. This was a waste of time. You were right. No matter what we do, it won't end. There's no way to stop this war. And even if we did, it doesn't matter. Another would just arise." Ara (아라)

"Nothing is fixed. Light and dark will always coexist. And if nothing is set in stone, that means there will always be hope. We are always caught in the tide of uncertainty, but the next wave carries as much hope as it does despair. Ara, I actually needed this mission. And I think you did too." Toul (토울)

Journey to the Dark Head is really special to me. Seeing my culture represented in Star Wars warms my heart. As a Korean-American, it's special to see Korean voice actors as the main dub and talent in Star Wars (another reason why I'm so excited and hyped to see the Acolyte!). Alongside Ninth Jedi, I hope this short gets its own show (the team in Studio Mir's Radio Talk even mentions how they have many ideas for the universe of Journey to the Dark Head!). This is my dedicated piece for Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month (I know this is very late but a lot was going on preventing me from completing this earlier).

The focus setting of the short is the world of Dolgarak, a world home to two giant statues known as the Statues of prophecy, during the Old Republic Era (a reminder that Visions is non-Canon but it seems like it took place during this Era). The Hanbok-inspired outfits in the opening are amazing. We see a group of kids from a community of Force Oracles, beings who read prophecies when the stones of the temple experienced rainfall, stepping into the temple. Ara sees a prophecy as the rain drops on the rocks: Three figures in a duel. An Interpreter is there to record the prophecies into the record...a practice that Ara questions after seeing a prophecy said to take place in the future. She wants to deliver their information to the Jedi at which the Interpretator points out that they're not Jedi. Star Wars has delved into how visions can often be misleading despite having truth in them. Something which the Interpreter seems to be aware of than Ara at the moment. The theme of war as a cycle and how they come and go. The community keeps records of conflicts and prophecies so they can be read...and hopefully from my interpretation of the goal to prevent the cycle from repeating by learning about them. However, the idealist Ara just can't believe that their life is just a part of a never-ending cycle. Then she wonders...could the war end by cutting off the Dark Head?

(Fun Fact: my blog's banner is taken from the Hangul-inspired language shown in this short!)

"There is much you don't understand. War and conflict are constants. They are both built on the sands of time, which will continue to ebb and flow for all eternity. And their record remains on these stones. We read and keep their record." Interpreter

As the short transitions to the modern day, we see a hopeful pilot, Ara, and a disillusioned Jedi, Toul. Ara still believes that by cutting off the Dark Head, the war will finally turn against the Sith as she appeals to two members of the Jedi Council. One Jedi Master senses that approving the mission is the right course of action despite another Master's low opinion of this theory. With Toul being sent to go with Ara, the Master senses how it's destiny for him.

We see Toul trying to mediate as he remembers the day his Master was killed. Bichan (비찬), the Sith Lord with a Korean mask-influenced helmet and a Lightsaber with a chain, seeks to turn Toul into his apprentice after seeing the rage in him. Bichan left behind a "parting" gift in the form of a scar. Interestingly, visually Bichan shares similar facial similarities with Ara. The creators and team behind the show confirmed that he and Ara are the same species native to Dolgarak. The markings are based on the Haechi.

Toul when awoken displays a dark view of the point of mediating when the Sith will come for them anyway to kill them. The fear has taken hold of him as he doesn't have much to hope for. When the two finally meet...to say their respect for each other is low would be an understatement. Ara doesn't view Toul as what she imagines a Jedi to be (calling him a "kid" even though they're very likely around the same age but Ara is actually slightly taller than him) and even states how he should at least pretend to be one. Vice versa, Toul believes Ara's idea to be a foolish endeavor. As the two make a quick pit stop at an Asteroid City's Black Market, Ara buys supplies for their mission (I love how the team said they were able to keep the Goolbi-looking bombs in despite the runtime)...however as Toul spots a group passing by, he spots Bichan who muses something familiar nearby.

Once they reach Dolgarak, they're attacked by Bichan who is after the Statues of prophecy as well. As the two struggle to both survive in a tense high-speed sequence, Bichan taunts Toul about the Jedi sending Toul alone to be confronted by him. The teamwork and trust Ara and Toul display to each other despite their troubles with one another shows what they truly think of each other underneath. The action in this sequence is Studio Mir at their best: the exaggerated movements in the Lightsaber duel, the launching of the bombs, and the frantic pace of the camera. All the while, Bichan speaks to how futile their attempts to stop the Sith are with the Statues revealing the interconnecting nature between the Light and Dark Sides of the Force.

A major theme in this short is the cycle of Star Wars. We all know the usual story: Jedi vs Sith. A cycle between the two brings chaos and death across the galaxy. It's a seemingly never-ending conflict as the representation between the Light and Dark Sides of the Force clash. Ara's drive is the belief that destroying the Dark Head would finally end this seemingly eternal cycle. However, just as she's finally about to bring an end, both heads illuminate both light and dark. The Light and Dark Sides of the Force, for better or worse, are forever interconnected. With this realization, she sees Bichan incapacitating Toul with his chain...and realizing she's the third figure in the vision. Not wasting a moment after realizing this, she redirects her bombs to Bichan who uses the Force to send them into the air...which Ara activates them to clear the skies. All the while, Toul realizes why the Master sent him there as his mental Light Side self smiles at his Dark Side self. He realizes there is nothing to be scared and he has to find peace to overcome the darkness inside him. With the light from the bombs blinding Bichan, Toul uses this chance to kill Bichan. I think as Toul fell from the Statues, he made peace himself with a possible death...until Ara calls out and in a beautifully animated sequence saves him as the two parachuted down.

For a while, after they landed safely back at the seemingly abandoned temple, Ara gives into despair and cynicism much like the viewpoints of Kreia and Baylan Sköll about the pointlessness of trying to stop the darkness. However, Toul makes a beautiful point against such despair and cynicism, showcasing his redeveloped idealism and hope. Even if the cycle is seemingly destined to carry on forever, the future is uncertain, and there is always a chance to challenge destiny. Even if the cycle continues again, there will be even more beings with the spark of hope to carry that on. As Snoke once said in The Last Jedi,

"Darkness rises, and light to meet it." Snoke

Toul points out how they both needed this mission to finally see that and Ara has a spark of genuine hope come back as she decides to continue the fight with Toul...with a little banter about Ara's crashed ship with whose fault it was. One can imagine how far their friendship will go in their fights against the Sith.

A story about two beings trying to find hope in a seemingly never-ending conflict. It's fascinating to explore the side where it's acknowledged how the cycle of Star Wars can wear down on people. Yet we see why they should never stop fighting for what's right and good despite the possibility of the cycle restarting again.

As this short ends, I get so much happiness seeing a story ripe with potential for more. I really wish we get to see a show following Ara and Toul. Even the creators stated that they had a lot of ideas that could be used in a show based on the short. Ideas such as diving more into the pasts and histories of Ara, Toul, Dolgarak, and even Bichan. Give us that 13-episode series Lucasfilm! Otherwise, this was the best short for me in Visions S2.

Note: The score in this short by Lee Byung Hoon was great! Korean traditional instruments were used in the score which made this short stand out among the other Vision scores.