Star Wars : Dawn of the Jedi : Force Storm Star Wars : Dawn of the Jedi : Force Storm is a five - issue comic book miniseries , the first arc in the " " comic series that is is set in the Pre - Republic era and focuses on the Je ' daii Order , the Jedi Order ' s predecessors . Published by Dark Horse Comics through the first half of 2012 , " Dawn of the Jedi : Force Storm " is written by John Ostrander and pencilled by Jan Duursema , the creative team behind the critically - acclaimed " " series ; aside from the beginning of the , " Force Storm " is primarily set in the year 25 , 793 BBY , in a time before the polarization of the light and dark sides of the Force . " Force Storm " focuses on three young Je ' daii Journeyer s — Shae Koda , Sek ' nos Rath , and Tasha Ryo — as well as Xesh , a Force Hound of the Rakata n Infinite Empire who arrives on Tython , sparking the titular Force Storm . The arc was collected in a trade paperback , " " , which was released on December 12 , 2012 . Plot summary . In the year 36 , 453 BBY , the Talid monks of the Order of Dai Bendu on the planet Ando Prime feel the call of the Tho Yor , a massive pyramidal starship that has been buried in the Andobi Mountains for centuries . The Dai Bendu monks board the Tho Yor as seven other Tho Yor across the galaxy call out to the natives of the planets upon which they rest ; the Tho Yor then travel the galaxy and visit other planets , gathering Wookiees , Humans , Twi ' leks , Selkath , Cathar , and a number of other Force - sensitive species , before all eight travel to the planet Tython in the Deep Core . There , the eight Tho Yor gather around the ninth and largest Tho Yor , which floats above a pinnacle of stone , and the starships scatter themselves across Tython as the planet is engulfed in a ferocious Force Storm . The pilgrims come to realize that they have been brought to Tython to study the Force , and they form the Je ' daii Order — an order of warriors and scholars whose name is a Dai Bendu word meaning " mystic center . " Tython is a planet that reacts violently to imbalance in the Force , so the Je ' daii develop a philosophy of balance between the light and dark sides of the Force , which they name after the twin moons of Tython : bright Ashla and dark Bogan . However , the Je ' daii eventually come to realize that Tython is unsafe for those who are not sensitive to the Force , and so all those who cannot touch the Force migrate out across the Tython system , settling the ten other planets in the star system . However , resentment of the Je ' daii grows over the millennia , and in 25 , 805 BBY the Twi ' lek Despot Queen Hadiya of the planet Shikaakwa begins the Despot War in an attempt to conquer the Tython system . Hadiya is defeated at Tython , but the scars of the Despot War remain fresh for some even twelve years later in 25 , 793 BBY . Across the galaxy , the Infinite Empire of the Rakata species conquers the planet Tatooine , which was discovered by the Force Hound Xesh in the service of his master , Predor Tul ' kar . Tul ' kar ' s superior , Predor Skal ' nas , requests Xesh ' s services in locating a Force - strong planet in the Deep Core that his own Force Hound , Trill , is unable to locate . As Xesh leads Tul ' kar ' s warship " Devourer " to the Tython system , three young Je ' daii Journeyer s — Shae Koda , Sek ' nos Rath , and Tasha Ryo — receive a vision of Xesh , a vision that is also shared by the mad Je ' daii Daegen Lok , who has been exiled on Bogan for the last seven years ever since he went insane and fell out of balance . The three Journeyers leave their studies and follow the call of their vision into the wilds of Tython , where the stricken " Devourer " crashes with Xesh as the only survivor . The hostile Force Hound briefly battles the three Je ' daii , a fight that sees Shae Koda gain possession of Xesh ' s Forcesaber before he flees into the nearby Rift — an enormous ravine that was saturated with the dark side of the Force and home to strange creatures as well as intense seismic activity . Xesh ' s presence on Tython , with his strength in the dark side , and the death of so many Force - sensitives among the slaves and crew aboard the " Devourer " triggers an immense Force Storm that begins to sweep across Tython . Koda , Ryo , and Rath pursue Xesh into the Rift , where the wounded Force Hound is fighting through Force - induced hallucinations and nightmarish beasts . Temple Master Quan - Jang of Anil Kesh , one of the nine Je ' daii Temples across Tython , investigates the crash site with Je ' daii Ranger s Hawk Ryo and Rori Fenn , and they pursue the Journeyers into the Rift as Ketu , the Temple Master of Akar Kesh , gathers the other Temple Masters so that the Je ' daii Council can counter the Force Storm . The three Journeyers rescue Xesh from a saarl , an enormous worm creature , but Xesh abandons them to the creature after retrieving his Forcesaber and retreats to watch them fight the saarl . However , Shae Koda ' s demonstration of the light side of the Force and her determination to protect her friends intrigues the Force Hound , who returns to join Koda in her fight as Rangers Fenn and Ryo arrive to aid them . Xesh succeeds in killing the saarl , but the Force Storm continues to grow in power with the Force Hound at its center . With the aid of the other Temple Masters , Quan - Jang shifts the Force back into balance and ends the storm , though his apparent death in doing so leads an enraged Koda to activate Xesh ' s Forcesaber — a feat only the Force Hound had been capable of — and to try and kill Xesh in revenge before she comes to her senses . Xesh , Quan - Jang , and the others are healed of their injuries at Mahara Kesh , the Temple of Healing , but despite the Journeyers ' protests , the Je ' daii Council exiles Xesh to Bogan so that he can find balance . Main characters . Xesh . Xesh is a Human male Force Hound of the Infinite Empire who is in the service of Predor Tul ' kar . Xesh and Trill were broodmates , though Tul ' kar set the two against each other years ago and Xesh was forced to sever their friendship to save Trill ' s life — an action that Trill saw as a betrayal . Xesh leads Tul ' kar to Tython , though when the " Devourer " crashes on Tython , the Force Hound kills his master and uses the ship ' s escape pod to survive . Believing the three Je ' daii to be enemies , Xesh engages them in battle before he flees into the Rift . Xesh is rescued from a saarl in the Rift by the Je ' daii and leaves them to die , but he is fascinated by Shae Koda ' s demonstration of the light side of the Force and joins her in battle to save her friends . Xesh is then struck down by Master Quan - Jang with the Force , bringing the Force Storm to an end , and he is healed at Mahara Kesh where the Je ' daii decide to exile him to Bogan . Shae Koda . Shae Koda is a Human female Je ' daii Journeyer of Dathomiri descent whose mother and father were killed by Queen Hadiya in the last battle of the Despot War . Brave , restless , and reckless , Koda has an incessant curiosity and finds her calling studying alchemy under Master Quan - Jang . While working with the rancor - dragon Butch that she created , Koda receives a vision of Xesh , and she meets up with Sek ' nos Rath and Tasha Ryo . Koda is friends with Rath , though she resents Tasha Ryo as she sees her as a spoiled brat . During the fight with Xesh , Koda proves to be the only one capable of igniting Xesh ' s Forcesaber with her anger , but it is Koda ' s manifestation of the light side that convinces Xesh to aid them against the saarl . Koda and her friends are dismayed when Xesh is exiled to Bogan . Sek ' nos Rath . Sek ' nos Rath is a male Sith Je ' daii Journeyer who is the son of Je ' daii diplomats , though he was raised by his maternal grandmother , Temple Master Miarta Sek , and his paternal grandfather Thok Rath . A bold and adventurous Je ' daii , Rath is fond of weapons and is a ladies ' man , and he desires to achieve the greatness of the Je ' daii of myth . Rath receives his vision of Xesh while experimenting with Force lightning , and he joins Shae Koda and Tasha Ryo in battling and then pursuing Xesh when they encounter the Force Hound . After the events in the Rift come to a close , Rath , Koda , and Ryo all protest Xesh ' s exile to Bogan . Tasha Ryo . Tasha Ryo is the Twi ' lek daughter of the crime baron Volnos Ryo and the Je ' daii Temple Master Kora Ryo , and Tasha was raised at Kaleth under her mother ' s tutelage , leading some Je ' daii such as Shae Koda to view her as pampered and spoiled . Empathic and calm , Ryo forgoes a sword in combat and uses only the Force . Tasha is deeply divided by the obligations she feels towards her parents , as she is a Je ' daii but her father constantly urges her to come to Shikaakwa and serve him . Tasha receives her vision when she saves her father from the assassin Jaris Kan , and she attempts to communicate with Xesh amid their battle on the edge of the Rift . As the three Je ' daii descend into the Rift , Ryo is tormented by visions of her inner turmoil , but her anguish brings Koda to realize that the Rift is affecting them . After the battle in the Rift ends , Ryo helps Xesh unlock some memories of his past , and she is horrified by the pain and loneliness that the Force Hound has experienced . Development . Randy Stradley , Vice President of Publishing at Dark Horse Comics , began lobbying for a comic story regarding the origins of the Jedi as early as 2003 . In that year , a was commissioned of two characters — male and female Humans — by artist Rodolfo Migliari . At Celebration V in August 2010 , John Ostrander and Jan Duursema , longtime collaborators and the author - artist pair behind " Legacy " , announced that they were working on a new comic that was different from anything they had written for " Star Wars " before . Their current series at the time was " " , a six - issue miniseries that ran from December 2010 to May 2011 and was a follow - up to their popular " " series . " Dawn of the Jedi " was first announced to the public at the 2011 on October 13 . Ostrander stated that the series is intended to be epic in scope , while personal in storytelling , and he and Duursema are working closely with Expanded Universe continuity while also attempting to make " Dawn of the Jedi " accessible to casual " Star Wars " fans . At Comic Con , it was announced that like " Legacy " , " Dawn of the Jedi " would feature a large cast of species - diverse characters , but would primarily focus on the Tython system instead of the larger galaxy . A , serving as an official guide for readers much like " " , was announced with a release date of February 1 at Comic Con , and the release date was set for February 15 . While creating each arc of " Dawn of the Jedi " , Ostrander and Duursema work on the entirety of each arc together instead of one at a time . John Ostrander and Jan Duursema write the story for the series , while Ostrander pens the script and Duursema pencils the artwork . Dan Parsons is the inker for the series , Michael Heisler the letterer , and Wes Dzioba handles coloring duties . Duursema was the cover artist for the five issues of " Force Storm " , and Gonzalo Flores was responsible for the variant cover for issue 1 that was used as the cover for the first trade paperback . Continuity . " Star Wars : Dawn of the Jedi " authors , John Ostrander and Jan Duursema , intend the series to be rooted in pre - existing " Star Wars " continuity , while also being accessible to newer readers . The series is set in an era that was largely unexplored — " Dawn of the Jedi " necessitated the creation of an entirely new publishing era , the Before the Republic era — and builds off what little information existed before hand : namely , the fact that the Jedi Order was established on the planet Tython in the Deep Core , the conflicts known as the Force Wars began in the year 25 , 793 BBY and the early Jedi left Tython after the Force Wars and migrated to Ossus . " Dawn of the Jedi " also expands on the Rakata , a species that ruled the galaxy before the Republic and was introduced in the 2003 " " video game . " Dawn of the Jedi " has encountered relatively few contradictions in continuity , but there are elements in the " " video game , which was released shortly before " Dawn of the Jedi " , that contradict the series . " The Old Republic " gives a loose summary of the Force Wars , claiming that they were a conflict between the followers of Rajivari , one of the four members of the first Jedi Council , and the rest of the Jedi Order . " Dawn of the Jedi " initially did not reference any of the characters or elements introduced in " The Old Republic " , but the second arc in the series , " " saw the appearance of both Rajivari and Ters Sendon , another member of the Jedi Council in the game . However , another contradiction that has not been addressed is the issue of the Mother Machine , which is a Rakatan computer that claims to be responsible for the creation of a number of Force - sensitive species in its efforts to restore the Force - sensitivity of the Rakata species during the Rakatan Civil War . Among those species it claims responsibility for are the Twi ' leks and the Zabrak , but " Force Storm " depicts a relatively advanced Twi ' lek society on Ryloth as well as numerous Zabrak in 36 , 453 BBY , thousands of years before the collapse of the Infinite Empire . When developing the ships , characters , and environments for the series , Jan Duursema was forced to virtually work from scratch , as very little of the Before the Republic era had been depicted previously . Duursema purposely differentiated the Je ' daii from the Jedi in their appearance , exchanging lightsabers for the swords they were known to use at the time and replacing the traditional robes with more individualized armor and clothing . Unlike her work on " Star Wars : Legacy " , Duursema was unable to build on existing designs for ships and technology , and instead she worked from a " retrofitting " mindset , developing ships and technology that would eventually give rise to the technology of the modern " Star Wars " era . Duursema and Ostrander also created the worlds of the Tython system from scratch , choosing to focus only on the Tython system instead of using pre - existing locations from across the galaxy . Reception . " Force Storm 1 " and " Dawn of the Jedi 0 " sold particularly well in stores , and both issues were sold out across the country by the end of February . This prompted Dark Horse Comics to order a second printing of both issues , followed by a third printing with special variant covers by Jan Duursema . However , some critics believe that the series caters more to serious " Star Wars " fans and is not particularly well - suited for the average fan of the films . " Force Storm " has received generally positive reviews , and while some have criticized the writing , many praise Duursema ' s artwork . The series was highlighted in the fan magazine " Star Wars Insider " " Blaster " department , which showcases upcoming " Star Wars " products , in issue 132 , and the first two arcs of the series were collected in two trade paperbacks : " " , which was released on December 12 , 2012 .