Journey to the Dark Head

"Journey to the Dark Head" is the fifth episode of the Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 that premiered on Disney+ on May 4, 2023. It is made by the South Korea-based animation studio Studio Mir Co., Ltd. and directed by Hyeong Geun Park.
==Official description==
A hopeful mechanic and disillusioned young Jedi team up for a risky and unlikely quest to turn the tide of the galactic war, but dark forces tail them.
==Plot summary==
===Divination===
The episode opens with rain pouring down over two giant statues on top of two lush mountains on the planet Dolgarak. A bearded human man tells a group of five young people that the time has finally come and that they must prepare themselves. A human girl named Ara picks up a stone showing a clash between two figures. She also sees a third shape but can't make out what it is. The older man asks if it is from the past or the future. Ara thinks that the vision is from the future, saying that it feels close to her but also far. The vision disappears.
The older man says that her will is not yet strong enough and that is why her reading is imperfect. He tells Ara to work on improving. Ara asks how this record will help, remind the old man that the Sith are winning and laying waste to the galaxy. She believes that they need to share this information with the Jedi. The old man chides her for mistaking the place for a Jedi Temple.
The girl responds that there is a lot of knowledge stored in this place and believes that they need to tell the Jedi what they know. The older man responds that the girl doesn't understand that war and conflict are constants that are built in the sands of time and will continue to ebb and flow for all eternity. He says that their records remain on these stones and that their duty is to read and study the records. Ara disagrees and asks why nobody is allowed to go up to the statues. She proposes changing everything by cutting off the dark head.
===Petitioning the Council===
Several years later, Ara meets with the Jedi Council, telling them that she was raised at a hidden temple on the Outer Rim world of Dolgarak. Ara explains that the temple is home to two large statues, which have been hidden by clouds for centuries. One of them represents the light and the other the dark. When the rain falls from the clouds, it spreads across the clouds and creates prophetic images. However, they only last a brief moment before evaporating back into the clouds. Ara proposes returning there and cutting of the dark head in the hope of changing the tide of the war. She requests that the Council approves a mission there.
A dark-skinned human man remarks that Ara is proposing that by breaking a mirror, they stand a chance to alter what the mirror reflects. He thinks the idea is not outrageous. A fair-skinned human man with grey hair is dismissive of Ara's idea. The dark-skinned man replies that they should trust the Force and agrees to send a Jedi to accompany her on this journey. He believes that a Jedi named Toul is destined for this mission.
===The reluctant Jedi===
While Toul meditates, he is haunted by flashbacks of a Sith Lord named Bichan attacking him and several other Jedi. A female human Jedi, who is revealed to be Toul's master, charges at Bichan but is killed as well. Toul fights Bichan, who wields a chain-like weapon resembling a snake. Toul vows to kill Bichan but the masked Sith Lord remarks that his rage befits a Sith rather than a Jedi. Choosing to spare Toul, he tells him to seek him out when he is ready. He says that the Jedi will fall and the Sith will rise. Before leaving, he leaves a scar on Toul.
An older male Jedi senses his distress and tells Toul that he must learn control. A female Jedi informs Toul that the Council has requested his services for a mission. The older Jedi thinks that Toul struggles with anger but the female Jedi thinks that he is dealing with fear. Toul meets with Ara, who has been working on a starship. Ara is initially dismissive of Toul, regarding him as a kid. She tells him to hurry up and they depart on her starship for Dolgarak.
While traveling through hyperspace, Toul notices that Ara is traveling on autopilot and remarks that she is not a real pilot. Ara reminds Toul that they are in a war. Toul asks Ara how she managed to convince the Jedi Council to approve the mission. When Ara asks if he is implying the Council made the wrong call, Toul tells Ara that he did not volunteer for a mission that involves beheading a statue. Ara remarks that the feeling is mutual. When Toul asks why she would need a Jedi to behead a statue, Ara replies that she doesn't and that she has already down all the heavy lifting. Ara tells Toul to pretend to act as a Jedi. Toul remarks that she is really something.
Later, Ara travels to a space station where she buys supplies including a gauntlet, bomb and a parachute from a Swokes Swokes merchant. Toul thinks the visit is a waste of time while the merchant attempts to bargain with Ara. Ara watches a procession of hooded monks with incense sticks walking by. For Toul, the red incense sticks remind him of Bichan. Bichan remarks that he senses a familiar presence.
===Showdown on Dolgarak===
While descending into Dolgarak's atmosphere, Ara briefs Toul about the statues and temple. Toul senses a dark presence and begins sweating profusely. Ara's starship is shot down by a black winged starship flown by Bichan, who wonders what Toul is doing on Dolgarak. Ara flies the damaged starship through a forest and canyon before crashlanding on an airfield. After landing, she and Toul escape in an airspeeder. She rams the airspeeder at Bichan's starship, causing it to spin and crash. Bichan however survives and uses the Force to jump onto Ara's airspeeder. He engages Toul in a lightsaber duel while taunting him about the Jedi sending him alone.
Ara accelerates the speeder's engine, taking it into the clouds. Ara calls Toul for help but Toul uses the Force to propel her out of the stricken vehicle. Ara parachutes and manages to cling onto to the dark statue. Ara proceeds with her mission while Toul fights off Bichan. Bichan remarks that he has traveled to the Statues of prophecy. Seeing a parallel between the statues, himself and Toul, he urges Toul to give himself over to the dark side. Bichan launches a second lightsaber attack while offering Toul a place by his side conquering the galaxy. Toul replies that he will never join him. When Bichan says that he senses the anger and fear in him, Toul denounces him as a liar.
Meanwhile, Ara approaches the dark statue. Elsewhere, Toul and Bichan engage in a lightsaber duel in a cave full of crystals. Their battle causes several crystals to explode. Elsewhere, Ara launches several explosives at the dark head. Before she can activate the bombs, she says that she begs for forgiveness. Ara notices the statues beginning to glow with hues of red and blue. Shortly later, Toul and Bichan emerge from the ground and notice that the light and dark energies in the heads are tingling up.
===The epiphany===
Bichan gains the upper hand over Toul and uses his chain weapon to trap Toul. Stating their fates are intertwined, Bichan gives Toul an ultimatum to join him. Reflecting on her childhood memories of the stone, Ara realizes that the vision on the stone prophesied the duel between Toul and Bichan and that she is the third person in the vision. Before Bichan can strangle Toul to death with the chain weapon, Ara calls out to him and fires the rockets at him. Bichan uses the Force to send them away. Toul experiences a Force vision and realizes that the Masters sent him here for a purpose.
As the rocket explode in the sky above, Toul uses the Force to summon his blue lightsaber and slashes through Bichan's chain weapon. His blade also strikes Bichan in the chest. He then falls down the cliff. Ara descends after him with a parachute and rescues him. The two land in the middle of the altar in the Dolgarak temple.
===Lessons learnt===
After landing, Ara apologizes for wasting his time and says that she accepts that she can't stop the war and that another war will occur even if their current one ends. Toul reassures her that light and dark will always coexist. If nothing is set in stone, there will always be hope. He explains that they face uncertainty but that the next wave carries both hope and uncertainty. Toul says that he realizes that he needed this mission and that Ara also needed it.
With his faith and confidence restored, Toul invites Ara to accompany him on a new mission but says that they are going to need a new ship. He jokes about her crashing a ship. When Ara quips about his crashing her speeder, he jokes that crashing a ship is worse. Ara jokes that he destroyed any illusions she had about the Jedi.
==Credits==
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==Notes and references==
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