Star Wars Visions: The Ninth Jedi – A Hidden Weapon review S1 E2
A Hidden Weapon was another strong episode as The Ninth Jedi has had no problem quickly establishing the stakes of this season. Just two episodes in, The Ninth Jedi has already justified being the first of the Star Wars Visions anthology chapters to get a long form season arc.
After departing Makoma Ko, Juro and his ragtag crew of Homen, Lah Kara and Gramps are off to a new system in hopes of building up the resistance force against the power-hungry warlord Nawaam.
Hidden Weapon reveals the extent of this quest to solidify power as Nawaam’s engineers are putting the final touches on his game changing weapon, the kyber crystal cannon.
Nawaam’s engineers haven’t been able to stabilize the kyber crystal cannon creating massive energy spikes that seem on the verge of creating a massive explosion. Unlike Darth Vader, he of the very short fuse, Nawaam is composed and has some of his robot army fetch Zhima. Lurking in the shadows and taking all of this in is Ethan (Masi Oka), who observes the test from a respectable distance with his droid, Four-Nines.
Hidden Weapon reiterates how The Ninth Jedi creators have seamlessly incorporated aspects of George Lucas’ vision of Star Wars like the planet destroying Death Star, the black armor-clad main villain and quirky characters across the galaxy and made their own compelling story.
In all the ways that matter most, The Ninth Jedi feels like Star Wars arguably more than some of the recent Star Wars films.
Juro leads the group to Bibin, where miners have colonized massive asteroids. The Asteroid Diggers are smaller in stature — think Gimli from Lord of the Rings — likely due to height not being a necessary asset when excavating various tunnels.
Among the Asteroid Diggers is Kwana (Keone Young), one of Juro’s childhood friends. Kwana greets Juro somewhat like Lando Calrissian as he tosses a sword Juro’s way and demands that they duel. This freaks out the young Lah Kara who doesn’t know their history.
MORE:
- Batman: Knightfall – Part 1: Knightfall review (2026)
- Coyote vs. Acme review (2026)
- DC Multiverse DC Collector Edition Hawkgirl review (2025) – Platinum Chase
- Marvel Legends Astonishing X-Men Colossus and Kitty Pryde review (2026)
Kwana and Juro were both training to be Jedi, along with their third “brother,” Zhima. Lah Kara is stunned to learn that her father was exiled from Bibin for murdering his master, Reno Tsutara, the Jedi Master who trained Juro and Kwana.
That treachery made the inhabitants of Bibin very reluctant to trust Jedi. Juro was off planet at the time of the incident and can only relay that Zhima came to him asking for sanctuary with baby Lah Kara in hand.
While he has moved on from his aspirations of wanting to be a Jedi, Kwana’s eyes light up when he sees Juro’s lightsaber suggesting that passion still exists.
Juro appeals to Kwana that he desperately needs his help to fend off Nawaan’s threat. Although Kwana agrees to aid his “brother,” the rest of the Asteroid Diggers aren’t so easily swayed. It takes passionate speeches from both Kwana and Lah Kara to convince the diggers to join the cause, but it might be a little too late.
A Hidden Weapon explains another key piece of information in the Nawaan and Zhima connection. Zhima was apparently Nawaan’s master. While Zhima refuses the title, Nawaan treats him as befitting one’s master evidenced by him destroying the droid who brought Zhima to him in handcuffs. Nawaan reveals the issue with the cannon and Zhima uses the Force to stabilize it despite knowing exactly the purpose for which Nawaan intends to use it.
As the Asteroid Diggers rally around Juro, a message across the galaxy beams to Bibin as well as Makoma Ko. Nawaan appears via hologram and offers any system a chance to be part of his army, but if any resists they will be destroyed just like the rats who shelter the Jedi. The kyber cannon blasts towards Bibin ending Hidden Weapon on a heck of a cliffhanger.
A Hidden Weapon smoothly moves the story along with key background information on Zhima and Juro as well as Nawaan’s threat deterrent weapon.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Photo Credit: Disney
After checking out A Hidden Weapon, check out Star Wars: Visions: The Manga Anthology paperback on Amazon.
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.