We are officially halfway through The Ninth Jedi, now streaming on Disney+!

I have highly enjoyed experiencing this exciting, anime-inspired Star Wars series. Following a young Jedi named Kara—first introduced in the acclaimed Stars Wars: Visions—her endless ambition to save her father is something to be admired. We have learned more about Lah Zhima in the previous segment; now Episode Four answers more questions about the mysterious, Nawaam.

Take heed as you read on, because if you haven’t seen the show yet, there are spoilers!

Kara Meets Nawaam

Juro’s plan to strike the enemy is quickly foiled; Gramps sees that Nawaam’s ships have already spotted them. On Nawaam’s orders, his army gets ready to fire the refugee fleet. Kwana encourages the fleets to utilize hyper drive; the most important thing is to escape safely.

As Nawaam’s men board their ship, Juro orders Kara to stay on the bridge, while he and Homen fight the enemies in the engine room. Once it becomes clear Nawaam is nearing, Kara runs out to face him, determined to protect the bridge by any means necessary. She runs into Nawaam, whose black silhouette approaches her, only to be revealed by the glow of his blue lightsaber. The color surprises Kara—for only Jedi have blue sabers—and he calls such terms archaic. “The Jedi are everlasting,” she responds.

Realizing she is the girl who fought Gennoh, Nawaam introduces himself and tells her father is his master. Kara calls herself her father’s only Padawan and demands that Zhima be returned. Nawaam is not about to give her Zhima so easily, and as expected, engages her in battle.

How is Zhima Nawaam’s Master?

There is a moment where the battle is halted, and Nawaam is nowhere to be found. Kara questions when Zhima had taken him on as an apprentice. He tells Kara that he never learned from Zhima directly, but her father had once taught him an invaluable lesson.

A flashback plays, and we see Nawaam years before, when he was just a youngling. However, he isn’t just any youngling. He was there the day Zhima struck down his own mentor, Reno Tsutara. It was at that moment he decided to follow Zhima as his master. Nawaam was inspired by the way the “urge to kill, the urge to fight, and even all traces of mercy for Reno vanished.” What he calls an endless void of nothingness was something beautiful, something to be emulated.

Nawaam jumps into the fray once again, and their fight restarts. During the battle, his helmet cracks, and underneath he’s no more than a young man, only a few years older than Kara. Remembering how he had picked up Zhima’s lightsaber—the one still in his hand—he tells Kara he has vowed “to walk the path of ultimate strength, to achieve that state of nothingness.” To Nawaam, that is ideal, and he wants to show her true power, deeming her tainted by Jedi teachings.

A State of Nothingness

Before Nawaam can deliver a fatal blow, Juro stops him he takes her place. He asks Nawaam why he wears the mask, and his reason is simple. Nawaam wants to return to nothingness and become just like Lord Lah Zhima. Enraged that he would call her father nothing, Kara once again enters the fight.

Her moves are messy; Nawaam says it is because of her emotions. Juro jumps in, and though he is skilled, Nawaam doesn’t think a Jedi could take him down. Kara is eager to help, but her involvement distracts Juro, giving his adversary the advantage he needs. Nawaam stabs Juro. Kara slices Nawaam’s lightsaber in half, and immediately runs to her fallen friend.

She refuses to run away, but Juro assures her greatest strength is her kindness. With his dying breath, he gives Kara a wrapped gift before fading into the Force. Kara cries out his name in despair.

She doesn’t have time to grieve because Nawaam picks up Juro’s fallen lightsaber. As they clash, the saber begins to shine silver, the same glow he had seen as a child. This light proves he has achieved the level of nothingness that Zhima did. It is beyond Jedi or Sith; it is power that can bring peace to the galaxy. The saber is now more powerful, causing Kara to fall back.

The engine room blows up, but Gramps gets Homen and Kwana off. He is sure Kara and Juro will join them shortly. Kara falls through the floor, and Nawaam retreats, avoiding any real damage. Instead of following her enemy, she finds her way to an escape ship.

On his own ship, Nawaam learns that many of Juro’s crew escaped. He does not follow; rather, he wants to destroy the remaining Jedi and conquer the galaxy.

Zhima’s Regrets

While Kara and Nawaam brawl, Ethan tries to break Zhima’s cell with a lightsaber, which does little. Zhima does not wish to leave until he learns Nawaam intends to take out Bibin. His attitude changes and, using the Force, he breaks out.

On their way to the escape ships, Zhima recalls the same story Nawaam told Kara. He blames himself for the path his self-addressed student had taken, and says he must counteract the trauma he has caused. Before they can flee Nawaam’s ship, Gennoh intercepts.

Following Juro’s death, Zhima and Ethan both feel a dark change. Zhima knows exactly what happened, but does not elaborate when Ethan inquires for details. He only tells him to get out of there, to rescue his friends, and especially, to save Kara. Ethan hands Zhima the lightsaber he had been using previously.

Gennoh isn’t ready to let Ethan go, but his droids cannot fire because Zhima destroys them. 99-99 decides to stay behind, using its own artillery to continue to wipe out the remaining droids. With obstacles out of his way, Zhima can put all his attention on Gennoh.

The episode ends with Ethan seeing the meteor ship blow up, not knowing if any of his friends are still alive, and Kara, unconscious in her escape ship, off to an unknown future. 

My Review

This entire episode was action-packed from beginning to end. I was stunned when I found out that Nawaam was one of the younglings that witnessed Reno’s death. It was even more shocking to know that that fateful moment changed not only Zhima’s life, but also Nawaam’s. Seeing the different ways the dark incident had affected the two men is incredible writing choice. For Zhima it is a day that scarred a young child. For Nawaam, it is a day that showed him his true destiny that he will not waver from.

The battles were fierce and beautifully done; I think they have been the best of the series so far. I love seeing just how powerful Kara is. She has been trained well, and it shows in her movements. At the same time, she is definitely still learning. Her emotions continue to get the better of her, and this allows Nawaam to gain the upper hand several times. In fact, I would argue that her rage is the distraction that leads to Juro’s death.

Speaking of Juro, his end is absolutely heartbreaking, yet gorgeous. The animators did such a wonderful job with that scene, especially the closeups of Nawaam’s blank stare and Kara’s unbelieving eyes. Though we do not want Juro to die, we know from Star Wars history, a mentor always has to go to further the Padawan’s journey, which only escalates from here.