So much has happened over the past seven episodes of The Ninth Jedi. Beautifully animated and full of heart, it will definitely appeal to Star Wars fans who wanted to see the characters from Visions in their own exciting adventure. The attempts to restore the Jedi order, Juro’s death, Kara’s despair, Zhima’s grief, and Nawaam’s misplaced idealism have all come down to this. We are now at the end of Kara’s journey, and it promises to be epic. Read on to see what happens in the final episode of The Ninth Jedi. Be sure to stick around to hear my thoughts on the episode and the series as a whole.

Once again, there will be spoilers in recap and review.

Infiltrating Nawaam’s Ship

Kara and her friends head toward Nawaam’s ship with the intention of retrieving and/or destroying the Kyber Crystal, putting an end to his reign of terror. As everyone splits up, Nawaam’s men continue to fight the Defense Fleet. However, the fleet isn’t aiming at them anymore. Rather, their focus is on the center of the Kyber Crystal. Kara suggests they attack the power center. In doing so, they can send the fortress into Hy Izland, and she and Zhima have time to find the Crystal.

She is unaware that it has already been installed. Part of the fortress hits Hy Izlan and there’s a massive explosion. Kara, in her efforts to keep her and friends safe and upright, uses the Force to steady the ship. Regrettably, the Kyber Crystal cannon is not damaged, giving Nawaam an opportunity to fire it on the Defense Fleet. Our heroes hear the order from inside the ceiling. Ethan calls Dunbai and Tafflah to move out of the way, but know that the cannon will tear a hole in the galaxy, no matter what.

Soon, Kara and her friends infiltrate the control room. When Nawaam learns of this, he decides to take care of them personally. As soon as he steps out of the bridge, he comes face-to-face with Zhima. Kara senses their battle ensue. Zhima once again triesd to reach Nawaam’s sense of humanity. He wants to undo what happened to that impressionable youngling all those years ago. Nawaam is beyond reason, sadly. He calls everyone fools and tells Zhima he will not renounce his destiny. He even says he does not need his master, whom he now sees as another obstacle to eliminate. The fight becomes more intense now that Zhima knows that Nawaam is beyond help. They face off for a long while, each wielding silver lightsabers.

Kara Fights Nawaam

As Kara senses the battle, she becomes more and more terrified. Finally, the doors open, and it is not Zhima who enters, but Nawaam. Kara decides to stay behind—leaving everyone else to secure the crystal—while she fights Nawaam. She is mainly doing it to keep him from killing her friends, but also for revenge for her father, who is assumed to have died.

The two emerge onto the top of the ship, where Nawaam notes Kara has now tamed her emotions. Just like her father, she tries to plead with him. He is not bringing peace to the galaxy; he is conquering it. When leaders use strength to dominate, surely, there will be rebels who will rise up to stop them. Kara also expresses her sadness at how lost Nawaam has become since that fateful day. He thinks he is making his heart empty, but inside, he still that little boy. As a result, there is no state of nothingness within him.

Good Vs Evil

Kara rushes toward him again, and their saber battle continues. During the fight, she reveals that Zhima had no choice but to strike down Reno, and that he had put down his blade after that. “If you insist on ruling over others like this, you will end up being consumed by the dark side!” Nawaam, once again, is not swayed. He calls her notions antiquated, and such distinctions will never bring stability to the galaxy.

The Kyber Crystal Cannon fires onto a mountain, displaying its true power. Kara cries that innocent people will die if its fired again, but Nawaam sees empathy as weakness. She kicks him away, allowing a moment of respite before running forward again. This time, her determination is at an all-time high, and even Nawaam is surprised by her strength. She takes the opportunity to lunge, her lightsaber slicing right through him. Even Kara is taken aback by her actions, especially because Nawaam does not die. She hears her father’s voice and realizes that it’s because of her vow not to take any more lives. Her saber suddenly shines green.

Nawaam tries to attack Kara again, but he’s out of breath. She stares at him with a cold look in her eyes, and he questions her green saber. It is responding to what is inside her heart. After a debate on good and evil—in which he tells her to accept both or else her heart is lost—his own saber is now red. In anger, Nawaam attacks Kara again, but he is no match. She strikes him multiple times, causing him to collapse. As Kara cries for her father, Nawaam, sees a red-glowing version of himself approach where he lies. He initially believes himself to be dead until he recalls the battle with Kara. It is revealed that she used the Force to shut off her blade as it struck him. She has reached a point that neither he nor Zhima could ever obtain.

The Kyber Crystal

While Kara faces off against Nawaam, Ethan and the others busy themselves with the Kyber Crystal Cannon. The large crystal is intimidating, and they are, understandably, confused as how to destroy it. Bee-Toh shoots the crystal, when Ethan’s lightsaber won’t damage it. Doing so causes the cannon to charge, and it fires, destroying mountains and asteroids. It shows just how powerful the Kyber Crystal cannon is, and the very real threat it poses to the galaxy.

Ethan comes up to the idea to strike the crystal with his sheathed lightsaber. This results in a crack. It is only a little damage, but it is progress. Homen and Bee-Toh begin to do the same. Just as the cannon powers up again and the order to fire is announced, our heroes actions prove successful. The crystal suddenly shatters into millions of pieces. Though a blue light does come out of the cannon, it doesn’t go far, and it no longer has the power to devastate the galaxy. Nawaam’s men are in shock, both by the cannon’s destruction and their leader’s presumed death.

The Jedi Order – Restored

As Kara looks up at the sky and the faded blue laser, she gets a communication from her father congratulating her for coming so far. We learn that Zhima is still on the bridge, but very much alive. He smiles softly and is pleased to know that Nawaam’s heart wasn’t empty after all. Kara and her friends are honored for their contributions to the galaxy. They wear long white coats and stand beside an enormous circular table. They raise their lightsabers, the Jedi Order now restored. Alongside them as Lady Tafflah, Kwana, and even Juro’s Force ghost.

Meanwhile, Zhima approaches the imprisoned Nawaam. He enters the cell and hands him a lightsaber. He studies it for a moment, before looking up at Zhima, who nods. With a deep breath and a smile, Nawaam presses the saber, but the screen goes black before we see what color it is.

My Review

What an explosive finale! Every moment of this episode was heartpounding, and you just wanted to know what happened next. Animation-wise, this was probably the most exciting episode of the entire series, and that’s saying something considering the consistent quality throughout. There was so much beauty in the final battle between Nawaam and Kara. Seeing those two silver lightsabers clash was something that could be in an art museum.

I am so angry that they made us think Zhima was dead. The image of Nawaam walking through the doors is bonechilling. I will say that this storytelling technique is incredibly smart. We don’t need to physically see Zhima dying (or appearing to be dead); Nawaam’s presence was enough to make us think he was.

Juro was right when he said that Kara’s greatest strength is her kindness. Though she, like Zhima, seemed to think Nawaam was a lost cause, their battle proved she never truly gave up on him. I really love that she did whatever she could not to kill him, even though he had caused so much pain. One question I do have, however, is how did she make him think he was struck if she turned her saber off? It didn’t hit him directly, and yet, he fell to his knees. I wonder if maybe Kara used the Force to make Nawaam think he was hit.

And, of course, we have to address that ending. Why did Zhima give Nawaam a lightsaber? What future do their stories hold? Will Nawaam become a villain again, or is he on his way to becoming a Jedi? I do really like that they’re keeping it ambiguous by not showing us the saber’s color; we can only imagine at this point, but I’m sure if a new season comes out, we won’t be disappointed.