Star Wars Comic Fixes Greatest Plot Hole

In this Crimson Reign issue, we get a lot of interesting info from the character Madelin Sun about how, exactly, the Empire could make the galaxy collectively forget about the Jedi despite them being very famous figures for a thousand generations.

According to her, the Imperial purge of this info started with the obvious stuff, like destroying holo recordings of Jedi and any record of their mighty deeds. But just doing that was not enough because there are still countless former citizens of the Old Republic who remembered the Jedi and could pass that knowledge on to their children.

According to the Crimson Reign comic, “If you want a galaxy of people to stop talking about something, which means their children know nothing of that thing, and you happen to possess a vast military and the willingness to kill and imprison your own subjects, then you simply pass a few laws.”

Again, the Empire started with the obvious by making it “treasonous to be a Jedi, to help a Jedi, to use the Force, to study the Force,” all of which helped Palpatine round up Force users who were in hiding while ensuring that nobody tries to follow in their footsteps.

However, as explained by Madelin Sun in this Crimson Reign comic, the next step was to make it a crime “to even be aware of the Force.” This was part of a long-term strategy to keep people from passing info along (more on this in a minute), but it also had a short-term benefit of helping the Empire target and call those who were “willing to die for their beliefs, in an effort to bring back the light, to expose the truth.”

The Imperials saw this as a grisly “process of elimination” because most of those who were left were “not willing to die for their beliefs” and were “apathetic” and fearful people “just trying to get by.”  

Summing things up, Sun explains that “it’s not that the Jedi are forgotten” but that “the very idea of them is a death sentence,” so anyone who does remember won’t say anything about these Knights or the Force.

This helps Palpatine take the Purge to the next level because it goes far beyond simply murdering the Jedi. He kills their very memory as a way of ensuring that nobody follows in their footsteps and tries to take him down.

Some would say it’s a retcon and some would say it’s just sophistry, but we think this Crimson Reign comic provides a satisfying explanation to what would otherwise be one of the greatest plot holes in Star Wars. Why do seasoned spacers like Han Solo think the Jedi are just myths and legends?

Simple: all the older people who might have told him otherwise will stay silent because they fear Stormtroopers coming to their home in the dead of night and killing them.

Incidentally, Crimson Reign is really worth a read—in fact, any Star Wars fan disappointed by recent shows like The Acolyte should take the time to explore the growing library of killer comics set in a galaxy far, far away. As this issue proves, these go beyond being great stories in their own right and may forever change how you view your favorite sci-fi franchise.