Star Wars Reveals More Secrets of Maz Kanata’s Force Awakens Planet

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #8!

Marvel’s Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #8 has just revealed more secrets of Takodana, Maz Kanata’s planet from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The Star Wars galaxy is a big place, and every film tends to explore it a little more. Naturally, that meant the launch of the sequel trilogy back in 2015 guaranteed a whole new range of worlds and alien civilizations. One of the most intriguing was the planet Takodana.

Home of the enigmatic Maz Kanata, Takodana is a Mid-Rim forest world that offers easy access to some major trade routes. Tie-ins have already fleshed the planet out a little, revealing millennia ago it was the site of a battle between the Jedi and the Sith, and the castle associated with Maz Kanata was eventually built on top of this ancient battleground. It is surely no coincidence Rey began to feel the presence of the Force when she arrived on Takodana, for such places are typically steeped in the Force, and it is even possible Maz’s castle was a Force Vergence of some kind. Given Takodana was home to Maz for centuries, it is no surprise that its secrets are as well-kept as Maz’s own.

Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures#8 – by Daniel Jose Older and Toni Bruno – finally drops some clues to the planet’s historical relevance. The comic is set during the High Republic Era, some 200 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, at a time when the Jedi and the Republic were at the height of their power. Maz Kanata had made Takodana a safe world for centuries, and it was known as a crossroads for “bold scouts, treasure hunters, and the pirates who prey upon them.” Intriguingly, the comic also reveals the presence of a Jedi Temple – one that seems to be just as ancient as Maz’s castle, but was not seen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

This raises the possibility the Jedi Temple and Maz’s castle were built at the same time, perhaps suggesting both were designed to counter some sort of vergence in the Force left as a result of those long-ago battles between Jedi and Sith. Many (possibly all) Jedi Temples protect sites of darkness, essentially serving as a cap for them, and the same could be true of Maz’s castle. Certainly Maz has always seemed extremely aware of the Force, even if she is no Jedi.

But what happened to the Jedi Temple between Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #8 and Star Wars: The Force Awakens? The most likely answer, sadly, is that the story of the Jedi Temple’s fall is about to be told. The first wave of Nihil invaders attack in the comic, and they are driven off, but they will be followed up by a larger force. Takodana’s relevance to the Jedi is clearer than ever, and with it the importance of Maz Kanata as a figure connected to the Force. As the comics continue, the Star Wars: The Force Awakens planet is becoming an even more fascinating locale in the battles that have shaped this beloved galaxy.

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
(4896 Articles Published)

Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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