Star Wars: The Jedi’s Ancient Enemy Is Reborn After Return of the Jedi

This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Life Day #1.

The Jedi’s ancient enemies are returning after the events of Return of the Jedi, setting up the potential threat of the Drengir in the sequel trilogy era. The Sith may be the most famous adherents of the dark side, but they are not the only ones. Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The High Republic transmedia initiative has revealed the Sith once allied with the Drengir, a race of plant-like creatures who share a powerful hive mind – and long to consume all living creatures, who they consider nothing but “meat” to be devoured. Treachery is of the dark side, of course, and so the Sith and the Drengir turned on one another, with the Sith managing to lock the Drengir down using Force relics, leaving them trapped in a form of suspended animation.

The Drengir returned during the High Republic Era when a foolish Jedi unwittingly disturbed the Sith relics and freed them. The Drengir ravaged countless worlds on the Outer Rim before the Jedi finally learned how to defeat them; they realized the center of their hive mind was a single being called the Great Progenitor, and that once this being was subdued, every Drengir across the galaxy fell dormant. But it may have been too late as Drengir seeds were scattered across the galaxy already, raising the disturbing possibility the Drengir could actually return.

Marvel and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Life Day – an anthology featuring an all-star group of writers and artists including the likes of Cavan Scott, Justina Ireland, Steve Orlando, Jody Houser, Ivan Fiorelli, Georges Jeanty, Paul Fry, and Kei Zama – reveals that fear is well-founded. One story, still set during the High Republic Era, reveals Drengir seeds that landed on the forested world Kashyyyk were able to draw sustenance from the plant-life contained there, and seem to have even begun to aid the celebrated Tree of Life itself – perhaps beginning to transform it into another Great Progenitor. Although those seeds were destroyed, another story – set over 200 years later, after Return of the Jedi – reveals Drengir are beginning to stir on the planet Batuu. The Jedi’s ancient enemy is awakening, at a time when all records of the Drengir seem to have been lost – and Luke Skywalker is one of a few Jedi left.

The Drengir would find the post-Return of the Jedi time period even more precarious to their expansion. Depending on the precise timing, they could return at a moment when the galaxy is already in a state of conflict – or when it is still recovering from one. Only the Jedi managed to stand in their way, but they appear to have sealed off all records of the Drengir, so whether the Drengir emerge in the time of Luke Skywalker or Rey, neither would be unable to learn from their predecessors, and they’d have no idea what they’re facing.

Complicating matters further, it would now be far easier for Drengir seeds to spread across the galaxy. Hyperspace technology has been developed and refined, and ships can travel across the length and breadth of the galaxy with far more ease than during the High Republic Era. A Drengir infestation after Return of the Jedi would not be contained in the Outer Rim – meaning the Star Wars galaxy may be about to become a much more dangerous place.

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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