Disney Plus’s original series, Star Wars Visions, Season 2 Episode 9, “Aau’s Song,” explores the story of Aau (Mpilo Jantjie) and how her voice, via singing, healed and purified her world’s corrupted kyber crystals. Aau is a young female Korban who lives on a mountain planet called Korba. The story begins with an introduction explaining the world of Korba was once rich with Force-attuned kyber crystals until the Sith Order invaded and bled (corrupted) the kyber crystals red. Over time, the Korbans worked to mine the corrupted red kyber crystals while the Jedi Order worked to restore the crystals to their natural, harmonious state.
The story introduces Aau and how she unusually affects the red corrupted kyber crystals with her voice whenever she sings (Dineo Du Toit). The young female Korban lives with her father, Abat (Tumisho Masha), a kyber crystal miner. Soon, Abat meets the Jedi Kratu (Cynthia Erivo), who explains how difficult it is to heal a corrupted red kyber crystal. Aau eavesdropped on the conversation and met Kratu, who remarked how the kyber crystals called to her. Following Kratu’s meeting with Abat, Aau and her father travel to the mining site where Abat works to help mine the corrupted kyber crystals while Aau stays outside to work. However, Aau enters the dangerous mines and sings to the corrupted kyber crystals until Abat stops her, which causes a small earthquake. Kratu tries to help until Aau’s sings, ending the danger and purifying her homeworld’s kyber crystals white. In the aftermath, Kratu realizes Aau is Force-Sensitive, and her singing comes from using the Force as a song. The Jedi offers to teach Aau to become a Jedi, and Abat agrees. The short episode ends with Abat watching his daughter, Aau, leaving Korba with Kratu.
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Directors and writers Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke, as well as those involved with the episode “Aau’s Song” in Triggerfish, did an excellent job creating a Star Wars story of Aau and how her song and voice purifies the kyber crystals in her homeworld of Korba. The idea of the Force as music can be seen in Star Wars’ High Republic series, with Jedi Master Avar Kriss seeing the Force as music. In addition, it is well-known that Jedi or Force-users can heal red corrupted red kyber crystals into purified white kyber crystals. The concept is evident when former Jedi Ahsoka Tano kills an Imperial Inquisitor called the Sixth Brother, takes his lightsaber, and purifies the lightsaber’s red corrupted kyber crystal into a white one.
Director Darries explained that the short episode “is about a child Aau who experiences strange things when she uses her voice. Aau unknowingly engages with the Force through sound. Because of that, she has a deep connection with the land. However, Aau doesn’t know anything about the Force, which makes the Force very strange and unfamiliar. Also, Aau’s powers are intimidating to her father, so she needs to decide what to make of the powers she wields.” Darries also added the short episode’s inspiration was South Africa’s multicultural status because of how its many “cultures use their voice to sing and chant to connect with the land and connect to spirits.”
Director Clarke explained that the short episode’s story was about “a poisoned land and how young people, in some way, were able to heal it with their voices. It was very significant to us as South Africans.” Clarke’s brief explanation showed how voices heal others as they sing, which was also significant to South Africans and their multicultural.
Overall, the short episode was a lovely story with lovely music made by directors and writers Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke, along with those in Triggerfish.
The High Republic
The short episode likely took place in the High Republic. The High Republic was when the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order spread their influence across the Known Galaxy. They traveled to new worlds, helped people, and fought marauders called the Nihil to make life better. It was an era of peace and a golden age. It was also when the Sith Order secretly operated to regain its power following the end of the Old Republic and the Sith’s various ancient empires. However, the High Republic did not last, as the Sith Order’s plan to destroy the Jedi Order and transform the Republic into the Empire ended the past works the High Republic committed to bringing peace and freedom to all.
Rating: 9/10