Season 6, Episode 4 of the Netflix series The Dragon Prince, titled “The Starscraper,” is directed by George Samilski and penned by Joe Corcoran and Eugene Ramos. The episode delves into the mystery of Star magic through the Celestial Elves, a mystical sect of Skywing Elves dedicated to communicating with the Star Primal. These Elves reside in the Starscraper, located north of the Frozen Sea, where Callum (Jack DeSena) and Rayla (Paula Burrows) are headed to retrieve the Corona of the Heavens to save Rayla’s trapped family and the Novablade, a weapon capable of killing Aaravos if he is ever freed from his prison.
The Celestial Elves
Callum and Rayla arrive at the Starscraper, a stunning, divine structure consisting of several floating buildings held in the sky by an iridescent pillar of magenta light that insulates its inhabitants from the harsh environment. They take a magical lift to the top of the Starscraper and encounter the Celestial Elves, led by the Elder (Mark Gibbon), who have already foreseen their arrival. The Celestial Elves are dressed in dark blue robes and wear blue blindfolds. Some also carry bells, possibly as a way to communicate through sound in their blind state, though it’s likely that their heightened senses, possibly attributed to their natural affinity with sky magic, allow them to “see” in other ways.
The Elder asks if they are the Chosen Two. Callum is confused and introduces himself, but before Rayla can speak, the Elder abruptly drops the lift to the ground floor. Callum and Rayla survive the intense fall by slowing the lift’s descent, aided by two Celestial Elves, Astrid (Boone Williams) and Kosmo (Ethan Farrell). Astrid is subtly humorous and carefree, while her brother Kosmo is calm and straightforward. Despite their different personalities, both are mature and wise when necessary.
The Starlooms
Astrid and Kosmo greet Callum and Rayla as the first visitors to the Starscraper in a long time. Callum, still angry about the Elder’s near-fatal drop, is reassured by the siblings that the Elder foresaw their survival. They explain that the Elder will only meet the Chosen Two, and any other guests are only allowed to stay for one night.
The siblings then take Callum and Rayla to the Starlooms, a floor where Starweaver spiders craft star-silk tapestries for the inhabitants. It’s said that these tapestries contain the story of the heavens and the Startouch Elves. The star-silk is also used to create various items, including artificial wings, hammocks, blindfolds, clothing, and even underwear.
Astrid and Kosmo then provide a brief overview of the Celestial Elves’ monastic culture. The Elves wear blindfolds from birth so that no sunlight or moonlight ever touches their eyes. They only remove their blindfolds during moonless nights when their eyes are bathed only in pure starlight, allowing them to form a deep connection with the stars.
During these moonless nights, some Celestial Elves achieve ultimate enlightenment, becoming the Timeblind—beings who perceive the past, present, and future as one. However, the Timeblind are becoming extinct, as there hasn’t been a moonless night in centuries. The Elder, who is 300 years old, is the last known Timeblind, able to foresee Callum and Rayla’s arrival. This phenomenon is attributed to the constant blizzards and snowstorms that obscure the night sky, which began after the disappearance of Luna Tenebris, the former Dragon Queen and Archdragon of the Moon.
Callum and Rayla are disturbed by the realization that, aside from the Elder, most Celestial Elves have never removed their blindfolds, growing up literally and metaphorically blind despite their heightened senses. However, their sadness is quickly overshadowed when Astrid and Kosmo sense that Callum is a human mage and Rayla is a Moonshadow Assassin, matching the prophecy of the Chosen Two: the Mage and the Warrior.
The Starscraper’s Zenith
Having identified Callum and Rayla as the Chosen Two, Astrid and Kosmo take them to the top of the Starscraper, the Zenith. The Zenith’s walls and ceiling can be shifted to allow an unobstructed view of the heavens. Surrounding the central elevator platform are eight pillars, seven of which are adorned with items identical to the relic staff, each with a differently colored magic gem. The eighth spot is empty, as the missing relic staff is the one Viren used throughout the series.
At the Zenith, the Elder greets Callum and Rayla as the Chosen Two and asks if they are ready to help restore the heavens to the Celestial Elves by clearing the storm. Callum and Rayla agree but state that they first need the Novablade to stop Aaravos, as it is the only weapon in Xadia capable of killing a Startouch Elf. Unfortunately, the Elder reveals that the Novablade was given to a brave human girl centuries ago and that killing a Startouch Elf, Novablade or not, is impossible.
The brave human girl was, in fact, an ancestor of King Ezran and his father, the first of their bloodline to sit on the throne of Katolis. In legends, she is known as the Orphan Queen, who led the effort to imprison Aaravos in the Pearl with the help of a human mage called the Jailer and Archmage Akiyu of the Tidebound Elves. Season 3 hinted that only an orphan can be crowned the next ruler of Katolis if the previous royal family’s bloodline is wiped out. Season 4 implied that the previous king of Katolis, before the Orphan Queen, died without producing an heir. It is likely that the Orphan Queen used the Novablade to weaken Aaravos before he was imprisoned.
The Immortality of the Startouch Elves
The Elder explains that the Startouch Elves, termed the Great Ones, are immortal beings who can only be killed by each other or by entities from the heavens, meaning from space. When Callum expresses confusion, the Elder elaborates that Startouch Elves are sentient stars who align into a humanoid constellation, allowing them to enter the mortal plane and interact with the beings of Xadia.
While the Novablade can destroy the mortal vessel of a Startouch Elf, this doesn’t mean they will die. Upon their mortal demise, the Startouch Elves return to the heavens, awaiting the next time their stars align so they can manifest in Xadia again.
Aaravos has often been compared to Sauron due to his status as a fallen angelic entity who uses his knowledge and deception to turn everyone against each other to achieve greater power. However, the revelation that Startouch Elves cannot be killed by mortals is reminiscent of the Valar and the Maiar in The Lord of the Rings, who cannot die and can only be stopped if imprisoned or weakened to the point that they cannot manifest again. This happened to Morgoth, Sauron, and Saruman. This information leads Rayla to conclude that this is why the Archdragons imprisoned Aaravos instead of killing him with the Novablade that the Orphan Queen wielded against him.
The Chosen Two Prophecy
Callum becomes despondent when he realizes that defeating Aaravos is impossible and that their journey to the Starscraper was in vain. However, Astrid and Kosmo encourage him, reminding him and Rayla of the Chosen Two Prophecy.
The siblings explain that the Timeblind foresaw that a human mage and an elvish warrior would come to the Frozen Sea to end the blizzard that shrouds the heavens on moonless nights. This blizzard is caused by an angry ice behemoth, though the reason for its anger is unknown.
The prophecy states, “The Warrior and the Mage shall pierce the heart of the beast and melt the threat forever. The Chosen Two will reclaim the heavens, and in return, the heavens will adorn them.” It’s unclear why the Celestial Elves never sought help to deal with the problem, but it’s likely that the Timeblind foresaw that the only solution was to wait for the arrival of the Warrior and the Mage, no matter how long it took. The Elder waited over two centuries, and now they have finally arrived.
Claudia’s Inner Conflict
In what appears to be the Moonshadow Forest, Claudia (Racquel Belmonte) watches a leaflynx kitten play with a butterfly. She looks at the kitten intently, contemplating using its body parts for Dark Magic. However, she stops when Terry (Benjamin Callins) asks what’s wrong. Claudia admits that she has a problem where she only sees the kitten for its potential use in Dark Magic, rather than appreciating its cuteness. This is unusual, as Claudia didn’t have this issue in the past, as shown by her affection for Azymondias as a baby dragon in Season 2. It seems that her deep use of Dark Magic is affecting her mental state, making it harder for her to retain her innocence.
Despite this, Claudia overcomes her dark impulses and sees the kitten’s cuteness. She wonders if she should walk a different path and give up Dark Magic but is conflicted, as she promised to free Aaravos after he helped resurrect her father and guided her for two years. Terry advises Claudia that she alone can decide her path. Motivated, she plans to return to Katolis and seek guidance from her father. As Terry makes preparations, Claudia stays behind to play with the leaflynx kitten. However, she is later confronted by the kitten’s mother, an adult leaflynx resembling a Shadowpaw. Before the adult leaflynx can attack, Terry saves Claudia by releasing a calming lavender aroma, soothing the creature. Claudia thanks Terry for his help, amazed by his quick thinking.
Sol Regem joins Karim
Karim (Luc Roderique), Miyana (Cecilly Day), and Pharos meet with Sol Regem (Adrian Hough), who is initially frustrated at seeing the banished Sunfire prince again after warning him not to return in Season 5. The Archdragon of the Sun is about to kill the three but is stopped by Karim, who presents the Sunseed, which calms the dragon. Karim offers to use the seed to restore Sol Regem’s eyesight, but the Archdragon insists he doesn’t need his eyes. Instead, Sol Regem instructs Karim to use the Sunseed to heal his wings, allowing them to work together to crush their enemies: Queen Janai’s Sunfire Kingdom and the Kingdom of Katolis.
Karim is pleased that Sol Regem is willing to ally with him, but Pharos and Miyana are disturbed. Pharos seems to regret supporting Karim, especially after Karim’s previous decision to use the evil Bloodmoon Huntress Kim’dael to steal the Sunseed, which ended in failure. Miyana, on the other hand, is motivated by her love for Karim, not by the righteousness of his cause. This inner conflict may be explored further in Season 7.
The Bad News: Viren is Back
In Katolis, King Ezran (Sasha Rojen) is conflicted about Viren’s return. Soon, Soren (Jesse Inocalla), Corvus, and Azymondias return to Katolis to deliver news about Zubeia’s condition. However, Ezran informs Soren that Viren has returned and is imprisoned in the dungeons. Soren is shocked, as he never expected to see his father again. Their reunion is likely to be tense, as Soren still harbors anger towards his father for betraying Katolis out of pride and a hunger for power.
Rating: 9/10