The Mission to Elphrona was a mission undertaken during the New Republic Era by Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, along with his Padawan and nephew, Ben Solo and the explorer Lor San Tekka to the planet Elphrona, where they hoped to find Jedi artifacts in the planet's Jedi outpost. During the course of the mission, they encountered the Knights of Ren, an enclave of masked dark side warriors.

Prelude[]

Relics of the High Republic[]

In the High Republic Era, in a time of expanded Jedi activity throughout the galaxy, Elphrona was visited by the Jedi Order, who constructed an outpost within the side of a cliff. The Jedi used the outpost as a treasure trove, storing a number of artifacts within.^[1]

In 3 ABY, the young Jedi Padawan Luke Skywalker traveled to Tempes and entered the planet's Jedi outpost that was constructed during the High Republic Era, hoping to find a new lightsaber after losing his previous one during his duel with Darth Vader. While Skywalker managed to retrieve a new lightsaber, he also accidentally activated a trap that unleashed the spirit of the Grand Inquisitor, whom he defeated after a fierce duel.^[3]

The need for knowledge[]

During the New Republic Era, Skywalker had become a Jedi Master and rebuilt the Jedi Order. Realizing that he needed more knowledge regarding Jedi lore if he wanted to truly bring the Jedi back and prevent the dark side from ever returning, Skywalker began scouring the galaxy in search for any remaining Jedi texts and artifacts he could find.^[4]

In 19 ABY,^[2] Skywalker learned from his explorer and close friend Lor San Tekka about Elphrona and its Jedi outpost, which Tekka discovered thanks to one of his contacts. While doubtful about the veracity of this claim, the Jedi Master decided to visit Elphrona with Tekka and his Padawan Ben Solo.^[1]

The mission[]

Traveling to Elphrona[]

Traveling on a starship, Skywalker and Tekka discussed the High Republic Era and that it was a period when the Jedi greatly expanded beyond the Core Worlds. Solo was unpleased over the length of their journey, traveling to the edge between the known galaxy and unexplored space. Snoke took the opportunity to sow seeds of doubt about the Jedi in Solo's mind, telling the young apprentice that they had a history of hoarding knowledge and power, and considering themselves as masters of the Force and that Skywalker was holding him back in his evolution as a Jedi. Snoke reassured him however that Skywalker would eventually come to know Solo's true capabilities, but at the moment he saw his student as nothing more than a child.^[1]

Finally arriving on Elphrona, the three found the entrance to the outpost, which remained intact over the years. While Tekka was excited by the prospect of the outpost being in such a good condition, Skywalker told Solo to be careful, recalling the incident he had on the planet Tempes where he sprung a trap more than a decade ago, with Solo promising to be careful. Inside the outpost, Skywalker realized there were a lot of artifacts still intact, much to the wonder of both Tekka and Solo, with the Jedi Master finding a Jedi holocron while his padawan discovered a lightsaber rifle.^[1]

Facing the Knights of Ren[]

Both Skywalker and Solo sensed something through the force, making them realize that they were not alone in the outpost, as the Knights of Ren soon assembled before them. Ren declared that the artifacts belonged to the Knights, threatening Skywalker. The Jedi Master, however, wished to prevent the Knights of Ren from taking the artifacts. Ren then ignited his lightsaber, and the Knights charged at Skywalker, who told Solo to protect San Tekka. Despite being outnumbered, Skywalker managed to easily fight the knights, dodging every one of their strikes and deflecting their blasts with little effort. Though Skywalker conceeded that he was indeed one man, the Jedi knew that he was not alone with the Force as his ally.^[1]

Much to the awe of Tekka and Solo, Skywalker quickly incapacitated the Knights while telling them how clumsy they were when using the dark side of the force before destroying their weapons. With the Knights defeated, Ren stepped forward to face the Jedi himself. The leader of the knights soon revealed that he had activated a kill switch on his lightsaber, which would cause it to explode if it left his hand. Before leaving, Ren told the Jedi Master that he could sense the dark side in Solo before unmasking himself and telling the young padawan to contact the Knights if he ever wanted to explore the dark side more.^[1]

Aftermath[]

Ren threw his helmet onto the ground after his offer to Solo before leaving.^[1] Following his encounter with the knights, one of Luke's students, Voe, came to learn about the confrontation on Elphrona.^[6]

Solo would eventually take Ren's offer and seek the knights during his fall to the dark side following his destruction of the Jedi Temple years later, joining the knights as an initiate shortly after a brief confrontation with his fellow Jedi on Elphrona, which ended with Solo destroying the outpost.^[7]

Solo would return to Elphrona one last time in the middle of the First Order-Resistance War, now calling himself Kylo Ren and having taken command of the Knights of Ren after killing their leader, as part of his quest to make his former Jedi Master show himself, as he still felt Skywalker's presence after his death.^[5]

Appearances[]

• The Rise of Kylo Ren 2 (First appearance) (In flashback(s))
• The Rise of Kylo Ren 3 (Indirect mention only)
• The Rise of Kylo Ren 4 (Indirect mention only)
• "See You Around, Kid" — Star Wars (2020) 25 (Indirect mention only)

Sources[]

• The Star Wars Book
• "Kylo Ren and Other Followers of the Dark Side" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Skywalker: A Family at War (First identified as mission to Elphrona)
• Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith (Indirect mention only)
• NYCC 2022: Rise of the Red Blade Inquisitor Novel Revealed, and More Highlights from the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel on StarWars.com (backup link) (First identified as Mission to Elphrona)
• Star Wars: Timelines

Notes and references[]