Wat Tambor and the Quest for the Sacred Eye of the Albino Cyclops

"Wat Tambor and the Quest for the Sacred Eye of the Albino Cyclops" is a thirteen-page comic story written and illustrated by Michael Murnane. Murnane had previously worked as a concept artist on the 2002 prequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, where he developed the design for Wat Tambor, the story's protagonist. Set within the Star Wars Legends continuity, the comic was published by Dark Horse Comics on April 2, 2005 in the graphic novel anthology Star Wars: Visionaries, which was created to highlight the work of the artists involved in the film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, which premiered on May 19 of the same year.

The narrative follows Tambor as he is summoned by the Skakoan Elders to enter the mythical Threshold of the Hidden Realms to encounter the Eye of the Albino Cyclops. After receiving a replacement for his right eye, which was previously removed by the Jedi Anakin Skywalker, Tambor encounters figures such as the Lord Being of the Swirblies and the Four See Seers of the Cyclops before opening a box containing the Eye of the Albino Cyclops. It reveals a vision of Skywalker to him, and the story ends with Tambor's departure for the planet Mustafar, where the character meets his death at Skywalker's hands in Revenge of the Sith. At the time of its release, the comic was declared to be "possible continuity" by Holocron continuity database keeper Leland Chee, although concepts originated within it were referenced in other sources.

Publisher's summary

In this offbeat tale, the Techno Union foreman Wat Tambor embarks in a transcendental quest to discover a sacred artifact and to uncover his fate. Remember, "A heart in the eye is where compassion may lie…"^[3]

Plot summary

The quest begins

The Skakoan^[1] Techno Union foreman^[3] Wat Tambor of the Crimlin clan is declared by the Skakoan^[1] ruling^[7] Elders to have cleared the Clouds of Cormelish, necessitating for them to enter^[1] his^[8] mind lattice. The Elders summon Tambor, whose right eye is covered by an eye patch, to the Power Mounds of the Elders,^[1] a sacred site on the planet Skako.^[9] The Elders describe Tambor as "worthy of the mounds" and a valued yet risky emissary, potentially required by^[1] their holy text,^[9] the Book of the Boolmide. Tambor accepts their summons and relinquishes his mind to them. The Elder Clongor states to the foreman that the Book speaks of a singularity and that the Gates of Grontessiant, which lead to^[1] the mythical^[9] Threshold of the Hidden Realms, will open themselves. Clongor also states that past this threshold lies the famous Eye of the Albino Cyclops and that Tambor's eye, taken by the Jedi Anakin Skywalker, may be the key to the success of their mission.^[1]

Clongor reads a passage from the Book of the Boolmide: "Pass within… the eye is seen, darkness wields you from unclean." Tambor asks about the supposed entity that exists beyond the gates. Clongor responds that the quest will be a new experience for Tambor, that the Book's symbols are for the Elders only, and that Tambor's desire for revenge for his own eye should not overcome the quest for the Sacred Eye. The Elder also instructs Tambor not to let the Eye's stories blind him. Tambor attempts to excuse himself, claiming that his mind lattice is calibrated for the quickening, but Clongor insists that the foreman must go. One of the Elders gives Tambor a blessing from the Book of the Boolmide, provides a key to the gates and a sacred symbol, and warns him to hurry, as Skywalker will be aware of the mission.^[1]

In the Hidden Realms

Tambor travels to the Gates aboard a Hardcell-class interstellar transport. He inserts the key and enters a realm of green tentacles filled with the Swirblies, small black beings who speak in rhyme. The tentacles begin stripping away Tambor's pressure suit to cleanse him, while the Swirblies state that "A heart in your eye is where compassion might lie" and express knowledge of Tambor's missing eye and desire for a replacement. The symbol given to Tambor begins to levitate, summoning the Four See Seers of the Cyclops,^[1] legendary beings who judge whether individuals are worthy of approaching the Albino Cyclops. Their master,^[10] the Lord Being of the Swirblies, speaks for the Four See Seers, stating that they have seen inside Tambor and that he must purge the impure to receive what he seeks in sleep. Tambor falls asleep and is observed by the Seers; when the Skakoan wakes, his missing eye has been restored.^[1]

The giant Albino Cyclops appears, along with a small box adorned with an eye symbol. Tambor opens it, revealing the Eye of the Albino Cyclops, and a dark essence flows into Tambor's right eye. A golden light in the shape of a giant eye then emanates from Tambor's eye; the cyclops and Swirblies look on, and the Lord Being declares that "A heart in the eye is where compassion may lie." Looking back into the Eye in the box, Tambor sees a vision of Skywalker's face in it. The Elders declare that Tambor must travel to the fiery planet Mustafar to meet his fate. As Tambor arrives on Mustafar with two of the Swirblies on his back, the comic states that the reader can discover Tambor's destiny by watching Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.^[1]

Development

"Wat Tambor and the Quest for the Sacred Eye of the Albino Cyclops" is a thirteen-page comic story written,^[1] pencilled, inked, lettered, and colored by Michael Murnane,^[2] a concept artist who developed the design of Wat Tambor for^[12] the 2002 prequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones.^[13] The comic was created for the graphic novel anthology Star Wars: Visionaries, which was initiated by Lucasfilm senior editor J.W. Rinzler as a way for the artists who worked on the 2005 prequel trilogy film, Revenge of the Sith, to share their ideas and works that did not appear in the finished film.^[8] The artists had creative freedom in choosing aspects of the Star Wars universe to explore.^[14] Murnane took inspiration from a paintball injury^[11] he^[15] suffered to his right eye.^[11] Visionaries was announced on StarWars.com on August 3, 2004, which also revealed Murnane's involvement.^[16] The title and a summary of the story were revealed in another StarWars.com post published on March 15, 2005.^[3]

Release and reception

Visionaries was edited by Jeremy Barlow and published as a trade paperback by Dark Horse Comics on April 2, 2005.^[3] "Wat Tambor and the Quest for the Sacred Eye of the Albino Cyclops" occupies third place in the collection, preceded by "The Artist of Naboo" and followed by "Sithisis." The comic is also preceded by an uncolored draft image of one of its pages.^[6]

Barlow felt that Visionaries as a whole was a success, praising the artists for their variety of stories and expressing that they had justified their positions as employees of^[8] Star Wars creator^[13] George Lucas.^[8] Frank Parisi, editor of Star Wars Insider magazine, described "Wat Tambor and the Quest for the Sacred Eye of the Albino Cyclops" as one of the freshest Star Wars narratives ever published, praising its unconventional visuals, narrative, and mythical underpinnings.^[11] Artist Chris Trevas, who worked on a variety of Star Wars projects, described the comic story as "abstract and weird."^[17]

Visionaries was later republished by Dark Horse in Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space Volume 2^[4] on October 9, 2013.^[18] "Wat Tambor and the Quest for the Sacred Eye of the Albino Cyclops," along with the stories "The Eyes of Revolution" and "Deep Forest" from Visionaries, was also included in Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Clone Wars Vol. 3, published by Marvel Comics^[2] on April 7, 2020.^[19] Murnane's story was placed last in the collection, following "Dark Journey," a comic first published in the seventeenth issue of the comic series Star Wars Tales in 2003.^[2]

Continuity

In response to a fan question, Holocron continuity database keeper Leland Chee stated on March 29, 2005 that "Wat Tambor and the Quest for the Sacred Eye of the Albino Cyclops" was regarded as "possible continuity" despite the comic's outlandish presentation and content.^[20] The story's conclusion leads into the events of Revenge of the Sith,^[1] which premiered on May 19, 2005,^[13] almost seven weeks following the publication of Visionaries,^[3] in which Tambor is killed offscreen on Mustafar by Anakin Skywalker.^[21] Tambor's death scene was filmed but not included in the final cut.^[22] The ending of the comic suggests that the story takes place shortly before Revenge of the Sith, the events of which transpire in 19 BBY.^[5] Tambor's eyes are inconsistently depicted as both brown and black in the comic,^[1] having been depicted as black in the prequel trilogy films.^[21][23]

Later sources referenced events and concepts that originated in "Wat Tambor and the Quest for the Sacred Eye of the Albino Cyclops." The article "Planet Hoppers: Skako," written by Eric Cagle and published on the Wizards of the Coast website on December 9, 2008, explicitly stated that the Power Mounds that appeared in the comic were located on Skako,^[9] retroactively establishing the comic as the first narrative appearance of the planet.^[1] The article also stated that the Gates of Grontessiant opened to a supposedly mythical realm.^[9] The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, also published on December 9 that year,^[24] included several entries related to the comic, including the Power Mounds,^[7] the Gates of Grontessiant,^[25] and the Four See Seers of the Cyclops. The latter entry specified that the Seers existed within Skakoan legend and that their role was to look into the hearts and minds of any individuals who passed the Gates to measure their worthiness to approach the Albino Cyclops.^[10] As part of Expanded Universe media at the time of publication, "Wat Tambor and the Quest for the Sacred Eye of the Albino Cyclops" was categorized as part of the Star Wars Legends continuity in 2014.^[26]

Legacy

For an illustration of a Skakoan in the 2006 sourcebook The New Essential Guide to Alien Species, artist Chris Trevas used one of the Skakoan Elders from "Wat Tambor and the Quest for the Sacred Eye of the Albino Cyclops" as a loose inspiration.^[17] In the current Star Wars canon, the 2018 Fantasy Flight Games sourcebook Fully Operational reintroduced that Elders of the Power Mounds led the Skakoan religion and that one could rise in the ranks of the religion and access significant artifacts. The sourcebook further stated that the Skakoan religion's practitioners believed in an alternate dimension and a mythical creature within it, with only the Elders and a select few others being aware of whether the creature actually existed.^[27]

Media

Collected in

• Star Wars: Visionaries
• Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space Volume 2
• Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Clone Wars Vol. 3

Appearances

Sources

• Inside Star Wars: Visionaries on StarWars.com (original site is defunct)
• "Drawn by the Force" — Star Wars Insider 82
• "Letter from the Editor" — Star Wars Insider 90

Notes and references