Set directly after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader #3-4 (by Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli) follows Anakin as he begins his Sith training. His first step is to obtain a crimson lightsaber, the signature weapon of the Sith. To craft his blade, Vader must defeat a Jedi in battle, take his lightsaber, and then temper the kyber crystal inside with his pain and anger. The process makes the crystal bleed and "sing a hymn of darkness," according to Emperor Palpatine. Tracking down a Jedi after Order 66 is tricky, but Anakin's knowledge of the Jedi Order leads him to Kirak Infil'a, a Jedi who has been on the river moon of Al'doleem.
During his time as a Jedi, Kirak's main purpose is to be a warrior. His green lightsaber shows his abilities as a great meditator and negotiator for the Force. He's known as a master in lightsaber combat, but his time in isolation is spent meditating as he strengthens his abilities. Prior to Vader's arrival, Kirak completes some high-level training that involves assembling puzzles using the Force while simultaneously dueling with his robotic assistant.
Updated September 11th, 2023 by Jordan Iacobucci: Darth Vader has recently made his triumphant return to Star Wars media, reminding fans of just how terrifying a villain he truly was. Through Vader and Anakin Skywalker's appearances in Disney+ series like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka, audiences are getting a whole new view of who the fallen Jedi truly was — and the extent of his power when compared to the other Jedi.
Kirak Infil'a's Jedi Powers Prove Challenging to Darth Vader
Kirak takes the Barash Vow during his time as a Jedi Master, as penance for crimes he committed during his tenure as a Jedi. Kirak declares the vow is complete after his first encounter with Vader. Kirak senses all the hate and fury left over from Order 66 in Vader, whose connection to the dark side forces Kirak out of retirement in hopes of restoring the Jedi order.
Kirak's first duel with Vader not only shows the true extent of his power but his cunning as well. He forces Vader to evade a litany of booby traps on his way up the mountain, where he challenges the Sith Lord to a duel. First, he hurls all the water from a river at Vader before following up with a flock of giant flying raptors. Kirak then disables the rest of the traps and grants his opponent safe passage up the mountain. Vader then destroys Kirak's dueling droid and attacks the Jedi Master. Master Infil'a quickly takes advantage of Vader's weakened state. After just a few strikes with his blade, he has Vader on his knees with his green blade at the Sith's throat. The Jedi then uses the Force to push Vader off a cliff, believing that to be the end of his opponent. However, Vader doesn't die. He instead uses the training droid's remains to repair his robotic limbs enough to continue his pursuit of Master Infil'a's lightsaber.
Darth Vader's Road to Victory Against Jedi Master Infil'a
Kirak quickly makes his way to Am'balaar City, which is built on the dam of a giant river, to recover his starship so he can pursue Vader's master. While he waits for his starship to be repaired, Vader tracks him down and once again attacks him. Kirak and Vader duel on top of the dam and Kirak is on the verge of gaining the upper hand once again. However, the authorities of Am'balaar City stop the duel to protect the dam. Vader responds by throwing them off the edge. Kirak saves the police while declaring that his opponent is a monster for his actions. Vader concurs and attacks the dam with Force. Master Infil'a turns all of his attention toward holding the water back from the city. Vader puts his training saber away, finds a crack in Kirak's Force shield, and holds him high above the water with a Force choke.
Vader forces Kirak to watch the city flood and wash away, then snaps his neck and throws his body into the water. Although Vader ultimately defeats Master Infil'a, it isn't because he overwhelms him with the Force. Vader had to prey on Kirak Infil'a's willingness to put other lives above his own to defeat him because the Jedi was simply too powerful for Vader to defeat in fair combat.
Will We Ever See Kirak Infil'a Again?
Like many other characters in Star Wars, Kirak Infil'a could easily make recurring appearances throughout the franchise. While his story was conceived as a one-off appearance that showcased just how far Darth Vader came between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, there is far more of the Jedi's story that deserves to be told. The easiest avenue would be for Star Wars to give Infil'a his own comic book series. This would allow different creators to try their hand at long-form storytelling with Kirak Infil'a's background, including his journey to become even more powerful than Darth Vader himself. However, Kirak Infil'a's future appearances in Star Wars don't have to be limited to comic books alone.
Star Wars has already introduced some intriguing new projects that could include a featured appearance from Kirak Infil'a. A follow-up to the animated anthology series, Tales of the Jedi, would be a perfect place to include the adventures of Infil'a, whose backstory with the Jedi Order would make for an intriguing one-off episode. Tales of the Jedi committed to fleshing out some of Star Wars' more complicated characters who haven't received as much screen time as they should. While other more recognizable Jedi Masters like Plo Koon or Ki-Adi-Mundi might be a safer choice, Star Wars fans deserve to get to know some of the lesser-known Jedi who populate the universe.
Charles Soule's Darth Vader introduced a new Jedi who has the potential to become known as one of the most powerful and cunning characters in the entire Star Wars franchise. While general audiences may not be aware of Kirak Infil'a's existence, the incredibly strong Jedi deserves to make a reappearance in future Star Wars projects.