Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures - Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #4! Star Wars fans have seen a ton of Force-abilities make their way from the comics/novels into the feature films/television series. From Force-dyads to Force-healing, there is no shortage of powers that have gotten the live-action treatment. And now, it’s time that Star Wars added another one of those unique Force-powers first shown in the comics/novels in the films/shows, as its powerful ‘Plant Jedi’ are more than ready to hit live-action.

In Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures - Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #4 by Cavan Scott and Vincenzo Riccardi, Jedi Knight Ty Yorrick (a former-Jedi-turned-monster-hunter) is called upon by her former Jedi Master to go to the planet Dalna that was attacked by the collective of planet-conquering marauders in Star Wars, the Nihil. When Ty and her monster-hunting partner get there, they venture beneath the surface after finding a Nihil ship that had crash-landed, but didn’t see any of the crew. That’s where the two run into one of the last surviving residents of Dalna: Vila aka a Lonto Plant Mage.

Upon seeing the invaders, Vila used her power to manipulate plants (which is known as “plant surge”) against them. Vila telekinetically ordered the vines that grew lush within this underground safe haven to wrap themselves around Ty, her partner, and the other Force-sensitive enemies of the Nihil that were there for similar (yet separate) missions. In fact, Vila proved how strong her Plant Mage powers were by actually destroying an immensely powerful Sith artifact called the Hand of Siberus like it was nothing.

“Plant Surge” can also be used as a way to access ‘Force-Healing’, which is a power that’s been featured in Star Wars films and TV.

Indeed, this Force-power is no joke, and it needs the live-action treatment ASAP.

Vila is Only the Latest Lonto Plant Mage in Star Wars Canon

Other Plant Mages have been Featured in Star Wars Comics, but Never in the Films

Vila might be the most recent Lonto Plant Mage to grace the pages of Star Wars comics, but she certainly wasn’t the first. The Lonto were also featured in Star Wars: The High Republic (2022) #1, where of the species gathered alongside other followers of the light side of the Force in the Holy City of Jedha (including the likes of the Jedi and the Guardians of the Whills). During that meeting, one Lonto flexed her plant surge abilities by using vines to restrain one of the other representatives before chaos broke out between them all.

Plant surge powers were also featured in 1999’s Star Wars Tales “Extinction”. In that story, a Jedi used plant surge to try to capture Darth Vader before being slaughtered by the Jedi-hunting Sith Lord. Unfortunately, their plant surge power wasn’t strong enough to defeat Vader for good, and that was probably because of one thing: they weren’t a member of the Lonto species. The Lonto species (as shown in these High Republic comics) has completely committed itself to the practice of plant surge as their only means of channeling the power of the light side of the Force.

Including Plant Mages in the Star Wars Films/TV Would Grow the Lore of the Light Side

The Dark Side is More Interesting Than the Light, but Plant Mages Could Fix That

The history of Plant Mages in Star Wars is rich, but it only exists in the comics. Indeed, the idea that there’s an entire faction of light side s who only manipulate the Force through plants is fascinating, and actually adds to the lore of the light side of the Force specifically - which is something Star Wars desperately needs. As it stands in Star Wars TV and movies, the light side of the Force is kind of boring when compared with the dark side. The light side of the Force is pretty much only used by Jedi, and there’s little to no information on light siders beyond that.

The dark side of the Force, however, has a number of fascinating aspects to it. Sure, there’s the Sith, but there’s also dark siders like Darth Maul who use the dark side to become galactic crime lords. There’s also the dark side cult known as the Knights of Ren, which is a band of marauders who worship the dark side and spread chaos in its name. Plus, there’s the fact that Kylo Ren himself (the leader of the Knights of Ren) isn’t even a Sith, he’s simply a dark sider who uses his power to rule the galaxy with an iron fist.

In other words, there are corners of the dark side beyond just the Sith, which can’t really be said for the light side, as the only followers of the light that are featured in the movies are the Jedi. If the Star Wars films/TV introduced the Lonto Plant Mages, however, that would completely change, and allow the light side of the Force to become as interesting as the dark. Plus, the visual alone of seeing a plant-controlling Force- attack their enemies is just begging to be brought to the big-screen, proving that Star Wars’ ‘Plant Jedi’ are ready to hit live-action.

Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures - Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #4 by Dark Horse Comics is available now.