Ashla & Jempa (Jedi Temple Training) - SW [S - P3] - Basic (’03 #16)

The Jedi children Ashla and Jempa are members of the Mighty Bear Clan, a communal group of young Jedi hopefuls ranging in age from four to eight. Comprised of many different species, the young initiates rely on the tutelage of Jedi Master Yoda, who often marvels at the cloudless insight and impressive scope of the young minds. Under Yoda's careful eye, clan members begin lightsaber training at a very early age, but their protective helmets and special training sabers ensure safety in their Jedi lessons.

Hasbro gave collectors three Jedi younglings (or Jedi Initiates to be precise) is the Star Wars “Saga” line and while they don’t offer super-articulation, they do offer collectors long-awaited “action” figures of the youngest Jedi characters. Often confused as Padawans, Ashla & Jempa along with the other children training to eventually become Padawans are Jedi Initiates. Part of the Bear Clan, they train in basic Jedi skills to see if they are gifted in the ways of the Force. We have enjoyed the action figure interpretations of these characters. The sculpts are really pretty good, especially Jempa who truly looks like he could be the an ancestor of J’Quille from Jabba’s palace. Additionally, each Jedi child comes with a removable training helmet and reduced-size lightsaber so that they can follow Master Yoda’s instruction. Not bad for three characters that don’t say a word in Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, isn’t it? Admittedly, Ashla & Jempa are niche duo of action figures. They’re cute (almost bordering on adorable), but they offer very little in what collectors’ textbook definition of an action figure is. These two Jedi initiates get a second chance in the Star Wars "Saga" line as they've been carried forward into the third phase of the line look. In all honesty, we're surprised that Hasbro felt they needed to be brought into the line again.

Ashla, a Togruta and Jempa, a Whiphid are approached very similarly, save for the specie specific portraits. In fact, all three Jedi children utilize the same exact body sculpt. Each have new portraits, new arms and all-new (or unique) paint jobs. You’d think that even their helmets are the same, but you’d be wrong. Each is a unique sculpt that comes with a design inside to hold the helmets close to their heads in a secure fashion. We have seen how diverse the Jedi Order truly is in Episode I, but seeing children in Episode II, on top of all the Padawan and Jedi Knights and Masters, you really get a sense of just how broad this religion is indeed. What’s more, seeing characters of all ages helps to reinforce just how widespread the training is and how young they start off those that want this to be their lifestyle. As action figures, they’re great display fodder and if you love anything related to the Jedi Temple, then this is a two-pack for you. When posed altogether, it pine for Hasbro to make the rest of the human Jedi children. There were some adorable kids in that scene, and having just the aliens makes it feels like something is missing just a tad. It would be wonderful if Hasbro could release some human Jedi initiates into the line at some point. (Editor's Note: Human Jedi initiates were part of the 2009 Star Tours Jedi Training Academy set.)

Ashla is the more recognizable of the two Jedi Initiates. She is immediately reminiscent of Shaak Ti and has a decent paint job for such a small character. Each youngling comes with a removable helmet (and as mentioned earlier, the helmets have different supports to stay on their heads better) and a lightsaber. Ashla’s lightsaber is blue while Jempa’s lightsaber is green. Ashla comes with a swivel head, two swivel arms and a swivel waist. Clearly this isn’t a great deal of articulation but her pre-posed arms give her a great look when displayed. And surprisingly, you are able to attain a few more positions of her than you might think. But we especially taken with Jempa. The Expanded Universe goes on to explain how the young aren’t covered in body hair like the adults. And Hasbro ensured that detail made it to Jempa. He looks more lizard than mammal, but the unmistakable features in the face immediately reinforces what makes Whiphids so unique. Hasbro did a great job on his portrait and the paint job is even better. Ashla & Jempa are a great way to get out the younglings to collectors. And while they are far from being super-articulated, they still serve a good purpose as is. (Editor’s Note: Ashla was the character first chosen for The Clone Wars television show, but George Lucas wanted an “all-new” character thus Ahsoka Tano came to be. We suppose Ashla can be considered a Concept Art figure for Ahsoka now!)