Star Wars: Jedi Knights #9
CHRYSALIS
On the planet Vekura, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was attacked by the mysterious Corlis Rath, a man he swears he has never met before. But despite Qui-Gon’s best efforts, he has been unable to determine Rath’s origins or the reason for the stranger’s vendetta.
In their last encounter, Rath revealed the two men met on Sinsara, a planet in the Anoat sector, before stabbing Qui-Gon with a blade laced with a deadly toxin.
Since then, Qui-Gon has been kept in a medically induced coma while he heals from his injuries….
Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Artist: Madibek Musabekov
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Colourist: Luis Guerrero
Cover artist: Madibek Musabekov
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: November 19 2025
This fascinating series continues as we enter the ninth issue with Qui-Gon Jinn opening his eyes in shock, his wounds largely – but not completely – healed as he gathers himself to learn from Consular Jedi doctor Rig Nema that he almost died, and didn’t only due to the timely intervention of Masters Mace Windu and Aayla Secura. Sitting with them both soon after he learns more of his attacker, and how Corlis Rath’s blade was dipped in a toxin, that saw Mace and Aayla find an antidote from a group known as the Banished, on the world of Sinsara. Formerly called the Behru, the penny drops for Qui-Gon and we step back into the past and a trip to Sinsara as Qui-Gon and his master Count Dooku confer in the cockpit, Dooku telling Jinn that he believes it would be ‘instructional’ if Qui-Gon leads the mission.
Qui-Gon clearly starts to piece the puzzle together, and leaves looking for more information and confirmation of his hunch, so he heads to the Jedi Archives to seek more detail and enlists the help of Jocasta Nu, who assists as he searches through the database to find out whether aliens other than Clawdites can change shape. As they continue their search we see Jocasta figure it out, that this species goes through a process known as ‘chrysalis’, a biological process that physically alters their appearance and confirms to Jinn that this is the same person he had met then.
We step back again to Sinsara as Jinn and Dooku arrive, meeting the Sinsaran leader who tells them of their troubles with bandits – not aliens, but from the same world. They didn’t want to contact the Republic, preferring to deal with it themselves, but as peaceful people they’ve reached their limit and were forced to make contact. With Dooku once again reminding Jinn that he is leading this mission, Qui-Gon asks that a meeting be made with the leader of the Behru, and we cut to that meeting as the bandit leader is told by Qui-Gon of their crimes, only to be told in return that they don’t recognise the rule of the Jedi or Republic or the words of a child, as Dooku stands silenty, telling the leader he would be wise to follow young Qui-Gons advice.
Back in the present Qui-Gon heads to the hangar to prepare a vessel to head out, only to be met by Obi-Wan who first tries to discourage him due to his injuries and then – knowing how headstrong his master is – tells him he has secured a larger shuttle, and they head out as Jinn explains the situation to his padawan. He explains the physical changes of Corlis Rath, and we step back in time onced again as the Behru leader stands defiant, not submitting to Jinn’s Jedi Mind Trick attempt, and we watch Qui-Gon ignite his lightsaber and a skirmish begin, a full page of fighting that ends with Jinn yelling that there’s too many to fight and Dooku agreeing, and back to the present as Qui-Gon stares out of the window, his regret clear. He tells Obi-Wan how, when Corlis Rath struck him down, his life flashed in front of his eyes, and how he was left only with regret, and back in the past Dooku and Jinn communing. Qui-Gon regrets his naivete at trying to deal with criminals, while Dooku explains the wisdom of Master Yoda and how failure is the greatest teacher, telling him how the teaching of the Jedi depend deeply on the concept of common decency, but how so many people in the galaxy don’t possess that, and how fighting requires anger – controlled anger, but anger nevertheless. In the right hands, he claims it can be a powerful weapon, and we return to Sinsara as Qui-Gon offers a challenge, and while the Behru leader refuses to fight a ‘child’, he will allow an advocate in his place as long as Qui-Gon doesn’t use his Jedi powers and we end the issue with a split page as in the past and the present Qui-Gon looks up at ‘Davros Hex’.
Another superb issue as the plot all starts to come together, stitched with the appearance ofsome key characters including Aayla Secura, Mace Windu and most importantly here, Jocastu Nu who isn’t presented as the stiff, fussy contrarian she often is. The Jedi Archives are used to great effect, as is Obi-Wan who knows his master well, as we delve into his past errors under Master Dooku who himself makes his skirt with the darkness evocative enough to believe even the wise Qui-Gon Jinn would be tempted.
Beautiful artwork from Madibek Musabekov and another engaging issue from Marc Guggenheim, you really have to think that as an ongoing series set in the few years before The Phantom Menace we could learn so much about where the order found itself when they reached the edge of the cliff, and especially beyond into the years between Menace and Clones.
