Star Wars: Jedi Knights #3
PLANET OF MONSTERS
It is a time of peace and prosperity in the galaxy. Thousands of Jedi Knights serve and protect the vast expanse of THE GALACTIC REPUBLIC.
But the galaxy is filled with hidden dangers. The Senate had received an urgent distress signal from Junior Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan. His ship has crash-landed on an uncharted planet in the remote regions of space.
Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi have been sent to rescue Organa and his staff. But neither knows the threats that await them on this unexplored world….
Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Artist: Madibek Musabekov
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Colourist: Luis Guerrero
Cover artist: Rahzzah
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: May 14 2025
Fans of the galaxy far, far away know that any time Bail Organa is involved in an issue, it’s well worth paying attention to, and in the third issue of Jedi Knights, that is very much the case. With his starship crashed on an uncharted world WG4587, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan kenobi are sent to rescue him, but the welcome they get is not unlike being hugged by Godzilla. As we hear Obi-Wans report, an enormous kaijura rises from the mountains and clamps its jaws down on their T-6 shuttle, and we see Qui-Gon fall calling Kenobi’s name as the ship shreds around him. Jinn lands, finding an unconscious Obi-Wan and looks up as the skyscraper-high creature roars, then falls, smashing into the forest.
They move, but not by choice. The smashing of the kaijura blows them through the forest, where they find the crashed Corvette of Organa. Kenobi is still concussed, but soon we’re inside the CR70 with Organa and the crew and a new problem. The ship is unable to take off due to the repulsorlifts only being at half power, and a herd of kaijura are heading in fast. Time is of the essence, and as the creatures arrive Qui-Gon uses the Force to help the ship rise, but not before one of the creatures grabs the ship.
The order was given to fire all weapons, but the crash and attack disabled them all, so facing away from the creature the order is given to jettison all escape pods, smashing into the kaijura and allowing them to rise away from the surface to orbit and safety, and there we have the third issue, a beautifully crafted and designed issue with a paper-thin plot that somehow manages to fill 23 pages but adds almost nothing to the era, the story or the canon. Kaijura might have spawned in the kind of blissful daydream Dave Filoni probably has every day, but beyond the impressive site of a herd of Kong-sized creatures reaching for a Blockade Runner, this is the epitome of a filler issue, albeit one that’s artfully drawn and well written (nailing Qui-Gon specifically with his prowess in the Force) but totally wasting the appearance of Bail Organa. After two strong opening issues, let’s hope this is a blip rather than a sign of what’s to come in future issues.
