25 Years Later, a Huge Gap in the Star Wars Timeline is About to be Filled
About a space boy.
The prequels may not be the most beloved Star Wars trilogy, but it’s definitely the era we’ve seen the most of. Over 15 years ago, Star Wars: The Clone Wars began filling in the gaps between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, ultimately telling an animated story that lasted seven seasons. Rebels and The Bad Batch have also supplemented the prequel trilogy we all know and tolerate. But there’s one conspicuous absence from this extended universe, and 25 years later, a new comic book could address it.
Writer Greg Pak has revealed he’ll be writing a 40-page comic celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace, building off his success writing the Darth Vader comics. There’s no official release date yet, but Pak said it will hit stores this May, a month that contains both Star Wars Day (May 4) and the day Phantom Menace came out (May 19).
The Phantom Menace is about to celebrate its silver jubilee.
Pak says the new special will “dive into the heart and soul of young Anakin,” and the official description promises “never-before-seen, revelatory stories set before, after and between the scenes of the classic movie.” Considering most prequel-era stories focus on Anakin after his discovery by the Jedi, learning about his childhood will shed some light on an era of Star Wars that usually goes untold.
Stories set before the prequels have become more prevalent in recent years, especially through Dave Filoni’s animated series Tales of the Jedi. But these stories usually focus on the adventures of the Jedi before Anakin is even introduced, not about Anakin’s life as a slave kid bopping around Tatooine. It’s easily the most mysterious part of the prequel trilogy.
Anakin had years of adventures before we even met him.
This comic will cover “the dream of a JEDI, the gift of a TUSKEN RAIDER, the heart of a GUNGAN, the ache of a mother and the horror of a hero.”That implies there will still be Jedi adventures, and possibly a Jar Jar appearance, but those moments could be paired with some Tatooine stories.
The Phantom Menace is among the most overlooked Star Wars movies, making it one of the few spots on the timeline still really lacking in supplementary material like comics and novels. But even children can have adventures, and Anakin’s stories have the potential to be especially fascinating.
