A Star Wars: The Last Jedi tie-in comic book will explore the history of the new planet Crait, revealing it as a former base prospect for the Rebellion in the original trilogy. Episode VIII takes the baton from 2015's The Force Awakens, seeing the return of our new heroes (and villain) like Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron and Kylo Ren, as well as legacy characters Luke and Leia. The film will also feature a trio of Star Wars newcomers making their debuts: Laura Dern, Benicio del Toro, and Kelly Marie Tran, who play Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, DJ, and Rose respectively.
Aside from the characters, The Last Jedi will also feature a bevy of new planets, most notably the casino-style Canto Bight and salt flat expanse Crait. While it's new to fans, however, Crait has a big place in the Star Wars canon dating back to the Rebellion; it was previously scouted by the Skywalker twins during the events of the original trilogy as a possible Rebel Alliance base.
That is what new comic book, Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Storms of Crait will be about. The issue will be the first of a new miniseries from writers Ben Acker and Ben Blacker in collaboration with artist Mike Mayhew set in between the events of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Its release in December will follow several other Marvel published Star Wars comics like Star Wars: Captain Phasma and Star Wars: Doctor Aphra. With the announcement, editor Jordan D. White discussed the project and its importance:
“We’re excited for the opportunity to tell this story. Tying the new sequel series in more tightly with the original trilogy era, and helping make the Galaxy Far Away a little more fleshed out. The Bens are a great fit in for Star Wars, as they showed in Join the Resistance, and Mike has did such great work on both covers and the Obi-Wan issues of the flagship Star Wars title, that we couldn’t be happier to have him back doing art for us.”
As the comic is set between Episodes IV and V, that would mean Luke and Leia were looking at Crait around the time the Alliance settled on their secret Hoth base. What led them to choose the desolate ice-cube over what appears to be a plant with comparably friendlier climate and topography isn't known, but the graphic novel is sure to reveal it (if the film doesn't).
In The Last Jedi, the Resistance takes up residence in the former mining colony at the last minute while on the run from the First Order, meaning them settling is certainly a last resort. The planet will play a key role in the plot, something that will hopefully be elaborated on in Storms of Crait, which arrives in comic shops on December 27.
Next: Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s Canto Bight Explored in New Book
Source: Lucasfilm
