Many characters have been created for the Star Wars universe since the first film premiered in 1977. Some, created for stories outside the Skywalker Saga, have been declared Legends and non-canon. Rare however are those characters who never had the chance to be introduced at all. One such villain, Atha Prime, will finally make their debut in Marvel Comics‘ new Jedi Knights series.
Set before The Phantom Menace, the new Jedi Knights book will center around legendary heroes of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and other fan favorites will join new heroes to face new threats. These include Atha Prime, who will be introduced as having a grudge against Qui-Gon Jinn.
Two covers for Star Wars: Jedi Knights #1 and a design sheet for Atha Prime may be viewed below.
How Atha Prime came to the Star Wars comics
Originally, Atha Prime was created during the concept art development stage of Return of the Jedi. The designs inspired a character, named Atha Prime, who was meant to be the chief villain of a new Kenner toy line. The Epic Continues line would have continued the story of Star Wars after the Original Trilogy’s conclusion. However, the line was cancelled and Atha Prime forgotten, until being rediscovered by Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and comic writer Marc Guggenheim. It was Guggenheim who crafted a backstory for Atha Prime, imagining him as a remote planet’s tyrannical ruler, who fights both the Jedi and the Republic.
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“I love the idea that the Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy,” Guggenheim told Polygon in a recent interview. “But there are surprisingly few examples of that out there. Mainly because the Jedi get sucked into the Clone Wars. I’m as much of a fan of the Clone Wars as the next guy. But I really craved seeing the Jedi doing their thing on a non-war footing. That’s the great appeal of this new Jedi Knights series: We really get a chance to see what the Jedi did before the Clone Wars and their eventual fall.”
Star Wars: Jedi Knights #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere on March 5, 2024.
