Star Wars #1

History

Writer Jan Strnad and penciller Anthony Winn, with inks by Robert Jones, crafted the 'Prelude to Rebellion' arc that begins here, working under editor Peet Janes and publisher Mike Richardson, with credited special thanks to Lucas Licensing representatives Allan Kausch and Lucy Autrey Wilson — reflecting the close Lucasfilm oversight that distinguished Dark Horse's Star Wars output from earlier, less-supervised Marvel-era comics. Strnad built the story around a then-obscure background Jedi from the upcoming film, fleshing out Ki-Adi-Mundi's homeworld of Cerea and giving him a family — including multiple wives and daughters — a detail that later required a Legends-continuity patch when Episode II established that Jedi were forbidden attachments; the in-universe fix, established in later Republic issues, was that Cerea's low male birth rate granted Ki-Adi-Mundi a rare Council exemption. The issue also carries a cover by painter Ken Kelly, with a separate Chrome Edition variant also released at launch.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First comic book appearance of Ki-Adi-Mundi, the Cerean Jedi Knight who would later appear in all three Star Wars prequel films (portrayed by actor Silas Carson).
• Published December 16, 1998 by Dark Horse Comics; written by Jan Strnad, pencilled by Anthony Winn, inked by Robert Jones, colored by Dave Nestelle, and covered by painter Ken Kelly.
• Part 1 of the 6-part 'Prelude to Rebellion' story arc, set approximately 33 years before the Battle of Yavin (one year before The Phantom Menace), making it the earliest-set prequel-era comics story at the time of publication.
• Also introduces in comics continuity: Ephant Mon (the Chevin smuggler later seen in Return of the Jedi) and several Cerean supporting characters including Ki-Adi-Mundi's daughter Sylvn.
• Launched what became the 83-issue Star Wars: Republic series — originally titled simply 'Star Wars' — which ran from 1998 to February 2006 and served as the main Clone Wars-era comic.
• The series was issued with a Chrome Edition variant cover at launch; the 'Prelude to Rebellion' arc was also available in an Another Universe exclusive holofoil variant set across issues #1–6.
• The story established, in Legends continuity, that Ki-Adi-Mundi held the unusual distinction of being a Jedi Council member before attaining the rank of Jedi Master — a plot point later complicated when Episode III credited that honor to Anakin Skywalker instead.
• Collected in: Star Wars: Prelude to Rebellion TPB (Dark Horse, May 2000); Star Wars Omnibus: Rise of the Sith (Dark Horse, January 2009); Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: Rise of the Sith Vol. 2 (Marvel, 2017); and Star Wars Legends: Rise of the Sith Omnibus (Marvel, 2021).

Cast · 1 character

Full credits

Key issues in Star Wars

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#19 1st appearance — Aayla Secura

Variants (1)