Luke Skywalker’s faithful droid R2-D2 had one heck of a time on the swamp planet of Dagobah. If fighting off an old backwards-talking green alien wasn’t enough, the little Astromech’s life was almost cut short after falling into Dragonsnake Bog after Luke and R2 crash landed. As the lagoon’s name would suggest, Dragonsnake Bog was home to one of the fiercest predators in all of Star Wars — the terrifying Dragonsnake.
Original canon would suggest that R2 was attacked by the giant reptile, and subsequently spit out once the predator realized their prey wasn’t for eating. However new light has been shed on the perilous encounter to substitute a more whimsical (and not so scary) alternative to the legendary encounter.
In the newly released book; From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, forty world-renowned artists and authors reimagine the events of arguably the best Star Wars movie of all time. Retelling iconic scenes from The Empire Strikes Back through the eyes of various supporting characters, From a Certain Point of View rewrites the history of that galaxy far, far away unlike anything seen before or since.
As for R2’s run in with the Dragonsnake, comic book artist Katie Cook puts a heartwarming spin on an otherwise bone-chilling moment. Instead of R2 being attacked by the beast, he is saved from the murky waters of Dagobah by a new underwater ally.
Titled “The Dragonsnake Saves R2,” this alternate version depicts a sleeping Dragonsnake until suddenly, R2-D2 lands on the monster. Although the Dragonsnake appears angry at first, it quickly realizes R2 could be in trouble — so instead of trying to eat him, the beast gingerly chomps R2 and tosses him safely ashore. Becoming quick friends, the pair say goodbye and go their separate ways in a heartwarming final exchange.
Cook began creating webcomics for the Clone Wars, and has gone on to focus on Star Wars content for kids of all ages — after all, what Star Wars fan doesn’t feel sort of like a kid once those opening credits start to roll?
Spinning Star Wars conventions is a testament to how many directions the genre can truly be taken, proving that Star Wars doesn’t always have to be so serious to connect with fans. There are parts of that universe that deserve to be rethought, and fantastic storytellers like Katie Cook are the perfect people for the job.
