We’re only a few days away from the grand public opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the highly anticipated Disneyland expansion. But for those of us who want a sampling of the blue milk and don’t want to spend hours on end in countless lines, Disney has released a couple of tie-in comic books, one of which takes a deeper look at the lead up to Han Solo and Greedo’s deadly meeting in A New Hope.
Galaxy’s Edge #2 starts off, interestingly enough, almost two decades before the original Star Wars film, at the start of Emperor Palpatine’s Order 66. On the Outer Rim planet of Mygeeto, rogue clone troopers take on Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, slaying him quite easily for a well-trained warrior.
Cut to present day, where a First Order officer confronts Dok-Ondar, a shopkeeper in a Den of Antiquities (which, surprise, is the gift shop featured in the upcoming Disneyland area) where he finds the late Ki-Adi-Mundi’s lightsaber. Igniting the weapon, the officer dramatically proclaims:
“Your den is renowned across the galaxy for being the place to acquire just about any relic or symbol of consequence… for the right price. The type of place Resistance spies might seek out if they were looking for something to help turn the tide of the war— a Jedi weapon perhaps… A new dawn is coming, Dok-Ondar. And it won’t be long before owning Jedi weapons will once again be a crime with consequences.”
So, how does this connect to Greedo? Well, the issue features another time jump to the past, shortly before the events of Episode IV. We learn that Mundi’s lightsaber fell into the hands of the Vice Chairman of a Banking Clan at war with the Hutts. Even though Jabba originally assigned Boba Fett to assassinate the chairman, the operation fell onto Greedo, who cheekily threatens:
“One thing you should know about me… is that I never miss.”
But of course, Greedo’s plan falls apart, and one of Jabba’s favorite enforcers and an Imperial code-breaker both die in the aftermath. Greedo, who realizes his life is now at risk, presents the lightsaber to the Hutt as a possible peace offering, but Jabba has other plans for the Rodian:
“Let’s see how you can handle a simple bounty.”
This, of course, would result in his infamous meeting with Han Solo at the Mos Eisley Cantina; a meeting we all know Greedo didn’t walk away from.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens May 31st, and it’s nice to see that Disney has attempted to tie the rides so heavily into the lore we know and love. It sounds like the Disneyland area is filled to the brim with references to every era of Star Wars films, too, so if we’re lucky, we might get even more backstories on mysterious characters from A New Hope. After all, the Mos Eisley Cantina is full of them.