Star Wars Reveals Luke Skywalker Knew About Darth Bane and Visited The High Republic

02/04/2022 04:00 pm EST

Star Wars has launched The High Republic line as the first real project in the franchise to exist outside the canon of the Skywalker Saga – but that doesn't mean the two eras of the franchise never meet. In fact, the latest issue of Star Wars' Marvel Comics series has revealed a pivotal moment during the Original Trilogy era, in which Luke Skywalker actually got to take a trip to The High Republic (in a manner of speaking), and meet one of its heroes. It was a nice crossover moment for Star Wars fans who are dedicated to the comics and novels – one that could open a lot of exciting doors! 

(WARNING: Star Wars #20 Comic SPOILERS Follow!) 

In Star Wars #20, Luke Skywalker follows a Holocron message from Yoda to a remote Jedi temple the Empire hasn't discovered yet:  the Living Sea of Gazian. The place turns out to be another perilous instruction from the Force and the Jedi: Yoda's words lead Luke to a planet covered in mushroom-like fungi, which promptly swallow Luke up. 

It turns out that Gaizan is actually a living organism and Vergence in the Force, but the planet also keeps an "imprint" of all the minds who touch it. Luke is taken into a vision in which he meets none other than Elzar Mann, one of the main heroes of the current Star Wars: The High Republic line! 

Luke's conversation with Elzar is all about whether or not Luke still has faith in his decision to follow the Jedi Order – a struggle Elzar knows all too well (see: the current The High Republic novels). Ultimately, Luke leaves feeling still somewhat shaken, even though Elzar lets him know that The Jedi aren't the only path of the light side of the Force. 

This meeting between Luke Skywalker and Elzar Mann is pivotal for several reasons – beyond the obvious fan-service of having the Star Wars Original Trilogy and High Republic eras converge in a major way: 

1. It is from Elzar Mann that Luke gets his first real instruction that The Jedi are not the ultimate custodians of The Force. An Inception moment of idea-planting that will lead Luke to become what we saw in The Last Jedi.
2. Elzar reveals the name and history of Darth Bane to Luke, a big signal flare that the Star Wars Old Republic franchise could soon be official canon. 
3. There are some dialogue and visual hints that Elzar meeting Luke is more than a coincidence – it is a fate possibly connecting one Jedi who fell to the dark side (Elzar) to one living under that same shadow (Luke). 

Star Wars #20 is now on sale through Marvel Comics. 

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