An Obscure Star Wars Villain Is Making A Comeback After 40 Years







40 years after he was first conceived, a “Star Wars” villain that never got his day in the sun is making a comeback. Admittedly, this is an obscure character even by hardcore fan standards. This is as about as unknown as they come, but that only serves to make the character’s return all the more interesting.

Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm recently announced a new book titled “Star Wars: Jedi Knights.” The book hails from writer Marc Guggenheim (“Arrow”) and artist Madibek Musabekov (“Star Wars”). In terms of the overall timeline, it takes place around the “Fall of the Jedi” era before the events of “The Phantom Menace.” Aside from the rich era for storytelling that the prequel era has proved to be, the book’s intrigue has to do with making Atha Prime part of the official canon. Readers would be forgiven for not knowing that name, but it’s a villain that traces its roots to the mid-1980s after the release of “Return of the Jedi.”

Atha Prime was supposed to be an action figure released by Kenner to help keep “Star Wars” alive after the original trilogy wrapped up its run. As toy sales were drying up, Kenner’s idea was to keep the story alive via the toys. Atha Prime was intended to be the big bad of this abandoned storyline. Editor Mark Paniccia explained in a press release how the whole thing came about. 

“While developing the series, Marc discovered this deep cut — the antagonist from Kenner’s unrealized ‘The Epic Continues’ toy line. We saw the original design and were immediately sold. What a cool character to bring into canon and what a perfect book to do it in!”

You can get a glimpse at the character in the above cover. Aside from that toy packaging cover, there’s also one that hones in on his big, gold helmet. The character also appears on a cover for “Star Wars: Legacy of Vader,” which you can also check out below. Rather importantly, Atha Prime now joins the likes of “Shadows of the Empire” villain Prince Xizor as abandoned characters who were later brought into the official canon by Lucasfilm.

Who is Atha Prime in Star Wars, exactly?

This is far from the first time that Lucasfilm has brought back an old character during the Disney era. Rather famously, Grand Admiral Thrawn made his long-awaited return in “Star Wars Rebels” before becoming the main villain of “Ahsoka.” The difference here is that Thrawn was part of the very popular “Heir to the Empire” trilogy of novels. The same can’t be said for Atha Prime, who is only known by the most die-hard fans.

So, who is Atha Prime, exactly? Naturally, Guggenheim is going to put his stamp on the character for his official introduction. That said, Kenner (per Bantha Skull) originally described Ahtha Prime as follows:

“A powerful force long kept in exile in a remote fringe of the galaxy has been released by the death of the Emperor. It moves now, like a plague, securing control over the shattered remnants of the empire and re-enslaving newly freed worlds. Atha Prime, genetics master, ruler of the dark worlds and architect of the Clone Wars, is free again. His advanced army of combat clones has already decimated rebel outposts along the galactic frontier. His goal is to crush forever the Rebel Alliance and control the Galaxy.”

The mention of cloning is interesting as that’s a major factor in Palpatine’s resurrection in the aftermath of his death in “Return of the Jedi.” As for how Atha Prime will factor into things during this era of relative peace in the galaxy? We’ll have to wait for the book to arrive in March but the synopsis for the series explains that he’s going to be mixing it up with Obi-Wan Kenobi’s former master Qui-Gon Jinn

“Star Wars: Jedi Knights takes place before “The Phantom Menace” and stars legendary Prequel Trilogy icons like Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and more, including fan-favorite characters and all-new Jedi. Each thrilling issue follows a different Jedi duo on pivotal missions throughout the galaxy, with an overarching threat binding them together. Who is the mysterious new villain targeting Qui-Gon Jinn for death, and how will it force the Jedi Order to evolve for a new age?

Those interested can get the full story when “Star Wars: Jedi Knights” #1 hits shelves on March 5, 2025.





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