`Marvel Unleashes Forgotten ’80s Action Figure into Star Wars Canon`

by

In contemporary Star Wars lore, it’s common to delve into the Lucasfilm vaults for fresh ideas. It’s not uncommon nowadays to see a character from the extended universe recognized as canon. However, the latest obscure reference to become part of official Star Wars canon is exceptionally deep-rooted. This is due to its origins in an entire 1980s Kenner toyline and cartoon series that never came to fruition. As reported by Slashfilm, Marvel Comics has unveiled a new series titled Star Wars: Jedi Knights, penned by Marc Guggenheim and illustrated by Madibek Musabekov. A prominent antagonist in this series, set prior to The Phantom Menace, is Atha Prime. He was initially conceived from an almost-forgotten Kenner Toys proposal submitted to Lucasfilm in 1986. Marvel has given Atha Prime prominence on several covers for the debut issue of Star Wars: Jedi Knights, as well as Legacy of Vader, which you can view below.


According to Mark Paniccia, who is the editor for Star Wars comics at Marvel, here’s his take on this fresh piece added to the Star Wars universe’s storyline.

As I delved into the process of creating this series, I stumbled upon a fascinating gem – the antagonist conceived for Kenner’s never-realized “The Epic Continues” toy line. Upon seeing the original design, I was instantly captivated. This character is simply too cool not to incorporate into our canon, and what a fitting book to introduce him in!

In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Kenner Toys dominated toy store shelves with their Star Wars line. It’s an understatement to say that these Star Wars toys revolutionized the action figure industry. However, the toys were based on the movies, and after Return of the Jedi, there were no new films in production. With sales declining, Kenner approached Lucasfilm with a suggestion. They proposed a completely new line of toys and an accompanying animated series called Star Wars: The Epic Continues. This story would have continued immediately after Episode VI, with Luke Skywalker and Han Solo as the main characters. But without Darth Vader, the primary antagonist would be Atha Prime, who was described as a “Genetics Master” and the architect of the Clone Wars, now free once again. The Pyramid Peak YouTube channel has a detailed analysis of Star Wars: The Epic Continues, which you can watch below for more information.

Initially, only George Lucas understood the details of the Clone Wars. The Jedi Knights’ participation in them and their occurrence “long ago” were all we learned from Star Wars: A New Hope. Subsequently, Kenner decided to develop a backstory for the Clone Wars and introduced the first Clone Troopers. Interestingly, according to their initial concept, the Jedi fought against the clones rather than alongside them. Additionally, in this proposed narrative, Grand Moff Tarkin led an altered Empire that survived the destruction of the first Death Star, a notion that might seem as extraordinary as Darth Vader’s resurrection in later episodes.

Regrettably, Lucasfilm wasn’t ready to proceed with any new Star Wars projects during that period, thus the idea didn’t progress. It wasn’t until the mid-90s that Kenner reintroduced Star Wars toys to store shelves, with the Power of the Force line. By then, due to newly published novels and comics, Star Wars had once again gained prominence. Later on, concept art for The Saga Continues would be leaked, revealing the intriguing villain design of Atha Prime. This serves as a reminder that even forgotten Star Wars characters might reappear in the future. So, if you have an overlooked favorite character, don’t lose hope. They may very well re-emerge in the canon at some point. In the interim, Star Wars: Jedi Knights will be available in comic stores and digitally from March 5.

Read More

2025-02-03 19:05