Star Wars introduced Luke Skywalker’s Clone Wars mentor 41 years ago, and he’s still canon

One early Star Wars Property has Luke Skywalker yet another mentor before the events of The empire strikes backAnd over 40 years later, this Clone Wars veteran is part of the modern canon. The franchise has two main continuities – Star Wars Legends and the modern canon – with the former being the original official timeline and the latter supplanting it when Star Wars underwent a partial reboot in April 2014. The history of the Legends era goes as far back as 1977 and, naturally, the many characters, storylines and concepts have inspired comparable counterparts in the newer continuity.

As revealed in the original Legends timeline, clone troopers and Jedi were the most recognizable warriors of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars, but technically, the Republic’s largest fighting force was composed of neither. Local planetary defense forces, made up of the local savior beings of Republic-aligned worlds, fought the Separatists on their respective homeworlds, although many would fight alongside the more famous Jedi and clone troopers. Garven Drys, who fought in the Battle of Yavin, led a fighter squadron on his homeworld of Virionsi, working with Anakin Skywalker and clone pilots to repel the Separatists from the planet.

Arhul Narra was Luke Skywalker’s mentor

A comparable character to Garven Dreis in the Star Wars Legends continuation is Arhul Narra. Nora was a commander in the Rebel Alliance Starfighter Corps, and took the late Garven Drys’ place after the Battle of Yavin. Narra commanded the late Drays’ Red Squadron, the First Bug Squadron and Renegade Flight. In the three years between A new hope And The empire strikes back, Arhul Narra became both a friend and a mentor to Luke SkywalkerHelping him grow in the seasoned pilot and leader reintroduced to viewers at the beginning of Empire.

Arhul Narra’s Clone Wars and ESB History Explained

Arhul Narra is also a veteran of the Clone Wars. Although his homeworld is never specified, his remarkable skills as an X-Wing pilot and squadron leader in the Rebellion implies that He is perhaps the squadron leader of a Republic planetary defense force’s starfighter corps during the war. As revealed in a two-part story arc in the Star Wars: Empire Comics, Narra was also familiar with clone troopers, likely having seen them in action during the Clone Wars. When Narra encountered the MIA Clone Trooper Able-1707 on Lubang Miner, Narra played a key role in convincing him to join the Rebellion.

Although much of Arhul Narra’s established lore comes from more recent Legends-era works, He debuted in the 1983 radio drama adaptation of The empire strikes back. Like the other two original trilogy radio dramas, Empire’s adaptation featured an extended opening, with Arhul Narra leading Renegade Flight on an escort mission near Derra IV in the expansion area. The convoy was ambushed by the Imperial Navy and Starfighter Corps, and while Narra fought valiantly, he and the rest of the Alliance’s forces were destroyed. Shortly before the Battle of Hoth, Luke Skywalker was promoted to commander, taking his late friend’s place.

Later Legends-era works would make this imperial victory even more significant. The Imperial Naval leader during the Battle of Derra IV was none other than Grand Admiral Thrawn, who notably received no credit or accolades for the victory, despite his strategy being the key to the Rebellion’s defeat. The TIE Fighter squadron in Derra IV was the 181st, led by Major Soontir Fell. Fel – who comes from a humble background on Corellia – not only Personally shot down Arhul NarraBut also ascended to imperial nobility after the battle, became Baron Santir Fel and received an estate on Karelia.

Is Arhul Narra in Star Wars canon?

The modern Star Wars Canon often creates new versions of Legends era characters, and Arhul Narra is no exception. This iteration of Arhul Narra’s modern canon debuted in Jason Fry Weapons of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure and made several other small yet notable appearances In modern canon work. Although details about Arhul Narra’s death in the modern Star Wars Canon are vague, the third issue of the Star Wars Helmet Collection revealed that Narra died during an ambush by the Empire, giving him a similar death to his original Star Wars Legends-era counterpart in The empire strikes back Radio drama.