Originally entitled Jedi Academy: The Leviathan of Corbos, Star Wars: Jedi Academy: Leviathan is a comic book series comprised of four issues. Dark Horse Comics published these issues from October 1998 to January 1999. Kevin J. Anderson penned the story, while Dario Carrasco, Jr. and Mark Heike provided the illustrations. Set eight years after the Galactic Empire's demise, the narrative centers around a quartet: Streen, Kyp Durron, Dorsk 82, and Kirana Ti.
Luke Skywalker has been training a fresh group of Jedi Knights in the eight years following the Empire's downfall. Among these knights are Kirana Ti, the reclusive Streen, the knowledgeable Tionne, and Kyp Durron, Luke's most talented yet headstrong student. Once their training concludes, Jedi must go where they are needed, defending the New Republic and employing the Force to aid those in need. The harsh world of Corbos is in desperate need of assistance after mining operations disturb an ancient, potent, and horrifying evil!
The miners at the mining colony on the planet Corbos are engaged in their work. They decide to execute one final blast before the impending storms force them to seek shelter indoors. In doing so, they unearth the skeletal remains of an enormous creature. Dismissing the large fossil as insignificant, they retreat to their residential domes, but not before hearing a loud growl, which they attribute to the approaching storm. Several hours later on Coruscant, Senator Leia Organa Solo and New Republic Admiral Gial Ackbar are conversing when they are interrupted by an urgent message from the Corbos Miners.
Because the New Republic Defense Force is still occupied with the Imperial warlords, Ackbar persuaded Leia to request that her brother, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, dispatch Jedi students from the newly established Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 to investigate the situation on Corbos. Luke had founded the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 to rebuild the Jedi Order, which had been decimated by the late Emperor Palpatine's Galactic Empire during the Great Jedi Purge.
At the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4, Jedi Knight Kyp Durron was present when the Academy's latest student, Dorsk 82, arrived. Dorsk 82 is a clone created to replace the deceased Dorsk 81, adhering to his planet's traditions. Kyp was briefly confused because of his striking similarity to Dorsk 81. Kyp soon mentored the new trainee, taking him to Dorsk 81's grave in the jungle. He gifted Dorsk 82 with his deceased predecessor's lightsaber. After Kyp impressed Dorsk by defeating a battle hydra in the jungle, the new trainee vowed to become a Jedi Knight, with Kyp offering his support.
Luke then received Leia's message and determined that this would be a good chance for the students to use their Jedi training. Luke dispatched Kyp Durron to examine the events on Corbos. Before leaving, Kyp sought his Master's permission to bring Dorsk 82. Luke agreed but instructed Kyp and Dorsk to call for assistance if needed. They then departed for Corbos. Upon arriving, the two Jedi Knights discovered a scene of utter devastation. The entire Corbos Mining City had been razed to the ground.
As they investigated the wreckage, they discovered shattered weapons and blood, indicating that the miners had been slain. However, Kyp remained disturbed, hearing the miners' cries for help through the Force, leading him to believe they were still alive. Discovering more blood and remains, he concluded that they must have perished. Kyp then proposed that they spend the night in the ruins and search for the creature the following day. Dorsk 82 quickly fell asleep, but Kyp was tormented by the screams and wails he sensed in his mind. Deciding that confronting the creature responsible for the carnage was too dangerous for Dorsk 82, Kyp resolved to venture out alone and locate the creature.
When Dorsk 82 awoke and realized Kyp had left alone, he hurried back to their ship to use the comm system to contact the Jedi Academy for assistance. Meanwhile, Kyp followed the screams in his mind, leading him up a steep cliff. After ascending the cliff, he discovered the bones of a massive creature, the same fossils the miners had found previously. Realizing the miners would have been defenseless against such a massive beast, he again sensed their screams and decided he had to keep following it. Back on Yavin 4, Master Luke, having received Dorsk 82's call for help, sent Kirana Ti and Streen to assist Kyp and Dorsk 82 on Corbos.
By this point, Kyp had accepted that all the miners had died but still sensed their screams. After scaling another cliff, he finally encountered the monster: an ancient serpentine Sithspawn known as a Leviathan. Kyp engaged the creature in fierce combat, inflicting multiple lightsaber wounds before using a grappling hook to climb onto its back. Inside a milky portal, the ghoulish faces of the miners' spirits stared out at Kyp. Plunging his red saber into the portal, Kyp freed the spirits—and was thrown off the leviathan's back. Losing his grip on his lightsaber, Kyp was seized by one of the leviathan's tentacles, which forced him into its mouth.
Meanwhile, Kirana Ti and Streen had met up with Dorsk 82 . They went down into the mines to find Kyp. There, they discovered numerous Leviathan larvae. After slaying these Sithspawn, Dorsk 82, Streen, and Kirana Ti emerged from the mines. Back at the cliff, Kyp was still battling the Leviathan. However, he regained his composure and used Force lightning to electrocute the monster, killing it. He then released the miners' spirits from its dead body. By now, the other Jedi had managed to climb out of the mines and found Kyp standing near the monster's corpse. Dorsk 82 returned Kyp's lightsaber, which he had picked up on the way out.
Suddenly, a much larger leviathan appeared, and the Jedi engaged it in combat. After a grueling battle, they managed to force the monster into a molten lake. Believing it had perished in the lava, they gathered around the crater. However, Kyp realized he could still hear the terrible screaming in his head, and his words were confirmed when the monster emerged from the lava. The Jedi continued their fight, trying to avoid the falling drops of lava. Eventually, Dorsk 82 discovered a functioning power generator and convinced Kyp that they should attach the cables to the monster to electrocute it. After much effort, the Jedi accomplished this task, and Dorsk 82 flipped the switch. Instantly, the huge monster was engulfed in electricity and killed. This marked the end of the last known Leviathans on Corbos and a small victory for Luke Skywalker's fledgling New Jedi Order.
-
Related categories: