The third episode of Skeleton Crew slowly begins diving into one thing we’ve been fascinated with because the very opening moments of the show: simply who is Jod Na Nawood, anyway? We’re beginning to get a little bit little bit of an concept about him, however in doing so, we’re additionally attending to see a enjoyable connection to Star Wars‘ roguish comedian ebook historical past.
Episode three reveals to us that sure, Jod Na Nawood isn’t precisely Jod Na Nawood. Properly, he’s at present: he’s simply passed by a couple of names prior to now. One is Silvo, former captain of the pirates who imprisoned him at Port Borgo. One other is the owl-like Kh’ymm mentions when Jod and the children roll as much as ask about how one can get again to At Attin that seemingly constructed up a big a part of his former lifetime of crime, Crimson Jack.
Whereas him being Silvo is not any shock in case you have been paying attention back in episode one (the masked thriller pirate not solely sounded extraordinarily like Regulation, however Regulation was even credited within the episode, regardless of Jod not showing), the Crimson Jack identification is, as Regulation previously teased to io9 forward of the collection’ premiere, a enjoyable nod again to a specific time of Star Wars‘ historical past at Marvel Comics.
Who Was Crimson Jack in Marvel’s Star Wars Comics?
Crimson Jack is among the earliest authentic Star Wars characters Marvel created as a part of its 1977 ongoing series, making his debut in “New Planets, New Perils!” the primary authentic story to seem within the comedian’s seventh problem after it concluded adapting the occasions of A New Hope. The truth is, Crimson Jack turns into the rationale why Han couldn’t repay his money owed to Jabba the Hutt after the occasions of the movie. Jack—a broad, muscular, and bushily haired redhead who runs round scantily clad in tight Spandex yelling issues like “I’m positive Mr. Solo has some cargo of significantly extra worth to us than his misspent life!”—and his crew nook Han en route from Yavin IV to Tatooine to repay Jabba with the cash given to him by the Insurgent Alliance for rescuing Leia, forcing the smuggler at hand the money over to Jack as an alternative.
Jack turns into a recurring determine on this early period of the Star Wars ongoing, having a quick however enjoyable rivalry with Han. Shortly after their first encounter Jack manages to efficiently seize Han and Leia in an try to ransom them off to the Insurgent Alliance for much more cash, however the two handle to trick Jack into believing they know the situation of a secret insurgent treasury. Double crossing Jack, the Falcon and Jack’s personal ship, a retrofitted former Imperial cruiser, are left in a standoff that sees Han and Jack duel out within the vacuum of area, and the latter finally shot lifeless by Han in Star Wars #15 after his personal first mate, Jolli, activates her former crew in retaliation to being left to die by Jack.
Crimson Jack Has Already Re-Entered Star Wars Canon
However whereas Jod might need taken his title prior to now, the very totally different man that Crimson Jack is has already been re-introduced into Star Wars continuity. The truth is, in a enjoyable accident, he’s nearly a up to date to Jod—the 2022 Galactic Starcruiser tie-in comic series, Halcyon Legacy, revived the basic iteration of Crimson Jack as a pirate haranguing the Halcyon within the period of the sequel trilogy. All through the ebook—which informed tales of well-known and notorious guests to the starcruiser throughout its centuries of operation—Jack is offered as threatening the Halcyon after intercepting a transmission for the Resistance despatched from onboard, hoping to money in on a First Order bounty by turning the operative over. After all, Jack was foiled, and has but to been since… till now, technically?
What Does Crimson Jack Imply for Jod?
In all likeliness, the prior existence of a canonical model of Crimson Jack based mostly on his look and persona from the basic comics and Jod having beforehand taken the moniker as his personal doesn’t imply something greater than the truth that these are each enjoyable nods again to a wild and peculiar interval of Star Wars historical past—a time when everybody was nonetheless determining what Star Wars is, and could possibly be, within the moments after the unique film modified popular culture endlessly. Simply as cute because it was for the comics to carry the character again one of the best a part of half a century later, it’s cute that Skeleton Crew, already taking part in on this area of pirates and smuggling, additionally needed to evoke its personal nod to that historical past.
It doesn’t essentially imply that the Crimson Jack and Jod are one and the identical particular person. Maybe Jod stole the persona only for the sheer cheek of it for some time, earlier than ditching it for Silvo, or another person. Perhaps it was the opposite manner round: Skeleton Crew takes place across the occasions of The Mandalorian in roughly 9ABY, 5 years after Return of the Jedi, and the canonical Crimson Jack in Halcyon Legacy is working the peak of the First Order-Resistance Battle 25 years layer. Might “Jod” have impressed such notorious legacy as Crimson Jack—one lengthy sufficient to achieve a stage of notoriety that made him recognized to the New Republic, and even the revolt earlier than it—that impressed a brand new Crimson Jack to stand up all these years later?
Perhaps. In all probability not. In Star Wars, a reference is usually only a reference. Particularly when it’s a name as fun as Crimson Jack.
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