Even after the release of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, many Star Wars fans still have a lot of questions about things that took place in the sequel trilogy. There are things that feel unexplained, and there are gaps to be filled in the canon, character arcs, and the wider implications for the Star Wars universe.
Thankfully, films are far from the only medium through which the Star Wars saga has been told. There are also video games, novels, television, and, of course, comic books. There are a handful of comics that do a good job of expanding on the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and we are going to highlight 10 of the best ones today.
10 Star Wars DJ: Most Wanted, Or More On That Random Benecio Del Toro Guy
Audiences who watched Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi might understandably have wanted more on Benecio Del Toro's character, DJ. He was a mysterious and much-hyped criminal element in The Last Jedi, but not much was really revealed about him throughout the course of the movie aside from his being back-stabbing and self-serving to an extreme degree.
DJ: Most Wanted shows many of the character's exploits before The Last Jedi, including his time on Coruscant, his time playing the card game called "Eclipse," the criminal overlord he invented, and how he ended up in the Canto Bight jail.
9 Episodes VII, VIII, and IX Comic Book Adaptations, More Than Just The Movies
If one is looking for more from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, it's more than worthwhile to read the Marvel comic book adaptations of each film. This may seem like a repetitive task at first, but there is always more to the comics than the movies.
For one thing, the comics are written specifically to expand more on what is seen in the movies. They often come with internal narrations for the characters that better explain their motivations and actions. Sometimes, such as in the case of The Last Jedi comic adaptation, it even has additional scenes to better explain the plot.
8 Age Of Resistance Special, Or Assorted Stories From The Sequel Era
There was a maxiseries of Star Wars comics from Marvel called Star Wars: Age Of Republic, Rebellion, and Resistance. Each one focused on a single character from the films and told a story about them. However, each age also had a special that had three short stories packed into a single issue.
The Star Wars: Age of Resistance Special focused on three characters. There was Maz Kanata, Han Solo's contact on Takodana, Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, and the lovable droid ball BB-8.
7 Age Of Resistance: General Hux, Or Why This Guy Is The Way He is
One of the issues from Age of Resistance that focused on a single character was Age of Resistance: General Hux. Despite getting a fair amount of screen time, audiences don't learn a lot about General Hux beyond his capacity to turn traitor against the First Order.
The General Hux issue shows Armitage Hux's childhood and abusive father, Hux's own strained relationship with Kylo Ren, and his own capacity for cruelty and brutality--and how he seems to crave it.
6 Age Of Resistance: Supreme Leader Snoke, Or More Fleshing Out Than "He's A Clone"
Supreme Leader Snoke is another character that had very little revealed about him over the course of the sequel trilogy. The most significant revelation is that Snoke was a failed clone of Emperor Palpatine. However, that doesn't really tell us much about who Snoke is.
Age of Resistance: Supreme Leader Snoke admittedly doesn't expand too much on the character, but it offers more insight into his relationship with Kylo Ren and how Snoke worked to train Kylo Ren, molding him into the brutal Dark Jedi Ren would become.
5 Star Wars: Allegiance, Or Filling In The Gaps Between VIII and XI
Star Wars: Allegiance was a miniseries that led up to Rise of Skywalker. It details how the Resistance continued to flee from the First Order after their small victories in The Last Jedi.
It follows as the First Order destroys Tah'Nuhna on suspicion of Resistance affiliation, and the Resistance itself fleeing to Mon Cala in the hopes that these old Rebel Alliance associates will lend a hand. However, the denizens of Mon Cala show themselves prove to be unwelcoming for the Resistance.
4 Poe Dameron, Or Making Up For How Little He Was in Episode VII
The Force Awakens had very little to show of Poe Dameron, even if the character is given far more screentime in The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker. For those who were eager for more Poe Dameron content before The Last Jedi, there was the Poe Dameron series by Marvel Comics.
This comic series showed more of Poe Dameron's Resistance exploits and how he earned his legendary reputation among his comrades.
3 Star Wars: Shattered Empire, Or Bridging Episodes VI and VII
For those who wondered how the optimistic ending of Return of the Jedi led to the dystopian state of the galaxy in The Force Awakens, the miniseries, Star Wars: Shattered Empire, builds a bridge between the two.
It shows how much trouble the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic had in completely stamping out the remnants of the Galactic Empire. The fervor for authoritarianism never completely faded away, and this sentiment was one of the foundational elements for the rise of the First Order.
2 Captain Phasma Miniseries, Or How She Survived Starkiller Base
Captain Phasma, much like Boba Fett before her, deserved far more screentime than she received. Her seemingly unshakable loyalty to the First Order was undercut by her betrayal on Starkiller Base that ensured her own survival.
The fact is that Captain Phasma is a survivor above all else, and the Captain Phasma miniseries shows how she escaped Starkiller Base and made sure that no one would ever discover her traitorous actions that caused the destruction of Starkiller Base.
1 The Rise Of Kylo Ren, Or How Ben Became Snoke's Plaything
Arguably the most foundational comic book text for the sequel trilogy, The Rise of Kylo Ren shows how Ben Solo became corrupted by Supreme Leader Snoke and became the deadly Kylo Ren. As is often the case for a Dark Jedi or Sith, it starts with fear, anger, and desperation.
The comic also shows how Kylo met the Knights of Ren and their bloodthirsty former leader--who wields a lightsaber of his own.