Spoilers forStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker #5!While not every Jedi was wiped out after Emperor Palpatine enacted Order 66,Star Wars' newRise of Skywalkercomic adaptation confirms a beloved Jedi from the prequel era is officially dead.
The climax ofStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkersaw Rey call on the power of “all the Jedi,” with their disembodied voices helping her bring the saga full circle. The comic replaces the film’s audio-only Jedi cameos with alegion of Force ghostsjoining Rey, as theghostly appearance of fan-favorite Jedi Master Plo Koon officially confirms his deathinStar Warscanon.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker#5 by Jody Houser, Will Sliney
Standing on the right side with his lightsaber drawn, Plo’s incorporeal form is flanked by fellow Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Macu Windu. Dressed in the same clothes as he was on the day he died, this comic panel acts as a bittersweet moment for fans of the character who had held out hope for Plo’s survival for decades.
Long thought dead after his starfighter was shot down during theOrder 66 sequence inRevenge of the Sith, some fans argued Plo was one of the lucky ones who made it out of that harrowing event alive, especially considering Plowasn’tpart ofRise of Skywalker’s original Jedi voiceover scene. This theory has now been disproven.
Though a head-scratching amount ofOrder 66 survivors have popped upinStar Warscontinuity over the years, it seems like Plo Koon (at least in the sequel trilogy era of Star Wars) is dead and gone. But Plo’s Force Ghost is still fighting the good fight.
Why Fans Thought Plo Koon Could Have Survived Order 66
Plo Koon’s Death Wasn’t Confirmed in Film Canon
Because Plo was an exceptional pilot and had an eject button installed on his ship, it has been theorized that Plo could have feasibly survived Order 66. Then, after making his way back to his home planet of Dorin, Plo could have hidden among his people (specifically the Baran Do order from which he descended) and lived out his days in peace.
Since Dave Filoni has admitted to loving the Plo Koon character and wanted to bring him back before George Lucas nixed the idea, fans have held out hope that Plo would find his way back to Star Wars eventually. It worked for Darth Maul and Boba Fett, after all.
And although thisStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkermoment is a comic-exclusive event (no Force ghosts were seen standing behind Rey in theRise of Skywalkerfilm), it unfortunately doesn’t change the fact that one ofStar Wars’ longest-serving Jedi, Plo Koon, is officially dead, disproving a fan theory that was good while it lasted.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker #5is available from Marvel Comics.
