Obi-Wan and Young Anakin Confront Nightlands, a Canon Demon Realm That Can Possess the Living
Star Wars: Tales from the Nightlands, a three-issue miniseries written by Cavan Scott and illustrated by Soo Lee, Vincenzo Riccardi, and Robert Hack, introduces a spectral realm called the Nightlands in its first issue. The issue shows the Nightlands as a domain populated by demons, and it features Obi‑Wan Kenobi and a young Anakin Skywalker visiting the Twi’lek planet Ryloth during a thinning of the veil between the living and the dead.
- The comic introduces the Nightlands, described as a demon domain that interacts with the living.
- Obi‑Wan, Anakin, and a Ryloth princess named Daesha appear in issue #1.
- The Nightlander demon can possess living hosts and takes several forms, including a Twi’lek and Qui‑Gon Jinn.
- The series is a three-issue miniseries by Cavan Scott with art by Soo Lee, Vincenzo Riccardi, and Robert Hack.
What the first issue shows
The first issue is set on Ryloth, where the veil between the living and dead thins every 30 years. According to the story, people on Ryloth believe they can speak with lost loved ones during that time.
In the issue, Princess Daesha plans a ritual to speak with her dead grandfather. Obi‑Wan Kenobi and a young Anakin Skywalker travel to Ryloth and become involved in the ritual. Anakin helps Daesha with the ceremony, which instead summons the Nightlander — a boogeyman-like figure that seeks to possess a living host.
Who — and what — the Nightlander is
The souls encountered in the Nightlands warn that it is not simply a realm of the dead but a domain of demons. The Nightlander is shown taking multiple forms: initially appearing as Daesha’s grandfather, later as a white‑eyed Twi’lek with claws and fangs, and at one point appearing as Qui‑Gon Jinn.
The comic depicts the Nightlander as feeding on the hope of the living who seek contact with the dead, and it demonstrates possession as its primary threat. The issue explicitly shows the Nightlander’s ability to mimic familiar faces.
Context within Star Wars lore
Star Wars has included mystical and occult elements before. For example, the Nightsisters of Dathomir are a clan known for magick that has affected life and death in prior stories. Additionally, the idea that some beings can “live on in the Force” has appeared in other works, such as the short story about Beru Whitesun Lars.
Questions the issue raises
The first issue includes hints but does not provide full explanations about the Nightlands’ mechanics. Specifically, the comic raises questions about how demons relate to the Force, what defines a demon in this setting, and whether the Nightlands are unique to Ryloth or exist elsewhere in the galaxy.
Those narrative threads are presented as open elements within issue #1 rather than resolved facts.
What comes next
The miniseries is scheduled as a three-issue run. The next issue is reported to follow Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, continuing the Nightlands storyline from a different perspective.
Credits and publication
The miniseries is written by Cavan Scott and illustrated by Soo Lee, Vincenzo Riccardi, and Robert Hack. The first issue introduces the Nightlands, the Nightlander demon, and the Ryloth events described above.
