Jedi Readers: Episode I: Anakin to the Rescue

Anakin to the Rescue

Author: Cecilia Venn

Illustrator: Chris Trevas

Medium: Picture book

Publication Date: April 1999

Timeline Placement: 32 BBY

 

At last, another entry in the Jedi Readers series featuring a 100% original Expanded Universe story. During the scene in The Phantom Menace where Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are giving their report to the Jedi Council upon returning to Coruscant, Anakin and Jar Jar wait aimlessly outside the Jedi Temple. Anakin gets bored and decides to go sightseeing. Jar Jar tags along to keep him out of trouble, and they both find themselves hopelessly lost somewhere within the planet-wide city. A malfunctioning nanny droid barrels past them, pursued by a small boy named Finn who is supposed to be in its care. What a great and reliable invention!

Finn is understandably upset about racist trolls on the Internet being lost and missing his mom, so Anakin, missing his own mother (left to languish in slavery on Tatooine), vows to help get the boy home. They chase the droid across busy thoroughfares, over mile-high chasms between the city's skylanes, aboard hoverbuses, through a random funhouse, and finally down a trash chute, where the droid's Energizer batteries finally die and it deactivates. Anakin begins to repair the droid, but the trio finds themselves attacked by vicious garbage-dwelling spider-roaches! Fortunately for them, the bugs make a delicious snack for Jar Jar.

Anakin fixes the droid, who leads them back to Finn's home. Finn's mother is grateful to Anakin for helping her kid and pays for a droid taxi to return him and Jar Jar to the Jedi Temple. Bitch, these guys saved your child and you can't even give them a lift home? They arrive to find Qui-Gon sternly waiting for them outside, wondering what mischief they've been up to. Anakin tells him the whole story and Qui-Gon praises Anakin for his good deed, telling him he did what a Jedi would do.

Probably the best of the picture-book tie-ins to The Phantom Menace that we've read thus far, by virtue of having the most original story and taking place in the most varied original locales. It's cool seeing parts of Coruscant not explored in the movies, including what appears to be the Presidential (later Imperial) Palace. Anakin's face looks a little off but for the most part the illustrations are good as well, done by veteran EU artist Chris Trevas, who would go on to illustrate some of the best-looking books in the Essential Guide series.

 

Also this picture of Han Solo looking at something very interesting on the ceiling.