Star Wars Newspaper Strip Spotlight – ‘The Kashyyyk Depths,’ Part 3

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The panels in this Star Wars Newspaper Strip Spotlight were originally published on Sundays August 26 to September 9, 1979.

The panels in this Star Wars Newspaper Strip Spotlight were originally published on Sunday August 26 to September 9, 1979.

Previously in ‘The Kashyyyk Depths’…

Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 are looking forward to the Wookiee Life Day festivities, but when they arrive on Kashyyyk they find out that the Village Elder has cancelled the celebration. It is too dangerous to go to the lowest levels of the planet where the orga root is found. Chewbacca publicly disagrees with the Elder, and the two Wookiees engage in a fierce show of strength to settle the argument. Han stops the fight, and convinces the Elder to allow he, Chewie, R2-D2, C-3PO to go alone to search for the orga root. As the group travels lower and lower into the depths on their scaly sureggi, Chewie notices that the sentient Kashyyykian plants are extremely angry about a squad of stormtroopers cutting a path through the jungle! Despite Imperial scientist Gyla Petro’s repeated warnings that the plants are being hurt, but the stormtroopers continue cutting their path, until…

Now, back to our story…

Han tells Chewie to warn the stormtroopers that the plants are about to revolt, but it’s too late! The plants wrap toothed vines around the stormtroopers, throw corrosive acid-filled seed pods at them, and smother them! Han says that he doesn’t care what happens to the stormtroopers, since they asked for what’s happening to them, but he wants to save the scientists, who had no say in how the plants were treated.

Chewie tells the plants that Han is a friend, and they reluctantly let him through. Gyla Petro manages to escape the wrath of the murderous plants, and Chewie calls off their attack of the lone survivor. Gyla, who previously warned the stormtrooper captain not to anger the plants, realizes that the plants are obeying Chewie, and she fearfully inquires if Chewie ordered the plants to attack. Han explains that the plants can not only feel, but also think.

Gyla says that she doesn’t know who her rescuers are, or what they’re doing in the lowest levels of Kashyyyk, but she’ll be eternally grateful to them. Han hands Gyla his Bug-Pak, a helmet-like device that protects the wearer’s head from bugs. Gyla Petro introduces herself as, New Worlds Biologist, then asks what happened to the rest of her scientists. Han responds that the plants have taken their revenge, and all the troopers and scientists except her are dead. Gyla sadly explains that she and her group were unaware of the plants’ sentience, and that they were just trying to find the special root that the Wookiees use. Han exclaims that the plants the stormtroopers was slashing are orgas, which are fiercely protective of their roots. He goes on to say that the orgas and the Wookiees have an understanding, and he points to Chewie, who is accepting some older roots from the orga. After some more traveling, the group along with Gyla arrive at the Village Center once again, and the Life Day festivities start in earnest!

Back in the hidden Rebel base, Mistress Mnemos, the Rebel archive droid that has been cataloging Threepio’s experiences with the Rebellion, exclaims that the story still doesn’t explain why Gyla Petro was suspected of being an Imperial spy. (Threepio had led us on to believe that is what this story would be about, though unfortunately it wasn’t, and we never did get that story.) Threepio responds that that came much later, but meanwhile, he has another story to tell: The Tatooine Sojourn!


Coming Soon!

What is Bledsoe’s disease? Will Luke be forced to return to his dreaded homeworld of Tatooine? Find out the answers to these questions and much more when the Star Wars Newspaper Strip Spotlight returns with the story of the Tatooine Sojourn!


Author Biography

Hi, my name is Jonathan Marroquin. My first memory of Star Wars is seeing a dusty VHS tape in the corner, which my grandpa explained was a sci-fi movie. I fell in love with it immediately. In the next few days, I watched Star Wars: A New Hope more times than I could count. I like to say Star Wars was my first love, and it’s stayed true to me ever since. A LEGO enthusiast and stop-motion animator, I enjoy writing fan fiction in the Star Wars and Harry Potter universes. I love to read Star Wars books, build LEGO Star Wars scenes and ships, and basically do anything with Star Wars involved. May the Force Be With You, Always!

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