Max Nocerino 
Max checks out the latest Galactic Tales adventure found within the pages of Star Wars Insider magazine. It’s time for The Wesell Run!
Star Wars Insider 209 hit shelves on March 15, 2022. Even though The High Republic stories have ended, Insider has launched a new group of short stories in honor of the 20th anniversary of Attack of the Clones. They are called Galactic Tales and feature characters made popular by Attack of the Clones.
ZAM WESELL
209 features a pre-Attack of the Clones story featuring a team-up by Zam Wesell, the Clawdite shapeshifter, and the infamous Jango Fett. Father to Boba Fett who lost his head to Mace Windu’s lightsaber blade. Zam is stalking a target on the planet Fytoun. The target is a wealthy collector who is in heavy debt with the Intergalactic Banking Clan. Apparently, you can’t just declare bankruptcy in Star Wars. You need to be brought in by bounty hunters. Zam quickly assesses she is in trouble, due to the presence of 3 Mabari guards. It happens quickly (since it’s a short story), and she calls Jango for help.
JANGO FETT
It quickly becomes clear that Jango’s relationship with Zam is icy at best. Jango is much less personable than his cloned son will grow up to be, and Zam is fiery and arrogant, so it’s not a good character foil. I think this author intended to build up how little they either cared about or trusted each other. So it makes Jango’s “betrayal” in Attack of the Clones all the more believable. This story has a LOT of hand-to-hand combat, and I applaud the author’s ability to describe the fighting so viscerally.
I am not a huge fan of the cliche borrowed plotline that foreshadows Zam’s death, but I did like the surprise at the climax of the tale. It was a bolt from the blue and made me pause while reading. I also like how Jango was very detached like he was in Legends. And it really shows that bounty hunter partnerships don’t always go well, and it is not a very trusting business. Boba grows as a being and diverges from his father into more of a team player in the decades after this event. I think he is a better warrior than his father for that.
VERDICT
Overall, this story felt very much in the vein of Jude Watson, so I must say it was a success for S.T. Bende as a writer. I also loved the brief Nihil reference and the title itself which is a pun on the Kessel Run. Solid B.
The next issue is a tale from the dreaded General Grievous.
Star Wars Insider is published by Titan Magazines and #209 is scheduled to release in March. Subscribe today!
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
