The latest Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer was most welcome for learning more about the movie's big beats, but there were still plenty of elements that Lucasfilm and Disney kept out of last week's preview. For one thing, we still haven't seen any footage of Benicio Del Toro's character, the mysterious DJ, who John Boyega's Finn and Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico will cross paths with during their trip to Canto Bight. For those who end up liking DJ in Episode VIII, you're in luck, because a comic book one-shot is coming out early next year that will follow him shortly before the movie.
Written by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker, with Kev Walker handling illustration, Star Wars: The Last Jedi - DJ #1 will spotlight a day in the life of Benicio del Toro's character right before the events of The Last Jedi. This creative team already has some experience with Marvel's Star Wars comics, with Acker and Blacker having tackled the upcoming Storms of Crait one-shot, while Walker worked on the ongoing Doctor Aphra series, a spinoff of the first Darth Vader series.
While Benicio del Toro's involvement in Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been known since last year, it was only a couple months ago that we finally received important details concerning DJ beyond his name and general ambiguous vibe. When Finn and Rose are sent on a mission for The Resistance, they'll require DJ's expert computer skills, as he's one of the best codebreakers in the galaxy far, far away. However, rather than aid our protagonists out of the goodness of his heart, DJ is only doing this for financial gain. He's allied neither with The Resistance nor The First Order, as he's content to capitalize off the conflict between the two factions. We'll have to wait until The Last Jedi's release to learn the specifics of the mission DJ's being paid for, but for those interested to learn more about this morally dubious player, it sounds like it'll be worth picking up this Marvel one-shot, though I wouldn't be surprised if DJ appears in another comic book or novel at a later date.
DJ is one of several prominent new characters being introduced in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Along with him and Rose Tico, we'll also meet Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, the Resistance officer played by Laura Dern who has known General Leia Organa for decades. DJ also won't be the only computer expert popping up in The Last Jedi, as The Leftovers' Justin Theroux will have a "pivotal moment" in the movie as a top-notch slicer.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi - DJ #1 will be available for purchase digitally and at your local comic book store this January. Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in theaters on December 15. To find out what the year's other remaining releases are, look through our 2017 screening guide.
