Star Wars needs more Mill Alibeth

Warning: This article contains spoilers from Brotherhood. 

Brotherhood by Mike Chen introduces a new character that needs to be in more Star Wars stories moving forward. The character in question is Zabrak Jedi Initiate Mill Alibeth.

Despite her self-doubt and lack of experience, Mill has the wisdom and awareness to question the Jedi’s sudden transition from peacekeepers to military generals at the beginning of the Clone Wars. Almost no one–not even the members of the Jedi Council–question how their role in the galaxy is suddenly and drastically changing, and what the consequences of these changes might be.

Her deeply empathic abilities make her wise beyond her years, but her inability to control these abilities also make her often feel ill and out of place, especially as the Jedi become more entrenched in the combat and violence of the Clone Wars. Through an unlikely relationship with Anakin Skywalker, she gradually grows to control her abilities and trust herself.

As two Jedi who have felt like outsiders in their thinking and among their peers in the Jedi Order, Mill and Anakin bond and help each other grow in beautiful ways. Mill gets Anakin to question things he’s never questioned before, including his blind loyalty in the Republic, and assumptions he’s made about Neimoidians. She unknowingly helps Anakin become an excellent teacher and mentor before he takes Ahsoka Tano on as his Padawan.

Through her empathic abilities and the time spent with him, Mll also understands Anakin on a deeper level than most. She feels the sun-dragon within him and even tells him that he doesn’t always have to be the sun-dragon, a moment that is heartbreaking with readers knowing what is to come in Anakin’s story.

Why Star Wars needs more Mill Alibeth

Mill Alibeth is a compelling character in her own right, a shining example of what the Jedi should be. This alone makes he worth exploring further and she could easily fit into another Clone Wars-era story.

There is also the matter of her relationship with Anakin and what happens to the Jedi at the end of the Clone Wars. In just a few years after Brotherhood, Order 66 will be executed, most of the Jedi will be killed, and Anakin slaughters Jedi younglings at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

It would be a relief to know that Mill survived Order 66 and she wasn’t among the younglings that Anakin killed. Brotherhood ended with Mill going on off with Jedi Master Rig Nema to provide medical and spiritual assistance to war-wounded Jedi throughout the galaxy, so hopefully this means she was not at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant when Order 66 happened.

A post-Order 66 story with Mill could show her grow further as she navigates a changing galaxy with her empathic abilities. This would be an even more challenging transition for her to navigate than at the beginning of the Clone Wars, but she could use her abilities to help those in need, maybe even with a group like the Path in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

There is also great story potential if she ever learned about Anakin’s fall to the dark side. Anakin’s relationship with Mill makes his actions during Order 66 even more tragic and horrific. While she wouldn’t be able to bring him back to the light (only Luke Skywalker will ultimately be able to do that), it would be interesting to see how she deals with the truth.

Where could Mill Alibeth appear next?

As a character created for a Star Wars novel, novels and comics are the most likely place where fans could see Mill Alibeth next. There may not be a direct sequel to Brotherhood, but she could always show up in another novel or comic.

One other possibility (even though it is a long shot) is that she could appear in the second season of The Bad Batch. Fans know from the season 2 trailer that the Wookie Jedi youngling Gungi is going to be in this season. It is possible that other Jedi younglings who survived Order 66 could appear as well, including Mill Alibeth.

It would not be the first time a character who only existed in canon Star Wars novels made their onscreen debut as Cobb Vanth only existed in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy before making his onscreen debut in season 2 of The Mandalorian.

Mill deserves a story where her character can be explored in further depth and The Bad Batch is probably not the place for that. One also has to keep in mind how far in advance the animated series are made. While it probably won’t happen, it is still fun to speculate.

Whether it’s The Bad Batch, a novel, a comic, or in another storytelling medium, hopefully Star Wars fans have not seen the last of Mill Alibeth.