An Unlikely Friendship (comic story)

This article is about the comic.
You may be looking for the Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures An Unlikely Friendship.

"An Unlikely Friendship" is a comic story featuring Poe Dameron and BB-8. It was published as the lead story of Star Wars Adventures (2017) 15 on October 31, 2018.

Plot summary

Help from a child

While visiting the planet Neijaia in search of a contact, Poe Dameron and his droid BB-8 find themselves chased down by a native tribe. He quickly realizes it was not prudent to ask them if they knew the location of his contact. As he runs, Dameron spins around and shoots down a large tree branch, distracting the tribe and giving the Resistance duo time to hide.

As the locals run past, Dameron believes they are finally safe. Behind him and BB-8, however, approaches a large swamp creature who swipes at Poe, knocking him hard into a nearby tree. The creature picks up BB-8, but the astromech stuns the creature. Suddenly, a hooded figure launches a pebble at the creature, distracting it, before delivering a hard kick to its cheek. A volley of more pebbles from a slingshot scares away the beast.

The figure reveals himself to be a child named Kori Ong. The child celebrates the victory, but soon finds BB-8 to hesitate revealing himself to the stranger. The boy jokes with the droid, lying about a group of rancors behind him, much to his amusement. Ong then gets to work repairing BB-8. Poe Dameron soon recovers and finds the boy messing with his friend. BB-8 clears up any confusion, and Dameron thanks the boy before preparing to continue on his mission. Ong recommends that they stay for the night, as it is unsafe to travel alone in this area due to many native creatures. BB-8 thinks with his lighter they will be okay, but Ong convinces the duo they need his local insight to make it through the night.

Getting trapped

Not long after, Ong attempts to start a fire, but cannot get a strong enough spark with traditional striking. BB-8 uses his welding torch to get the job done. The fire now lit, Ong strikes up conversation with Poe as to why he and BB-8 are on Neijaia, but BB-8 prefers to know what Ong is doing in the swamps. Ong explains that he is completing a rite of passage to become a man called The Walkabout. In his tribe, it is believed that a boy must travel through the swamps alone, not returning until he becomes a man. But Ong chooses not to return yet because he craves to explore the galaxy and then come back to help his people. Dameron tells the younger boy that if that is his dream then he should have faith in himself to do it.

The next morning, the three were on the way back to Dameron's X-wing starfighter, Black One, when BB-8 rolls over a booby trap. They got caught up in a hanging net as the combatant tribe appears. Kori Ong asks BB-8 to use his welding torch to free them from the net, and they escape with the tribe chasing them close behind. Ong stays back to hold off the enemies and starts to shoot rocks at them with his slingshot. Poe again uses his blaster pistol to break branches and stop the tribe, who are stunned by the advanced technology.

After escaping the tribe, the trio return to Black One. Ong is eager to see the ship. He then kneels down to BB-8 and says a final goodbye to the droid. Dameron compliments the boy on doing a good job helping them. He gives Ong a badge with the Resistance emblem and hopes one day Ong would join the Resistance.