The story "Big Inside" first appeared in The Legends of Luke Skywalker—The Manga. Akira Himekawa both wrote and drew the story, which was released on January 14, 2020 by Viz Media.
A young biology student's encounter with Luke Skywalker is remembered by a female biologist. She recalls being on Agoliba-Ado for a research project, ready to head to Agoliba-Ena, when Skywalker showed up in a customized A-wing starfighter. After introducing himself, Luke offered her a ride on his ship, which she accepted due to her lack of funds.
During their trip, the biologist told Skywalker about her investigation into whether life started on Agoliba-Ado or Agoliba-Ena and then spread to the other, or if they developed separately. She also mentioned that she was a biology student conducting fieldwork under her professor's guidance. Because her university couldn't afford a dedicated research vessel, she had to rely on hitching rides with other travelers. Skywalker, who was traveling alone, expressed his enjoyment of having company.
When she inquired about how long Skywalker had been traveling, he confessed that he had lost track. Skywalker estimated that he had visited three or four planets. When Skywalker asked if he had come across any Jedi ruins, the biologist questioned if he was an archaeologist. Skywalker responded that he was trying to learn as much as possible about the Jedi. The biologist dismissed the Jedi legends as either exaggerations or myths, considering Skywalker to be rather peculiar.
Skywalker noticed a group of mesmerizing, ethereal lights that the biologist identified as "fireflies." These "fireflies" guided the A-wing into a vast cave within an asteroid. While exploring the "cave," Skywalker and the biologist discovered moving inscriptions on the wall. Skywalker deciphered the word "mist" and wondered if it was connected to the Jedi. The biologist expressed a sense of unease and suggested they leave. However, the cave began to close in, and they realized they were trapped inside the mouth of an exogorth, a space slug.
Skywalker questioned the biologist about the danger they were in. She explained that exogorths were enormous creatures that resided in asteroids and had an extremely slow metabolism. She predicted that the space slug wouldn't move for years, possibly decades. The biologist worried that they had limited escape options, as the slug was composed of kilometers of solid rock. Skywalker remained optimistic, suggesting that there might be a way out.
As they journeyed through the exogorth, they encountered the wreckage of starships, mysterious inscriptions on the wall, and transparent membranes that circulated oxygen, allowing them to breathe. Eventually, the biologist and Skywalker reached a massive cavern containing a lake, which was inhabited by various mynocks. The mynocks attacked the two travelers, forcing Skywalker to defend himself with his lightsaber. The biologist remembered that Skywalker seemed saddened by having to kill the creatures in self-defense.
The pair soon discovered that the lake was actually the space slug's acidic stomach. They fashioned a makeshift raft using the skull and wings of a dead mynock. While the biologist felt overwhelmed by stress, Skywalker remained optimistic and adventurous. To ease her anxiety, Skywalker initiated a conversation. The biologist explained that the exogorth's interior housed an entire ecosystem of creatures that lived in symbiosis with their host, aiding the exogorth in absorbing its prey.
Skywalker reassured the disheartened protagonist that they would escape alive. He used several glowing letters as a guide. When he encouraged her to learn as much as she could while inside the space slug, the biologist pledged to gather as much data as possible for her university, hoping to use her experience to advance her academic career. Suddenly, a tendril overturned their raft, causing the biologist to fall into the exogorth's acid.
Although she believed she was dead, she awoke to find Skywalker informing her that they had passed the exogorth's stomach. Reaching the creature's gut, they survived by eating fungi that grew inside it. Skywalker had tested the fungi to ensure they were safe. He had also managed to obtain water, utilizing his skills as a moisture farmer. Skywalker assured the biologist that they would not die. Hearing his voice gave her more strength than food or water.
Continuing their journey, Luke and the biologist mapped out the exogorth, describing it as a labyrinth of tunnels and interconnected chambers. The protagonist also observed several glowing signs consisting of both writings and abstract paintings. She was amazed by the amount of art they had discovered inside the space slug, meticulously taking notes and creating sketches. Skywalker was also encouraged, stating that nobody had believed him when he set out to recover the knowledge of the Jedi.
The biologist considered the Jedi to be mostly myths and believed that magic was distinct from science. Luke explained that true magic was always knowledge and that the galaxy was both knowable and wondrous. Together, they evaded traps and encounters with monsters. The biologist was grateful that Luke always managed to get them out of these dangerous situations, which she imagined must be giving the exogorth a stomach ache. The biologist also shared her theories about the mini-ecosystems they encountered with Skywalker. Skywalker speculated that the writings might be related to the Jedi.
The pair came across an elaborate chamber filled with plants, fungi, and three "statues." Skywalker noted that the chamber and "statues" showed no signs of erosion and appeared to have been carved recently. The biologist noticed some writing at the base of the "statues" and theorized that they were built by the builders before their deaths to proclaim their presence. The two travelers rested, considering the chamber a spiritual place or a place of refuge.
While resting, Luke realized that the statues were looking at them. Despite the biologist's warnings, Luke touched the hand of a female "statue" and collapsed. Upon awakening, Skywalker told her that he had heard them. The statue explained that she and her companions Shareen, Awglk and Wkk'e were Master Weavers of the Luminous Mist, whose art was to knot and entwine the strings of mists that cradled all sentient species and connected the far-flung worlds in order to create glowing portraits of mist. She described the mist as something that connects them all and grows within them, comforting the downtrodden and grieving. She described it as the bright essence that pulses within every cell of their living being.
The trio had journeyed throughout the galaxy, seeking to add new wonders to their loom. One day, they followed several bright sparks, which led them into the exogorth. Realizing they had fallen into a trap, they prepared for death. However, Wkk'e refused to give up. Due to her unique alien physiology, Wkk'e was able to enclose herself inside cocoons between the various stages of her life. She convinced her friends to let her spin cocoons out of the "Luminous Mist" in order to keep themselves alive. The trio were able to keep themselves alive for millennia.
The "statue" introduced has Shareen and explained that Skywalker's presence had prompted Wkk'e to wake her up and initiate contact with Skywalker. Shareen convinces her friends that they must offer him their help. Wkk'e thinks they are trapped here while Awglk says that none of them are sure of the future but can only hope. Discussing the matter with the biologist, Skywalker deduces that the Mist-Weavers need to be freed from their cocoons because they can't unwind them on their own. He resolves to cut open the cocoons with his lightsaber.
The biologist cautioned Skywalker that they would die, given the passage of time. As Skywalker grappled with doubt and uncertainty, the biologist reflected on the burden of accepting someone else's sacrifice. Unable to bear witnessing Skywalker's struggle, she left him alone to find food. Upon her return, she found Skywalker holding the hand of one of the Mistwalkers. She advised Luke not to continue carrying this burden, expressing that it was more painful to see him suffer.
Skywalker confided that he had once witnessed his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi give his life so that Skywalker and his friends Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Princess Leia Organa could escape the Death Star. Through his death, Kenobi freed himself from this world and became part of the Force. Skywalker recalled that his late master had a look of peace on his face prior to his death and that he had trusted the Force. Skywalker admitted that this was a lesson he still struggled to accept.
The biologist noticed that Shareen's face conveyed peace and contentment. Realizing what he needed to do, Skywalker used his lightsaber to cut through the cocoons, liberating the three Mist-Weavers, who embraced each other. Shareen thanked Skywalker, addressing him as "Bright-Heart." While they had believed they had found a way to escape death, she realized that they had only been lured by the fear of death into imprisoning themselves. She expressed her gratitude to Skywalker for helping her reconnect with the turbulent flow of time and the violent palpitations of hope. After thanking Skywalker, she and her friends became one with the Force, releasing a brilliant burst of light.
Skywalker then experienced a Force vision from Master Kenobi, who informed his former apprentice that there were patterns in the Force, like the ebb and flow of the tide. He explained that actions from the past resonated in the present, which would in turn reverberate into the future. Skywalker realized that just as Kenobi had freed himself from fear and doubt to save him, the Mist-Weavers had freed themselves from fear and stasis to save them. Although Skywalker had felt hopeless at the moment, he now understood that accepting the sacrifice of loved ones and those who share their ideals is the first step to becoming more powerful that he can imagine.
Skywalker and the biologist found themselves on the asteroid's surface. She embraced Skywalker, thanking him for saving her numerous times and giving him strength. She wished she could repay him, even though she was not skilled in the Force. Skywalker reassured her that it was alright. The biologist thanked Skywalker for sustaining her hope and rescuing her from despair and rejection, enabling her to love the galaxy once more.
Skywalker commented that she analyzed everything like a scholar but that he understood her meaning. Following their detour, Skywalker decided to return her to Agoliba-Ena. Although the biologist's notes had been destroyed during their escape, she remained optimistic and announced her intention to switch her studies to exogorths. When Skywalker inquired if being inside one was sufficient, she expressed curiosity about exploring the contents of other space slugs. Skywalker agreed, stating that there was more knowledge to seek in the galaxy.
Reflecting on her adventures, the biologist acknowledged that people would be skeptical of her account. However, she stated that it was enough to have glimpsed what no one else had seen. She took pride in witnessing the mist, or Force, that embodied the universe reveal the bright heart of wonder and hope beneath.