Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire 3: First Encounter is the third issue in the Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire story arc in the Tales of the Jedi series of comics. It was published on August 20, 1997 by Dark Horse Comics

Before the Empire held sway over the galaxy… before the Rebel forces rose up to create the New Republic… there was the time of the Old Republic. The story of how that grand oligarchy fell from power begins here, in an episode titled "First Encounter".