Star Wars (2020) #35
IN THE CLUTCHES OF DR. CUATA
After the damage Luke’s lightsaber sustained at the hands of the Killdroids in No-Space, Luke was in need of a new Jedi weapon.
He and Artoo traveled to the Imperial-occupied planet of Christophsis in search of kyber and met up with the mysterious Gretta, who has her own personal vendetta against the Empire.
She agreed to help Luke on his quest, but soon afterward, a huge creature attacked them. Luckily, the kyber expert they were searching for arrived just in time, but he wants Luke’s lightsaber….
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Madibek Musabekov
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Cover artist: Stephen Segovia
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: June 7, 2023
While it’s always a buzz to read a romp of a comic full of action and peril, it can be equally satisfying to devour an issue that measures its pace and walks us to a conclusion in its own time. Few authors do that as well as Charles Soule, and once again he delivers an issue that isn’t hurling action onto the page but instead is layering on gossamer thin sheets of understanding that by the final frame have coalesced into another issue that treads the path towards the Luke we know from Return of the Jedi. We pick up where the last issue ended as Luke is face to face with the mysterious Doctor Cuata, a Pantoran who has a unique relationship with Kyber crystals. He hears and speaks to them, and while that may seem curious he has an understanding that far outstrips what Luke knows or has been shown.
Luke’s keen for any help regarding his lightsaber, and after getting over the shock of his weapon being popped apart and investigated he learns that the yellow crystal inside is cracked and damaged, the saber barely functioning. Cuata is also very well aware of Luke’s fluctuating connection to the Force, and takes him back to his compound where he admits his surprise at Luke’s lack of knowledge in the Jedi arts. Here, he takes the saber apart, explaining the various pieces that make a lightsaber work and revealing the reason Luke has struggled to connect with this and even his previous blue-bladed saber of his father; he didn’t chose either of them and they didn’t chose him. For this knowledge and help, Cuata asks Luke to ‘spend time‘ with a red kyber crystal, and Gretta explains how her people were able to bleed the darkness out of a crystal, drawing out the red to bring the crystals balance back. Unsure, Luke agrees to try.
Luke is suddenly inside the crystal and a court where a dark haired woman sits on a throne, demanding to know why he is there. Luke is instantly transparent and honest, explaining the situation with the crystal as she approaches, grabbing him and suddenly a whoosh and Luke remains, but not Luke; a sketch of himself, faceless with only eyes, the red blade in his hand. He’s shocked, and turns to see Darth Vader before he is hit once again with a powerful wave of energy and jumps back to consciousness. Cuata demands Luke tell him what he saw, and Luke giving no details claims to have seen his father. Cuata is confused as to why a great Jedi would be inside a red kyber crystal, but asks for Luke to try another crystal, this time a pure and clear one. He does, and instantly sees his venerable Jedi Master Yoda. Luke believes it to be a vision, and so asks a question he may have paused to pose out of respect for Yoda – where has he been? Luke’s needed his guidance and instruction, but feels Yoda has given him very little. Yoda turns that back on him, stating how Jedi walk their own path and how he could have returned to Dagobah at any time. Lukes frustration is palpable, and he tells Yoda he is leaving with the goal of doing it all by himself, but he’s unable to snap out of it.
The Force continues to ebb and flow, and we learn Cuata was testing this theory, despite the great risk to Luke, and here we see that Yoda was no mere figment as Obi-Wan appears and Yoda firmly tells Kenobi that Luke was able to use his powers to come to Dagobah ‘remotely’ and that when the time comes, he’ll be ready. Luke snaps out of it, looking into his palm at a green kyber crystal, but as Cuata hands him the lightsaber and asks what he saw Gretta tells Luke to say nothing. She believes Cuata was putting Luke in great danger, so while Luke thanks Cuata for his help he tells him he’s taking the red and green crystals along with his repaired yellow saber, and we end the issue back at his X-Wing as Artoo waits and Gretta says her goodbyes, thanking him for his help and asking whether he will return to the Alliance. He will, in time, but he has some thinking to do….
What an engrossing read, giving us even more understanding of where Luke is within his powers at this time, how the Force continues to wax and wane and how he got the most instantly recognisable element of his classic green lightsaber. Gorgeous art from Madibek Musabekov and colouring from Rachelle Rosenberg compliments a regulation on-point story and script from Charles Soule, making this another must-read.
- Marvel (Author)
- MARVEL (Publisher)
