Star Wars (2020) #50
THE PATH OF HOPE
As Leia, Lando, Chewie, and the other members of the Rebellion continue the fight against the Empire, Luke must also continue his training to become a Jedi.
To do so, he must explore the past as well as the future….
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Madibek Musabekov
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Cover artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: September 11 2024
Finally we’ve arrived at the final issue of the 2020 run of Star Wars, and while it’s no surprise that Charles Soule has pulled out all the stops – taking us from the future back to the ‘present while bolstering an immediate future that will see us head to the events of Return of the Jedi – we wave goodbye (for now) to an era of Star Wars that is held in such high regard by countless GFFA fans.
We open with Part One ‘Would you prefer another target?‘ in the future as Luke Skywalker, far older and more seasoned than where we left him in the last issue, walking into the room of Ben Solo, his nephew and the future Kyle Ren. Luke asks Ben to walk with him, and they head into the green of Ossus as Luke explains how Ben is almost ready to take the trials, and how as one of the first to graduate from the new academy he will likely hold a leadership position in this new Jedi Order. Luke is also aware that while his nephew will always listen to him, he won’t be required to obey him and begins to tell him the events of Return of the Jedi as Ben wonders how so much could have happened in the space of a single year. We flash back in time and space to the Mid Rim and Gazian as Luke lands in his X-Wing, his ‘voiceover’ telling Ben how Yoda and Kenobi had little time to teach him the history of the Jedi rather than the way to defeat Vader, so Luke sought that knowledge out himself.
As he explains, Gazian is fungus-based network able to record memories, essentially a living library, and somewhere he visits to supplement his knowledge. He leaps into the ocean, warning R2 to pull him out in 10 minutes if he’s not back, and instantly encounters spirits from the past. before he ‘met’ Elzar Mann from the era of the High Republic. This time, he encounters a Jedi named Azlin Rell who speaks for the library and asks if his last gift – a Jedi tome – was useful. Luke says it was, but is looking for more, to which ‘Azlin’ talks offense and we see the dead husks of those who asked for too much. Azlin appears as Mann, and speaks of understanding Luke’s request, showing him a huge ‘nameless’ creature from the High Republic era as we swing back to the Alliance fleet, and Luke conferring with his friends after being given information to defeat the enemy that he doesn’t know how to use.
It appears to be a weapon that can kill from distance, and while Leia questions the morality of that option, Lando proposes proving its existence first. Back in the ‘future’ Luke tells Ben how all they had were coordinates, so they jumped into the Falcon and headed out, in part to get away from the drudgery of life aboard a starship. They arrive at the Inner World planet of Niraya where they find an ice world with the civilisation Luke seeks buried far beneath. With little chance of digging down with lightsabers, R2 hacks a droidnaught, a vehicle used by the Empire to drill down and remove precious ores from the city, but before they can a wing of TIE fighters from the nearby garrison swoop over and Luke stays on the ground while Leia, Chewie, Lando and Threepio head back to the Falcon to cover him. Artoo makes the droidnaught drill, and evading a persistent TIE Luke leaps into the ice and down, where he finds an artifact that turns out to be the Grim Rose. Requiring only a piece of genetic material from its ‘victim’, the group agree the weapon should be used on Palpatine.
Next Part two ‘You may fire when ready‘. Ben sees the tricky aspect of the plan, how to get any genetics from Palpatine, but in the past Leia had already figured it out. As the former senator of Naboo – a position he never relinquished – his genetics would still be stored on Naboo. Now an Imperial world governed by a Moff rather than the royal line of Padmé Amidala’s day, it’s a huge risk, but with false transponder codes and (unbeknownst to Threepio) Artoo’s knowledge of Naboo (having formerly served the Royal House of Naboo) they safely enter, with Lando donning an Imperial uniform and entering the Royal archives to ‘acquire’ the genetic material of Palpatine. The material had been removed 22 years prior, and to add to that the officer quickly sees through Lando’s ruse. Fortunately, she had seen too much and had no love for the Empire, handing Lando a file and telling him to use it.
Back on the Falcon and with everything they need (including the genetics which the clerk had given Lando) they ponder over the morality of using the assassination box, but as Leia suggests they hand it to the Alliance for further investigation Chewie grabs the genetics, pours it into the box and closes it, activating the Grim Rose.
Part Three ‘Commence primary ignition‘ and a huge moment as Chewie asks Threepio to precisely translate his words, explaining how Palpatine too his world and turned it to ash, so he ended him. Leia understands, saying he did something they could not, but we watch as the device essentially searches for its target, through Naboo natives who once worked for Palpatine as they realise it will scan everyone influenced by him over the years. Further than that, it will end them as well, and while Luke searches for an ‘off-switch’ Lando tells him to let it run. He explains that even if 100 people have to die, they’re all influenced by the Emperor. No way to stop it as it accumulates its ‘list’ until it ends Palpatine, so Luke activates his lightsaber and plunges it into the box. only to be hurled back when it pulses out with power, untouched.
Part Four and ‘As if millions of voices cried out in terror‘ and back to the future as Ben makes the point that the Grim Rose would have also killed Palpatine’s closest servant Vader, and Luke explains that perhaps it was the hope of youth that influenced his decision to try and stop the device. In the ‘present’ the Falcon is back at Gazian and the library as Luke leaps in searching for Azlin Rell, but instead – to ben’s surprise – Lor San Tekka instead. Luke needs Azlin, and he appears knowing Luke activated the Grim Rose. Luke learns that the target can be changed, and as Rell realises what Luke is about to do they clash lightsabers as ultimately Skywalker manages to escape from the fungal ocean and asks for the box. Back in the future Luke explains how Palpatine died before the box completed it’s work, and how the bone from the remains of Azlin Rell were inserted, shutting off the machine. Ben is still confused as to what the lesson of the tale was, and Luke explains – don’t become evil to defeat evil.
And so the 2020, 50 issue run of Star Wars comes to an end, hinting at the future for the title when it returns in the post Return of the Jedi era. I have to admit I did expect (in the way we’re told the final scenes of Andor will slot perfectly into place with the start of Rogue One) to leave our characters where we meet them in Jedi (Leia preparing to enter the palace with Chewie, Luke and the droids heading to Tatooine, Lando sneaking in ahead of the team and the movement of the fleet to Sullust, but perhaps the fact I can walk through those details make them as necessary as retelling the origins of Batman or Spider-Man at the start of every new iteration. This really has been a top-notch run, and along with the stellar work by Ethan Sacks on Bounty Hunters, Alyssa Wong on Doctor Aphra and Greg Pak on Darth Vader we’ve really been spoiled this decade. Fingers crossed the next run of titles are able to bring us such interlaced, interesting stories; the bar has been set.
