Comic Review: Star Wars (2020) #50

Growing up in the nineties, I was raised on the original trilogy. For me, Star Wars has always been (and probably will always be) about Luke Skywalker. As a boy, it was he who I identified with, his fears, his emotions, his journey. There are a lot of things never said between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It’s what made Shadows of the Empire so incredible when it came out in the Legends timeline. That multimedia event is still so special to me that it will nigh on impossible to beat. Yet in Star Wars, writer Charles Soule had that mammoth task. To reinvent that time period for the new canon. What unfolded was a story that primarily focused on Luke and Lando, and their development between the films. It filled in gaps that I never really appreciated; it answered questions to why certain things happened in Return of the Jedi; it made me look at the movies with a new appreciation. There is no doubt that Soule has done impossible job with this series. He has shown his skill as a writer and as someone who truly knows Star Wars. With only six months of Star Wars timeline to deal with, this day was, of course, going to arrive but it doesn’t make its arrival any easier to bare. This has been my favourite series for a long time, dealing with the time and characters that I hold most dear. I’m not looking forward to not getting my monthly fix of these characters, then again, always in motion is the future. Who knows what we may get? But let’s keep our focus on the here and now. It is the final issue of this series and I’m sure Soule is going to give us a sendoff to remember. Joining him for this finale is artist Madibek Musabekov, who has also shone this series. His work has captured the emotions of the characters so well, something that has been essential to Soule’s stories. Enough talk of the past, let’s see what this bumper-sized issue holds…

We start in the future, with Luke talking to Ben Solo. It’s a lovely little bookend to the whole event. The whole issue brings bits and pieces all throughout Star Wars lore together. While I like this in some ways, in others, I really don’t need it. I read this series because its set in the original trilogy. As bookends go though, it was an interesting one. I don’t think I’ve hidden the fact that the sequel films just didn’t work for me, mainly because of how Luke was portrayed. While this was enjoyable to see Luke be a teacher, it was also slightly bittersweet as this is what I had wanted to see. Luke with his apprentice Ben, training, instructing, talking about the future. Talking about Ben’s future and helping to lead the Jedi Order. I mean this is important stuff and I like the direction and the possibility where this could have led if not for the sequels.

Luke then tells Ben a tale which leads us back to the original trilogy. Luke returns to Gazian. This was the planet where Luke spoke with Elzar from The High Republic. Now this era of Star Wars I do like. I also like that Soule links it back to previous issues of this series. This time round, Luke communicates with Azlin Rell, another Jedi from The High Republic. Luke is looking for a way to defeat the Sith…and finds one. Before we even know what, this thing is, we know that it is doomed to fail merely for the fact of Return of the Jedi. So, what is the mystery killing machine? The Grim Rose. Have some genetic material of the target and it will kill them. My first thought when seeing this was Death Note. A Manga and anime show that is centred around a book. You write the person’s name in and then they die. I can see how Soule has used this and done something a little different. Of course, it seems obvious that the Rebels would use this on Palpatine, so what’s the catch? Now that is the most interesting thing. As teenagers, we always use to debate would you kill Hitler as a baby? Could you bring yourself to kill an innocent baby even knowing what he would do? It was a silly thing but one I’m sure lots of people have discussed. Soule creates a similar ethical situation with the box. But let me pause on that little debate…

…Because first the team need to find the genetic material. This allows Soule to take us back to Naboo, bringing in the prequel trilogy references. This I thought was really cool, to see what had become of Naboo. I loved hearing Leia talking about the planet and I adored hearing Argo knowing where everything was a Threepio having no idea how Argo could possibly know it! Before the ethical debate of The Grim Rose, Soule looks at something else. The fact that the Empire was defeated by more than just weapons. Soule provides a fantastic example of how those who didn’t bear arms could fight the Empire. Those in managerial positions, that could often be overlooked, would be able to cripple the Empire with the knowledge that they possessed.

When it comes to activating the device, at the ethical reasoning behind it, everyone wants to debate. To take time to talk through every point of view. Take it back to the Alliance and see what they all think. Time, time, time. Even I thought, surely, this needs to be done. I love that it is Chewbacca who activates The Grim Rose. He doesn’t hesitate. His reasonings are so just and will echo many other aliens, creatures and humans across the galaxy. It is refreshing, well, until they realise there is a huge problem and an even bigger ethical debate. The Grim Rose will kill everyone who’s been influenced by Palpatine. This suddenly becomes a much larger debate. Palpatine has killed millions of people, surely losing a few thousand justifies the removal of a monster like that? Lando thinks it does, Luke – of course – doesn’t. Ben voices the obvious, because Luke doesn’t want Vader to die. While I think this is partly true, I also think at this point in the story, Luke has a deep connection to the force and knows the echoes that will be caused if the Rose is able to complete its programming. I do like the condition though; it suddenly makes this a point of debate, and I can see this being discussed for a while by fans. I’m not exactly sure what I’d do if I didn’t have the knowledge of Return of the Jedi.

There are many things to enjoy with this issue besides the debating. The droids are very prevalent in this issue. Throughout the entire series, Soule has never lost sight of them, they are such a backbone of the story, particularly in the original trilogy. We also get to see Lor San Tekka for a brief moment and – again – it’s with a bittersweet smile when Ben comments.

Sowing the threads that join all this together is Musabekov. He does a tremendous job throughout the issue, depicting pivotal places, characters and ships that are held dear by so many fans. While I know I could mention so many of them, it’s the TIE fighters and the pilots while flying them that were my favourites in this issue. The pilot’s masks were perfection and somehow were able to express their emotions over a helmet. Incredible.

I didn’t need the Ben Solo parts, but I appreciate why Soule put them in. After a while, I did get that feeling of disappointment, not in the comic, but where the character of Luke could have gone in the movies. But then again, that’s not up for debate here. What we do have here is a grand farewell. Having the extra space allows Soule to tell a tale at a leisurely pace, to make sure there are lots of intricacies, emotions and nods to the different eras of Star Wars. The ethical debates are a great way to show the characters at their best. At Luke showing how deeply connected he now is to the force, at Leia how wants to endlessly debate, at Chewie who will just do what needs to be done. It’s the right farewell to these characters and to this series, a series I am really going to miss. Soule, I’m sure, is going nowhere, he knows the galaxy too well and can write it so well that I don’t think Marvel would let him travel far. However, to have Soule writing original trilogy stories has been a dream come true for this fanboy. This is a farewell that rewards those who have stuck with the series, but also is a great one-off issue that shows readers just how well integrated this galaxy far, far away can be. Mr. Soule, thank you for another wonderful series!