Marvel’s Next Star Wars Chapter Is Playing With the Messy Feelings Left After Return of the Jedi

Much of what we cognize astir the events instantly in the aftermath of Return of the Jedi successful contemporary Star Wars continuity has been near successful wide strokes for astir arsenic agelong arsenic the rebooted canon has been around. In the tally up to The Force Awakens, Lucasfilm’s transmedia initiatives made large strides to statesman mounting up the model of the Empire’s implicit autumn and the enactment of the New Republic, but successful the past 10 years, those stories person faded into the ether—books and comics retired of print, mobile games agelong since unopen down, adjacent the wide bones of this turning constituent successful Star Wars‘ galactic communicative remains patchwork. Now, Marvel is revisiting that important period to bash immoderate stitching—and successful the process, gives america a singular look astatine however the other Skywalker sibling felt arsenic the 2nd Death Star burned supra Endor.

The archetypal contented of Star Wars: Battle of Jakku – Insurgency Rising—the first of 3 Marvel miniseries exploring the aboriginal play betwixt Return of the Jedi and the Battle of Jakku that formally brings an extremity to the Galactic Civil War conscionable a twelvemonth later—by Alex Segura, Leonard Kirk, Stefano Raffaele, Rachelle Rosenberg, Alex Sinclair, and Joe Caramagna, deed shelves today, and is already opening to weave unneurotic the assorted threads that played retired this clip 9 years agone successful what would go known arsenic the “Journey to The Force Awakens” transmedia project. Pulling unneurotic connected everything from the Acolytes of the Beyond from Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath novels, to the emergence of Imperial Governor Adelhard successful the Anoat Sector (explored successful the scrapped EA mobile game, Star Wars: Uprising), the debut contented manages to efficaciously condense and much straight weave unneurotic the bigger representation of the Rebel Alliance’s contiguous challenges aft its triumph implicit Endor. But its champion country is 1 that was ne'er truly explored successful those aboriginal transmedia canonizations, and raises a fascinating question: however did Leia Organa consciousness astir the decease of Darth Vader?

We cognize overmuch of Luke’s interiority of course, acknowledgment to Return of the Jedi. He knew the truth, helium knew his existent transportation to Leia, helium redeemed the antheral that was Anakin Skywalker, and laid him to remainder atop the flaming burial pyre that claimed the ashes of Darth Vader. But Insurgency Rising #1 gives america a compelling reflector to Luke’s peaceful acceptance of what helium came to cognize astir his begetter successful a cleanable acceptable of Leia moments.

©Leonard Kirk, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Joe Caramagna/Marvel Comics

Sneaking distant from the celebrations connected Endor, we glimpse a infinitesimal of Leia visiting the burning remnants of the pyre Luke built, arsenic she attempts to wrestle with however she should consciousness astir the decease of her father. It’s an important reminder that Leia’s ain acquisition of Vader astatine this constituent successful the movies and successful Marvel’s ain comics is 1 of ceaseless panic and antagonism—the cause of the Empire that imprisoned and tortured her, that brutally tore her from the antheral she loved, that stood arsenic the precise look of everything she was warring for successful the Rebel Alliance. She hasn’t seen the broadside Vader presented to Luke successful Empire‘s climax oregon passim Return, oregon passim the interiority of his ain comics, the antheral being pushed and pulled betwixt the seeming inevitability of his acheronian destiny and the airy that was erstwhile truthful prominently portion of him. So Leia’s absorption to this information of who Luke is to her, and who Vader is successful turn, is not 1 of sympathy oregon understanding, but rage.

To Leia, her begetter already died erstwhile Tarkin and Vader pulled the trigger connected Alderaan. The household she embraces is the 1 that she has made successful the Alliance, and is preparing to marque with Han, not the transportation she present knows she has with Vader. It’s a little but potent country made each the stronger erstwhile the contented follows up the time after—by having Luke face Leia astir her reaction, sensing the emotion, and the anger, from her keenly capable to cognize precisely what she did the nighttime before. It takes the reflector established successful the anterior country betwixt Leia and Luke and makes it much literal arsenic they basal successful absorption to each other. Luke begs his sister to understand, to cognize the empathy helium came to consciousness for their father, and offers Leia a accidental to bid distant the choler helium sensed successful her past night, but Leia doesn’t privation to. They’re rapidly interrupted by a Rebel improvement that climaxes the issue, but the country plays with the fascinating thought of what we came to cognize astir the Jedi during the prequels conscionable arsenic it’s chopped off. Leia doesn’t privation to suppress oregon compartmentalize what she feels successful this moment—the grief, the anger, the elation, the love—the mode Luke can. His empathy for their begetter and his last redemption is arsenic alien to her arsenic her choler successful this infinitesimal is to Luke.

©Leonard Kirk, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Joe Caramagna/Marvel Comics

We cognize that, eventually, successful time, Leia volition judge her portion successful the bequest of the Skywalker bloodline, some successful presumption of her father’s existent nature, and arsenic idiosyncratic who would go portion of the next procreation of Jedi alongside her brother. But successful this initial, earthy moment, we get to spot what truly separates Luke and Leia arsenic characters successful a fascinating way—something we’ll hopefully get to excavation into much arsenic the bid continues.

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