Good afternoon,
It's time for me to tackle the thirtieth issue of Marvel's first Star Wars series. The cover showed Princess Leia Organa on the run from a pair of Imperial Stormtroopers, with a third soldier hiding behind the doorway she's just about to pass through. The tale was titled "A Princess Alone!" The issue had a cover date of December 1979.
The story started on a Rebel ship orbiting the Imperial factory planet Metalorn. Leia's mission was to land on the planet and pose as one of the local workers. As she made plans to leave the ship, we were then shown a view of the populace occupying a slideway that was headed toward a large building. A trooper pointed out a child who was busy planting a seed in the dirt area in front of another complex, and her mother ran toward her.
Young Tammi was supposed to be in the learning center, and there was considerable concern that both she and her mother would be punished for not being in their assigned areas. The stormtrooper made sure that both individuals found their proper places, right before he kicked the child's attempt at planting out of the dirt. He stated that garbage belonged in a disposal instead of a public thoroughfare. Tammi was obviously saddened, even after her mother promised they would have the next day to spend together.
The work world was being visited by Baron Taage at the time. His arrival was a sort of punishment after having failed to crush the Alliance on Yavin (as seen in issues #25 and 26). His weapons detection system was being utilized on Metalorn to prevent the use and possession of armament by any unauthorized personnel. A little while later, that system was tested after Leia knocked out a trooper and stole his blaster as she made her way through one of the facilities.
Before long, Leia was spotted by more troopers and engaged in a firefight with them. She fell into an ore chamber afterward and escaped Imperial detection. The only thing the soldiers found was the purloined blaster in the car she'd fallen into. The commander put out an immediate order to find the intruder.
Leia soon made her way to a mess hall and ran into Arn Horada, one of her former instructors on Alderaan. She reminded the older gentleman of his teachings, even though he'd been told that none from that planet had survived. Moments later, Taage came up behind them. He identified the Rebel leader and knew that Horada's presence on Metalorn was likely to draw her interest. She casually tossed the tray she'd been holding at the baron, and Horada pushed a stool at him, so that Leia could shackle Taage to the table.
The princess escaped, although Taage soon cut himself free of the manacle with his lightsaber and was in hot pursuit. Leia had been using the young Tammi as cover while he ran off, and thanked the child for her assistance. She told her about the importance of believing in something worthwhile, even if others didn't, before departing.
The planet commander was incensed by Leia's escape. Taage advised him to keep quiet about the incident and to not retaliate against Horada, saying that it was best not to report or admit his failure. A while later, back on the Rebel ship, Leia admitted that her mission had been successful because it showed the Empire that the Rebellion was very much alive and not afraid of them. She'd even inspired one of the young citizens, who was sitting in the thoroughfare after having planted another seed, waiting patiently for it to grow.
I guess the moral from this yarn was echoed in Rogue One: rebellions are built on hope. The interactions with the young girl provided a much-needed sense of optimism, and I'm glad that penciler Carmine Infantino finally learned how to draw Imperial Stormtrooper rifles correctly, as shown in this issue a few times. It was one of those stories that focused on a single character and didn't really need any of the others to be involved.
That's all I have for today. Tomorrow, I'll recap the thirty-first issue of this series. Luke heads back to his homeworld with R2-D2 and C-3PO. We'll also see a few friends that were last featured a couple of issues ago, and see some supporting characters that we haven't seen since the first issues of the initial movie adaptation, and learn what the Taages are up to next. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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