Good Monday afternoon, everyone,
It's time for me to summarize the forty-ninth issue of Marvel's first Star Wars title. The cover was a collage of images drawn by Walt Simonson. They included a female Imperial commander, a pair of new characters, a Y-Wing fighter, and Luke Skywalker with his lightsaber drawn, ready to defend an unconscious Princess Leia Organa beside him, all with a galactic background. The tale was titled "The Last Jedi!" The issue had a cover date of July 1981.
The story started with a Y-Wing traveling to a planet that had been transmitting a distress signal. C-3PO, R2-D2, Leia, and Luke were aboard the Rebel fighter, which soon landed on the planet. Luke was the first person off the ship, and the only resistance he encountered was a massive beast that came trudging through the forest behind him. He instinctively activated his lightsaber, only to find that the monster's flesh sealed instantly behind the cut his blade had made.
He was about to advise Leia to use her blaster when the alien was destroyed by a blast from a magnetic polarization ray that had been fired by Prince Denid. Denid was the rightful heir to the throne on the planet Velmor, and it was his distress signal that the Rebellion had detected. Denid and his late love left their homeworld after its palace had been stormed by Imperial sympathizers. Denid's brother sided with the Empire and remained on Velmor.
Denid's ship crashed on the planet, and the accident took the life of his beloved Loren. Denid lived with Jedidah, a humanoid who was once recruited to the Jedi cause but rejected them. He rushed to defend Denid during the mob's attack on the palace on Velmor and was struck by falling debris during the conflict. As a result, his mind fixated on that former dream of becoming a Jedi Knight.
After Luke set a detonator to destroy the signal beacon, Denid and Jedidah boarded the Y-Wing and joined its crew on their journey to Velmor. As they entered hyperspace, they noticed another ship exiting hyperspace at the same time. The ship arrived just in time to interrupt the coronation of Denid's brother Anod as ruler.
Leia and Luke exited the fighter in disguise. Leia took on the guise of Denid's late love, Loren, while Luke assumed the identity of the fictional bounty hunter Korl Marcus. The landing party was met by Anod and his staff, as well as the visiting Imperial dignitary, Captain Traal, who gave them a less-than-warm welcome.
Security scans confirmed Denid's identity, while Leia claimed that her records were destroyed when Alderaan blew up. Traal was naturally skeptical of the new arrivals, but kept quiet for the moment. Later on, at a banquet, Anod engaged Marcus in an energy sword battle. The weapons were similar to lightsabers, so Luke was able to successfully defend himself, although he was surprised by his opponent's skill.
Luke learned of Denid's intention to wed Leia as he was grabbed lightly by Traal to have a private conversation. The Imperial captain asked the bounty hunter to eliminate Denid and his betrothed and offered him double whatever fee Denid was paying. She wanted to move up in the Imperial ranks, apparently by any means necessary. Afterward, Traal confided in her associates that the bounty hunter would take out the prince, and then they would take out Marcus.
Traal was in allegiance with Anod, who wanted to be the only one who could make a claim to the throne. After speaking with the Imperial, Anod received a communique from a subordinate confirming that they'd traced the signal Denid had sent, but that he'd already been claimed by another pilot, one who was in the palace as they spoke. Anod demoted the lackey before ending the call. He'd been ruling Velmor for 20 years and was not going to give up his position any time soon.
Luke was about to inform Leia of his interlude with Traal when he noticed that she and Denid were locked in an embrace, shown in shadows through the curtains that they were standing in front of. He decided to inform her the next day, just before the coronation games were about to begin. Participants took to their steeds before the prey known as Mrids were released. After whispering to Leia, Luke rode off in another direction before coming across her and Denid resting later on.
Traal arrived next to Luke, and the young Jedi was about to take the opportunity to discuss their "arrangement" further before he was fired upon by Anod and his men. Luke and Leia's cover was blown during the ensuing battle, and Traal made Skywalker her immediate target.
After distancing himself from his foes, Luke reached out with the Force to contact Jedidah, who answered his summons. Anod caught up with Skywalker, and the duo began another swordfight. This time, Luke proved to be far superior. However, Jedidah went after Traal but was mortally wounded during their scuffle.
Luke knocked the Imperial out following his battle and carried his friend's body back to the castle. A while later, Leia, Luke, and the droids said their goodbyes as they prepared to depart. Velmor was thankful for their assistance and was willing to give up Leia to the Rebellion.
Before entering hyperspace, Luke launched a smaller vessel containing Jedidah's body. He stood for a moment to honor his fallen friend. He admired his bravery as a true Jedi, knowing that the Force would always be with him.
It's an odd coincidence that the title of this story is the same as that of the eighth movie in the Star Wars franchise. This was the first time that penciller Walt Simonson and inker Tom Palmer teamed up on this book, and their run is still my favorite from this title. Writer Mike Barr, who's best known for his work on DC and Star Trek comics, did a good job of portraying an underrated hero in Jedidah and of exploring the familiar concept of sibling rivalry.
That's it for this article. Next up is the landmark fiftieth issue. Archie Goodwin, Al Williamson, Simonson, and Palmer combine on a double-length story that starts with the Rebels' search for another planet for their base, and features the return of a few familiar characters, including a tale from Han Solo's past. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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