Good morning all,
It's time for me to summarize the events that occurred in the fifty-second issue of Marvel's first Star Wars title. The cover, drawn by Walt Simonson, shows a larger-than-life image of Darth Vader in the background, as Vader's TIE fighter is attacking the Millennium Falcon in the foreground, in a scene that's somewhat reminiscent of the iconic battle during the initial Star Wars film. The story was called "To Take The Tarkin." The issue had a publication date of October 1981.
The tale began inside the Empire's new superstation, known as the Tarkin, named for the late Grand Moff who was in charge of Imperial operations on the Death Star. Unbeknownst to most of the crew, five members of the Rebel Alliance had infiltrated their stronghold: namely, Chewbacca, C-3PO, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, and R2-D2. The plucky astrodroid was wary of the Stormtrooper guards watching over the section they'd just entered.
When asked for identification, Leia pulled out her blaster from a uniform pocket, moments after a trooper's scanner identified a proton grenade on Luke's person. After eliminating the guards, they agreed to separate to accomplish their tasks and meet up at the escape pods afterward. Luke and Leia went their own ways, and Chewbacca opted to team up with the droids.
Their activity was swiftly reported to Darth Vader, who was on the Tarkin's bridge. He seemed unconcerned by the incident, knowing that Luke had arrived. He instructed the officer who informed him to add more guards along possible escape routes. He maintained his order (given in the last issue) to keep security away from the main reactor. That was a sector the Dark Lord would see to personally.
Colonel Nord silently agreed before departing. He used a lift to descend a few levels before reaching a rarely used maintenance area, which now served as a meeting place for him and other Imperial officers who were actively plotting against their commander. They figured that now was the time to strike, while Vader was obsessed with the Rebel who'd destroyed the first Death Star.
Back on the planet Hockaleg (where the Rebels landed and boarded a shuttle to the Tarkin in issue #51), Lando Calrissian was making his way out of one of Han Solo's hidden smuggling compartments. He was just getting settled when he noticed a squad of Stormtroopers coming his way to inspect the ship.
On the Tarkin, a conversation between several troopers who were guarding a tractor beam generator was interrupted by Artoo's arrival. Threepio explained that they'd been sent to repair the generator. One soldier insisted that no work was necessary on the brand-new equipment. Threepio insisted there was, aided in his argument by Chewbacca's brute force. A scuffle ensued, and during the fight, Chewie threw one of the Stormtroopers headlong into the generator, destroying it.
Meanwhile, Leia made her way to the escape pods, only to find herself suddenly surrounded by a quartet of Stormtroopers. She obligingly dropped her pistol, but grabbed for the blaster rifles that were in the hands of the two soldiers behind her, who surprisingly blasted their fellow guards in front of them. She then took out the remaining Stormtroopers before rushing off in search of Luke, now that their escape route had been cut off.
As for Skywalker, he was venturing down an open hall, not knowing that Vader was waiting for him in an adjacent sector. Their locations were pinpointed on the ship's bridge, where Colonel Nord decided to take action and open the closest airlock, hoping it would send the Dark Lord out into space.
The incoming atmospheric winds played havoc on the corridor's occupants. Luke accidentally let go of the proton grenade that he'd been carrying, and it bounced off Vader's helmet before exiting the vessel. Skywalker used his bionic right hand to grab hold of the handle of a freight lift before pulling himself inside. Vader held onto the airlock doors and forced himself inside. He then manually shut the lock before promising Nord that he'd deal with him later.
By that time, Leia had gone further inside the Imperial station. She now found herself in an area she wasn't immediately familiar with. A quick scan indicated that she was at the ion cannon mechanism, the same weapon that had been used to destroy her homeworld of Alderaan.
A little while later, she radioed Threepio. He, Artoo, and Chewbacca soon rejoined her right above a docking bay. They still weren't able to contact Luke. Leia tried to reach him one more time and learned that Skywalker had been hearing her all this time, but that he was pinned down by Stormtroopers attacking from the section in front of him. Upon hearing that news, Artoo rushed to the nearest terminal to inform the central computer that there was a fire in the section, causing the blast doors to close in front of Luke's attackers, and a spray of fire-retardant foam to spray down on the frustrated Imperials.
Meanwhile, on Hockaleg, Lando was greeting the trooper patrol. They were distracted from their inspection by Lando's offering of a bag containing a substantial amount of a valuable spice. The troopers let Lando carry on, not knowing at the time that the pouch contained nothing but slime yeast from the ship's stores.
Artoo's diversion was enough for Luke to rejoin the group. He apologized for losing the grenade, but Leiace was more concerned about how they were going to escape. Luke had an idea.
Moments later, an item dropped from above. Someone yelled that it was a grenade, which sent crew members scurrying to safety. That gave the Rebels enough time to board a transport and take off. A little while later, a Stormtrooper realized that the "bomb" was just a pair of comlinks that had been tied together.
Vader sent a pair of TIEs to follow the stolen ship, which had no defensive weapons of its own. Things looked a bit grim for the heavier ship until its pursuers were blasted out of the sky by the Falcon. Lando invited the crew aboard before Vader opted to investigate in his own fighter.
It didn't take long for Vader's TIE to come up behind the Falcon. Luke told Lando to take the ship beyond some large machines up ahead, which allowed him to release the ship's water supply, which quickly froze upon entering space, and created a blockade that Vader's ship couldn't evade in time.
Vader's TIE crashed into the icy meteors, but it was soon reported that he was still alive. On board the Tarkin, a command was given to activate the ionic cannon. Things were tense for several moments until the Tarkin exploded.
The Rebels on board the Falcon witnessed its destruction in awe. No one breathed a sigh of relief until Leia revealed that its destruction was caused by her. She explained that she'd recognized the cannon controls as being the same as the ones from the Death Star schematics. While in that section, she simply switched a couple of wires to cause the malfunction upon firing. They were thankful that Lando had come to their rescue and set a course for home after a successful mission.
I remember buying this issue at the local mini-mart in my hometown after being mesmerized by its cover, around the time that my mom was due with my baby brother. I dove into its pages and found myself on edge after every page. I was old enough to appreciate the humor (like the conversations with the Stormtroopers and the fake bomb), which was something that the title hadn't had much of before then. It's still one of my favorite issues and storylines from this series.
That's all I have for now. Next time, I'll discuss the fifty-third issue of this series. Old and new creative teams from this book combine along with Uncanny X-Men scripter Chris Claremont on the first part of a story that concentrates on Leia. The princess embarks on a mission to help the Rebellion, only to find herself lost on a world that is much unlike anything she's ever experienced, except for the persistent threat that's already pervaded most of the galaxy. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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