Good afternoon,
It's time for me to discuss the fifty-eighth issue of the first Star Wars comic. The cover, drawn by Walt Simonson, showed C-3PO and R2-D2 floating in space along with assorted spaceships, apparently heading toward certain doom. The tale was titled "Sundown!" The issue had a cover date of April 1982.
The story started with the Millennium Falcon departing the new Rebel base world of Arbra. Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca were behind the controls, with Lando Calrissian along for the ride as part of their mission. After the ship entered hyperspace, the attention then shifted to a lone Rebel guard making his rounds moments before an important meeting adjourned. The topic of the assembly was being discussed by people leaving the council chambers, with mixed reviews.
Plif, Threepio, and Artoo remained behind with Princess Leia Organa. The protocol droid stated that his master would have excelled at a risky venture like the one Organa had proposed, and Shira Brie offered to contact him. Leia noted that Luke's mission was important enough as it was before Shira left the room.
Leia went on to show her proposed plan. The idea was to shield the Rebel fleet under a series of five Kerts-Bhrg field generators that would take the vessels through the corona of the planet's sun. It was a risky move designed to shield their detection from Imperial patrols. The primary concern was maintaining orbit, which was planned to be countered by utilizing a thruster that would be emitted from the field generator at the top of the pyramid. However, it was a theory that was as yet untested.
A little while later, it was time to put the theory into action. Leia, General Rieekan, and Luke's droids were on hand to witness the activation of the force field generators and the pyramid's descent into the sun's corona. Everything went well at first, and they descended just as base scanners indicated the arrival of short-range fighters in the quadrant that were undoubtedly Imperial TIE fighters.
Everyone except assigned maintenance personnel was then ordered to leave the top field generator via shuttle. Artoo and Threepio lagged behind on their way to the shuttle bay when the plucky astrodroid went to address a malfunction in the generator's power feed. The two learned that the generator was about to explode moments before the shuttle bay doors closed, and the shuttle returned to Arbra.
The droids were now stranded on the field generator. The power went off briefly before backup systems kicked in. Artoo and Threepio then noticed that the maintenance staff were unconscious, presumably knocked out by the noxious fumes that emanated from burning circuitry.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the galaxy, Chewie was getting a bit impatient that Lando hadn't taken his turn at the cockpit yet. He and Luke were occupied with a game of Novacrown. The Wookiee made his displeasure known with a noise that disrupted the game. Lando was then happy to take his shift after the contest he was losing had been interrupted.
In the shuttle, Leia observed that passing through the corona drained most of the energy from their heat shields. She was then informed of an incoming call coming from Threepio in the control generator. She was surprised because she thought the droids were on the shuttle with her. The droid explained the malfunction and how it impacted the onboard crew and was poised to weaken the protective field surrounding the fleet. The thruster was fluctuating due to a lack of power, which could jeopardize their orbit's stability.
At the same time, a quartet of TIE fighters was detected in their solar system. Shira suggested taking them out with a squadron from Arbra, but Leia noted that those Imperial ships would be missed, which could arouse further interest and suspicion. She advised contacting Luke to see if his knowledge of the Force could help them in this scenario.
While his droids were facing an imminent tragedy, Skywalker was piloting the Falcon towards its destination, which was the interplanetary marketplace known as Bazarre. Artoo came up with an idea that involved rocketing to a larger ship to attach a power core. Threepio held onto his counterpart, who was wrapped in protective coating. Unfortunately, the jetpack that the protocol droid was wearing had begun to melt, and the unstable momentum could push them through the corona and into the sun itself.
After docking, Luke and Lando stepped onto the floor of the open marketplace. They were looking for a merchant named Ferret. Lando had the unpleasant experience of dealing with him back on Cloud City, so he knew from experience to be a bit wary. As it turned out, Ferret's men found them.
Leia became despondent once it seemed that the fleet had entered the sun's corona unprotected. She was then relieved to hear from Threepio once more. He explained that he and Artoo had been able to establish a temporary connection between the control generator and one of the larger Rebel ships, so that thrust could be maintained until repairs could be made. After his rocket pack melted, Artoo extended his fire extinguisher, which gave them the necessary thrust to reach the cruiser.
The princess commended the droids for their ingenuity, which saved the fleet. She promised them lube baths when they returned before asking to have the call to Skywalker cancelled. The yeoman replied that she'd had no luck contacting the Falcon, and it was as if they'd dropped out of existence.
This was another of my first Star Wars comic books that I had when I was younger. I read this one several times over. It was an interesting idea, if not incredibly risky, as the plot proved. I liked the focus on Threepio and Artoo, and how their clever thinking saved the day. If you like the droids, this issue is well worth the time and money.
That's a wrap for this issue. Next time, I'll cover the fifty-ninth issue of this title. That story happened at the same time as the events from this issue. We'll see what happened to Luke and Lando, and what they were trying to accomplish. We'll also learn the role that Chewbacca played in this endeavor. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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