Good afternoon all,
It's time for me to discuss one of my favorite issues from the first Star Wars comic book series. The cover to the sixtieth issue showed Luke Skywalker, Shira Brie, and a couple of other male Rebel pilots in a circle, surrounded by several unknown warriors. The colorist for this Walt Simonson-drawn image took some liberties, as each pilot has a different colored outfit, and each of the enemy warriors is shown in blue. The tale was titled "Shira's Story." The issue had a cover date of June 1982.
The story started on the Imperial outpost known as Spindrift, which suddenly found itself under attack by TIE fighters. The crew was stunned by the strafing run, and some surmised that Darth Vader might be behind it. A commander suggested evacuating in a nearby shuttle, before that ship was destroyed. They then left in a truck, only to find their enemies had taken out the bridge. They had no other choice but to implement emergency strategic option six, which was another name for surrender.
As the TIEs landed, it was revealed that they were piloted by members of the Rebel Alliance. A prison transport was called down to house the remaining ground staff, and Thorben confirmed that they'd acquired the coded cartograph module that confirmed the Empire's armada route coordinates. That was great news for Luke and Shira.
The ships then returned to Arbra, which still made some of the guards uneasy upon sight. Luke and his squad reported their success to Princess Leia Organa. Shira then asked for some time off to visit her home planet. Leia initially denied the request until Luke reasoned that he was at a high enough rank to have the return coordinates and suggested that they join his fellow pilot, to which Leia reluctantly agreed.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the galaxy, a portion of the Imperial fleet was being assembled under the command of Admiral Giel. Giel built his fleet from scratch and seemed rather unconcerned about the recent attack at Spindrift. He was more than willing to let the Rebels find them, confident that they would be swiftly crushed.
Some time later, a quartet of X-Wings approached the planet Shalyvane. Luke was telling R2-D2 that it was Shira's homeworld. He wasn't quite sure yet why she wanted to return, but guessed that they'd learn soon enough. The fighters landed, and Shira guided her companions to a shrine that she called the Circle of Kavaan. She insisted on approaching it alone, and Luke consented.
While the others waited, Shira kneeled before the temple. She then took out a thin blade and used it to cut her palm, allowing a small trickle of blood to drop down. Moments later, the group was aroused by the sounds of many angry natives, who began their assault on the visitors. As Luke and his fellow pilots shot back, Shira explained who they were and why they were on the warpath.
She started by saying that Shalyvane used to be a peaceful, civilized world. Nomads, much like the ones attacking them, roamed the planet and had engaged in years of seemingly endless, pointless battles with the humans. They finally reached the point where both sides chose peace. Just as a treaty was about to be signed, the planet was attacked by Imperial TIE bombers. Stormtroopers emerged from those ships and continued the conflict on the ground.
Shira was a child at the time and ran for safety, leaving all she knew behind. Years later, she'd heard that the Empire had decimated her people. That's why she chose to join the Alliance. Shira added that she returned to her homeworld every year to add her blood to that of those lost, and to renew her oath of vengeance against the Empire.
During her story, Shira had mentioned that she'd used underground tunnels to escape the slaughter. Luke reasoned that Artoo's sensors might be able to detect those tunnels. The astrodroid soon found where an entrance was, just meters from them. Shira insisted on going down alone, right before the cave collapsed. Her colleagues were too busy fending for themselves against the nomads at the time to try to dig her out.
The battle was long and grueling, going to the point where the Rebels' blaster batteries were exhausted. Luke was about to use his lightsaber to defend his crew when their attackers were strafed from above. Luke looked up to see an X-Wing giving them enough cover to make it back to their own ships. Afterward, Shira was surrounded by her fellow Rebels, as they thanked her for her timely assistance.
Shira explained that the tunnel had closed up behind her, but that she was able to make her way back to her ship. She'd arrived just in the nick of time. The fighters then left for home, knowing more work was yet to be done.
If you think that there are a few sketchy details from Shira's story, stay tuned, as I'll cover a bit more background in my analysis of upcoming issues. Just be a bit forewarned that not everything was quite what it seemed at first. It all sets up a very interesting climax to this storyline, which most regular readers would probably never have expected.
I remember reading this issue dozens of times after I first bought it. I even used to try replaying the battles outside as a child. It was a well-crafted story by Michelinie, Simonson, Palmer, and company. The nomads were interesting, and this wouldn't be their only appearance, either.
That's all I have for today. Next time, I'll recap the sixty-first issue of this series. It's finally time to put those purloined TIE fighters to good use, in an all-out assault against Giel's fleet. Find out what happens during the climactic battle, including who survived. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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