Hi there,
Hope everyone's been enjoying their weekend. This article will recap the eighty-seventh issue of Marvel's first Star Wars title. The cover had Luke Skywalker back in the left-hand corner box for the first time in years, and showed Leia Organa reaching for a Stormtrooper's hand to prevent her from falling into a crevasse. The tale was titled "The Alderaan Factor." The issue had a cover date of August 1984.
The story was set before the events of Return of the Jedi. Leia was on her way to catch a shuttle, with Luke, R2-D2, and C-3PO close behind. Skywalker was trying to persuade her to bring her blaster along. Leia insisted that she didn't have time, and wanted to impress upon the Yinchori that she'd be traveling with that she trusted them. Luke did convince her to carry an emergency beacon inside one glove, just in case.
Her transport arrived at the planet Yinchor before long, as did its escort: a pair of Imperial TIE fighters. The Yinchori commander pushed Leia to her seat before explaining that the Imperial governor Wessel had kidnapped their elders and promised to exchange them for the princess.
However, the Yinchori didn't understand betrayal. Their ship was fired upon moments later. The distraction allowed Leia to push free. She went up to the gun turret to cover the pilot's flying. The craft was swift, and Leia managed to shoot down one of their attackers before the second TIE landed a damaging blow. The ship careened out of control. Leia pressed the beacon's activation button right before things turned black.
The beacon's signal was successfully transmitted to the Rebel fleet. Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca were with Luke when the signal arrived. Lando thought it might be nothing, but Luke was sure they had cause for concern.
As the Yinchori elders sweltered in the heat of their planet's sun, Wessel sat in the shade with a subordinate. He ordered his troopers to find the ship that his men had downed to ensure that no one had survived. Meanwhile, the Stormtrooper who had been piloting the second TIE emerged a bit battered, but still determined to go on. He found the wrecked Yinchori craft and soon saw Leia alive but still strapped into the gun turret chair.
She awoke just to see the trooper using a metal rod to try to pry her free. He removed his helmet and announced that he was also from their homeworld of Alderaan. Leia was shocked that one of her own people would betray her cause. They started to argue, and their raised voices drew the attention of native beasts known as Rolk-Mangir.
The creatures ventured toward the quarreling humans, who by now were tumbling on the ground. The soldier showed the princess his necklace, which contained a rock from their destroyed planet, right before one of the creatures lunged. Leia hesitated for a moment before using the trooper's blaster to free him. She continued to fire as they retreated.
As the Millennium Falcon was approaching Yinchor's orbit, and Lando was noticing signals from both Leia and Imperials on the planet, the Imperials were moving closer to Leia. They were following the beacon from the pilot's helmet. Wessel was confident that they would have their quarry in just a matter of time.
The Rolk-Mangir were still advancing and forced their prey up against a cliff. Leia ordered the trooper to jump first. She followed, but had to rely on him to save her after the ground gave way beneath her feet. He acknowledged their teamwork after they were both safe, and added that he'd purchased the necklace from a trader on Tatooine.
That souvenir represented the death of millions of Alderaanians, which angered Leia. The trooper countered that he was just following orders as a soldier, and that he had nothing to do with the decision that obliterated their planet. He did attack her ship, but had no idea who was on the vessel at the time. Leia asked him to join the Rebellion, even though there was no promise that their dreams of a better galaxy might never come true.
Leia apologized, thinking that there was a man in the uniform. The soldier put his helmet back on and placed Leia under arrest. She heard the words, but all she could see for the moment was the rock hanging around his neck.
By this time, the Falcon had located the Imperial camp. The trooper brought Leia before Wessel. Now that he had what he wanted, he ordered the Yinchori elders to be disposed of. Stormtroopers opened fire on the captives right before the Millennium Falcon fired at the Imperial vehicle. The ship landed, and Leia made a break for it.
The trooper reached for his blaster, but his hand caught on the chain of his necklace, breaking it. He stared at the stone in his hand before deciding what was most important to him. He fired at Wessel, saving Leia. The soldier rushed after her and was shot by his fellow soldiers just as the ramp was closing. He tried to hold on, but it was too late. The Falcon departed, and all Leia was left with were her tears and the souvenir that served as a painful reminder of the many sacrifices that were made for their cause.
This was a very symbolic story. It was written by Randy Stradley, who would go on to co-found Dark Horse Comics. That company would publish several Star Wars titles after acquiring the publishing license in the 1990s. To date, this is Stradley's one and only story for Marvel. One interesting detail from this issue was that the Stormtrooper blasters were drawn as they appeared in the Kenner line of action figures, rather than in the Lucasfilm movies.
If you've been wondering what happened to Luke, Kiro, Plif, Rik Duel, and company, that's the topic for my next blog post. It will all be covered in my recap of the eighty-seventh issue of this series. The group arrives at another planet that was formerly occupied by the Empire. Although that threat may be over, another menace still exists, one that the natives had all but forgotten about. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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