Good afternoon,
Today's focus is the ninety-second issue of Marvel's first Star Wars title. The cover box had Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker in the familiar poses used for The Empire Strikes Back promotional materials, and an image of Luke going against Darth Vader. The story was named "The Dream." The issue had a publication date of February 1985.
The tale began with Luke facing off against the Dark Lord of the Sith. He knew that Vader was actually his father, but still panicked when his opponent moved to remove his helmet. Then Luke woke up. He'd been having a dream in his quarters on the forest moon of Endor.
He was comforted by his faithful companions, R2-D2 and C-3PO. They had arrived to inform him of a meeting that was being held for Alliance leaders. Admiral Ackbar led the conversation and discussed the recent missions that several of his colleagues had recently returned from. Leia, Han, and Chewie had encountered slavers on Herdessa and Kashyyyk, respectively. There were also Imperial remnants that still existed on other worlds.
Luke had been responsible for training some of the new Alliance members, and he reported that things had been going well. However, Leia noticed her brother's distractedness. After the meeting, she asked her brother what was bothering him. He explained the recurring dreams that he'd been having. He hadn't told anyone else about them, because he didn't want to reveal the truth about their parentage.
Skywalker continued to train new recruits like Barney, Rik Duel, Dani, Chihdo, and Kiro. He was reluctant to train anyone in the ways of the Force just yet, because he felt that he wasn't ready quite yet, and he feared the consequences if something went wrong. When asked about his own learning, he replied that he'd had a very good teacher who had since passed on.
He had the same dream again that night. When he awoke, he remembered that his father was closer to revealing his face behind the mask. Luke ran to find his colleagues after an alarm went off at the base. A small ship had entered Endor's atmosphere and had not identified itself. Rebel defenses were readied, but Luke asked to let it land, after reaching out through the Force to ascertain its occupants' intentions.
A short while later, its only passenger disembarked. He identified himself as Prince Denin of Naldar, a planet that had been taken over by the Empire. He hoped that he'd arrived in the company of members of the Rebel Alliance. When Luke introduced himself, Denin insisted that he was the one he'd been looking for, and that Skywalker had to teach him the ways of the Force.
Luke agreed to help, but added that he would not train him. Denin was adamant, and Leia helped him plead his case to Alliance leadership. Meanwhile, Barney, Han, Luke, and Leia waited. Barney thought about how Denin's plight was similar to his own. He brought up a hologram of himself, his former friend Flint, and his mother. When Flint's mother died after an Imperial attack (shown in the third Star Wars annual) on their home planet of Belderone, Flint joined the Empire. Barney wondered what had happened to the boy he'd known since they were children.
A short while later, Luke caught up with Denin. He reported that Ackbar had no fighter squadrons to send, but that he'd promised to send a team with him back to Naldar to assist. The group would depart in the Millennium Falcon the next morning.
Luke later spoke to Yoda in his dreams. The wise old Jedi Master questioned why Luke had brought him there. Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared later on, trying to explain to his former pupil that Yoda was trying to stress that his teachers were there because Luke wanted to help them learn something. Luke started to understand, just as Vader's hand was placed on his shoulder.
Skywalker turned to face Darth once more. This time, he wasn't afraid. His father, Anakin Skywalker, complimented him and asked his son if he now recognized the figure before him. The image shimmered and turned into the metallic armor worn by someone else. He knew that he had to save this person, but the dream ended before he could remove their helmet.
He woke in the Falcon, which was just about to land on Naldar. Han and Chewie were piloting the ship, and he, Leia, Artoo, Threepio, Barney, Denin, and Lando Calrissian comprised the crew. Many of the buildings looked heavily damaged. Denin and Luke took to the ship's gun turrets right before incoming TIE fighters entered the Falcon's airspace.
Han was forced to crash-land his pride and joy. No one was hurt, but there were several circuits that needed to be replaced. Leia and the droids went out in search of those components. Before long, the trio found a computer terminal. Artoo plugged in immediately. He located the circuits they needed and learned some interesting facts about the planet's history.
Meanwhile, Denin, Luke, and Lando walked through the mostly deserted city streets around them. Denin soon found one of his citizens, who spoke to him with his last dying breaths. Denin had little time to mourn his comrade Foss, because Luke pushed his friends down just before lasers started firing. They looked up and quickly returned fire against the Imperial Stormtroopers in their midst. Denin fought well, but was saddened by his first kill in battle.
Artoo, Threepio, and Leia rushed back to the Falcon. Chewie and Barney were making repairs and used the circuits that Threepio provided. Leia hurriedly told Han that two years before, while defending the city against Imperial forces, Prince Denin died in battle.
Lando, Luke, and Denin soon found themselves surrounded and were introduced to the troop leader, who was someone that Luke recognized from his dreams. The figure was none other than Barney's childhood friend, Flint. He was now in command and ordered his subordinates to eliminate the Rebel threat.
Luke knew he had to face Flint alone. Lando and Denin retreated to the Falcon, with the Stormtroopers close behind. Once inside, Leia confronted Denin. The person who said they were Denin admitted that they were actually Princess Vila. She'd assumed her brother's identity since his passing. Lando was more concerned about Luke's fate than this masquerade.
Flint had been trained in the Dark Side of the Force. He'd wanted someone to teach him in the ways of the Force, initially hoping that teacher would be Luke. He didn't know the truth about Luke and his father. When Luke tried to explain the truth, including how Vader had turned good at the end, Flint called those assertions lies and began their battle.
The two Force users were rather evenly matched. Luke didn't want to fight and still tried to explain what had happened to his father. A stray Stormtrooper fired at Skywalker, clipping his arm right before his friends arrived. While Chewie and Lando tended to Luke's wound, Barney approached Flint.
He talked about the Alliance's efforts and asked his buddy to make a choice. When Flint failed to kill Barney, the Stormtrooper called his leader a traitor. He was about to shoot his commander when Vila intervened. She picked up the saber that had fallen and struck, right as the blaster bolt went off against her chest. Both forms dropped to the ground.
Vila slumped in Luke's arms. Leia quickly explained, and Luke replied that he was proud of Vlia, adding that she would be a fine Jedi Knight. Flint's last official act for the Empire was destroying his base. The last words spoken to Vila were that it's all right.
She then found herself somewhere else, reunited with her long-lost brother Denin. Vila was overjoyed to see him. He'd been waiting for her, as was her teacher, who could finally begin their training. The teacher was a small, green alien, who regular Star Wars fans had seen earlier in this issue.
To me, this was one of the best issues in the last years of this title's run. I enjoyed the story and Jan Duursema's artwork. I understood Luke's reluctance to become a trainer, especially since he still had much to learn himself. The only thing that I felt was left dangling was Flint's fate. We never heard from him again after the events in this double-sized story. I also don't know the name of the lizard man whom Luke was training back on Endor, but that's a very minor detail.
Well, that's all I have for now. Next time, I'll recap the ninety-third issue of this series. "Our pal" Sal Buscema joins Tom Palmer and Jo Duffy to craft a yarn that involves Luke, Han, and Leia's journey to another world, where they try to figure out which of the two opposing sides is really which. It's a fun story that's well-worth reading. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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