Hello there,
It's time for me to discuss the eighty-second issue of Marvel's first Star Wars series. The cover showed Luke Skywalker surrounded by numerous Iskalonians. The story was called "Diplomacy." The issue had a cover date of April 1984.
The tale began on Endor, not long after the Rebellion's victory over the Galactic Empire and the destruction of the second Death Star. Skywalker was engaged in lightsaber practice with several of the native Ewoks. He deftly evaded the projectiles that were thrown at him and had used the Force to suspend the charging Wicket in the air when Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, Admiral Ackbar, C-3PO, and a pair of Hoojibs arrived.
Luke let Wicket descend slowly to the ground before the real conversation began. Ackbar assigned Luke to travel to other planets to meet with rulers of those worlds to offer assistance and participation. The Hoojib Plif offered to join Skywalker on his journey. His X-Wing soon made the trip to Iskalon. It was a planet that Luke knew all too well, and he filled his comrade in briefly before spotting a ship on what remained of the pavilion.
Skywalker set his ship down and went to investigate. The craft he'd spotted looked familiar, but it wasn't until the Zeltron Dani made a lunge for him that his suspicion was confirmed. He greeted her, and the rest of the Moonshadow's crew, Rik Duel, and the Rodian named Chihdo. The trio had arrived on the planet after the Empire had bombed it and decided to plunder its valuables.
Plif and Luke disagreed with the mercenaries' motives and explained that they had arrived on a diplomatic mission. Meanwhile, a few Iskalonians were dropping food in the water to lure a large beast to the surface. The quintet continued to debate the morality of the actions of Rik and his crew until they saw the large Chiaki appear right behind Duel.
Luke acted swiftly and pushed Rik out of the way just before the beast charged. He informed Rik what the monster was, adding that it shared his views on the strong devouring the weak. Plif telepathically informed his comrade that the creature had been drawn to the surface after being baited, noting that the type of activity wasn't normal for its species.
Moments later, Luke felt the arrival of oncoming Iskalonians through the Force and kept his friends out of harm's way. He ignited his lightsaber to deflect the blasts from stingers, guns that were similar to standard blasters but were designed for short-range use underwater. The battle was halted by the words of Kiro, who arrived behind Luke and Plif.
Kiro greeted his friend and denounced the scavenging of the Moonshadow's crew. Luke replied that he'd just arrived and had no idea of their intentions until then. He added that he'd arrived on behalf of the Alliance of Free Planets to spread the word of the Empire's demise, to see if they needed aid, and to invite them to send a representative to their congress. Everyone was welcome to have an equal voice in the new interplanetary trade and government systems that the Alliance was attempting to establish.
The de facto leader, Mone, then made his presence known. He greeted Luke before saying that he spoke for his people and asked him and the other aliens with him. He did not want to join the outside world, mainly because they had seen what devastation it had wrought (as a result of the Empire's Iskalon effect).
Despite Luke's best efforts, Mone was determined to stay out of interplanetary affairs. He spoke of lessons learned in recent times, knowing that even though the Empire was gone, other threats from the outside world could permeate their ecosystem if they granted them entry.
Kiro was the lone voice of dissent. He volunteered to serve as Iskalon's representative, but Mone refused, explaining that it would not be what the school would want. He added that anyone who left there without the school's approval would not represent Iskalon. Mone then ordered the visitors to leave, after asking Luke to give Lando his regards, adding that his memories of more innocent days were helpful at times.
Luke turned and ordered Rik, Dani, and Chihdo to depart immediately. Skywalker was about to leave with Plif in his X-Wing when he heard Kiro's voice behind him. He was now wearing a traditional Iskalonian rebreather suit. He asked Luke if he had room in his ship for him. Unfortunately, he couldn't fit in the small fighter, but Luke advised Rik to let him travel in the Moonshadow. The ships left together, leaving Mone and his followers stunned by Kiro's decision, but knowing that he would be missed.
I found this story interesting, but the art, especially the inking, was rather inconsistent from one section to another. The overall art for the first four pages was great, and then the quality decreased until we saw Iskalon. I liked seeing the Iskalonians and Rik, Dani, and Chihdo again, though I would have preferred that the pirates meet up with Han and Chewie instead, since they were more similar in background. Kiro turned out to be a hero during his first few issues and would go on to play an important role later on in this series. We would of course see more of Rik and his crew, with a particular emphasis on Dani, which you'll see in future articles from me.
That's it for now. This storyline will resume after a couple of fillers, the first of which is the eighty-third issue of this title. Lando goes to another planet to assist an old friend. He soon learns that he may be fighting on the wrong side. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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