Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars #49
Summary
Luke Skywalker’syellow lightsaber era may be one of his best following his latest Jedi feat in theStar Warsgalaxy. Following the loss of his father’s lightsaber inThe Empire Strikes Back, Luke found a yellow-bladed lightsaber he wielded in the interim before constructing his classic green saber just before the events ofReturn of the Jedi. To that end, one ofLuke’s last battles with the yellow lightsaberis certainly one of the coolest things he’s ever done.
InStar Wars #49by Charles Soule and Jethro Morales, Luke Skywalker is helping Leia find theRebellion’s missing “Survivor Fleet”, a group of Alderaanian refugees hiding from the Empire’s wrath. However, this proves to be a trap set by Leia’s old rival Zahra, a former Imperial commander and protege of Grand Moff Tarkin’s now leading a band of raiders. Knowing the abilities of the Jedi,Zahra initially orders Luke’s escape pod to be held in space after they blew up the cruiser the young Jedi had been on, only for Luke to find his way on board using his lightsaber and the Force:
To Zahra’s shock, Luke Skywalker cuts his way out of the escape pod using his yellow lightsaber before using the Force to propel him into the ship’s hangar. As such,it truly is one of the most impressive things the Jedi Knight has ever done in theStar Warscanon(while also likely inspiring Leia’s similar move years later inThe Last Jedi).
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Luke’s Escape Pod Breakout Was Just The Beginning
Taking On An Entire Ship Of Raiders and Commander Zahra
It’s also worth noting that getting on the raiders' ship was only the beginning for Luke in this new issue. Needing to prevent the ship from jumping to lightspeed before the Rebellion can arrive to provide backup, Skywalker takes on the entire band of raiders single-handedly. As a result,Luke is seen leaping through the air and deflecting blaster bolts as well as any well-trained Jedi Knight during the prequel erabefore the Jedi Order was wiped out by the Empire.
Luke Skywalker also duels Zharadirectly by the issue’s end.Putting his full Jedi training during this era to good use, Luke evades each of the former Imperial’s strikes with fluid movements before cutting Zahra’s vibroblade in two. Likewise, Zahra’s defeat perfectly coincided with the Rebel fleet arriving to provide support, prompting the remaining raiders to flee and leave their “commander” behind.
Luke’s Yellow Lightsaber Era Is About To End
Return of the Jedi and Luke’s Classic Green Lightsaber
After this new issue,Star Wars #50andDarth Vader #50are the only issues left before Marvel Comics leaves this chapter of theStar Warstimeline behind before releasing new comics set after the events ofReturn of the Jedi.Keeping that in mind,Star Wars #49truly is a great way to begin “sunsetting” Luke’s yellow lightsaber era. It’s certainly been an exciting period that’s answered much about what Luke Skywalker’s ongoing Jedi training was like between Episodes V-VI.
Star Wars #49is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Luke Skywalker
The son of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, Luke was brought up on the desert planet Tatooine. Initially mentored by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke fired the fateful shot that destroyed the Death Star, and he became a rebel hero. Despite the fears of Obi-Wan and Yoda, Luke’s faith in his father was proved well-founded when Vader returned to the light. With the Emperor defeated, Luke dedicated himself to bringing back the Jedi; his first attempt ended in tragedy due to Palpatine’s manipulations, but Luke’s legacy lives on in Rey.
