Star Wars #17 Review

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Who is the man invading Sunspot Prison?

Warning: This review contains spoilers for Star Wars #17.

Star Wars #17

Writer: Jason Aaron | Penciler: Leinil Francis Yu | Inker: Gerry Alanguilan | Colorist: Sunny Gho | Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos | Cover Artists: Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson

 The current arc of Star Wars has taken an interesting turn and altered expectations for the current story. What first appeared to be a simple raid on a Rebel prison by a bounty hunter now has deeper implications and repercussions for Princess Leia and the Rebel Alliance. In the meantime, Luke and Han are engaged in a mission with far less at stake. With two issues behind it, this arc both excels and disappoints with these two plot threads.

The issue opens with Princes Leia, Sana Starros, and other rebels standing over the remains of droids that had invaded Sunspot Prison. Unfortunately, the droids were only a distraction, and the individual, who at first appears to be a bounty hunter tracking down Dr. Aphra, behind the invasion claims to be in charge of the prison. When challenged, the invader claims to be at the prison to “help” Leia. He alleges that the prisoners are beyond salvation and unworthy of the Rebellion’s mercy. To demonstrate his sincerity, he has his droids begin firing into the prisoners’ cells. Leia accuses this man of murder, but in true vigilante style, he retorts that the true murderers have been killed and offers to read the list of their crimes.

Leia’s debate with the invader takes a turn for the worse. She boldly proclaims that she will not allow him to kill anymore prisoners. Surprisingly, he agrees. Then the other shoe drops: he states that she will kill them. To accomplish this, he opens the cells the remaining prisoners are in and turns out the lights. She has a choice, if she wants to live, she had better start killing the prisoners before they kill her.

This was an unexpected twist. The presumption had been that this invader was simply a bounty hunter that was going to attempt to storm Sunspot Prison, take Dr. Aphra by force, and then depart. However, while he still might be a bounty hunter, his method is craftier and refined more than most bounty hunters, save someone like Cad Bane, would employ. The droids present are IG-RM droids. These droids have become prominent in the Rebels television show, and they have also been seen in the Kanan comic book series. Their presence is another nice bit of continuity between the various Marvel comic series and the television show.

The action shifts to Luke and Han at Nar Shaddaa, the Smuggler’s Moon. The Smuggler’s Moon is not new to the Star Wars expanded universe. It has appeared in numerous games, comics, and books in the past. Most recently, it appeared in earlier issues Marvel’s current run of Star Wars. It was where Grakkus the Hutt had captured Luke Skywalker during his attempt to find a ride to Coruscant. Luke was forced to fight in Grakkus’s arena for sport. One can imagine that returning to Nar Shadda would be a little awkward for Luke. However, he appears to not notice or care that this moon bore witness to Grakkus outing him as a Jedi.

Luke, looking very much like a Jedi under a hooded robe, is tasked with finding a client for Han. He finds a potential client that is looking for a fast ship, and Aaron writes a scene that pays homage to a classic exchange from A New Hope. However, Luke doesn’t get as much of a fee as Han would have liked. Luke’s response shows some real development. He doesn’t whine. He doesn’t make excuses. He stands up for himself and reminds Han that he, and not Luke, is why they are in this predicament in the first place. Luke is a little testy, and who can blame him? Han’s carelessness and poor judgment got them into this mess in the first place.

However, Luke has a lot to learn when it comes to finding clients. The first lesson: make sure to ask the right questions. Han is not pleased with Luke’s cargo, and one can hardly blame him when livestock overrun the Millennium Falcon. While this is funny, much like Han and Luke’s escape after Han was caught cheating at Sabacc in the last issue, it also breaks the Star Wars style and method of humor. The best humor in Star Wars, especially during the original trilogy, had more to do with dialogue and less to do with situational comedy. That isn’t to say that Star Wars cannot break that mold, but this crosses the line a little.

The action returns to Sunspot Prison, and Leia soon finds herself fighting for her life. She subdues an attacker, and spares him. Sana advises that nobody would have blamed her if she had killed the prisoner. Leia responds that her actions are what separate her and the Rebellion from the Empire. Primarily, they don’t blow up planets and they don’t execute unarmed prisoners. Her attacker was one of several that had been rounded up. However, her cautious conduct is for naught. The sector the prisoners had been rounded up into is stripped of its sun shields, and the prisoners inside are exposed to the brutal sun the prison orbits.

The invader then makes some interesting statements. He acknowledges he is a murderer. He chastises Leia for thinking she is above these prisoners. Most interesting of all is his claim that Leia made him what he is. He drops a few clues. She allegedly sent him into the midst of the Imperials. This suggests he is some sort of operative or spy. While in the midst of the enemy, he saw what they truly were, and he learned what needed to be done. However, the clues end there.

The scene shifts back to Han and Luke aboard the Millennium Falcon. Their delivery of the livestock is not going well. The Empire is in pursuit and suspects they are transporting illegal livestock. The livestock turn out to be nerfs (as in “nerf herder” insult fame from The Empire Strikes Back). They have overrun the Millennium Falcom, and Han is not pleased in the least.

Dr. Aphra is resting in her cell on Sunspot Prison when a thug droid approaches and opens fire. There is a weak attempt at humor here and she asks the droid if he brought her dinner, and then quickly takes it back after it shoots at her. It is an old joke, and it doesn’t add much to this scene. Dr. Aphra is rescued from the droid by Leia and Sana. The Doctor’s confidence shines through after Leia and Sana recruit her to help retake the prison. She boldly claims she was going to get around to doing that herself. On the one hand, that statement could be written off as cocky bravado. On the other hand, her resourcefulness and expertise suggest she just might be capable of such a thing.

As with other recent stories set in the time period between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, the story focusing on Princess Leia is the better story. Much like in Vader Down, which contained a great story of Leia’s growth and change from a bitter Princess of Alderaan bent on getting revenge against Darth Vader into being a responsible Rebel leader with a vision, this story examines Leia’s commitment to justice and doing those things that separate her and the Rebellion from the Emperor and his Empire. She seems to have taken to heart what she learned in Vader Down. Not everything can or should be won at all costs. Her life and safety are not worth becoming the very thing she is fighting against. To wantonly execute the prisoners on Sunspot Prison, as Sana suggested, would make her no better than the Empire. Leia wants to fulfill her father’s dream for the galaxy and establish justice for all.

Han and Luke’s adventure is mildly frustrating. There is no denying that it is humorous, and there is nothing wrong with humor, or comedy for that matter. However, there is a finite amount of time to tell stories between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. One has to wonder if this story is the best use of that time. Smuggling nerfs in order to win back the Rebellion’s credits that Han squandered is not as inspiring of a story as one could have hoped for. In addition, it feels as if this story was done recently when Lando had the crew of the Ghost smuggle a puffer pig onto Lothal in Rebels. Fortunately, there are a few more issues left in this arc, and with the Empire now on their tail, Luke and Han’s adventure has a chance to turn into something more.

Favorite Panel:

This is Yu’s second issue as the penciler for Star Wars. The art for this arc is far different than what has come before it. His style is best suited to the scenes aboard the Sunspot Prison. His pencils along with Alanguilan’s inks, and Gho’s colors are spectacular in depicting the prison that is under the harsh glare of a nearby star. The style is also well suited for Leia’s confrontation with the prisoners in the dark. Despite Han and Luke’s story being my less favorite of the two story lines, I have picked a panel featuring Luke as this issue’s favorite. Luke is returning to the Millennium Falcon after negotiating the transport of the nerfs. He has the cloak of his hood up, and he looks like the Jedi he will become in Return of the Jedi. He has his setbacks, but Luke continues to grow and mature. This panel hints at what he can become.