The Rebels each encounter unexpected difficulties and surprises in their missions to distract the Empire in Star Wars #70. And, Luke is going to rob a bank?
Warning: This review contains plot points for Star Wars #70.
Star Wars #70
Writer: Greg Pak | Artist: Phil Noto | Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles | Cover Artist: Phil Noto | Assistant Editor: Tom Groneman | Editor: Mark Paniccia
The Rebels continue their missions to distract the Empire in Star Wars #70. Things haven’t gone as planned with the surprise appearance of old flames, the suspicion of the Empire, and the reveal of a strange new alien species. However, Han, Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, and the droids continue to pursue their goals in Star Wars #70.
Luke and Warba
At the conclusion of his story in Star Wars #69, Luke comes to the aid of a card player, Warba, that exhibited skills with the Force. He went so far as to help her escape from angry cantina patrons. Now, Luke wants her to teach him what she knows of the ways of the Force, but Warba isn’t so convinced this is a good idea.
During their discussion, Warba snatched Luke’s lightsaber from his belt with the Force. Without hesitation, Luke calls it right back to him. This is an interesting moment that robs his moment in the wampa’s cave from The Empire Strikes Back of some of its importance. It was a struggle for him to call the lightsaber then. Luke had to center himself and through great effort amidst imminent peril, he summoned the saber to him just in the nick of time. In Star Wars #70, he simply snatches it back from Warba without a second thought. In the end, it is a small detail that many readers might simply overlook, but it robs Luke’s voyage and training with Yoda in the Force in The Empire Strikes Back of a little something.
Warba later teases Luke in Star Wars #70 about his desire to become a Jedi. She is distrustful of anyone that claims to be a Jedi, whether they actually are or not. She tells Luke, “The Force is dangerous.” Everyone who uses or used it ends up dead. She offers to act as a middleman for Luke and sell the lightsaber. The profits would be enough to get her off world and for him to set up a moisture farm. She thereby reveals she can tell what kind of past he had. Luke counters with an insistence that she teach him about the Force. When she asks why, he says he needs to stop the Empire because he has seen what they do. Warba is incredulous. She practically laughs at him and responds, “Just you and your laser sword against the whole Empire?” This would be a sentiment that Luke echoes much later to Rey in The Last Jedi.
Warba’s interaction with Luke in Star Wars #70 suggests she knows something about the Force, but perhaps not as much as she claims. She is clearly afraid of the extent of her and Luke’s potential. Luke pleads with her for help, and she finally relents, but with a twist. She could teach Luke to focus, but that would take weeks that they don’t have. So, instead, they are going to rob a bank. Warba seems a little like another version of Doctor Aphra. Her attitude and fluid morality make her appear like an ideal pair for the infamous archaeologist.
Not the Newlyweds
While Luke is working with Warba on Sergia, Leia and Han continue with their mission on Lanz Carpo. Dar Champion set them up with a honeymoon suite at the Carpo Grand Regent Hotel. Leia and Han adopt the roles of honeymooners in Star Wars #70 in the hopes of using the cover to get to a communications device so they might transmit phony communications to the Rebellion that would doom the local criminal mastermind, Boss Carpo. Unknown to them, Dar followed them, and just as in Star Wars #69, he later thwarted another attempt by gangsters to stop them. The big twist comes when he turns his guns on Han and Leia. Although he doesn’t object to them fighting crime on Lanz Carpo, he does object to their methods. Dar reasons that if they are successful, then Imperial rule would come to Lanz Carpo, and that is no better.
The developments with Dar Champion in Star Wars #70 are surprising on one hand and predictable on another. Once it was revealed that Dar was an old flame of Leia’s, it seemed natural that Han would get jealous. However, other than some minor bickering in Star Wars #69, Dar’s previous relationship with Leia has been a non-issue in this story arc. That is surprising. The Star Wars title has invested plenty of issues and time in Han and Leia bantering, competing, and insulting each other. This seems like a natural spot for that. Yet, Dar is hardly an issue between the two at this point.
What is not surprising is the reveal that Dar has been the shadowy figure following Han and Leia over the last two issues of Star Wars. Nor is it surprising that he would turn on Han and Leia. In the last issue, they openly wondered if they could trust him. It turns out that they could not.
The Universal Translator
The last part of Star Wars #70 features Threepio and Chewbacca as the pair continues to figure out what is to be done with the bombs they planted on K43. The planet was previously believed uninhabited and became the site of an imprudent trap for the Empire. Then Chewbacca and Threepio discovered sentient, non-organic life, and their plans changed. Their mission of sabotage became one of mercy, and they must disarm the bombs they left behind. Unfortunately, the rock beings don’t understand them, and Threepio has great difficulty translating their communications. In the end, the rock beings open a fissure in the ground and put Threepio inside, leaving Chewbacca to deal with the bombs on his own.
To compound their problems, the Empire’s fleet has arrived in orbit of K43. Admiral Ozzel senses a trap. The big reveal in the issue comes when Darth Vader reveals himself and claims they will use this trap to their advantage.
Threepio and Chewbacca’s storyline is the hardest of the three to figure out. Clearly, the rock beings have something in mind for Threepio, but there is no translation of what they are saying. This is in contrast to Threepio’s conversations with Chewbacca. Typically, Threepio’s responses reveal the essence of what Chewbacca says. So, there are plenty of surprises in store for these two.
Final Thoughts on Star Wars #70
The current story arc has a little bit of everything. There is the simmering romance between Han and Leia. Luke is learning more about the Force, but his story ends on a cliffhanger about a bank robbery. Finally, there is the very unusual story of Threepio and Chewbacca and the rock beings of K43. In some ways, the rock beings seem like a similar twist to the monsters that hatched in Poe Dameron #3. They simply aren’t what is expected in a Star Wars story. Although entertaining, this story, as with many of the stories in Star Wars, aren’t exactly what one might expect from Leia, Han, and Luke. Their missions against the Empire are very targeted. For instance, in the previous story arc, they ran an elaborate mission to Shu-Torun to destroy the Empire’s industrial capabilities. However, they didn’t take the fleet. They weren’t supported by Rebel soldiers. Granted, the Rebellion is in hiding from the Empire after their victory at Yavin IV, but it would seem that they would try to press their advantage with larger, targeted attacks.
Regardless, Star Wars #70 is an entertaining read. Luke’s interactions with Leia seem like they might have the biggest payoff. But, who would have thought would use the Force to rob a bank?
Dennis Keithly is a graduate of the University of Missouri, North Texas attorney, husband, father of two, and co-host of Starships, Sabers, and Scoundrels. In addition to Star Wars, Dennis is a fan of science fiction, fantasy, and super heroes in general. When not engaged in fictional universes, Dennis is reading a good book or watching the NHL, football, or studying the NFL draft.