Star Wars Annual #2 Review

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Leia recruits reluctant assistance to escape with information vital to the Rebellion in Star Wars Annual #2.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Star Wars Annual #2.

Star Wars Annual #2

Writer: Kelly Thompson | Artist: Emilio Laiso | Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg | Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna | Cover: Mike Mayhew | Assistant Editor: Heather Antos | Editor: Jordan D. White

Princess Down

When Princess Leia Organa finds herself injured during a mission on the planet Skorii-Lei, an unlikely person comes to her aid. Pash Davane rescued and hid the Princess while she recovered. What makes the rescue somewhat unlikely is that Pash takes no side in the war. In fact, she blames both sides for the destruction wrought on her planet. Faced with an Imperial presence on Skorii-Lei, Bash makes a critical decision, one that forces her into choosing sides.

The Reluctant Hero

Pash is built like a truck. Her muscles are huge, and her physical prowess earned her the nickname “Bash.” She discovered the injured Leia. Although she takes no side in the war, she knows that if Leia is found or dies, then it will mean worse things for her world. She is similar to Han Solo in that she doesn’t want to join up with the Rebellion. However, her better nature or perhaps her conscience gets the best of her later in the issue.

The Escape

Leia eventually recovers. After attempting to knock Pash out, the two come to a truce. Then Pash shares some information she learned. The Empire is looking for her. That is not surprising, but their efforts intensified when they brought in bounty hunters. Leia has a way off world, but she needs to get there. Pash agrees to help her get to her rendezvous point.

Leia tells Pash she has a limited time to get to meet her ship. The pair don disguises, which are ineffective, and begin the journey. Unfortunately, they are quickly discovered and the Empire pursues them through the city and then through the water. As an aside, given that Luke, Han, and Chewbacca await Leia’s arrival, it is unlikely they would have left her behind.

Leia’s Confession

During their escape, Leia and Pash pause for a momentary respite. Leia’s injury opened again. As Pash tends to the wound, Leia asks her why she doesn’t like her. Forced by Leia’s insistence, Pash admits that the answer is Alderaan. This leads to brutal honesty from Leia. Pash mistakes Leia’s calm demeanor for indifference. Leia explains that isn’t the case. All that Leia can do is make Alderaan’s sacrifice mean something. Furthermore, she states that war makes a monster of everyone involved. However, she would rather be a monster that believed in something than a gifted individual that did nothing. This means, that if she had to do it all over again, she would make the same choices that lead to Alderaan’s destruction if it meant better things for the galaxy. That is brutal introspection.

Leia’s Mission

The reader never learns what Leia’s mission was exactly. Leia makes an impassioned plea to Pash during their escape to deliver whatever she is carrying to Han, Luke, and Leia. After that, she hands what appears to be a note to Pash. However, Leia never reveals what the note contains. Indeed, the issue ends without the contents of the note ever being revealed.

It is not unusual for this to happen. Three things are usually important in a Star Wars comic. In no particular order, they are character growth and analysis, larger ongoing plot devices, and old fashioned, Star Wars adventure. Consequently, missions frequently make use of McGuffins. For instance, the recently completed Han Solo series employed a network of spies to send Han Solo on an adventure. His stated goal was to rescue the spies. However, the mission came second to the story of Han Solo analyzing his motivations and the adventure of competing in the Dragon Void Run.

Similarly, it is not important what information Leia was carrying. What this issue achieved was Leia’s confession and Pash’s character exploration. Granted, this is an annual. Last year’s annual established an important character and event subsequently seen in issues of Star Wars.

Pash Chooses Sides

Pash didn’t care for the war. Before the war came to her planet, she was an underwater engineer. Then Empire and the Rebellion combined to ruin everything. Therefore, she stays on the sidelines. During her time with Leia, she comes to see the Rebellion as a living thing. In addition, she recognizes that Leia provides hope. That too is a living thing. Hope had been in short supply in Pash’s life. She sees the hope that exists between Leia and Han, Luke, and Chewbacca. And, she wants in. By the end of the annual, she joins the Rebellion.

Conclusion

The annual was a fine story. The best part was Leia’s introspection on why she does what she does. The next best thing was Pash’s observations about Leia, the Rebellion, and hope. At the moment, this issue does not appear to have any consequences for the larger story in Star Wars. However, that can change in the upcoming year much the way last year’s annual played a part in subsequent issues. This issue likely could have been pulled off in fewer than thirty pages. Pash and the data Leia recovered are things to keep in mind during the upcoming year.

Favorite Panel of Star Wars Annual #2

The art in this annual was up to the task of telling a Star Wars story. However, I made my choice for favorite panel of Star Wars Annual #2 based on storytelling reasons. During Leia’s confession, she admits that she sees herself as a monster because she knows she would make all the same choices again, even if it meant Alderaan would meet its demise as a result. She takes a moment in the middle of her confession. In that moment, the panel focuses tightly on her eye as a tear rolls down her cheek. It was incredibly touching and moving. That is the favorite panel for Star Wars Annual #2.