Star Wars #17 - High concept and High jinks

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There are two distinct stories in this arc. The first has Leia, accompanied by smuggler Sana Starros, dropping vader's sidekick, the recently captured Dr Aphra, off at Sunspot Prison, the Rebellion's most secret pentientiary, where she can be kept until trial. And then there's a rather unusual prison break.... kinda

The second has Luke and Han going on what SHOULD have been a simple supplies run, but Han gambles and loses the money they were going to use to buy everything, leaving them flat broke in a dodgy neighbourhood.




Leia discovers that the instigator of the assault on the jail has no intention of actually freeing anyone... quite the reverse, in fact. He or she (or other... they're in full body armour, so we have no idea as to what their species or gender might be) has an army of IG-RM droids (usually used as thugs and enforcers) and intends to kill every single criminal there, immediately and summararily.

Leia objects to this on principle, she's leading the Rebellion to prevent such a high handed approach to justice. She believes that each of these criminals is already serving a just sentence (or is awaiting trial) and that should not be interfered with.




Now Sunspot Prison is not where they keep the speed limit breakers or the pickpockets, these are amongst the worst the Empire has ever unleashed, which as you might imagine is a very high bar. One charmer delights in the name "The Depopulator", so-called because the Empire used to drop him into the middle of enemy settlements, and he would leave nothing in his wake but bodies.

Leia is significant levels of badass in this. It would be easy to let these criminals be killed to save herself, and Sana is all for it (She's a smuggler and much more of an ethical pragmatist) even suggetsing that if Leia has issues because they're unarmed, then give them a blaster and she'll shoot them herself.

At the same time, it's hard to comepletely disagree with the person running the scheme who has clearly seen too much of what the Empire has done to be able to let things go at a prison sentence, even if their methods are morally pretty reprehensible. They know what they are doing is wrong, and makes them a murderer, but also we find out that they blame Leia for putting them in the situation where the saw too much.

Of course, with an army of droids ranged against them, Leia and Sana know of one inmate who might be of more use to them than most... someone whose speciality is killer droids. Hello Dr Aphra!

A deeply ethical Princess, an ethically nebulous smuggler and a completely self-serving weapons archaeologist versus someone who just wants to kill every criminal Imperial they can despite knowing this makes them a murdererl themselves..

This is not going to end prettily, but it should be fascinating.



Meanwhile, on the smugglers moon known as Naa Shaddaa, a shady looking Twi'lek approaches a cowled figure. The Twi'lek is looking for a pilot with a fast ship, no questions asked. The cowled figures says that that's fine, as long as there are no questions in return. The Twi'lek is not overly impressed by the ship in question, but is assured that it completed the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs.




Things are not improved by a swarm of TIE Fighters coming their way. The Empire taxes livestock at excutiating levels, but there are Rimworlds which need the mild of Nerfs to survive... I suspect shenanigans will ensue.

And I'm including the full size cover by Terry and Rachel Dodson because well, look at these two....

Comments

[silverhammerman]

I remember how the old EU used to be mocked for excesses like the "Corellian blood stripe" AKA the origin story for Han Solo's pants. Now the supposedly classier and cleaner new EU just gave us an origin story for Leia's one off nerf herder insult. Nothing has changed.

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I don't think it's an explanation for the insult, which sounds like standard Leia snark, it sort of provides a somewhat amusing explanation as to why Han never denied the "Nerf herder" part of the insult. (It's possible Leia will never find out about this particular caper)

And given that they've said that there is a complex explanation for Threepio having a red arm so I have no real problem with this.

Though I say that as the sort of person who loves the fan retcon notion that when Yoda says "No, there is another" in Empire, he was never talking about Leia, but possible Kanan or Ezra from Rebels (I'd say Ahsoka, but I'm not THAT optimistic))