This post contains a PREVIEW for Star Wars #47

The final chapter of Lando Calrissian’s Rebellion redemption is here, only to begin with a dark twist in the official Star Wars timeline. Someone is trying to kill Lando ahead of his trial, set between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, likely due to fears that the ruling will go in his favor. As such, it’s certainly an intriguing wrinkle in what will be a key stepping stone in Lando’s evolution from charismatic con-man to the charismatic Rebellion general he becomes in Return of the Jedi.

In the new preview for Marvel’s canonical Star Wars #47 by Charles Soule and Madibek Musabekov, Lando is asleep in his cell before his trial, having just rescued Mon Mothma in the previous issue from mercenaries who’d kidnapped the Rebellion leader (and only Lando knew where their safehouses were). Having returned willingly to the Rebellion and communicating his belief in the cause to Mothma, the odds certainly look to be in Lando’s favor before his sentencing. However, that may be why his cell starts filling with poison gas as seen in this new preview:

Had Lando’s lawyer and her droid not been on their way to check on Lando, Calrissian would have died before the events of the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy.

Someone Tried To Poison Lando Before His Trial

Who Wants Lando Dead?

As seen in the new preview, the gas was administered via an unassuming gonk droid, meaning that the assassination attempt was more than likely orchestrated by someone inside the Rebellion itself. To that end, there has only been one member of the Rebellion who has really shown true disdain and malice towards Lando during his trial proceedings: General Crix Madine. After all, Madine openly told Lando in previous issues that Calrissian would already be thrown out of an airlock if his fate was solely up to him.

Madine naturally feels like the most obvious suspect behind this assassination attempt. However, one would hope that the truth is more complex. One could also make the argument that the poisoning and convenient arrival of Lando’s lawyer could be part of a greater gambit played by Advocate Georgio herself, having already proven herself to be quite crafty in her attempts to gain her client better odds, especially seeing as how Lando pleaded guilty for his crime of selling Rebellion secrets to Jabba so save the life of his friend Lobot.

Lando’s Trial Will End With His True Redemption

Betraying the Rebellion To Becoming A General

In any event, the overall result is already known given Lando’s confirmed future as a Rebellion general. This means that the trial will indeed go in favor and his crimes will more than likely be pardoned by the Rebellion tribunal. However, that doesn’t mean that this new mystery along the way involving an attempted assassination of Lando is any less intriguing. After all, this new character arc between films has certainly added new insights and levels of depth to Lando’s overall character and evolution as a true hero of the Rebellion in the Star Wars canon.