Warning: contains a preview of Star Wars #15!
In a new preview for Marvel Comics’ Star Wars #15, Luke Skywalker joins a High Republic-inspired squadron of X-Wings as part of the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover event. Filling in for Shara Bey (the future mother of Poe Dameron), who’s currently trapped aboard a Star Destroyer in the days following The Empire Strikes Back, Luke and his fellow Rebels are determined to secure a win for the Alliance. As such, their latest mission sees them intervening in a large-scale Imperial ground assault, hoping to rescue as many of their fellow Rebels as they can.
In previous issues, the Starlight Squadron was formed in response to the Rebellion having been scattered into individual cells after the Battle of Hoth. With the Empire having cracked their transmission codes, making communication impossible, Starlight has been helping guide the Rebel fleet back together manually while also delivering new and improved codes thanks to the work of C-3PO and Lobot. Now, with Leia indisposed on the planet Jekara trying to rescue Han Solo from the reborn Crimson Dawn, Luke is filling in for Shara on Starlight’s latest mission to save another group of Rebels from the clutches of the Empire.
A Marvel Comics preview for Star Wars #15 from Charles Soule and Ramon Rosanas sees Starlight Squadron living up to their High Republic namesake; the shining station constructed on the frontier of the Outer Rim to guide starships home as a symbol of hope. After the devastation and heavy losses the Empire wrought in the Battle of Hoth, it’s clear that the Rebels could use a victory, and Luke is determined to help them get one before he heads to Jekara to help Leia and Lando save Han from Crimson Dawn’s auction of his carbonite-encased body. Enjoy the synopsis and preview pages for the upcoming issue:
LUKE SKYWALKER embarks upon an epic mission with WEDGE ANTILLES and the brave pilots of STARLIGHT SQUADRON to rescue a lost division of the REBEL FLEET. LEIA ORGANA, CHEWBACCA and LANDO CALRISSIAN attempt to save HAN SOLO from the evil clutches of BOBA FETT. But what hidden vision will the Force send to Luke about the troubles to come?
Star Wars has been setting up Luke’s impending Force vision for several issues, so it will be fascinating to see what dire warning for the future is on its way. War of the Bounty Hunters has suffered so far from fans knowing the Rebellion must fail in its initial effort to rescue Han, but the preview makes it clear that morale is at an all-time low, and with the failure to secure Han looming in the near future, Luke’s mission with the Starlight Squadron is likely to be crucial in keeping the Rebellion together.
Seeing Luke join a squadron of X-Wings dedicated to upholding the ideals of the High Republic is pretty epic, especially with the odds so stacked against them with a massive detachment of TIE Fighters having been sent to take them all out. Hopefully, Luke will be successful in rescuing this trapped Rebel division, as fans get to see more of his adventures as a pilot for the Rebellion, and the skirmishes and battles that led to the final defeat of the Empire in the wider Star Wars canon.
