Luke Skywalker Investigates a Mysterious Star Wars Threat After Return of the Jedi (Exclusive)

The post-Return of the Jedi landscape for Star Wars just got a lot murkier. Thankfully, Luke Skywalker is on the job. This week saw the relaunch of Star Wars, with Marvel moving the story of a galaxy far, far away forward by having it take place during the New Republic era, right after the events of Return of the Jedi. Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo are our central characters, and each hero is involved in an individual storyline that will most likely collide at some point. Luke’s story, in particular, features space pirates who are interfering with New Republic affairs. Star Wars fans can get a look at what the next issue has to offer.

ComicBook has the exclusive first look at Star Wars #2 by Alex Segura, Phil Noto, and VC’s Clayton Cowles. It begins with Luke Skywalker on a snowy planet, zipping his coat up as he stands outside his X-Wing fighter. The next page brings in Leia Organa, who is wrapped up in political backstabbing after the New Republic is ousted from a galactic summit. Leia and Mon Mothma have a conversation while a New Republic ship is attacked at the edge of the Fenril sector. Leia met with the leaders of Pirrosi to try and persuade them to join the New Republic, but her efforts didn’t go so well, and this looks like retaliation.

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Finally, Luke’s journey takes him to a dive bar filled with pirates. Naturally, things escalate into a fight. He takes on the pirates with his green lightsaber, effortlessly holding his own.

“ACTION AND ADVENTURE CONTINUES IN THE POST-RETURN OF THE JEDI ERA!” the description of Star Wars #2 reads. “What secret did the NAGAI PILOT tell LUKE SKYWALKER? What is the CROWN OF VERITY? What tragedy awaits Luke on the winter planet of GADRILIM?”

ComicBook spoke to Alex Segura about helming Marvel’s new Star Wars series. We asked what challenges and roadblocks the New Republic will run into.

“I think you’ll see the core three – Luke, Leia, and Han – grappling with different responsibilities and goals,” Segura said. “Like you said, Luke is eager to rebuild the Jedi Order – but how does he get there? What happens to spur him on? Leia is trying to govern during an unstable and volatile time, while Han is trying to find his place in it all. It’s a potent mix, and that’s where we find them as a new player appears on the universal stage. Instead of the New Republic getting a breather after finally defeating the Empire, we’ll see a new, unexpected threat rise up to challenge what the Republic stands for, calling their entire being into question. At the same time, we explore some of the underworld unrest left in Return of the Jedi‘s wake, with some fun cameos and a few interesting surprises.”

He continued, “I think one of the themes of these early issues is really – it never gets easier. The heroes have seen the Empire fall, Vader and the Emperor are dead – but now the work begins, right? You have to govern, you have to rebuild your identity, you have to decide what it’s like to be a diplomat vs a smuggler… And a lot of this soul-searching and introspection is happening while part of the New Republic itself decides, ‘hey, what is the benefit of being a part of this?’ It creates problems from the drop, but as the heroes explore the ‘why’ of it, they uncover something much darker. Each issue will very much be a standalone, and almost explore a genre unto itself – we’ve got a very “western”-style story, a murder mystery, a heist – but when read together, you’ll see the bigger mystery shape up and hopefully pay off after the first arc.”

Star Wars #2 goes on sale Wednesday, June 11th. Let us know your thoughts on the first look in the comments below.