New Issue of ‘Star Wars’ Comic Details Mysterious ‘Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘Rogue One’ Connection

The stand-alone film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story helped fill in an important piece of Star Wars lore by chronicling how the Rebel Alliance came into possession of the Death Star plans. The film’s title immediately caught the attention of devout fans, as The Empire Strikes Back featured a “Rogue Squadron” of snowspeeders on the planet Hoth. In Star Wars #52, fans learn how the moniker was adopted for the speeders.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Star Wars #52

In the spin-off film, a small group of Rebels go on a secret mission to Scarif that wasn’t approved by the rest of the Rebellion, resulting in Rook (Riz Ahmed) proclaiming their ship’s call sign as “Rogue One” when asked for identification.

Recent storylines in the official Star Wars comic book saw Luke, Leia, and Han visit Jedha to learn about the sacrifices made by the Rogue One squad. Luke had already proven himself as a hero in multiple situations, but hearing of Jyn Erso’s bravery during that mission, and knowing that she knew she was sacrificing herself for the greater good, stuck with the budding Jedi. Much of his thoughts focused on how he felt like he could never live up to such bravery as opposed to using Erso’s actions to inspire him.

The current arc of the series sees the Rebel Alliance under surprise assault from the Galactic Empire, with the Rebellion’s fleet seeing some serious casualties. After some quick thinking on the part of Han Solo, the Rebel pilots find a way to enter the fray, despite the dire situation.

With the Rebels being forced to form an unlikely squadron to communicate in battle, Luke is reminded of the sacrificial nature of Erso’s actions, taking a page from her playbook. When asked for a call sign, Luke proclaims, “Rogue Squadron.”

The events of this comic are moving closer to the events of The Empire Strikes Back, which likely means that however the current battle plays out, these Rebel pilots kept their “Rogue” call signs when embarking on missions on Hoth.

This is only the latest instance of the ways in which a number of Star Wars comics have helped elaborate and clarify various details or mysteries about the saga, making them must-reads for fans.

Star Wars #52 is on sale now.

What do you think about this connection between the comic and the films? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!