The ongoing Star Wars comic is exploring the era right after the end of Return of the Jedi, but they just can’t help going back to the Clone Wars.
In the recent issues, written by Alex Segura, a New Republic ship crash-lands on Loradil, and they quickly discover that Separatist battle droids are still active on the planet. So Chancellor Mon Mothma sends a rescue mission, made up of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Valance, and Rynn Zenat. The heroes encounter the droids, and after meeting heavy resistance, Luke, Han, and Valance don clone trooper armor that they wear onto the battlefield.
This experience is surreal to them all, but perhaps especially to Luke, who thinks of his father, and Ben Kenobi, and Yoda, fighting these droids during the Clone Wars. As Luke fights them, he thinks to himself: “I leap into battle – lightsaber drawn – like I imagine many Jedi before me did. Like a Skywalker before me. But am I up to the task? Can I save my friends? Can I avoid the traps and temptations that got my father? I must.”
While it grows Luke’s admiration for the Jedi of old, facing wave after wave of these droids, Luke also more than proves himself in combat against the droids, the return of the Jedi to fight the last of the Separatists. And he continues to prove that he will not succumb to the errors of his father, descending to the dark side, even though he encounters similar situations – like facing waves of battle droids.
It makes for a fun story, and a fun nod to the prequel trilogy. This is a story that feels right out of the ‘action figure sandbox’ for Star Wars fans, imagining Luke Skywalker in action against all these battle droids, leading an attack on the battlefield just like we’ve seen so many other Jedi do during The Clone Wars. It is, admittedly, pretty awesome to see Luke in action like this, and it’s a pretty nostalgic moment as well. Beyond that, it’s great to see Luke and Han fighting together on the battlefield, on a shared mission, like the one here. So there is plenty to like, and Star Wars fans looking for a fun and entertaining moment won’t be disappointed.
With that said, it also feels a bit… strange? While it’s not surprising to know that there are still battle droid remnants in the galaxy two decades after the Clone Wars ended, this is also a story that feels a bit forced. Like there’s no better enemy that they could face off against than battle droids, which is an easy one to get fans excited. This kind of story has already been done before, in Rebels, where Kanan and Ezra and Rex face off against squads of battle droids in “the last battle” of the Clone Wars. But I suppose it wasn’t quite the last battle, because now Luke fights against squads of battle droids. It’s all fine, and entertaining enough, but it also feels more underwhelming than a moment like this should. It feels like this is a story that’s just pulling random nods from earlier eras of Star Wars, struggling to move forward with compelling new villains and resorting instead to more droids.
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