Crimson Dawn Infiltrates The Death Star II In 'Star Wars' #26
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WARNING: SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS #26
The latest arc of Charles Soule’s mainline Star Wars comic starts off with a bang. Literally. Following up on the arc where Leia Organa defeated Imperial Commander Zahra and saved the Rebel Alliance, this arc begins with a parade on Bar’leth for Imperial Unity Day. Consisting of numerous walkers and TIE fighters, the parade is broadcasted live to the galaxy as a display of the Empire’s size and strength. However, the parade is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of the Rebel fleet. Led by Luke Skywalker and the rest of Rogue Squadron, the Rebels strike fast and hard, wrecking the parade before the entire galaxy and then quickly jumping off into hyperspace. Needless to say, the attack is utterly humiliating for the Empire and puts a major crack in their propaganda machine, as they were trying to convince the galaxy that the rebels were destroyed during the Battle of Hoth. After the strike, the Rebels return to Home One to celebrate their victory, hoping that it will reignite the galaxy’s hope and inspire more people to fight back against the Empire.
Image Source: StarWars.com
Amidst the celebration, Luke informs Leia that he’ll be heading back out soon to continue his search for Jedi knowledge. He plans to use the mysterious book he received from the imprint of Elzar Mann in the Living Sea of Gazian. Leia then meets with Mon Mothma, Admiral Ackbar, Hera Syndulla, and Kes Dameron to discuss their next move. When the issue of low supplies is brought up, Leia reminds them of her deal with Lady Qi’ra, current leader of the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn. Leia says that Qi’ra has offered to help them with their supply chains and that Rebel agent Amilyn Holdo will keep an eye on Qi’ra to make sure she holds up her end of the agreement. Unknown to Leia though, Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn have far larger plans for the Rebellion and the Empire.
We then cut to an Imperial base headed by Moff Jerjerrod. Jerjerrod is being visited by Major Sharin of the Imperial Security Bureau for an inspection of the facility. One of Jerjerrod’s assistants, Jon Melton goes on to lay out the extreme measures they’ve taken to ensure the secrecy of their base. Still unimpressed, Sharin heads off to continue her inspection. Jon then returns to his quarters and receives a message on his datapad. Perspective shifts once more to an Imperial worker named Bevelyn. Once she and her team complete their work for the day, she returns to her own quarters to find Jon waiting for her.
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The two of them embrace and take a moment to get cleaned up before discussing the message Jon has received. Jon and Bevelyn are secretly working for Crimson Dawn and have been contacted by Qi’ra, codenamed “Auntie Q”. Afraid for the safety of themselves and their two children, the couple decides to abandon the Imperial base and meet back up with their employer. Sneaking aboard Major Sharin’s Imperial shuttle along with their children, Jon and Bevelyn knock out Sharin’s pilot and wait for her to return before taking her prisoner. As Bevelyn comforts her children and assures them everything is going to be okay, Jon flies the shuttle away from the base they’ve been stationed at, the Death Star II.
Image Source: CBR
Star Wars #26 sets up an intriguing premise for its next arc, introducing a family of Imperials secretly spying for Crimson Dawn while living on the second Death Star. This creates the possibility of Crimson Dawn and Qi’ra herself learning about the battle station’s existence and possibly even mounting an effort to destroy the super-weapon in pursuit of the crime syndicate’s ultimate goal: the assassination of Emperor Palpatine. We also get a strong return for the Rebel Alliance and a setup for their future efforts against the Empire, as well as a small tease for what awaits Luke in his long personal journey to become a Jedi. Could Crimson Dawn have even had a role in the Death Star II still not being fully operational by the beginning of Return of the Jedi? However this story ends up playing out, Emperor Palpatine had better hope his weapon is safe from Qi’ra’s pitiful little band.
Rating: 8/10
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