How A Force-Sensitive Droid Saved The Galaxy
While many fans know the Star Wars movies by heart, plenty of minor details, side quests, and other supplemental parts of the story show up only in comics or books. These aspects are used to enrich the canonical core films, with varying results. While many have been placed into the Legends category, signifying their exclusion from canon while still stocking comic book store shelves, the High Republic line of comics seeks to show the Jedi at their canonical peak. However, here we will be discussing a Legends comic (that itself was considered non-canon even back then) that tells the tale of an unsung hero of the Rebellion and how a bad motivator saved the galaxy and set Luke Skywalker on the path to Jedi Knight.
Prior to the Disney purchase and Marvel once again taking the reigns of Star Wars comics, Dark Horse churned out their fair share of Star Wars titles. Many of them focused on the Republic and the Clone Wars, to the enjoyment of prequel fans everywhere. Prior to the release of The Phantom Menace in 1999, Star Wars enjoyed an uptick in popularity, due to advance marketing for the first of the prequel films. The original films were rereleased in Special Editions, with changes to A New Hope including the inclusion of Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett in a brief scene, as well as Han's blaster shot at Greedo being changed into a retaliatory strike instead of in self-defense. As surely as Han shot first, Dark Horse Comics was right alongside these new releases, churning out comics that offered new perspectives on the original trilogy. One of the oddest stories to be included in 1999's Star Wars Tales #1 was the story of a Force-sensitive droid named Skippy.
The story of Skippy begins in the throne room of Jabba's Palace, with the droid, designation R5-D4, serving drinks to the Hutt crime lord. R5 is all too familiar with the punishment for droids who anger the mighty Jabba and is horrified when the Hutt's drink is knocked from his tray. Fearing disintegration, Skippy is able to right the glass, keeping the contents safe and return the upset beverage to it's rightful owner who promptly guzzles it down with even a thank you to the unique astromech. Putting his new found abilities to good use, R5 reaches out with his mind and uses the Force to pop his restraining bolt and convince the Gamorrean guards that he's allowed to leave the palace. The semantics on how exactly a droid is able to wield the Force and what exactly classifies as a droid "reaching out with his mind and feelings" is heavily left up to the reader in this tale but it is an enjoyable story, if a bit out there.
As Skippy traverses the Dune Sea, even the Force can't keep him safe from diminutive, robe-wearing junk traders. Soon R5 is acquired by the Jawas in a similar manner as R2-D2, and in fact meets his blue counterpart onboard the Sand Crawler. As the two astromechs, protocol droid C-3PO, and a smattering of other droids and assorted spare parts are brought to the Lars homestead to sell, Skippy is visited by visions of Darth Vader, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker. R5-D4 is ecstatic to be selected by Luke's uncle Owen. Sensing the power of the Force within young Skywalker, R5 imagines the adventure that awaits them. Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and his faithful astromech companion, Skippy.
However, as Skippy rolls toward his new homestead he sees visions of the Death Star plans inside R2 being captured by Imperial forces, the Death Star obliterating not only Alderaan but other Rebel-sympathizing worlds like Mon Cala, Princess Leia executed for treason, and Luke becoming an old moisture farmer, wasting away in the desert and never reaching his true potential. Skippy knows that these things can not come to pass and so, for the good of the galaxy, Skippy uses the Force to detonate his motivator. R2, Death Star plans in tow, is instead sold to Luke, and the rest is cinema history.
While Luke's uncle instead purchases R2-D2 from the Jawas and the story of the Rebellion unfolds over the next few movies, Skippy is blasted apart by stormtroopers just a few days later in the raid that claims the lives of the entire Jawa group. This little unsung hero, while unappreciated in his time, used his gifts to sacrifice himself for the galaxy and will live on in the hearts and minds of Dark Horse Star Wars comic book fans forever.