How Tarkin's Protégé Almost Crushed The Rebellion
Charles Soule's current Star Wars comic run has been doing an excellent job of bridging the gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Each issue has expanded upon the stories, characters and world building of Star Wars in ways not seen in any previous comic series. While Kieron Gillen's own run on the mainline Star Wars comic wasn't without its flaws, it still managed to flesh out Luke, Leia, Han and Darth Vader and give even more depth to their personal journeys and struggles leading up to the Battle of Hoth.
Charles Soule's run on the series has been doing similar things for the characters we follow after the encounter on Cloud City. Each issue has been focusing on different lingering plot threads, such as Luke's Jedi training, Leia's leadership of the Rebellion, Lando's shifting loyalties and Chewbacca's longing for Han. But one of the comic's most compelling stories is that of its main antagonist; Imperial Commander Ellian Zahra.
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A top student of the Imperial Academy, Zahra soon became an apprentice of none other than Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. After killing her fellow students, she became Tarkin's only protégé and served the Empire alongside him prior to the Galactic Civil War. However, Zahra would be demoted by Tarkin after failing to kill a warlord named Burnium Ro. Following this, Zahra left the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin in order to complete her mission and regain her mentor's favor. However, upon her departure, the Death Star exploded behind her, killing Tarkin and leaving Zahra with a need to avenge his death at the hands of the Rebel Alliance.
Following the skirmish on Bespin, Zahra was tasked by the Emperor with hunting down the remnants of the Rebel fleet. Accepting the mission, Zahra began a relentless pursuit of the rebels with her Star Destroyer, Tarkin's Will, which still showed visible damage from the destruction of the Death Star. Singling out Leia as the primary cause of her mentor's death, Zahra would personally confront her during a fleet battle. Though the rebels ultimately escaped, Zahra knew that the confrontation had shaken Leia's confidence as a leader, weakening the Rebellion's resolve. The next stage of Zahra's plan to destroy Leia and the Rebel Alliance would come in the form of Shara Bey.
Fearless rebel and mother of infant Poe Dameron, Shara Bey and her husband Kes Dameron had attacked the Tarkin's Will alongside their personal rebel team, Starlight Squadron. However, Shara was separated from her squadron as they retreated, leaving her to stow away on the Star Destroyer and feed information to the Rebellion while she planned her escape. Disguising herself as a stormtrooper, Shara nearly managed to leave until she was discovered and captured by Zahra. Interrogated for information and threatened with the death of her son, Shara would soon be rescued by Starlight Squadron. Despite being split up as a result of Zahra jumping into hyperspace to corner the Rebel fleet, squad members Kes, Frell, Davan and Asreal were able to board Tarkin's Will and retrieve Shara from her cell block. All the while, Zahra led a carefully planned attack against the Rebel fleet over the planet Panisia.
Zahra has the Tarkin's Will dive towards the planet below in a mock charge of the Rebel fleet division on the surface. When the Rebel fleet sends its ships to destroy the Star Destroyer, Zahra uses its ion cannons to disable the pursuing ships, causing them to succumb to Panisia's gravity and plummet towards the fleet division below. Without time to evacuate the rebels on the planet, the fleet is left to fire on their own ships in order to save the rebels on the ground. With that, Zahra puts the Rebel fleet in a position where they must wipe out half their own ships, while the Tarkin's Will flies back up into space and targets Home One directly.
With victory in her grasp, Zahra was ready to wipe out the remaining half of the fleet, along with the Rebellion's most crucial leaders. However, while Shara and Des escaped the Tarkin's Will, Frell, Asreal and Davan stayed behind to set charges in the bowels of the Star Destroyer. As they were surrounded by stormtroopers and Davan was blasted in the chest, Frell and Asreal guarded the charges and set them off together, sacrificing themselves and taking Zahra's ship out of the fight. With the Rebel fleet in full retreat, Zahra simply accepted her defeat and ordered her crew to abandon ship as the Tarkin's Will crashed onto Panisia's surface.
After the crash, Zahra contacted Leia and told her to come get her as she stood in front of the wreckage of the Tarkin's Will. With the final symbol of her mentor gone, Zahra has nothing left to lose and is prepared to engage Leia personally in a one-on-one duel for the survival of one another's respective factions. With just her crew and a Star Destroyer, Zahra nearly wiped out the last remnants of the Rebel fleet, foiled by the sacrifices of three members of Starlight Squadron. Now determined to avenge Tarkin and the Empire as a whole, Zahra is sure to be a considerable fight for Leia. And if she manages to defeat her, there may be no one left to stop her from crushing the Rebel fleet with one swift stroke.
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