| Starjammers | |
|---|---|
 The new Starjammers. Art byBilly Tan. | |
| Group publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | X-Men #104 (April1977) |
| Created by | Dave Cockrum (writer-artist) Chris Claremont (writer) |
| In-story information | |
| Type of organization | Team |
| Agent(s) | Ch'od Cr'eee Corsair Korvus Raza Longknife Cyclops Hepzibah Sikorsky Waldo |
| Starjammers | |
| Series publication information | |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | (X-Men Spotlight On...Starjammers) May – June1990 (vol. 1) October1995 – January1996 (vol. 2) September2004 – February2005 |
| Number of issues | X-Men Spotlight On...Starjammers 2 (vol. 1) 4 (vol. 2) 6 |
| Creator(s) | Dave Cockrum (writer-artist) Chris Claremont (writer) |
TheStarjammers are afictional team ofspace pirates appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The Starjammers have often appeared in pages of theX-Mencomic books. The Starjammers first appeared inX-Men #104 (April 1977) and were created byDave Cockrum.[1] The name "Starjammers" was created on the basis of the type of sailing ship known as "Windjammer".
Dave Cockrum created the Starjammers with the intent of having them star in their own series. However, when he submitted the concept for Marvel's two try-out series,Marvel Spotlight andMarvel Premiere, he was repeatedly informed that these series were booked for two years solid. Cockrum showed the Starjammers toX-Men writerChris Claremont and convinced him to use the characters for this series. In order to provide a plausible excuse for the Starjammers to make repeat appearances inX-Men, they decided to makeCorsair, the leader of the Starjammers, be the father ofCyclops, the leader of the X-Men.[2]
The story of the Starjammers began withChristopher Summers, amilitarypilot returning with his family from a trip toAlaska. Without warning their plane was attacked. Chris's wife, Katherine, strapped their two sons (Scott Summers and Alexander Summers, who later became the X-MenCyclops andHavok) to their onlyparachute and pushed them out of the plane, saving their lives. The husband and wife were thenteleported from their plane to the ship of an advancedalien race called theShi'ar. This had been azoological scouting mission to bring in ahumanspecimen. They were brought beforeD'Ken, the then ruler of the Shi'ar Empire, who was immediately smitten with Katherine, making her hisconcubine and sending her husband to the slave pits. Eventually, Christopher escaped and reached D'Ken's private quarters to try toassassinate him. However, he was caught and punished by having his wife murdered before his eyes, and hisunborn son cut out of her womb. His spirit broken, he was sent to amining camp on another planet.
While working in the mining camp, Christopher witnessed the guards mercilessly beating afeline-like female. He stepped in, trying to get them to stop, but was then beaten himself. The woman was taken to the holding cells and Christopher huddled up in a corner, ashamed of himself. A little while later, Raza and Ch'od passed by and asked Christopher for the whereabouts of their comrade Hepzibah. Christopher was too afraid to answer. After they had left, he felt guilty and went to the guards' quarters, starting a fight after killing one of them. Raza and Ch'od jumped in, and together they got past the guards, freed the cat-woman, and sneaked on board a Shi'ar starship. Christopher used his pilot call-sign, Corsair. Naming Christopher their captain, they became the Starjammers, a group of space pirates rebelling against D'Ken's tyranny.
The Starjammers have had many adventures across the universe, many of them on Earth with theX-Men, during which Christopher Summers finally met his long lost sons, now X-Men. At times, the group ran withProfessor X and even his consort, theShi'ar ruler,Lilandra Neramani. The group participated in the defeat of the cosmic threatMagus, assisted by Professor X and theNew Mutants. When theSkrulls made an incursion into Shi'ar territory, the Starjammers were overwhelmed, kidnapped and duplicated. They were later rescued from their imprisonment by the X-Men.
TheHulk andSilver Surfer recruited the Starjammers to assist in a raid on Troyjan held space, to rescue several friends of the Hulk. A violent fight broke out, with the Starjammers slaying several enemies. It was ended with an alien bureaucrat offered the option of the Starjammers and allies simply asking to see the person they wished to confront. The group was also temporary allies of the Avengers. For some time, they were prisoners of theCollector, a cosmic being interested in preserving unique specimens of life. They became trapped in a conflict between the Collector,Galactus and the well-meaning but dangerous efforts of Wolverine of the X-Men.
A recentStarjammers series introduced a new member of the Starjammers. Although some readers believed it was out ofMarvel Universecontinuity, the events of the series were referenced in a recent entry in theOfficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe series, confirming its canonical status.
The Starjammers figured significantly in theUncanny X-Men story arc "The Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire", a 12-issue story arc following on the events ofX-Men: Deadly Genesis.
Within this story arc, the long-lost third son of Corsair, Gabriel Summers, now the powerful mutant known asVulcan, travels from Earth to Shi'ar space seeking revenge against the mad emperor D'Ken and the Shi'ar empire for the death of his mother and his own mistreatment by the Shi'ar. Through the course of the story, Vulcan allies himself with Deathbird to depose her brother the emperor, but later seems to side himself with D'Ken against the X-Men and the Starjammers, who seek to stop his plans for revenge. Vulcan soon turns on and kills D'Ken, and by marrying his ally (and sister of D'Ken) Deathbird, assumes the throne of the Shi'ar empire himself. In the course of the finale, Corsair, Vulcan's father, is seemingly killed. Hepzibah is returned to Earth with the X-Men, while Havok,Polaris andMarvel Girl remain behind. Havok decides to assume his father's position as leader of the Starjammers. Polaris opts to stay with him. Marvel Girl remains behind as well, having developed an intimate relationship withKorvus, a Shi'ar warrior whose ancestor was once a host of the Phoenix force (like Marvel Girl); his giant sword allows him to access the force to a degree as well. The Starjammers' new mission is to defeat Havok's brother and return Lilandra to the throne of the Sh'iar Empire.
Hepzibah expresses no wish to return to the Starjammers following Corsair's death, and has decided to stay on Earth and become an X-Man. The Starjammers are now: Havok, Polaris, Ch'od, Marvel Girl, Raza, Korvus,Sikorsky, and Cr'eee.[3]
The further adventures of the Starjammers are continued in the series:X-Men: Emperor Vulcan, this miniseries (5 issues) is written byChris Yost and pencilled byPaco Diaz. Havok and the Starjammers attack Shi'ar space. Vulcan appears with an armada to kill them, and a new alien race gets involved. The new race's name translates to "Death to the Shi'ar", and they destroyed the Shi'ar flagship.[4] In the aftermath of the miniseries, most of the Starjammers were captured and subsequently imprisoned by Vulcan. Lilandra, Korvus, and Rachel Summers escaped and remain free.
Marvel has announced that the Starjammers will play a large role in the upcoming sequel toEmperor Vulcan calledX-Men: Kingbreaker.[5] They will also be seen prominently in theWar of Kings storyline, which also features Vulcan, theInhumans,Nova, and theGuardians of the Galaxy.[6]
When Chris was talking to Cyclops from the past, the Starjammers are attacked by mercenaries withsymbiotes. The mercenaries wanted them so they could go to steal with the help of their navigator. TheX-Men Blue team, with the help of a reluctantVenom, went to space so they could save the Starjammers. When the symbiotes bonded with the Starjammers, the X-Men went to the mercenaries' ship and Cyclops freed the team. While the symbiotes were battling amongst themselves, the Poisons arrived, consumed the mercenaries, and began attacking the X-Men since they themselves were now bonded to symbiotes. They survived and after escaping the Poisons and the X-Men gave their symbiotes to the Starjammers to return them to Klyntar.[7]
In the aftermath of the "Infinity Wars" storyline, the Starjammers were present atThanos' funeral.Starfox shows all the guests a recording of Thanos stating that he uploaded his consciousness in a new body before his death. The funeral is attacked by theBlack Order, who steals Thanos's body and rip open a black hole in space, sending everyone into the rip. ThoughSilver Surfer was able to rescue the Starjammers with the cost of his own wellbeing, everyone else were still trapped.[8] Everyone is saved by the arrival of Gladiator and the Shi'ar Empire.[9]
Characters marked inbold lettering are current members of the Starjammers.
In this reality, the formation of the Starjammers is essentially the same as in the main reality. They consisted of slaves that broke free during the reign of EmperorD'Ken. They included EarthmanChristopher Summers,Ch'od,Hepzibah, and Raza Longknife. Early on in their time together, Chris was infected with a Brood embryo and would return to Earth leaving the Starjammers without a leader; however, the circumstances behind this would be unrevealed.[19]
The Starjammers would eventually find someone who could lead them in the form ofDeathbird, the former ruler of the Shi'ar Empire, who had been removed from the throne by her evil brother D'Ken.[20] When the X-Ternals arrived in the Shi'ar galaxy, they were saved by the Starjammers from the crystallization wave caused by the destabilizedM'Kraan Crystal.
The group took the X-Ternals to the planet where the Crystal was kept so that they could collect a shard of it to save the universe. Only Deathbird would accompany the X-Ternals to the planets surface where their mission would be a success. It would also see D'Ken left in a paralyzed state, trapped within the crystal.[21]
In this reality, the Starjammers consist ofCyclops,Binary,Lockheed,Nova, andSilver Surfer.
The Starjammers appeared in theX-Men episodes "The Phoenix Saga" and "Orphan's End".
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-Men: Starjammers by Dave Cockrum | X-Men (vol. 1) #107-108,Uncanny X-Men (vol. 1) #154-158, 161–167,X-Men: Spotlight On Starjammers #1-2 | October 2019 | 978-1302920463 |
| Starjammers | Starjammers (vol. 1) #1-4,Starjammers (vol.2) #1-6, material fromX-Men Unlimited #32 | June 2019 | 978-1302918699 |
| X-Men: Emperor Vulcan | X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #1-5 | May 2008 | 978-0785125518 |
| War Of Kings: Road To War Of Kings | X-Men: Kingbreaker #1-4 andSecret Invasion: War of Kings,War of Kings Saga | June 2009 | 978-0785139676 |
| War of Kings Omnibus | X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #1-5,X-Men: Kingbreaker #1-4 andUncanny X-Men #475-486,Secret Invasion: War of Kings #1,War of Kings: Darkhawk #1-2,War of Kings: Warriors #1-2,War of Kings #1-6,War of Kings: Ascension #1-4,War of Kings: Savage World of Sakaar #1,Nova #23-28,Guardians of the Galaxy #13-19,War of Kings: Who Will Rule? #1,Marvel Spotlilght: War of Kings and material fromX-Men: Divided We Stand #2 | November 2016 | 978-1302902254 |
