Star Wars (2020) 7

Star Wars 7

The issue features the story "The Will of Tarkin Part I: Predators," in which theAlliance Fleet prepares for battle withCommanderEllian Zahra, as she reflects upon her training fromGrand MoffWilhuff Tarkin.

Publisher's summary[]

SHE WILL HAVE REVENGE! COMMANDER ELLIAN ZAHRA has been tasked by the terrifying DARTH VADER with the job of tracking down the remnants of the REBEL FLEET, scattered since the BATTLE OF HOTH. From the bridge of her flagship theTARKIN'S WILL, she hunts the galaxy, eradicating all resistance, her secret goal to destroy LEIA ORGANA. But why such hate for the PRINCESS OF ALDERAAN? The truth – will be REVEALED!

Opening crawl[]

The heroic Rebel Alliance is scatteredand on the run from the evil GalacticEmpire after losing the Battle of Hoth.Princess Leia attempts to rally herfriends before all hope is lost. Thefreedom of the galaxy is at stake.But their cunning new foe, CommanderZahra, will stop at nothing to crush theRebellion once and for all....

Plot summary[]

The hunt for Leia[]

The Rebel Fleet's Fourth Division, deep in the Inner Rim, receives a transmission from the Seventh Division. It contains a standard rendezvous confirmation. C-3PO worries that responding will expose their location to the Empire, but Leia instructs Commander Grek to transmit the codes and prepare for an immediate strike.

Aboard the Imperial Star DestroyerTarkin's Will, Lieutenant Gorr confirms the rebel transmission has been received. Commander Zahra recognizes the codes as Leia's group and orders Gorr to set a course for the Fourth Division. Gorr, however, points out that the Seventh Division is much closer and more efficient to attack. They can leave the Fourth Division to their colleagues. Zahra reluctantly agrees and instructs him to set a course for the rebel fleet's Seventh Division. The crew quietly notes how personal the hunt for Leia is for Zahra.

A protégé's past[]

Years earlier on Eriadu in the Outer Rim, Grand Moff Tarkin addresses three Imperial officers, including Zahra. He tells them he needs one protégé, not three. He explains that he chose them because they have no other ties, no family, and no distracting entanglements. They all aced the Empire’s selection exams, but now they face a test no exam can replicate.

Tarkin points to the Carrion Plateau, the land his family has owned for generations, and the namesake of his flagship, the Carrion Spike. A Veermok hunts in the forest. It's an albino, standing out against the foliage, and while it should have died at birth, it has survived through constant struggle to become the deadliest predator on the plateau.

He tells Zahra, Beldin, and Hannevik that they will be the first people not named Tarkin to hunt here in generations. He will leave in 12 hours at dawn. To join him, they must find the beast and bring him its head.

The next morning, Zahra returns, heavily bandaged, with the head of the beast. When Tarkin asks what happened to her colleagues, she tells him she learned not to play fair the day terrorists killed her parents.

The Rise of a Commander[]

A montage shows Zahra's rise under Tarkin's tutelage. She is present when Tarkin expresses doubt in Director Krennic's abilities. She tortures a rebel prisoner under Tarkin’s watchful eye. Tarkin recommends to Vader that he ask Zahra for her assessment of a rebel position, praising her grasp of tactics. Finally, Zahra stands before Tarkin, who tells her she has distinguished herself and has a new mission.

Tarkin projects a holographic image of a warlord named Burnium Ro, operating from a stronghold on the Mid Rim world of Ikkrukk. He orders her to take a strike force and destroy Ro's operation. He says she can use his flagship, the Carrion Spike, for the mission, as he has duties on the Death Star.

Zahra asks why he's offering so much firepower for one warlord. Tarkin says Ro is using rhetoric and imagery associated with an obsolete criminal organization called the Nihil, who once wreaked havoc and were agents of chaos. Zahra notes that this goes against everything the Empire stands for, as they bring order and peace. Tarkin requests Ro’s head.

The warlord's decoy[]

As the Imperial ship nears Ikkrukk, Zahra orders a probe droid network to be set up as a mobile surveillance net, noting she trusts a droid over a flesh-and-blood spy any day. They soon receive a notice that Burnium Ro is leaving a social club in Grail City. Zahra orders her forces to wait and follow Ro back to his nest.

The Imperial warship reveals itself and fires on the criminal facility. The probe droids report no remaining signs of life. Zahra returns to the Death Star, and Tarkin asks for Ro's head. Zahra responds that she thought it was a figure of speech and assures him the mission was a complete success. Tarkin presses a button on his control panel, revealing a holographic projection of Ro speaking about how he avoided death. Tarkin reveals she killed one of his decoys and calls it an embarrassment.

A week later, Zahra is restricted from entering Tarkin's office. A security officer informs her that Tarkin has ordered her to report to the personnel office for reassignment. Zahra attempts to take an Imperial shuttle, knocking out the stormtrooper who refuses her. She sends a message to Tarkin, telling him she has taken a shuttle without authorization and will return with Ro's head. As she departs, Tarkin's warship explodes.

A fateful encounter[]

The scene returns to the present as Imperial forces attack the Rebel Fleet’s Seventh Division. Zahra asks for an update on the Fourth Division. Gorr notes the rebels were already gone. Suddenly, more ships arrive: the Rebel Fleet's Fourth Division.

Development[]

Star Wars 7 was originally solicited forJune 24,2020,^[3] but was delayed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[4]

Continuity[]

In one panel,Leia Organa mistakenly refers toCommanderGrek as acommodore.

Media[]

Editions[]

• UPC 759606096008;October 7, 2020;Marvel Comics; First printing^[1]
  • 00711; Cover A;Carlo Pagulayan,Jason Paz &Rain Beredo
  • 00721; Cover B;Chris Sprouse,Karl Story &Neeraj Menon
  • 00731; Cover C;Aaron Kuder &Richard Isanove
• December 2020; Marvel Comics; NYCC x MCM Metaverse limited edition^[5]
  • Cover D;John Tyler Christopher

Cover gallery[]

Cover A Cover A (not final) Cover B Cover B (not final) Cover B (unlettered) Cover C Cover C (not final) Cover D

Collected in[]

• Star Wars Vol. 2: Operation Starlight

Appearances[]

Sources[]

• Tarkin Readies to Strike in Marvel'sStar Wars #7 - Exclusive Preview onStarWars.com(backup link)
• Doctor Aphra Crosses Paths with Sana Starros, and More from Marvel's January 2021Star Wars Comics - Exclusive Preview onStarWars.com(backup link)

Notes and references[]

External links[]

• Star Wars (2020) #7 onMarvel Comics'official website(backup link)
• Star Wars #7 by John Tyler Christopher – ReedPop onshop.reedpop.com (backup link archived onOctober 13,2020)(Cover D)