Star Wars (2015) 1

Star Wars 1

Star Wars 1 shows the beginnings of aRebel Allianceassault on themoonCymoon 1. The Rebels—Han Solo,Leia Organa,Luke Skywalker,Chewbacca,R2-D2, andC-3PO—infiltrate and intend to destroy aweapons factory, but their plans change upon the arrival ofDarth Vader—whom Skywalker intends tofight, still believing that theDark Lord of the Sith killed his father.

It marked the start of Marvel's new slew ofStar Wars titles, which also includedStar Wars: Darth Vader,Star Wars: Princess Leia,Star Wars: Kanan, and many others.

Publisher's summary[]

Luke Skywalker and the ragtag band of rebels fighting against the Galactic Empire are fresh off their biggest victory yet—the destruction of the massive battle station known as the Death Star. But the Empire's not toppled yet! Join Luke along with Princess Leia, smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca, droids C-3PO and R2-D2 and the rest of the Rebel Alliance as they strike out for freedom against the evil forces of Darth Vader and his master, the Emperor. Written by Jason Aaron (Original Sin, Thor: God of Thunder) and with art by John Cassaday (Astonishing X-Men, Uncanny Avengers), this is the Star Wars saga as only Marvel Comics could make it!

Opening crawl[]

It is a period of renewed hope for theRebellion.The evil Galactic Empire's greatestweapon, the Death Star, has beendestroyed by the young Rebel pilot, LukeSkywalker.With the Imperial forces in disarray, theRebels look to press their advantage byunleashing a daring offensive throughoutthe far reaches of space, hoping to defeatthe Empire once and for all and at lastrestore freedom to the galaxy....

Plot summary[]

Mission to Cymoon 1[]

In the aftermath of theBattle of Yavin between theGalactic Empire and theRebel Alliance, in whichLuke Skywalker destroyed theDeath Star, the Rebels use their decisive victory as a catalyst to try to destroy the Empire once and for all. The Empire, meanwhile, wants to useJabba theHutt as a weapons supplier and has arranged for an Imperial negotiator to meet with Jabba's emissary atWeapons Factory Alpha on themoonCymoon 1, part of theCorellian Industrial Cluster. The emissary's ship was hijacked by the Rebels, however, and they intend toinfiltrate the weapons factory—the largest inthe galaxy—and destroy it to deliver another blow to the Imperial war machine.

The hijacked ship arrives on Cymoon 1, where it is authorized to land at the weapons factory. ImperialOverseerAggadeen, a squadron ofstormtroopers, and aLOM-series protocol droid stand ready to greet the "emissary." The Imperials are an unwilling ally of Jabba's criminal empire and Aggadeen, mistrustful of the ship orders his stormtroopers to eliminate the emissary at the first sign of suspicion.

When the ship lands, the emissary reveals himself to beHan Solo, still claiming to work for Jabba the Hutt. The Imperials confirm his identity and affiliation and bring him and his bodyguards—a disguised Skywalker andPrincessLeia Organa—into the facility, along withR2-D2. In addition to the three Rebels in the facility,Chewbacca stands ready as a sniper, having arrived in theMillennium Falcon, which is being watched byC-3PO.

Behind enemy lines[]

Once inside the facility, the Rebels are shown the automatedTIE/ln space superiority starfighter assembly line. As they walk through it, the Overseer explains that there will be no negotiation, and that Jabba will be forced to accept the terms that the Empire gives him. The Overseer tells them to wait in a conference room for the "negotiator" to arrive, but Solo tells him that he was right: there will be no negotiations. Artoo sprays a liquid onto the floor and electrocutes it, shocking the stormtroopers standing in the liquid. Skywalker and Organa fight the remaining troopers, while Solo reveals to the Overseer that they are Rebels and demands to know where the facility's main power core is located. The Overseer refuses at first, but Artoo threatens to electrocute him, so the officer points them in the right direction before Organa punches him.

The Rebels make their way towards the power core, where they plan to destroy both it and the entire facility. Solo contacts Threepio for a status report, and theprotocol droid tells him that theMillennium Falcon is safely hidden in a large refuse field outside of the facility. Solo orders him to be on alert, so thedroid can engage the ship's auto-pilot once the Rebels are ready to leave. When the Rebels arrive in the power core, Organa tells Artoo to hack into the Imperial computer and shut down the core's safety restraints.

As Artoo works on the computer, Skywalker watches for additional Imperial troops, using what little he knows ofthe Force to reach out and sense any nearby presence. The Force leads him to a cage filled with Imperial slaves, where he is confronted by a guard. TheJedi trainee attempts to use amind trick to ward off the guard, repeating the action he once sawObi-Wan Kenobi use onTatooine, but he fails at doing so. Instead, Skywalker ignites hislightsaber and cuts off the guard's hand, allowing Skywalker to break the slaves out of their cage and lead them to the other Rebels.

Artoo successfully lowers the safety restraints and Solo sets the power core to overload in ten minutes. Organa thanks him for helping the Rebellion again, particularly because the Empire now knows that he is working with the Alliance. As they talk, Skywalker returns with the slaves. Solo orders Threepio to turn on the auto-pilot so theFalcon can pick them up before the core overloads, but Chewbecca interrupts him and says that anImperial shuttle has arrived.

Darth Vader arrives[]

The shuttle carries the Imperial "negotiator:"Darth Vader, theDark Lord of the Sith. Solo tells Chewbacca to stand down and avoid taking a shot at Vader, as he knows that the facility will be on alert if Vader is made a target, but Organa orders otherwise and commands theWookiee to kill the Dark Lord. Chewbacca takes the shot, but Vader deflects it with his lightsaber. Chewbacca continues firing and Vader throws stormtroopers into the line of fire to avoid being hit himself. Vader uses the Force to tear apart the building that Chewbacca is standing on top of, forcing the Wookiee to flee. Vader orders the entire moon to be on alert and senses Skywalker, recognizing his presence as the man who destroyed the Death Star.

Unable to contact Chewbacca, and with the entire facility on alert, Solo orders Threepio to engage the auto-pilot and pick the Rebels up. Threepio has already tried doing so, however, but native scavengers have begun tearing apart theFalcon in the refuse field, preventing the auto-pilot from working. Stormtroopers arrive at the Rebels' location, forcing them to blast their way towards safety.

The Rebels enter a hangar housingAT-AT walkers, one of which Solo plans to commandeer in order to get out of the facility before it explodes. As they begin loading onto the walker, Organa realizes that Skywalker is no longer with them. He is searching for Vader elsewhere in the facility, as he still believes that Vader is the man who killed his father. As Skywalker approaches the Dark Lord, he hears Kenobi's voice speak to himfrom beyond. Skywalker comes face to face with his father's so-called killer, and Kenobi tells him to run.

Development[]

In celebration ofStar Wars Day onMay 4,2016, Marvel re-releasedStar Wars 1 as part of itsTrue Believers budget reprint program, which reprints popular comic titles for the suggested retail price of $1.^[8]

Release and reception[]

By the time of its release,Star Wars 1 was the top selling comic of 2015, with over one million copies sold. This also made it the top selling comic from any publisher in the previous twenty years. According to David Gonzales ofForbes, a leading business and financial publication, the fact that "a single issue of a comic book could sell 1 million printed copies in the current comic book selling market is frankly staggering."^[9]

Media[]

Editions[]

• UPC 759606081134;January 14,2015;Marvel Comics^[6]
• UPC 759606085002;May 4,2016; Marvel Comics;True Believers^[10]
  • 00111; Cover A, John Cassaday

Cover gallery[]

Cover Special edition cover by John Cassaday Textless cover by John Cassaday Variant cover by Joe Quesada, Mark Morales & Laura Martin Textless variant cover by Joe Quesada, Mark Morales & Laura Martin Special cover byAlex Ross Textless cover by Alex Ross Kid variant cover by Skottie Young Joined Kid variant covers by Skottie Young Movie variant cover by Lucasfilm Ltd. Jaxxon variant cover by John Tyler Christopher Jaxxon variant cover art by John Tyler Christopher Forbidden Planet variant cover by Adi Granov Fantastico variant cover by Paul Renaud Fantastico variant art by Paul Renaud Variant cover by Bob McLeod Variant cover bySara Pichelli Variant cover by Sara Pichelli byDaniel Acuña Boba Fett variant cover by Daniel Acuna Textless Boba Fett variant cover by Daniel Acuna Action figure variant cover by John Cassaday Black and white action figure variant cover by John Cassaday Tales of Suspense variant cover by Alex Maleev Variant cover by Amanda Connor Variant cover art by Amanda Connor Variant cover byJenny Frison Variant cover art by Jenny Frison Teaser variant cover by John Cassaday Teaser variant art by John Cassaday Dynamic Forces variant cover by Greg Land Hasbro Action Figure variant cover by Hasbro Inc. Unlettered Hasbro Action Figure variant cover Variant cover by John Tyler Christopher Variant cover art by John Tyler Christopher Midtown variant cover by Mark Brooks Midtown variant cover art by Mark Brooks Limited Edition Comix variant cover by Mike Deodato (preliminary version) Limited Edition Comix variant cover by Mike Deodato Limited Edition Comix variant art by Mike Deodato Zapp Comics variant cover by Mike Mayhew Zapp Comics variant art by Mike Mayhew Newbury Comics variant cover byDavid Petersen Newbury Comics textless variant cover by David Petersen Emerald City variant cover byAlan Davis Emerald City variant art by Alan Davis Rebel Base Comics variant cover by Stephanie Hans Rebel Base Comics variant art by Stephanie Hans Heroes Haven variant cover by Mike Perkins Heroes Haven variant art by Mike Perkins Variant cover by Alex Maleev Variant cover by Dale Keown Variant cover by Mike McKone Variant cover art by Mike McKone Corner Store Comics variant cover by Stan Sakai Corner Store Comics variant art by Stan Sakai Variant cover by Dave Dorman Textless cover by Dave Dorman Variant cover by Frank Cho Variant cover art by Frank Cho Mile High Comics variant art by Humberto Ramos Third Eye Comics variant cover by Dale Keown Third Eye Comics variant art by Dale Keown Cargo Hold variant cover by J. Scott Campbell Cargo Hold variant art by J. Scott Campbell Variant cover by Simone Bianchi Variant cover art by Simone Bianchi Kings Comics variant cover by Joe Quinones Kings Comics variant art by Joe Quinones Variant cover by Pasqual Ferry Variant cover art by Pasqual Ferry Variant cover by Pascal Campion Variant cover art by Pascal Campion Previews variant cover by J. Scott Campbell Previews variant cover art by J. Scott Campbell Linked Previews variant covers by J. Scott Campbell GameSpot variant cover by Greg Horn GameSpot variant art by Greg Horn Hastings variant cover byMico Suayan Hastings variant art by Mico Suayan AlexRossStore.com variant cover by Alex Ross AlexRossStore.com variant art by Alex Ross Fan Expo variant cover by Salvador Larroca Fan Expo variant art by Salvador Larroca Loot Crate variant cover by Gabriele Dell'Otto Loot Crate variant art by Gabriele Dell'Otto EMP Museum variant cover by Mike del Mundo EMP Museum textless variant cover by Mike del Mundo Hot Topic variant cover by Paul Renaud Hot Topic variant art by Paul Renaud 2nd printing variant cover by John Cassaday 3rd printing variant cover by John Cassaday 4th printing variant cover by John Cassaday 5th printing variant cover by John Cassaday Director's cut variant cover by John Cassaday 6th printing variant cover by John Cassaday 7th printing variant cover by John Cassaday Mile High Comics variant cover by Humberto Ramos Panini cover byGreg Tocchini

Collected in[]

• Star Wars Vol. 1: Skywalker Strikes
• Star Wars Vol. 1
• Star Wars by Jason Aaron Omnibus
• Star Wars Modern Era Epic Collection: Skywalker Strikes

Appearances[]

Sources[]

• SDCC 2014: Inside Marvel's NewStar Wars Comics - Exclusive onStarWars.com(backup link)
• SDCC 2014: Star Wars onMarvel Comics'official website(original link is obsolete)
• Star Wars #1 Variant Cover By Joe Quesada - First Look! onStarWars.com(backup link)
• Star Wars #1 Party Variant with Jaxxon - Exclusive! onStarWars.com(backup link)
• Marvel, Lucasfilm, and a New Era ofStar Wars Comics onStarWars.com(backup link)
• The Marvel Art of Star Wars
• This Week! in Star WarsLEGO Minifigure Madness, Hasbro Celebrates 50 Years of Lucasfilm, and More! on the officialStar WarsYouTube channel(backup link)(Posted on StarWars.com)
• Marvel Comics Celebrates Their History of Star Wars Comic Book Storytelling in 'Star Wars: A New Legacy' #1 onMarvel Comics'official website(backup link)
• Who is Jaxxon? onStarWars.com(backup link)

Notes and references[]

External links[]

• Star Wars (2015) #1 onMarvel Comics'official website(backup link)
• True Believers: Star Wars (2016) #1 onMarvel Comics'official website(backup link)
• Marvel celebrating May the 4th with True Believers: Star Wars onwww.flickeringmyth.com (backup link)