Star Wars is a Star Wars comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics between 2013 and 2014. The series was written by Brian Wood, and follows the main characters of the original Star Wars trilogy soon after the events of the original film. [lower-alpha 1] It ended after a 20-issue run, largely due to the Star Wars comics license being transferred to Marvel as part of Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm.
Writer Brian Wood stated on his approach to the series that "My plan is to pretend that nothing else exists other than 'A New Hope.' At least in the minds of the characters." [2] The series debuted in January 2013. [1] Alex Ross contributed covers to the first four issues. [1] [3] [4] [5]
The series was originally planned to span the time period of the original Star Wars trilogy. [6] In January 2014, Lucasfilm, which had been owned by Disney since late 2012, announced that the Star Wars comics license would transfer to Marvel—a Disney subsidiary—in 2015. [7] In April 2014, it was announced that all existing Star Wars spin-off works would be discarded from the continuity to clear the slate for the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015–2019). [8] The series ended with issue #20, which was released in August 2014. [9]
Princess Leia leads the Rebel Alliance's search for potential new bases, even as the evil Galactic Empire consistently pursues them, indicating that a spy might have infiltrated the Rebellion. Agent of the Empire Darth Vader is reprimanded by the Emperor by having to carry out the mundane task of overseeing the construction of the second Death Star. Vader secretly grapples with his knowledge of Luke Skywalker's identity. While still in the Rebellion's service, Han Solo and Chewbacca are stalked by bounty hunters Boba Fett and Bossk, incentivized by bounties from both Vader and Jabba the Hutt; Han and Chewie are stalked by the Empire as well.
Acting on Mon Mothma's orders, Leia leads a team of pilots on a covert mission to scout possible base locations. Luke and Wedge Antilles [lower-alpha 2] infiltrate the Star Destroyer Devastator, hoping to learn the identity of a potential Rebel spy by snooping on the commanding Imperial officer. The officer follows the Rebel pilots back to their ship, and is revealed to be a Rebel spy himself—as well as Mon Mothma's nephew.
Leia suddenly reveals that she has long planned to marry a prince in exchange for using his planet as a Rebel base. The wedding is sabotaged by Imperials, with whom some of the planet's royalists have forged an alliance. Mon Mothma orders the Rebellion's ion cannons, which have been recently installed on the planet, to be used to break the Imperial blockade.
The first issue sold 39,663 issues in its first month of release, ranking #53 on the sales chart; this was considered a meager debut by IGN . [11] Writing for IGN, Joey Esposito reviewed the first issue positively, but mentioned that it is "sometimes weighed down in exposition and technical jargon" and that "actor likenesses" were not captured perfectly. [12] IGN's Jesse Schedeen gave issue #6 a more mixed review, saying the space battles "have grown a bit tedious by this point" and calling the love triangle between Luke, Leia, and another female pilot "somewhat forced". [13] The same writer criticized the premise of #15 as being too similar to the plot of the 1994 novel The Courtship of Princess Leia , calling Luke's brooding over Leia "icky", and describing the visuals as too strongly resembling medieval fantasy. [14] Schedeen wrote that the arc had "picked up steam" with its final issue, #18, [15] and said of the series finale (#20), "It's clear from these pages that Wood could have told many more stories were the Star Wars license not shifting back to Marvel." [16]
Dark Horse Comics collected the series into four trade paperbacks. [17] [18] [lower-alpha 3] The fourth story arc, Rebel Girl, was collected as the third trade paperback, [20] while the third and fifth arc, each two issues long, were collected in the fourth. [21]
The entire series was also collected in the first two volumes of Marvel Epic Collection: Star Wars – Legends: The Rebellion, published by Marvel in 2016 and 2017, respectively. [22] [23]
Princess Leia Organa is a fictional character and one of the main characters in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed in films by Carrie Fisher. Introduced in the original Star Wars film in 1977, Leia is princess of the planet Alderaan, a member of the Imperial Senate and an agent of the Rebel Alliance. She thwarts the sinister Sith Lord Darth Vader and helps bring about the destruction of the Empire's cataclysmic superweapon, the Death Star. In The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Leia commands a Rebel base and evades Vader as she falls in love with the smuggler Han Solo. In Return of the Jedi (1983), Leia helps in the operation to rescue Han from the crime lord Jabba the Hutt and is revealed to be Vader's daughter and the twin sister of Luke Skywalker.
Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. Portrayed by Mark Hamill, Luke first appeared in Star Wars (1977), and he returned in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). Over three decades later, Hamill returned as Luke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, cameoing in The Force Awakens (2015) before playing a major role in The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). He later played a digitally de-aged version of the character in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, appearing in the second-season finale, which premiered in 2020, and The Book of Boba Fett, in the sixth episode, released in 2022.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. Within the original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinness. In the later-released prequel trilogy, a younger version of the character serves as one of the two main protagonists, alongside Anakin Skywalker, and is portrayed by Scottish actor Ewan McGregor. In the original trilogy he is introduced as Ben Kenobi, an alias he uses while in hiding from the Empire. He is a mentor to Luke Skywalker, to whom he introduces the ways of the Jedi. After sacrificing himself in a duel against Darth Vader, Obi-Wan guides Luke through the Force in his fight against the Galactic Empire. In the prequel trilogy, set two decades earlier, he is initially a Padawan (apprentice) to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and later mentor and friend of Luke's father Anakin, who falls to the dark side of the Force and becomes Vader. The character briefly appears in the sequel trilogy as a disembodied voice, speaking to protagonist Rey, and serving as the namesake of Ben Solo. He is frequently featured as a main character in various other Star Wars media, including the streaming television miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi, in which McGregor reprised the role.
Grand Admiral Thrawn is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He appeared as the eponymous character in the 1991–1993 Thrawn trilogy of novels by Timothy Zahn. An Imperial military leader and a member of the Chiss race, Thrawn leads remnants of the scattered Galactic Empire in the aftermath of its fall.
The Rebel Alliance is a fictional organization in the Star Wars franchise. The Alliance is portrayed as a stateless coalition of rebel dissidents and defectors who oppose the Galactic Empire and its authoritarian rule. Its stated goal is to restore the liberal governance of the previous Galactic Republic, which had been dissolved after its leader Palpatine seized absolute power and declared himself emperor. It is the main protagonist faction of the original Star Wars trilogy, along with the mostly fallen Jedi Order.
The Skywalker family is a fictional legendary human family in the Star Wars franchise. Within the series' fictional universe, the Skywalkers are presented as a bloodline with strong inherent capabilities related to the Force and sometimes lightsaber skills. Luke Skywalker, his twin sister Princess Leia Organa, and their father Darth Vader are central characters in the original Star Wars film trilogy. Darth Vader, in his previous identity as Anakin Skywalker, is a lead character in the prequel film trilogy and so is his wife and the twins' mother Padmé Amidala; while his mother Shmi is a minor character in the first and second films respectively. Leia and Han Solo's son, Ben Solo, renamed himself Kylo Ren and is the main antagonist in the sequel film trilogy, while they and Luke serve as supporting characters. Shmi, Padmé, and Han are the only members who are not Force-sensitive. The Skywalker bloodline, alongside the Palpatine bloodline, are the two bloodlines that are the strongest with the Force.
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a 1996 multimedia project created by Lucasfilm. The idea was to create a story set between the films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and to explore all commercial possibilities of a full motion picture release without actually making a film. The venture was intended to reinvigorate interest in the franchise ahead of the theatrical Special Editions of the Star Wars trilogy released the following year.
Dark Empire is a Star Wars comic book metaseries produced by Dark Horse Comics. It consists of a six-issue limited series written by Tom Veitch and drawn by Cam Kennedy, followed by a second six-issue limited series by Veitch and Kennedy, followed in turn by a two-issue limited series written by Veitch and drawn by Jim Baikie. The initial series is notable for being one of the first Star Wars comics to be produced by Dark Horse, which retained the comic rights to the franchise for over two decades.
Alderaan is a fictional planet featured in the Star Wars franchise. It is blue-green in appearance, depicted as a terrestrial planet with humanoid inhabitants, and characterized by a peaceful culture. It is the home planet of Princess Leia Organa, one of the lead characters in the film series, as well as former Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune. In the original 1977 film, Alderaan is destroyed by the Death Star's superlaser.
Star Wars Infinities is a graphic novel trilogy published by Dark Horse Comics from 2002 to 2004. It tells a non-canon alternate version of each film in the original Star Wars trilogy in which a point of divergence occurs and changes the outcome of the story. Each individual Infinities story is unrelated to the others and is set within the timeline of their original film.
"Blue Harvest" is the hour-long premiere of the sixth season of the American animated television series Family Guy and the first part of the series' Laugh It Up, Fuzzball trilogy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 23, 2007. The episode is a retelling and parody of the 1977 blockbuster film Star Wars, recasting the show's characters as Star Wars characters, created with permission from Lucasfilm on the condition that the characters had to look exactly like they do in the movies. The plot follows Peter as he retells the story of Star Wars while the electricity is out in their house.
Star Wars comics have been produced by various comic book publishers since the debut of the 1977 film Star Wars. Marvel Comics launched its original series in 1977, beginning with a six-issue comic adaptation of the film and running for 107 issues, including an adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back. Marvel also released an adaptation of Return of the Jedi and spin-offs based on Droids and Ewoks. A self-titled comic strip ran in American newspapers between 1979 and 1984. Blackthorne Publishing released a three-issue run of 3-D comics from 1987 to 1988.
Chewbacca, nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute, bipedal, intelligent species originating from the fictional planet of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca is the loyal friend and first mate of Han Solo, and serves as co-pilot on Solo's spaceship, the Millennium Falcon; together they help the Rebel Alliance defeat the Galactic Empire and restore freedom to the galaxy.
Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film Star Wars portrayed by Harrison Ford, who reprised his role in The Holiday Special (1978), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983). Ford returned to the role for The Force Awakens (2015), as well as a brief cameo in The Rise of Skywalker (2019). In the spin-off film Solo (2018), a younger version of the character is portrayed by Alden Ehrenreich, while in the animated series Forces of Destiny (2017–2018), the character is voiced by Kiff VandenHeuvel and A. J. Locascio.
Star Wars: Princess Leia is a five-issue Star Wars comic book limited series, centered on Princess Leia immediately following the events of the 1977 film Star Wars. In the story, Leia and Rebel pilot Evaan Verlaine attempt to rescue the survivors of the planet Alderaan's destruction from the Empire. Announced alongside the ongoing comics Star Wars and Star Wars: Darth Vader, the series was published by Marvel Comics from March to July 2015 with Mark Waid as writer, Terry Dodson as artist and Jordie Bellaire as colorist.
Star Wars is an ongoing Star Wars comic series published by Marvel Comics since January 14, 2015. Originally written by Jason Aaron with art by John Cassaday, it is set between the 1977 film Star Wars and its 1980 sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. The series features classic Star Wars characters Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2. It was one of three new Star Wars comics by Marvel announced in July 2014, along with Darth Vader and the limited series Princess Leia.
Star Wars is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 12, 1977 to May 27, 1986. Featuring classic Star Wars characters Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2, the first six issues adapt the May 1977 film Star Wars. The series chronicled their subsequent adventures for 107 issues and three annuals, including a six-issue adaptation of the 1980 sequel film The Empire Strikes Back in 1980–1981. In 2019, the series was revived for a single issue.
Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra, or simply Doctor Aphra, is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. Created by writer Kieron Gillen, artist Salvador Larroca, and editors Jordan D. White and Heather Antos, she first appeared in Marvel Comics' 2015 Darth Vader comic book series. Aphra became a breakout character, and began appearing in her own ongoing spin-off comic series, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, from 2016 to 2019, before relaunching in 2020.
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