Written by Charles Soule
Illustrated by Jan Bazaldua
Published by Marvel Comics
Operation Starlight is not going as the Rebels had planned.
Starlight Squadron was forced to eject their Astro droids in the middle of a dog fight with a Star Destroyer. Meanwhile, Kes Dameron is holding Lando at gunpoint while Lobot is undergoing a transfer procedure that is killing him.
Soule crafts a bleak state of affairs for the Rebellion. Lobot is in a world of hurt, and Lando desperately wants to save him.
As Lando looks down the barrel of a blaster, he begs Leia to stop the procedure.
Leia bluntly denies the request, and Lando is shaken at how easily she came to her decision.
There was a duality of sorts at play here. Looking at things from Lando’s perspective, Leia made a cruel decision.
However, from Leia’s point of view, it’s a hard decision she had to make to ensure the survival of the Rebellion.
Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?
It’s a tough question in any situation.
Despite the Rebels’ peril, Lando’s fear for his friend’s safety makes him the more sympathetic of the two parties.
Unbeknownst to the Alliance, Lando is spying on them for Jabba. He’s delaying giving information with his smooth gift of gab. Now, Lando is reconsidering his position since his plea to help Lobot fell on deaf ears.
Jan Bazaldua’s depiction of Lando ignored at every turn, along with the pain on Lobot’s face, made me want Lando to sell out the Rebels. I know their survival is at stake, and it was a tough choice.
However, the unkindness of it all felt more Empire than hopeful Rebellion. I know that Lando getting his way would mean doom for our heroes, but the way Soule and Bazaldua put it together kept me on the edge of my seat.
I’m impressed they created a narrative that made me, for a moment, willing to sacrifice the Rebels’ ultimate victory at Endor to save Lobot, which is what will happen if the transfer fails.
The book concludes with Kes’s wife, Shara captured by Commander Zahra of Tarkin’s Will.
Shara sends one last message asking Kes to kiss their baby boy, Poe, for her. Now Kes finds himself in the same situation as Lando. Do the Rebels risk it all to save Shara?
If not, will Kes handle the decision with grace or act the same way as Lando?
Soule did an excellent job creating a story with a well-balanced mix of action while making the reader ponder an impossible dilemma.
Next month, all eyes are on Kes as he is now in the hot seat.
Rating: A-
