The current era of Marvel Comics’Star Warstakes placebetween the events ofThe Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi, and it has just come to a close. While theStar Warscomics are far from over, all the details of this “missing year” within the original trilogy have finally all been fleshed out. Now,fans can take solace in knowing the full story ofStar Wars’ Galactic Civil Warera, including and especially a few standout moments.
The coolest aspect of this “missing year” era betweenEpisodes VandVIisn’t just the continuation ofthe originalStar Warscharacters’ stories, but also everything that was added to the wider mythos. As any fan can attest,Star Warslore runs deep, which is why this comic era is so exciting. It gave fans canonical deep-cut entries in Star Wars lore, expanding the universe with the very characters that started it all, during a time period that hadn’t yet been explored. Above them all, here are the10 biggest additions toStar Warslore from this “missing year”.
10Luke Skywalker Gets His Now-Iconic Yellow Lightsaber (& Trains as a Jedi)
Star Wars#6 by Charles Soule and Jesús Saiz
Luke Skywalker is known for wielding two lightsabers: blue and green. The blue lightsaber is the one he inherited from his father, while the green saber became his own. However, Luke had another in between them: a yellow lightsaber. InStar Wars#6,Luke finds the yellow lightsaber (which originally belonged to a Jedi Temple Guard)in an abandoned Jedi Temple that’s solely inhabited by the cursed spirit of the Grand Inquisitor.
Luke gets to break-in his now-iconic yellow lightsaber in a duel with the Grand Inquisitor, which is a pretty badass start to the legacy of this particular saber. Luke goes on to wield his yellow lightsaber throughout the “missing year” - a period of time that’s even referred to as the “Yellow Lightsaber Era” among the fandom (that’s how iconic it’s become).
9Darth Vader is Responsible for Making Jabba the Hutt the Ultimate Crime Lord
Star Wars: War of the Bounty Huntersby Charles Soule and Luke Ross
WhileStar Warsfans are more than familiar with the fact that Jabba the Hutt is a dangerous crime lord, it’s likely that many haven’t heard the tale of how he became the ultimate crime lord. InWar of the Bounty Hunters,Darth Vader slaughters the Hutt Clan leaders, allowing Jabba to elevate in rankand claim an infinitely larger piece of the proverbial pie.
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This lore expansion is an interesting continuation of Darth Vader and Jabba the Hutt’s mutually-beneficial mission inThe Empire Strikes Back, as it was Darth Vader who basically single-handedly delivered Han Solo to Jabba through Boba Fett. And not even a year later,Darth Vader is assisting Jabba the Hutt in a much more substantial way(even if it was little more than a byproduct of Vader’s ruthlessness).
8The Empire Nearly Crumbled Under the Crimson Dawn
Star Wars: Hidden Empireby Charles Soule and Steve Cummings
The Crimson Dawn is an especially deadly crime syndicate founded by Darth Maul following the collapse of his Shadow Collective and his loss of control over Death Watch. After Maul’s death by the hand of Obi-Wan Kenobi, however, Lady Qi’ra claimed the position of the Crimson Dawn’s leader, and her ambitions stretched well beyond that of a mere crime syndicate:Qi’ra wanted to take down the Empire, and she very nearly succeeded.
… the fact that the Empire saw such a legitimate threat that wasn’t the Rebellion during the original trilogy (one with direct ties to Darth Maul, at that) is undeniably awesome.
Qi’ra recruited experts who studied secret Force-sensitive artifacts, she hired dark side Force-wielders (the Knights of Ren) to operate the artifacts, and she used her own strategically brilliant mind to come up with a plan to defeat Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader. While it didn’t pan out, the fact that theEmpire saw such a legitimate threat that wasn’t the Rebellion during the original trilogy(one with direct ties to Darth Maul, at that) is undeniably awesome.
7The Assassination Attempt of Darth Vader & Emperor Palpatine Creates Ripples in the Force
The aforementioned plan Lady Qi’ra came up with to defeat the Emperor and Vader had everything to do with one Force-sensitive artifact in particular: the Fermata Cage. The Fermata Cage was a temporal prison created by the ancient Sith for the sole purpose of trapping especially dangerous threats to the galaxy in suspended animation indefinitely.
By the end ofHidden Empire, Qi’ra’s plotting succeeded in getting Vader and Palpatine to stand before the prison, and she came so close to trapping them within. However, rather than imprisoning these two modern-day Sith,Qi’ra accidentally released an immense wave of Force energy, resulting in ripples being created in the Forcethat reverberated throughout the galaxy. The very nature of the Force itself was altered during the original trilogy, and fans never would have known about it without this comic.
6A Droid Plague Nearly Decimates the Entire Star Wars Galaxy
Star Wars: Dark Droidsby Charles Soule, Luke Ross, and Alex Sinclair
Ripples in the Force wasn’t the only thing Qi’ra inadvertently releasedfrom the Fermata Cage. An entity known only as the Scourge was trapped in this prison, an artificial life form that’s essentially a ‘droid zombie virus’. The Scourge infects droids and cyborgs, takes over their functions, and adds them to its hivemind. Given the sheer number of droids that exist in theStar Warsuniverse, this was a terrifying threat to the entire galaxy - Rebel and Imperial alike.
Dark Droidswas an ambitious venture into the horror genre, with elements of zombie fiction tropes, body horror, and paranoia that aren’t normally included in this usually family-friendly franchise. And the best part is simply the fact that this horrific event happened right in the middle of the original trilogy, and fans never knew until now.
5Star Wars Confirms a Rebellious Faction within the Empire Itself: the Schism Imperial
Star Wars: Darth Vader#41 by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco
It seems the Rebel Alliance weren’t the only ones who opposed Emperor Palpatine’s tyrannical rule over the galaxy, as mid-to-high-ranking members of his own Empire also felt that he wasn’t fit to lead. Thisrebellious faction of Imperials is known as the Schism Imperial. In a plot secretly masterminded by the Emperor, Administrator Sly Moore reached out to Imperials who had grievances with the way Palpatine was running things - including Darth Vader himself.
Of course, the formation of the Schism Imperial was orchestrated by the Emperor in order to put Vader back in his place once more, so a rebellious uprising within the Imperial ranks never really happened at all. However, the individual members weren’t in on the ruse, and very much wanted to see Palpatine gone, which isan interesting sentiment within the Empire’s structure during the original trilogythat fans were not aware of.
4Luke Skywalker Discovers No-Space, Bringing High Republic Era Tech to the Modern Day
Star Wars#29 by Charles Soule and Ramon Rosanas
WhenStar Warsfans hear “No-Space”, their minds will likely go right to the High Republic, as No-Space plays a major factor in the Jedi’s conflict with the Nihil. During the High Republic era, the interstellar gang of marauders called the Nihil discovered an area of space that was hidden from the rest of the galaxy known as No-Space.The Nihil used No-Space as their base of operations, complete with technology unique to the High Republic era- technology that was still there when Luke Skywalker discovered No-Space hundreds of years later.
By venturing into No-Space, Luke Skywalker (and the other Rebels with him) effectively linked the High Republic with the modern age ofStar Warscanon
By venturing into No-Space, Luke Skywalker (and the other Rebels with him) effectively linked the High Republic with the modern age ofStar Warscanon, which is a fascinating connection with a great deal of storytelling potential if Luke ever returned to No-Space.
Star Wars#20 by Charles Soule and Marco Castiello
One of the coolest parts ofStar Warsis the introduction of new Jedi and Sith, as well as the continuation of iconic characters whose stories had already come to an end. And that’s why the Living Sea of Gazian is such an awesome addition, as it allowsStar Warsto ‘resurrect’ long-dead Jedi and Sith.The Living Sea of Gazian is an ocean of fungus that absorbs a fraction of the essence of peoplewho visit.
These people leave an imprint of themselves that remains in the Sea forever, meaning the cameo potential is limitless. In the two comics in which the Living Sea of Gazian appears (Star Wars#20 andStar Wars#50),Star Warsfans areintroduced to a number of never-before-seen characters, as well as some familiar faces, giving Star Wars the option to ‘resurrect’ any character it wants.
2Darth Vader Uncovers a Dark Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Secret
Star Wars: Darth Vader#11 by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco
Whilefans learned of the existence of Exegol inThe Rise of Skywalker, the comics flesh out its existence by bringing Palpatine’s hidden Sith palace to the original trilogy through the eyes of Darth Vader. When Vader tries to kill Palpatine and take his place as Emperor, he tracks his master to Exegol, where he’s shocked to find all the hellish, atrocious goings-on there.
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Palpatine raised a cult called the Sith Eternal, he had a fleet of planet-destroying Star Destroyers ready to deploy, and he had a laboratory filled with twisted cloning experiments.Exegol’s inclusion in the original trilogy era, with the knowledge that Darth Vader had seen it with his own eyes, makes it feel more a part of the widerStar Warscanon, and an awesome addition to this “missing year”.
1Star Wars Confirms How Luke Skywalker Got His Iconic Green Lightsaber
Star Wars#35 by Charles Soule and Madibek Musabekov
One of the greatest mysteries of the original trilogy was how Luke Skywalker got his iconic green lightsaber after losing his blue one at Cloud City. Many may have assumed that he simply inherited it from Yoda, but that was a mere theory with no official backing. Butwith this era ofStar Warscanon fully explored in the comics, fans finally know how he got his green lightsaber.
After Luke’s yellow lightsaber was damaged in battle, he seeks out a kyber expert named Dr. Cuata, who gives him a clear kyber crystal that has yet to find a connection with another Force-user. Upon connecting with the crystal, Luke finds that it has changed color from clear to green.
Luke Skywalker gets the chance to experience getting his own lightsaber just like every other Jedi before him, one that isn’t just a hand-me-down, but actually his.
Luke Skywalker gets the chance to experience getting his own lightsaber just like every other Jedi before him, one that isn’t just a hand-me-down, but actually his. And that’s why this is one of the 10 biggest additions toStar Warslore from the “missing year” betweenThe Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
