The weapon once held by Anakin and Luke Skywalker has officially become Rey’s lightsaber, but the question of how it actually ended up in her hands is one of the biggest plot holes in the new Star Wars movies. Now it seems the mystery explaining how Luke’s lost lightsaber found its way off Cloud City will finally be solved in comics.
Movie fans will never forget the (blue-bladed) lightsaber wielded by Anakin Skywalker during his days as a Jedi Knight — eventually joining Obi-Wan Kenobi on his Tatooine exile. Years later he would pass the laser sword to Luke, who would famously lose it (along with his right hand) fighting Darth Vader in the climax of The Empire Strikes Back. Tossed down towards the surface of the gas giant Bespin, fans were right to ask how in the world the saber came into the possession of Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Maz told Rey that mystery — easily the new Star Wars trilogy’s biggest plot hole — was “a good question for another time.” And now, that time has apparently come.
After 75 issues Marvel is bringing an end to their ongoing Star Wars comic series, telling the story of Luke, Han, Leia, and the Rebels’ actions following the first movie. Now that the comics have filled in that gap and are fast approaching the start of The Empire Strikes Back, it’s time for a new chapter. Beginning with Marvel’s new Star Wars #1 this January, the series will take a step forward in the movie timeline to show what happened when The Empire Strikes Back ended. One of the first missions taken up by Luke: return to Cloud City to retrieve what he lost.
After introducing the confusion in The Force Awakens, and only making the plot hole worse with The Last Jedi, could this finally be the missing story fans have waited for? That certainly seems to be the case, judging by the official plot synopsis for Star Wars #3, set not long after Empire. Take a look:
The end of the war and the final defeat of the REBEL ALLIANCE are inevitable as the cunning IMPERIAL COMMANDER ZAHRA unleashes her fury against the splintered and scattered survivors. But where have the Rebellion’s greatest heroes gone when their cause needs them the most? LUKE SKYWALKER’S only hope at becoming a JEDI KNIGHT was lost during his battle with DARTH VADER…and so he, PRINCESS LEIA and LANDO CALRISSIAN must return to CLOUD CITY to find it! But Leia has her own covert mission to accomplish there…and Lando’s mysterious reason for returning could very well ruin their only chance at success!
Considering that Star Wars: The Force Awakens almost opened on Luke’s frozen hand tumbling through space… somehow, this new story seems far more preferable (and a whole lot simpler, answering the big questions instead of raising even more). Will some fans be disappointed that the answer to “how Luke’s lightsaber made it off Cloud City” is that “he went back to get it”? Almost certainly. But what Luke will have to do to get the saber, along with Leia and Lando’s own missions, promises plenty of intrigue. And considering Charles Soule has also been entrusted with telling the secret origin of Kylo Ren, there is nobody better to close this lingering plot hole, connecting Luke’s story to The Force Awakens with more than just an ending cameo.
Star Wars #3 will be available from your local comic book shop in February 2020.
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