– Spoiler Review –
The end is nigh for not only Shu-Torun, but Kieron Gillen as well, as Star Wars #67 is the end of his time on the series. Will Leia, Han, and Luke be able to undo the damage the Partisans have started? Will this be a fitting ending to Gillen’s run? Read on to find out!
I found this final issue to be rather fitting for Gillen’s exit, because as he set out to do in the beginning, the Big Three have changed in small but perceivable ways and this highlights his work with them. While Luke’s was handled rather early in Gillen’s run, with Han second, he saved Leia for last, with the previous issue finally bringing the message across to Leia about her current actions. Her vengeance against Trios, and her plan to hinder Trios’ world, didn’t feel so righteous once Trios’ dying breaths revealed the woman’s actions were in service of her home world and she regretting hurting Leia due to her complicity in Vader’s plans. Before Leia laid a cautionary tale: just because the ends justify the means doesn’t make it right, as Trios’ commitment to protecting her planet and her people ended up dooming them anyways despite her righteous cause. Leia, so focused on getting vengeance over Trios’ betrayal, didn’t stop to think about the person involved or the people she would hurt by ruining the planet’s usefulness to the Empire, having imagined the ends justified her means. But now Leia sees what path she was headed down, how much like those she fights against in the Rebellion’s name she has become in her quest, and decides to do better, be better. This realization helps her bring Benthic in line, as becoming what they fight is something neither Benthic and his Partisans nor Leia and the Rebellion want, as then their dream of freedom from the Empire’s oppression is dead. Sure, knowing Leia’s actions in the rest of the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy all pointed to her learning such a lesson and knowing how far to take plans to win with their ideals intact, but this was quite the way to show how she learns it.
While Leia gets Benthic back from the brink during her epiphany, it’s Han who helps maybe put Benthic back on a less violent, but still righteous path. Thanks to a wonderful little bit of continuity with Solo (including Han wearing the same brown jacket from the film!), Han recalls having met Benthic when he was with Enfys Nest and her Cloud Riders, asking the Partisan what happened to the hero he knew. While Benthic blames the changing galaxy, Han says they don’t have to be anyone they don’t want to be anymore, something Han learned a bit back in the “Hope Dies” arc. Two Tubes walks into the swirling mist around him, off to debate what change he can make.
I had figured Artoo, who gave into Benthic’s demands last issue to save Luke by setting Shu-Torun to be split apart, didn’t follow Benthic’s orders and this issue reveals he only set it to make good on Leia’s original plan of simply destroying the Spire. In doing so, he upsets the Cult of the Central Isopter from seeing true devastation, but he also provides an escape route for the rest of our heroes, as the Spire’s absence means a crazy, skilled pilot could fly through the core*, out the other side of the planet, and off to freedom from a relentless Imperial.
The fates of a few new characters take shape this issue: Shape shifter Tunga seems to take his final bow, playing Leia in an attempt to get Kanchar’s bombardment and TIEs away from the palace so Chewie can bring the Falcon in for a pickup, but somehow he survives. But his fate might be worse than death, as the Cult of the Central Isopter, disappointed with the level of destruction, wonders why the Force brought them to Shu-Torun only for them to stumble upon Tunga, inducting him into their cult against his wishes; Meorti is glad to return to the safety of a ship’s reactor core, no longer in the direct line of fire; and Kanchar learns the hard way that Vader doesn’t want Luke harmed, being choked to death for his mistake of coming so close to ruining Vader’s plans.
The issue ends with the Big Three together again, off on a new mission to scout possible base locations, one of them being Hoth of course, turning their backs and going onward without Kieron Gillen in a very fitting final panel. The final page of the issue is Gillen’s goodbye to writing Star Wars comics in general, reflecting on his time with Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra, and now finally the mainline series. It’s been a fun run, unique from Jason Aaron’s in many ways, but that’s something we’ll devote a little more time to in some upcoming articles: for starters, Chris will have a “The Scourging of Shu-Torun” arc review incoming soon, while together we’ll have a Kieron Gillen retrospective {out now!} (much like my Jason Aaron one) sometime just before or slightly after Greg Pak takes over Star Wars in July.
First Angel Unzueta caps off a great run of Poe Dameron and now he’s here for the end of an era on Star Wars and the series couldn’t have been in better hands at the end. There was spectacular explosions, a great scene of them flying into the planet’s core, the fear on Tunga’s face as the Cult descends on him, and that pitch perfect final panel. Thanks for another great finale, Unzueta! Colors were from Guru-eFX and letterer Clayton Cowles.
Here are a few other things:
- *This isn’t the first time we’ve seen someone fly through a planet’s core: Poe and Kazuda Xiono do so to investigate and later break the pursuit of First Order troops in the first season of Star Wars Resistance!
- As far as I can tell, besides Hoth, none of the planets mentioned on the Big Three’s list has been in Legends or canon.
Star Wars #67 sees the Big Three say goodbye to Kieron Gillen, walking off into the flood lights of the Falcon, having accomplished a rather good run with the writer.
+ Leia sees the errors of her ways
+ Leia AND Han making an impact on Benthic
+ Fitting end for the arc and Gillen’s run
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
Star Wars
Kieron Gillen — Ashes of Jedha (#38-43) / Arc Review by Chris | Mutiny at Mon Cala (#44-49) / Arc Review by Chris | Hope Dies (#50-55) / Arc Review by Chris | The Escape (#56-61) / Arc Review by Chris | The Scourging of Shu-Torun: #62 | #63 | #64 | #65 | #66 / Arc Review by Chris | Kieron Gillen Retrospective
Jason Aaron — Jason Aaron Retrospective (#1-37)
Greg Pak — Rebels and Rogues (#68-72)