– Spoiler Review –
Forget all this Battle Royale nonsense, tune into this issue for the Battle of Royals! Star Wars #66 is the penultimate issue of Kieron Gillen’s final arc, “The Scourging of Shu-Torun,” which pits Princess against Queen as the fight for Shu-Torun approaches a potentially terrible end.
Queen Trios was originally introduced in the pages of Darth Vader Annual #1, as Vader comes to the ore planet to correct its shortages, leaving Trios alive and in charge, her family dead and a remnant of Alderaan left as a reminder what could happen if she didn’t keep up with the Empire’s demands. The series’ “The Shu-Torun War,” arc dealt with Vader checking in on her and teaching her to be a ruthless, efficient leader, something over the course of the arc we see her become and embrace. It was a great character arc for her and I genuinely wanted to see her again in some way, shape, or form, so when Gillen brought her back in his first Star Wars arc, “Ashes of Jedha,” I was all too excited to see where’d he take her next. As the arc ended with her teaming up with the Rebellion in secret, the development made sense with the story of her tragic rise to power, though it clashed with the ruthlessness she had embraced. It didn’t come as too much of a surprise when she turned out to be a double agent, sabotaging the Rebellion and nearly bringing about their destruction, with a handy one-shot at the beginning of “Hope Dies” reminding/updating readers on what we saw in DV Annual #1 regarding Vader’s Alderaan-laden threat to keep her loyalty. Ever since then, I’ve been noticing what seemed like glimpses of regret about her actions in helping to take down the Rebellion, but as “The Scourging of Shu-Torun” has gone on, it’s felt more and more like I misjudged those glimpses. In issue #66, as Leia and Trios battle in the throne room, the truth of the Queen’s feelings/actions become clear.
If you haven’t read the issue, you’re probably putting it together that I’ve gone over Trios’ story for one important, but tragic reason…and you’d be correct. As the throne room crumbles around them, much like the majestic cover for this issue, thanks to a bombardment of the palace by Commander Kanchar, Leia manages to best Trios in their duel, cutting the Queen down. As Trios bleeds out on the throne room floor, Leia realizes her enemy, her reason for bringing such scourging down on a world, is less a villain and more a tragic figure. Trios admits her choices have all been to save Shu-Torun from the Empire’s lingering threat, believing her actions doomed her people and the planet regardless and she should’ve died with her family so it wouldn’t have come to this, going so far to apologize to Leia for betraying her trust. The regret was there, as I suspected, but in the service of keeping a planet alive, Trios saw no other option. Trios’ dying breath isn’t used just to air regrets and grievances however, as she reveals to Leia how their plan has gone awry, and whatever is happening in the Spike with Luke and the Partisans will split the planet in two, not shut down its production line. Trios dies as she lived: looking out for her planet. Tragedy is a fitting way to describe her story, as her tale is a cautious one about how far one could go to save their planet, how the ends justify the means, after being put in an impossible situation and trying to make the best of it by giving herself a worthy goal to carry on. Her life is also a stark wake-up call to Leia, and I hope we’ll find out this moment helps her see this quest for vengeance is turning her into the person she would hate to be, as well as how her need for vengeance made her overlook those she brought along for the mission aka the Partisans. But that’s for next issue I imagine, so for now, good bye Queen Trios, an excellent character it’s a shame to see come to an end.
In the Spike, Luke continues to evade Benthic and the Partisans, urging Artoo to flee and hide because they would need him to carry out their dastardly plans. Luke doesn’t want to cut down the Partisans, as they are still on the same side, and he’s quickly cornered. Benthic calls on Artoo to save his master by completing their work, and despite Luke’s pleading for Artoo not to give into their demands, the little domed droid seemingly puts Shu-Torun into a death spiral by completing their work! I have a funny feeling Artoo has alternative plans and is making it seem like he’s helping the Partisans, but that’ll remain to be seen until the finale!
The art team of Angel Unzueta (art) and Guru-eFX (colors) does the battle of royals justice, from the throne room crumbling around them, the angling of panels, and clear, concise action. I’m really happy Unzueta was brought on board to see this series to its end, as Trios’ death has a real weight to it due to his style for facial work, and crispness of his work makes it easy to follow what’s going on.
Here are a few other things:
- Want to know how Gillen will wrap this all up? It’s going to be a bit of a wait, as Star Wars #67 won’t be releasing until June 19! And then Greg Pak begins his run with Star Wars #68 on July 10, so somewhere between there we’ll have a retrospective on Gillen’s run on the Manor, as I did for Jason Aaron’s time with the series.
- The creepy death cult has returned, settling in to watch the destruction. Makes me kind of wonder…were any of them on Alderaan? Hosnian Prime?
- Gerald Parel has had some great covers this arc, but issue #66’s is the best of the bunch. I want it framed on my wall somewhere.
Can Leia and team undo the work of the Partisans? Will they escape the planet, unscathed physically and mentally? How will Gillen end his run? While we can’t answer those questions yet, right now there’s another great entry to enjoy in “The Scourging of Shu-Torun” arc thanks to Star Wars #66.
+ Trios dies as she lived
+ Worthy exit for Trios as the finale nears
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 | #67 / Arc Review by Chris | Kieron Gillen Retrospective
Jason Aaron — Jason Aaron Retrospective (#1-37)
Greg Pak — Rebels and Rogues (#68-72)