– Spoiler Review –
It’s hard to believe this stellar series is already at its end, but Sana Starros #5 takes it out the same way it began, stylistic, high-energy, and great character work, which leaves readers wanting more yet satisfied with how it all wrapped up.
As a quick aside, I originally felt, from context clues in earlier issues, Sana Starros takes place after Sana and Doctor Aphra’s breakup at University, but this issue cements itself in the timeline after the events of Doctor Aphra #31 (Vol. 2) due to Sana’s flashback here referencing a panel from said issue. This overall story would’ve worked regardless when it was placed, but Sana’s growth makes the most sense in the current era.
With Aryssha’s babies on their way, more family in the clutches of the Empire, and Phel Starros close to unlocking Avon Starros’ secrets for the Empire, it’s time for Sana and Deva Lompop to launch the great rescue plan. And what a plan it is!! Hondo Ohnaka gets involved and shows his usual rogue style, Aryssha’s previous work of hacking into her nanny droid comes in handy, revolutionary Lanitra is vital with a little knockout gas to clear the ship, and so is…Chadra-Fan Opera?! Improvisation is the name of the game, as Deva secretly called in Hondo’s help to take out the corvette’s TIEs and strip them for parts, while the gas works but it doesn’t reach every compartment of the ship leaving plenty of opposition for them to deal with, while Grammy Thea and Mevera can’t help because they are way too busy helping Aryssha deliver her babies. Due to Aryssha’s work prior to their arrival on the ship, Sana’s able to have access to the comms system, which is when she uploads Chadra-Fan opera and spams it into the helmets of all the troopers onboard, ending the fight immediately and giving the Starros the win! Never count out a great musical performance! Aryssha’s twins are born, Thevera and Desana, the former a combination of Grammy Thea and her mother Mevera’s name, while the latter is named after Deva and Sana, while Avon’s secrets are back in Starros hands.
Before the win is solidified, Sana and Phel have another confrontation, where she does what she does best and doesn’t hesitate, injuring him and kicking away his gun. She tries to talk to Phel, though he reveals he’s still wallowing over her choice to leave for University (which Aryssha helped push Sana towards, as we see in a flashback), which she tells him to get over as she needed to do something for herself and then reminds him she came to break him out of the Imperial Academy on Lothal and he refused to come with her, so now he’s truly made his choice on where he wants to be. Phel believes she’ll kill him next, in a way to prove his feelings about her and his family right, but she sends him and Captain Cerasus Ehllo out in an escape pod to wait for the Empire to pick them up…where they’ll see if the Empire will show the two Imperials any mercy when they do. We end the issue catching up with Phel and Cerasus in the pod, where Phel is going a bit mad over Sana not acting as he predicted and reminding him she came for him on Lothal, a memory he can’t quite cling to interestingly enough, so maybe there was a little brainwashing with his Imperial training? Cerasus tells Phel to pull himself together, vowing he’ll get his children back and make the Starros Clan pay for what they’ve done. Will we get another Sana Starros miniseries?! Will this play out in a different series, like maybe the Dark Droids crossover for some reason? Or is this a hint of something to come when the comics eventually jump into a new era? I’d love to see more of Sana and Phel, see if she can help him remember her attempt at rescuing him all those years ago, and help heal a family rift!
As for Avon’s lockbox of research, which certainly would help with building something like the Death Star, Sana decides it should remain a secret, crushing it so it can’t keep falling into enemy hands. Deva’s a little disappointed in the choice, but she sees a lot of Avon in Sana, with how she can see the best in people, even at their worst, which is how Sana still loves Aphra, despite everything. In DA #31 (Vol. 2), she told Aphra she needs to figure herself out, be someone Sana can depend on for them to be together, and to find her when she does, a moment which goes through her head as Lanitra, now the owner of the cruiser, invites her to check out the expansive liquor collection. Sana’s able to put Aphra behind her again then, enjoying life and finding a new romance for the time being, giving her a bit of closure with the doctor as she moves on with her own life. Will she be available when or if Aphra can pull herself together? At this point, Sana doesn’t care, and by having such a development play out in her own series, it allows this moment to hit so much harder, as it’s a moment for her and by her, without playing second fiddle to Aphra. This miniseries has been a long time coming for Sana, who has deserved it a long time ago, but to have it finally come out now and focus on her decision to leave Aphra in the past, to be on her own much like having her own miniseries does, was a stroke of genius by Justina Ireland. I mean, the whole thing was such a blast, but this was the solidifying coda to the whole thing. May there be more!
Especially if we get to have Pere Pérez on art again, with Dono Sánchez-Almara & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo on colors, and Travis Lanham lettering!! In the lead up to getting on the ship, Sana’s all shouts and yells, caught up in the moment, but as they are finally aboard and Deva reminds her she’ll probably have to confront Phel, Pérez really brings out Sana’s regret and understanding about what she’ll have to do, the crinkled brows, closed eyes feels like the ending of a sigh I’ve had when I knew I had to do something I maybe necessarily didn’t want to do. When the two clash, she’s sharp and direct in her expressions, sure of what she’s done and who she is, standing tall, while Phel is hunched over a little, mainly because she shot him in the shoulder, but also because he isn’t as sure as she is, his face rocketing between anger in one panel and utter shock in the next, so surprised Sana didn’t do as he expected, didn’t prove his conditioning correct. It’s not all intense or emotional looks from Sana, as I loved her look as she ‘nopes’ out of helping with Aryssha’s delivery, while the smile which never leaves her face afterwards both feels genuine and well-deserved. The sequence of Sana counting down before uploading the opera, and how it coincides with Thea’s countdown for Aryssha’s delivery, was great, as it builds up the expectations of what might happen next, as no matter what Sana’s efforts do, Aryssha’s twins are coming. On the next page, Lanham’s wraps his SFX for the Chadra-Fan opera around and through the scenes playing out, colliding the events of Pérez’s work, Ehllo’s troopers stumbling over the overload of noises, Mevera shouting for Aryssha to push, Deva and Linatra blasting troopers, and finally a close-up on Aryssha’s face as she makes the final effort. The glowing gold of the delivery room bathes the aftermath, with Aryssha holding little Thevera and Desana, in a calming, reassuring even, light. On the opposite end, the red overtaking the background in certain panels with Sana, like when she shoots Phel or is stern with him about how he’s made his choice now, shows her decisive nature and how she’s means what she’s doing, while later the glow of Avon’s hologram offers a sense of wonder and hope, which makes her stomping it to dust all the more surprising. The final page had a cool layout, the panels all disjointed and overlapping, like the escape pod itself, floating through space, no real rhyme or reason, which aids us in feeling Phel’s slipping sanity. The image of Sana coming to save him on Lothal, a shadowy one almost blending in amongst the stars of space, shows us how fleeting and nearly lost the memory is for him.
Here are a few other things:
- It’s Pride Month and there are some great variant covers again this year! Of course, Sana Starros herself graces this issue’s cover! On top of that, I loved Grammy Thea’s little comment about the new babies, nodding towards trans inclusivity, in another win for LGBTQIA+ representation in Star Wars.
- As of this review publishing, we don’t have any inkling when we’ll see Sana again in the comics, as she’s not mentioned in any solicitations so far. I have no doubt she’ll appear eventually, but after such a high note with her recent time in the Aphra comic and this miniseries, it’s honestly sad to not have an idea when it’ll happen. I mean, if we aren’t going to see her for awhile, at least she went out on top with this!
Sana Starros #5 is a blast from start to finish, giving its lead character room to grow and her family a chance to shine, leaving us wanting more immediately!
+ Sana making another choice for herself to close out her own series
+ Leaving open the possiblity of more story ahead since we want it
+ Great energy and pace
+ Great final showing from the art team!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.