– Spoiler Review –
In the third Rogue One 10th Anniversary one-shot, things take a darker turn, befitting of its eponymous character. Rogue One: Saw Gerrera #1 peers into the lengths the partisan will go to win the war, as while we’ve had glimpses and hints before, this reveals the pivotal moment the Rebellion couldn’t stomach him being part of their cause.
As I said above, we’ve seen some of the lengths Saw Gerrera is willing to go in order to serve the cause and win the war, be it his exploits in Star Wars Rebels, briefly in Rogue One, The Bad Batch even, or more recently Andor, but it never quite felt fully enough for such animosity between his partisans and the Rebellion proper. Marc Bernardin ensures Rogue One: Saw Gerrera #1 fixes this, as the issue starts in media res and flashes back to his latest mission at an Imperial hospital. The location itself should be a dead giveaway for what could be something the Rebellion might take issue with if he did it in a hospital, but I like how Bernardin focuses more on Saw himself, his motivations and justification, than exactly what consequences befall his actions. There aren’t too many hints about what damage he could cause, but there’s a brief scene where he passes a newborn ward, just going about his business, which sets the stage for the aftermath. Yet what deaths he causes at the hospital, as terrifying as they can be, pale in comparison to the more personal revelation he makes regarding just how far he is willing to go to defeat the Empire. While I wish we’d gotten more time with the characters he mentions and what happened to them, tying back to an earlier moment in the issue and making it even darker than first imagined, the concept is enough to cement Rogue One: Saw Gerrera #1 as the final piece showcasing Saw’s compulsion not to lose and to ensure his sacrifices are for something and not a waste. I will say the issue doesn’t change my mind or feelings about the character, who has been a compelling and interesting facet of the early Rebellion I love they’ve explored over the years since his introduction in The Clone Wars, but it was still a well-written and intriguing revelation regarding his schism with the movement proper. Also, I sort of wish we had more than Bail Organa in the issue reaming him out for his actions, but we do get a tasty scene in Rebels between him and Mon Mothma anyways. And lastly, fans of Catalyst: A Rogue One Story will appreciate the final moments of the issue, I know I did!
New issue, new character, new art team! Gabriel Guzman, who most recently kicked off the Doctor Aphra: Chaos Agent miniseries, joins on art, with Federico Blee coloring, and Ariana Maher lettering. Throughout the issue, starting with the opening splash page that’s just Saw’s face, there’s an impassivity to him, Guzman keeping him emotionless, a hardened machine in the larger cog of war. That he breaks from it so rarely makes those moments all the more memorable, first as he hangs his head after passing by the newborns at the hospital, and later when we catch up to the present and his discussion with Bail. The more chilling of the breaks is when he starts laughing, Maher’s word bubble for his laughter low and almost hidden, a small chuckle that is deep and worrisome on the look of the writing and placement of the bubble alone, with Guzman’s take on Forest Whitaker’s face, with well-placed shadows and coloring around them by Blee, making one worried about flipping the page to find out what he has to say next. And then when you do, he’s angry, pointing back at Bail, and what follows is a sad and interesting choice he made to facilitate the whole hospital break-in. I also really liked the first splash, with insert, of the story catching up to the present and establishing Bail and Saw’s meeting place, Taris! The pieces of giant shipwrecks littering both sides of the page have a ton of little details that make their scale feel all the more impressive, but a fitting place for Saw to meet someone. He’s just below center and to the side in the page, a silhouette, but how fitting did it feel to see him there, a shadow walking amongst the dead? If that’s not a metaphor for Saw, I don’t know what is, and Blee really ensures this impact, as there’s a brightness just behind and above him, almost appearing like a small fire, a spark amongst the shadows and death, as if to say the light is behind Saw and he’s okay with that, more comfortable to walk away from it and live amongst the wrecks, the forgotten, much all those he’s cared about are as he soldiers on in their name, keeping their memories alive.
Here is one other thing:
- There’s only two issues left, one of which I’m very hyped for, and the other I’m sort of ‘meh’ for. They also got hit with some delays into October, so here’s the low-down on the final two! October 14 has Rogue One – Chirrut and Baze #1, which sounds like a fun way to spend more time with this lovely pair and you can get a sneak peek of it via artist Kieron McKeown’s Instagram; and lastly October 28 offers Rogue One – Darth Vader #1 and it sounds like more Vader, so your mileage may vary.
- Still really enjoying the moody series of main covers from artist David Marquez. Joins well with the emotional depth of Andor and Rogue One!
Rogue One: Saw Gerrera #1 fits in well with what’s already been told about the character and further brings home the point he’s a cautionary tale about fighting what you hate, not saving what you love.
+ Wouldn’t blame the Rebellion about splitting
+ Capturing a final spark amongst the shadows and wrecks
– Won’t change one’s mind about him
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.
ROGUE ONE RELATED REVIEWS:
Rogue One 10th Anniversary One-shots: Cassian Andor | Jyn Erso
Andor Reviews – Season Two: Season Premiere “Episode 1 – One Year Later” & “Episode 2 – Sagrona Teema” & “Episode 3 – Harvest” | “Episode 4 – Ever Been to Ghorman?” & “Episode 5 – I Have Friends Everywhere” & “Episode 6 – What a Festive Evening” | “Episode 7 – Messenger” & “Episode 8 – Who Are You?” & “Episode 9 – Welcome to the Rebellion” | Series Finale “Episode 10 – Make It Stop” & “Episode 11 – Who Else Knows?” & “Episode 12 – Jedha, Kyber, Erso” | Season One: Series Premiere “Episodes 1-3” | “Episode 4 – Aldhani” | “Episode 5 – The Axe Forgets” | “Episode 6 – The Eye” | “Episode 7 – Announcement” | “Episode 8 – Narkina 5” | “Episode 9 – Nobody’s Listening!” | “Episode 10 – One Way Out” | “Episode 11 – Daughter of Ferrix” | “Episode 12 – Rix Road”
Film Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (by Ryan) | Novel Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (by Chris) | Novel Review: Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel (by Ryan) | Young Adult Novel Review: Rebel Rising (by Ryan) | Soundtrack Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (by Elliot) | Young Reader Review: Guardians of the Whills (by Ryan) | Young Reader Review: Rogue One: Rebel Dossier (by Chris) | Reference Book Review: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide (by Chris) | Comic Review: Cassian and K-2SO Special #1 (by Ryan)