Star Wars 9 is the ninth issue of the canon comic series Star Wars. The comic was written by Charles Soule, illustrated by Jan Bazaldúa, and published by Marvel Comics on December 9, 2020.
Publisher's summary[]
"OPERATION STARLIGHT" BEGINS, AS THE REBEL PATHFINDERS UNDERTAKE A DESPERATE MISSION TO THE IMPERIAL CORE. In the Imperial Museum on CORUSCANT, an ancient droid holds the key to salvation of the REBEL ALLIANCE. The Rebels' elite operations team, the PATHFINDERS, must pull off a daring heist right under the nose of the EMPEROR himself, with LANDO and LOBOT along for the ride!
Opening crawl[]
| OPERATION STARLIGHT Part I: THE ANCIENT RELIC |
|---|
Plot summary[]
Victory and a new mission[]
The rebel fleet celebrates a hard-won victory, having successfully reunited the Fourth and Seventh Divisions. Despite the moment of triumph, Leia reminds everyone there's work to be done. The time has come to begin Operation Starlight.
She explains the plan to the crew: the Empire has cracked their encryption codes, making communication with other rebel cells too dangerous. They can't risk leading the Empire's hunters to the other divisions, but they also don't know if anyone else is even out there. Luke suggests sending out a warning, but Leia insists they need to do more. They must reunite the fleet with new, stronger communication strategies. Lando adds that she needs a new code, which prompts C-3PO to reveal his brilliant idea.
The unbreakable code[]
C-3PO's solution lies in the long-obsolete language of Trawak, once spoken by a small, isolated species. It's an unusual combination of ultrasonics, environmental sounds, and air manipulation. C-3PO is certain it's impossible to translate or learn and would be the perfect foundation for a new code.
A technician raises the concern that Imperial protocol droids might be able to translate it. C-3PO explains that's unlikely. He himself cannot speak Trawak, and the only known source for its phonemes and grammar is an ancient linguistic droid. Leia immediately decides they will steal the droid, bring it back, and use it to generate new codes.
C-3PO reveals that the droid is an artifact in the Imperial Museum on Coruscant, a massive collection with millions of objects on display. The rebels don't know its exact location but know to look for a blocky, inelegant model without the streamlined look of modern droids.
The heist[]
Leia decides this is a mission for her pathfinders, tasking Kes, Needle, and Frell with the retrieval. The trio agrees to the mission but notes they'll need a ship capable of sneaking past security. Leia looks at Lando, indicating they'll be using his ship for the job.
On Coruscant, the trio recruits Lobot to slice into the museum's database and locate the droid. The pathfinders cause a diversion, distracting guards while they engage and defeat them. One pathfinder makes a run for it with the ancient droid, but is intercepted. The museum Curator takes custody of the captured pathfinder, noting that under Imperial law, the penalty for theft is death.
However, the pathfinder's capture was a planned diversion. The real target—the ancient droid—is already secured aboard the rebel ship. C-3PO explains that it was once known as a "talker droid" and lacked the diplomatic functions of later models.
They power the droid on, but it begins speaking in a garbled, unknown language. C-3PO realizes its memory banks and primary cognitive functions have been corrupted, rendering it useless.
Media[]
Cover gallery[]
 Cover A  Cover A (not final)  Cover B  Cover B (not final)  Cover B (unlettered)  Cover C  Cover D |
Collected in[]
Appearances[]
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
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Organisms
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Droid models
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Events
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Locations
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Organizations and titles
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Sentient species
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Vehicles and vessels
Weapons and technology
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Miscellanea
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Sources[]
Luke, Leia, and Lando Plan a Heist in Marvel's Star Wars #9 - Exclusive Preview on StarWars.com (backup link)- "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 199
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Luke, Leia, and Lando Plan a Heist in Marvel's Star Wars #9 - Exclusive Preview on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Star Wars (2020) 9 to 3 ABY.
External links[]
- Marvel Comics' December 2020 comic book solicitations and covers revealed on GamesRadar (September 17, 2020) (backup link archived on September 17, 2020)
