Today saw the release of the second issue in Marvel Comics’ Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Republic Under Siege miniseries (part 6 of 12 in the larger Battle of Jakku maxi-series), and below are my brief recap and thoughts on this installment.
The Battle of Jakku – Republic Under Siege #2 begins on the swamp planet of Lehanis, where Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker and New Republic pilot Rynn Zenat have just encountered the rogue archaeologist Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra, who stole an ancient Jedi compendium from them and the Acolytes of the Beyond. But before Dr. Aphra has a chance to explain herself, the trio is attacked by an enormous rabbit/bird-like creature called a Klyff’wat (newly introduced in this comic). Then writer Alex Segura and artist Stefano Raffaele cut to an Imperial Star Destroyer in orbit around the planet Souwecer (also new), where a cabal of officers are meeting to discuss the future of the Galactic Empire in the wake of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader’s deaths. To me, this is the most interesting scene so far in the entire Battle of Jakku maxi-series so far, as it really gets into the nitty gritty of what’s going on in the shadows, and reintroduces key players like Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, Grand Moff Randd (originally from author Claudia Gray’s Star Wars: Lost Stars novel) and Counselor Gallius Rax– the latter of which we know is furtively leaking Imperial intelligence to the fledgling New Republic.
At that meeting, these officers discuss the biggest thorn currently in their sides– Grand Moff Adelhard, who has shut himself and his fleet off from the rest of the Imperial remnant and is making an effort to expand his forces outward into the galaxy. They decide to activate an “agent” in the Anoat sector and look ahead to the titular Battle of Jakku, which will see Palpatine’s posthumous wishes begin to be enacted. Back on Lehanis, Luke has Aphra take Rynn to safety while he deals with the Klyff’wat, and then Chelli spills the beans on why she’s actually there. It seems the compendium is a fake, and Adelhard has partnered with the Acolytes to use Luke’s pursuit of Jedi artifacts as a distraction from his true campaign against the New Republic. Speaking of which, Lando Calrissian and Rynn’s girlfriend Preeti are overwhelmed by Adelhard’s ships as they pilot the Lady Luck and an X-wing starfighter, respectively. Meanwhile, Adelhard brings in a couple of deadly– and very interesting-looking– assassins to take out some valuable New Republic targets.
The splash-page ending here sees Luke Skywalker restating the current threats against the New Republic, and why it’s so important for him to get back to the fleet and help in the battle against Adelhard’s forces. During this speech Luke says something about how he should have made sure the Grand Moff was dead the last time they encountered each other, which just reminded me how foolish that moment felt when it happened a couple issues ago. And as good as this issue was for reminding readers of the stakes and where everything stands among the various factions at this point in the story, I can’t say there was a ton of forward momentum in the narrative otherwise. But maybe that’s where Segura and his collaborators felt they needed to be at this halfway point in The Battle of Jakku. As always, I’m looking forward to more.
Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Republic Under Siege #2 is available now wherever comic books are sold.