Star Wars (2020) 35

For other uses, see Star Wars 35.

Star Wars 35 is the thirty-fifth issue of the 2020 canon comic book series Star Wars. The issue was written by Charles Soule, illustrated by Madibek Musabekov and Rachelle Rosenberg, and published by Marvel Comics on June 7, 2023.

Publisher's summary

LUKE SKYWALKER…IN THE CLUTHES [sic] OF DR. CUATA! The would-be JEDI'S LIGHTSABER is all but destroyed! Enter KYBER CRYSTAL expert DR. CUATA! Only he can repair it…but at what price? Luke's life will hang in the balance…and only ANOTHER JEDI can save him!

Opening crawl

IN THE CLUTCHES OF DR. CUATA 
After the damage Luke's lightsaber
sustained at the hands of the Killdroids in
No-Space, Luke was in need of a new Jedi
weapon.

He and Artoo traveled to the Imperial-
occupied planet of Christophsis in search
of kyber and met up with the mysterious
Gretta, who has her own personal vendetta
against the Empire.

She agreed to help Luke on his quest, but
soon afterward, a huge creature attacked
them. Luckily, the kyber expert they were
searching for arrived just in time, but he
wants Luke's lightsaber….

Plot summary

On the crystallized ground of Christophsis, Luke Skywalker eyed the mysterious stranger, who had just saved him and his companions from a rampaging monster. The stranger, a Pantoran with striking blue skin, explained that his kyber crystals had told him Luke needed his help. Gretta, who had joined Luke on his search, introduced the man as Dr. Cuata. Luke was skeptical about the crystals speaking to him, but Cuata calmly pointed out that Luke himself sensed things others could not. Trusting Gretta's assurance that Cuata was the foremost expert on crystals, Luke approached and handed him his unstable lightsaber.

Cuata took the weapon apart with his bare hands, examining the kyber crystal inside. He declared that it was nearly broken in half and offered to help, but only if Luke would do something for him in return. When Luke questioned how he knew about the lightsaber’s issues, Cuata simply said, "The crystal told me."

A lesson in Kyber

Back at Cuata's lab, the doctor explained that Luke's lightsaber was odd. The hilt and crystal resembled those used by ancient temple guards, but the internal components were different. Luke admitted he had found it in a ruined Jedi temple and had tinkered with it, as had R2-D2. Cuata warned him that lightsabers were dangerous if not handled correctly.

Cuata began his lesson on lightsaber construction, explaining the five main parts: the power cell, casing, focusing lens, emitter, and the crystal. He stated that the device was not complex and that with a good connection between the user and the crystal, a lightsaber could almost move on its own. He then explained that Luke’s lack of connection to his previous lightsabers was because he hadn't chosen them, nor had they chosen him.

When Luke asked what he wanted in return for his help, Cuata said he wanted Luke to spend time with a red kyber crystal, hoping Luke could pull the dark side from it to aid his research. Luke admitted he wouldn’t know where to begin. Gretta stepped in, explaining that her people, the Fallanassi, had a ritual for cleansing crystals, which had been used to heal crystals bled by the Sith. She explained that a dark side user pours their rage and pain into a crystal to make it turn red, and to heal it, a light-side user must do the opposite by using soothing resonance to calm its agony.

Luke agreed to try. He meditated, and his mind was transported to a Sith temple. A woman on a throne asked his name and why he had entered. He explained he was trying to heal a red crystal, but she claimed she was not sick and that what he was doing was a form of violence. She grabbed his hand and offered to use the power of pain with him. Luke was transported again to another plane of existence, where he saw a dark temple and Darth Vader. As he tried to ignite his lightsaber, he was pulled back to reality in the lab. When Cuata and Gretta asked what he saw, he replied, "I think I saw my father."

Cuata was confused, but Gretta urged him to leave Luke be. Cuata then handed Luke a new, clear kyber crystal, only a million years old. He told Luke to connect with it.

A vision and a choice

Luke was transported once more, this time to a vision of Yoda sitting under a gnarled tree. He knew it wasn't real, but he took the chance to ask the Jedi Master why he had never connected with him since his death. The Yoda vision replied that all Jedi must walk their own path and that Luke had a great decision ahead of him before he could truly become a Jedi. Tired of riddles, Luke tried to leave the vision, but he couldn't. He told Yoda that the Force seemed to pull back from him at times, but the vision reassured him that the Force was always there, like the sun. Luke then vanished from the vision. A moment later, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Force ghost appeared beside the Yoda vision, stating that Luke wasn’t ready yet. The Yoda vision simply replied that he would be.

Back in the lab, Luke found the clear crystal in his hand had turned green. Cuata handed him his lightsaber, telling him to replace the crystal inside. Gretta pointed out that Cuata had been willing to let Luke get trapped in the crystal. Luke took the new green crystal, deciding he would use it to build his own lightsaber someday. He also took the red crystal, hoping he might be able to heal it in the future.

As they left, Gretta explained that she had settled the debt she owed her family and was free to leave the planet. Luke told her he still had a few things to do.

Continuity

Luke experiences the same vision as Darth Vader did in Darth Vader (2017) 25.[3]

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Collected in

Appearances

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By type
Characters Organisms Droid models Events Locations
Organizations and titles Sentient species Vehicles and vessels Weapons and technology Miscellanea

Characters

Organisms

  • Hound (Vision to Luke Skywalker)
  • Unidentified creature (Mentioned only; in the opening crawl)

Droid models

Events

Locations

Organizations and titles

Sentient species

Vehicles and vessels

Weapons and technology

Miscellanea

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Marvel-TemplateLogo Star Wars (2020) #35 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
  2. ↑ The flashbacks of Star Wars (2020) 50 take place approximately twenty-two years after Sheev Palpatine's ascension to Emperor, which Star Wars: Timelines dates to 19 BBY, meaning they must occur around 3 ABY. The flashbacks also take place after the events of Star Wars (2020) 43, which occur after the Star Wars: Dark Droids crossover event, an event StarWars.com Charles Soule Unleashes Dark Droids on StarWars.com (backup link) places after Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters, which is dated to 3 ABY by Timelines. As Star Wars (2020) 35 takes place between War of the Bounty Hunters and Star Wars (2020) 43, its events must take place around 3 ABY.
  3. ↑ Darth Vader (2017) 25

External links

Star Wars (2020)
The Destiny Path: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6
The Will of Tarkin: 7 · 8
Operation Starlight: 9 · 10 · 11 · 12
War of the Bounty Hunters: 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18
Crimson Reign: 19 · 20 · 21 · 22 · 23 · 24
Stand-alones: 25
The Path to Victory: 26 · 27 · 28 · 29 · 30
Quests of the Force: 31 · 32 · 33 · 34 · 35 · 36
Dark Droids: 37 · 38 · 39 · 40 · 41
The Sith and the Skywalker: 42 · 43
The Trial of Lando Calrissian: 44 · 45 · 46 · 47
The Path of Light: 48 · 49 · 50
Trade paperbacks
1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9
Related media
Star Wars (2015) · Star Wars (2025)
"An Echo of Victory" · Revelations (2022) · "A Trick of the Mind"
"Return to Echo Base"
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