Star Wars (2020) 38

Publisher's summary

TATOOINE TREASON! – A DARK DROIDS TIE-IN! As the SCOURGE OF THE DROIDS makes its way through the palace of JABBA THE HUTT on Tatooine, LANDO CALRISSIAN is faced with a dire situation as he attempts to save the life of his old friend LOBOT. Their salvation is hidden deep within the palace…but will they live long enough to find it?

Opening crawl

Lando and the rebels aboard ''Home One'' were
awakened by the ship's defenses being activated as
though they were entering battle.

Lando soon learned the culprit was an unwell Lobot,
whose neural implants are failing, causing not only
interference with the rebel ship's weapons systems
but also lethal damage to Lobot if Lando does not do
something fast.

Lando realized that the only thing that can help his
friend is the Talky droid who helped Lobot once
before. But Lando sold that droid, who also stored
Rebellion secrets, to Jabba the Hutt….

Plot summary

In Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine, intimidating interrogation droids hold down a droid referred to as "the Talky droid," intending to wipe its memory for a simple mistake it made while translating. The Talky droid protests, claiming it has thousands of years of information stored in its memory banks, calling the action "wasteful." Suddenly, the interrogation droids are attacked by other droids, which seem to be under the Talky droid's control. The Talky droid also manipulates Jabba's guards, causing them to turn on their master and work for him.

Meanwhile, in Tatooine's Northern Dune Sea, Lando is pleased to find many of his old outfits still on board the Millennium Falcon, which brings back a flood of memories. One memory involves Lando convincing Lobot to wear a large wig to hide his cybernetic implants.

Back in the present, Lando, disguised in the mask and armor of a bounty hunter, arrives at the entrance of Jabba's Palace. He identifies himself as a guard from Jabba's casino in Mos Espa, claiming that Lobot, a casino dealer, needs immediate medical attention. To prove his point, Lando reveals Lobot's wires, noting that cyborg dealers don't come cheap. The massive palace door opens.

Once inside, a man warns Lando that the palace is under attack. Lando asks if he's seen the Talky droid, and the man nervously explains that all the droids have "gone bad," acting violently and tearing people apart. With a blaster pointed at him, the stranger reveals that the Talky droid was working as a translator in the throne room.

As Lando and Lobot proceed deeper into the palace, they see the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett blast several of the malfunctioning droids. Fett advises Lando to leave, but Lando continues on, passing a carbonite-frozen Han Solo hanging on the wall "like a slab of meat." Malfunctioning droids close in on Lando and Lobot, and a trapdoor opens beneath them, dropping them into a rancor's cell. There, they find the Talky droid hiding in a crevice, who advises Lando to stay quiet because the rancor is sleeping.

Lando aims his blaster at the Talky droid, demanding that it fix Lobot. The droid explains that it only does things that benefit it and demands that Lando get it out of the palace in one piece. Only then will it repair Lobot. The droid explains that the other droids are being assimilated by a unifying foreign intelligence.

The Talky droid offers to temporarily suppress the deleterious effects of Lobot's implants to make him "less of a liability." As they discuss their options, Lando and Lobot don't notice that the rancor has awakened. They soon realize they're trapped, surrounded by the angry rancor on one side and violent droids on the other. The rancor roars furiously.

Media

Cover gallery

Final cover by Stephen Segovia

Solicit cover by Stephen Segovia

Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary variant cover by Chris Sprouse

Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary variant cover "Son Strikes Down the Father"

Clone Wars 15th Anniversary variant cover by E.M. Gist

Textless cover by E.M. Gist

Action Figure variant cover by John Tyler Christopher

Droids connecting variant cover by Josemaria Casanovas

Collected in

• Star Wars Vol. 7: Dark Droids

Appearances

This Appearances list is incomplete. You can help Wookieepedia by expanding it.

Sources

• Return of the Jedi – Lando 1
• Josemaria Casanovas' Connecting 'Dark Droids' Variant Covers Assemble the Scourge's Army of Corrupted Droids on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
• Uncover the Dark Droids Crossover Event in Marvel's September 2023 Star Wars Comics – Exclusive Preview on StarWars.com (backup link)
• Dark Droids 1
• "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 220
• Dark Droids: D-Squad 4

Notes and references

External links

• Star Wars (2020) #38 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)

1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 Dark Droids: D-Squad 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 Crossover Star Wars: 37 · 38 · 39 · 40 · 41 Bounty Hunters: 37 · 38 · 39 · 40 · 41 Darth Vader: 37 · 38 · 39 · 40 · 41 Doctor Aphra: 35 · 36 · 37 · 38 · 39 Collections Dark Droids · D-Squad Crossover: Star Wars Vol. 7 · Bounty Hunters Vol. 7 Darth Vader Vol. 8 · Doctor Aphra Vol. 7 Related media The Book of Ajax Han Solo & Chewbacca (9 · 10) Revelations (2022)
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