Star Wars (2020) 40

Publisher's summary

DROID DISASTER! – A DARK DROIDS TIE-IN! The worst has happened. LOBOT, one of the greatest heroes the REBEL ALLIANCE has ever known and close friend to semi-reformed scoundrel LANDO CALRISSIAN…is lost. Lando returns to the Rebels to ask for their help…but can he convince them he's not a TRAITOR?

Opening crawl

Lando and the rebels aboard ''Home One'' were
awakened when the ship's defenses were activated,
as if gearing up for battle.

Lando soon learned the culprit was an unwell Lobot,
whose neural implants are failing, causing
interference with the Rebel ship and potentially
lethal damage to Lobot.

In an effort to save his friend, Lando dragged Lobot to
Jabba the Hutt's palace to seek the aid of the talky
droid that helped him once before. However, the
scourge that's affecting droids has made its way to
the Tatooine crime den and found its way into Lobot's
mind….

Plot summary

A moral dilemma

Aboard the Millennium Falcon, the Talky droid asks Lando why he appears so troubled. The droid notes that despite Lando's efforts to save Lobot, it seems he only succeeded in saving the droid he sold to Jabba. The droid argues that Lando has a fascinating dilemma: the Rebellion will be upset when he returns with a droid they thought was lost, but he needs it to save Lobot. It posits that the only place Lando can get the firepower to save Lobot from the scourge and its "maniacal droids" is the Rebel Alliance. When Lando asks if anyone has told the droid that it talks too much, it replies that is its purpose, prompting Lando to put it into sleep mode.

In a memory from Alderaan, Lando and Lobot discuss how they escaped a previous situation. Lobot claims Lando didn't have a plan, he just lied—repeatedly and fluidly. Lobot asks how he can lie so easily. Lando explains that he treats lying like a full-time job, keeping notes on his stories and reviewing them. Lobot confesses that this approach doesn't make him feel confident in their friendship, but Lando explains that everyone in his line of work has one person they can be truthful with, and that person is Lobot. Lando states that nothing good lasts forever, but this is how he chooses to live his life.

A new mission

Back in the present, Leia is in a meeting with other Rebel leaders, trying to determine the location of the new Death Star. Lando enters and asks to speak to her privately about Han. Leia dismisses the officers, and Lando tells her he just returned from Jabba's palace, a move Leia acknowledges was a huge risk. He admits he went to rescue Han and found him alive but still frozen in carbonite, hanging in Jabba's throne room as a decoration. When Lando mentions that the droids were acting strangely, Leia notes that the issue is widespread. She reveals that droids across the fleet are acting against their programming, forcing them to temporarily deactivate every droid, even the astromechs, grounding their fighters and leaving them without crucial combat-ready ships.

Lando explains that the "scourge" controlling the droids wants Lobot, and that a tracker in Lobot's implants can lead them to the scourge's base. Upset, Leia initially refuses to help, but Lando threatens to go to Amilyn Holdo. Leia reveals Holdo is on a mission, but she is willing to send a small, elite team to help. She explains that she would never make a decision without considering the Alliance and that Lobot could be very useful to them.

Above the planet Epikonia, Leia, Lando, Luke, and Chewbacca are on board the Millennium Falcon, following the tracker. Luke wonders why the scourge is on this world. Leia explains that Epikonia is a communications hub where signals are relayed and new programming code is developed. As they enter the atmosphere, they encounter an automated droid fleet. Lando warns Luke not to access transponder data and deactivates the Falcon's navigation systems, which are run by a droid core. He expertly pilots the ship into one of the massive satellite dishes, landing on the very edge.

At the scourge's location, the droid hive mind is conducting experiments to place its consciousness into organic creatures. It senses Lando's arrival and sees through the eyes of other droids that he has brought Luke Skywalker, a valuable new asset. As the Rebels proceed on foot, they notice the lack of people and are suddenly surrounded by scourge droids. Lando shoots one of them, causing the others to advance. As the droids close in on them, they calmly announce that "it will all be over soon."

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 "A Celebration"

Action Figure variant cover by John Tyler Christopher

Life Day variant cover by Mike del Mundo

Life Day variant cover by Rod Reis

Collected in

• Star Wars Vol. 7: Dark Droids

Appearances

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

Sources

• Dark Droids 1
• Get into the Holiday Spirit with New 'Star Wars' Life Day Covers on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)

Notes and references

External links

• Star Wars (2020) #40 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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