Republic 52 is the fifty-second issue in the Star Wars: Republic series of comics. It was published on April 9, 2003 by Dark Horse Comics.
Publisher's summary
A Gungan settlement has been massacred, General Kenobi has been captured, and the Separatists are planning to wipe out Naboo with a biological weapon! Only Anakin Skywalker and Alpha, a clone trooper specialist, can save the day—but that's only if they can get past Durge, Count Dooku's hired assassin who has a centuries-old grudge against the Jedi, and Commander Asajj Ventress, a mysterious Jedi with a dark past!
Plot summary
Anakin Skywalker and Alpha-17 battle through several droids as they reach the Separatist’s hostages on the moon Ohma-D’un. During the battle, Anakin has thoughts about abandoning the mission to be with Padmé, but he knows that she would want him to risk everything for the innocents in need of rescue. The droids are dispatched and the hostages are freed, upon which Anakin and Alpha-17 are informed that the Separatists are planning to attack Naboo. They are directed to a nearby ridge, where the Separatist forces are fueling spice miner starships and loading them with chemical weapons. Anakin and Alpha-17 conclude that the Separatists are planning to crash the starships into the city of Theed, blaming the attack on the miners.
Meanwhile, Obi-Wan is confronted by Asajj Ventress, who calls the Jedi weak and misguided fools, lamenting that she once worshiped them. She attacks Obi-Wan with her dual lightsabers, and after a short duel, cripples him with the force. With Obi-Wan frozen in place, the bounty hunter Durge locks on to his head with a gun, but he is attacked by the Jedi Zule Xiss, causing his shot to misplace and graze Obi-Wan's shoulder instead. Believing Durge’s spinal cord to be severed by her attack, Zule is shocked to learn that he does not in fact have one, and he retaliates by attempting to take her face as a souvenir. She frees herself by firing two blasters into both of his shoulders and stands alongside the recovered Obi-Wan, who advises her to stay close as she wishes to avenge her master.
Durge leaves the area to intercept Anakin and Alpha-17, while Asajj uses Dark Side necromancy to resurrect some massacred Gungans. They attack the two Jedi with their Cesta’s, but they are struck down with ease. Asajj uses the opportunity to keep the Jedi off-balance, opening them up for an attack.
Meanwhile, Anakin and Alpha-17 reach the starships and battle the droids surrounding them. Alpha-17 places an explosive device on one of the ships and runs to safety as it explodes behind him, destroying the remaining ships in a chain reaction. In the midst of the heavy smoke and wounded by the explosion, Alpha-17 is attacked by Durge, who is angered that his mission has been ruined and vows to kill all of Jango’s spawn. Alpha-17 is beaten to a pulp but is saved by Anakin, who uses Durge’s own Magna bolas to stun him. Impressed by Anakin’s tactics, the bounty hunter flees the scene with his jetpack while threatening to gut Anakin with his own lightsaber in the future. With their mission complete, Anakin wishes to chase after Durge, but Alpha-17 concludes that they must return to the other Jedi.
Back at the site of the Gungan colony, Obi-Wan and Zule are weakened by the poisonous gas that was released by Durge earlier in the battle, which burns their skin and causes them to become fatigued. Because of this, Asajj manages to cut off Zule's left arm with a lightsaber, which angers Obi-Wan, but he is too weak to effectively retaliate. With no hope left on their own, the two Jedi are relieved to see Anakin and Alpha-17, who rejoin them to fend off Asajj. Realising that she is outmatched by their combined might, Asajj leaps into the air and is grabbed by Durge, who flies off into the distance with her in tow.
The remaining members of the strike team comfort each other as Obi-Wan informs the concerned Anakin that Zule must now join other Padawans who have lost their masters. Anakin wishes to travel to Naboo, but Obi-Wan objects and states that they must instead travel to Coruscant to warn the Jedi of the new threat. The strike team takes off in a ship as Anakin wonders why the Separatists would commit such atrocities. Obi-Wan concludes that this is the new face of war.
Media
Cover gallery
Collected in
- Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 2: Victories and Sacrifices
- Star Wars Omnibus: Clone Wars Volume 1: The Republic Goes to War
- Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Clone Wars Vol. 1
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
Droid models
Events
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Locations
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Organizations and titles
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Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels
Weapons and technology
|
Miscellanea
Notes and references
- ↑
Star Wars: Republic (2002) #52 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
- ↑ The Official Star Wars Fact File Part 6 22 BBY 75-80: Dark Side Influence dates the Hunt for the Decimator, the Dark Reaper crisis, the First Battle of Kamino, the battle of Ohma-D'un, the battle of Pengalan IV, Jedi: Mace Windu, and the events of Star Wars: Clone Wars up until the Battle of Hypori to 22 BBY, in that order.
External links
Star Wars: Republic #52 on Dark Horse Comics' official website (backup link)- Star Wars: Republic (2002) #52 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
