Star Wars (2020) 43

For other uses, see Star Wars 43.

"Very happy to see how well Star Wars #43 is landing for people. Sculpting Luke's journey from Empire to Jedi was always a big part of the job on this book, and this story was key."
―Charles Soule[3]

Star Wars 43 is the forty-third issue of the 2020 canon comic book series Star Wars. The issue was written by Charles Soule, illustrated by Steven Cummings, Jethro Morales, Wayne Faucher, and Rachelle Rosenberg, and published by Marvel Comics on February 21, 2024.

Publisher's summary

A SITH IN THE MIND'S EYE! LUKE SKYWALKER is trapped deep behind enemy lines, hunted by a rogue SITH who sees the nascent JEDI KNIGHT as his chance at new ascendancy. How will Luke survive…and who will he be if he does?

Opening crawl

THE HEALING FORCE 
Before being pulled into the fight against the evil
scourge, Luke Skywalker was continuing his Jedi
training, seeking out the secrets of the kyber
crystals on the planet Christophsis.

With the help of his friend Gretta and her Auntie
Fee, Luke was able to enter into the red crystal
again, returning to the hidden fortress in the
blood-red sea that he had briefly glimpsed before.

Luke had been attempting to heal the injuries and
sorrow that turned the crystal to its ominous
crimson shine, but now he has encountered a power
determined to offer him some pain of its own….

Plot summary

Within the red kyber crystal, in the fortress of the Sith Gol, Luke finds himself beaten down in a prison cell, the Sith standing above him claiming that life is defined by the moments of pain. Further, that pain should be used as one's weapon in order to become stronger. Gol does not want to see the pain go away, and in fact wants Luke to succumb to his own pain.

Once the Sith leaves, Luke uses the Force to break down the prison bars, only to find a bassinet with a crying baby. It is Gol. He approaches, entering a new vision. He sees snapshots of Gol's lifetime of pain, but now at each step, Luke is there to serve as a light in the darkness. In that moment, Gol attacks Luke with his lightsaber. Luke conjures up a green lightsaber, surprised by the color of its blade, and the two duel. Luke disarms Gol, reiterating that there is not only one path, no matter how far one has gone already. Gol, defeated, tells Luke that in order to heal the crystal, he would need to face his own pain as well.

In a new vision, Luke finds himself face-to-face with Darth Vader, first in the prison, then back in their duel in Cloud City, Bespin. Now with his green lightsaber, Luke leaps over Vader, running back into the facility. There he sees glimpses of pain in his life, such as the deceased forms of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, Ben Kenobi's death, and his own birth. Vader catches up, reminding Luke there is no escape, which Luke reinterprets as it being his destiny to confront Vader again in the future. He sees the good man his father once was, and realizes that no one is beyond help. Approaching the glowing white silhouette of Anakin Skywalker, Luke finds himself falling again. The fortress is no longer in a sea of red, but dazzling white.

Luke slowly awakens from his meditation, the kyber crystal now white. Auntie Feez and Gretta are impressed by Luke's success, and Luke gives the purified crystal to them. Luke acknowledges that he did not learn much about the Sith, but that it was very worthwhile because he learned much about himself, including that he should use the green kyber crystal for his own lightsaber.

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Cover gallery

Collected in

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  • Wampa (Vision to Luke Skywalker)

Events

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Organizations and titles

Sentient species

Vehicles and vessels

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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 1.11 1.12 Marvel-TemplateLogo Star Wars (2020) #43 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. Therefore, the events of Star Wars (2020) 43 must take place around 3 ABY.
  3. ↑ TwitterLogo Charles Soule (@CharlesSoule) on Twitter (post): "Very happy to see how well Star Wars #43 is landing for people. Sculpting Luke's journey from Empire to Jedi was always a big part of the job on this book, and this story was key." (backup link)

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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