The Galactic Empire is building a second Death Star (because...y’know...the first one worked out SO WELL). The Rebel Alliance is getting ready to launch a full-scale assault on the operation involving the nearby forest moon of Endor. Admiral Ackbar is prepping for it, but he’s gotten some intel on an alleged conspiracy to assassinate rebel leader Mon Mothma. Ackbar is going to have to follow up on the info in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - The Rebellion #1. Writer Alex Segura tells a story that starts “six days before the Battle of Endor” with the art team of Brent Peeples, Matt Horak, and Rafael T. Pimentel. Color comes to the page courtesy of Jim Campbell.

It’s a VERY crucial time for the Rebel Alliance. Mon Mothma doesn’t want ANY resources thrown towards some rumored attempt on her life. She is, after all, one person. The Rebel Alliance is huge, and there are a great many lives involved. Nevertheless, in the days to come, Mothma is going to be approached by a trusted source and asked to meet. She can’t afford to turn the offer down, as it IS such a crucial time for the Rebels...but she will do so at the risk of her own life...

It’s a trap. Ackbar knows that much. (It’s also a meme. It’s kind of his thing. He knows it’s a trap...whatever it is.) Beyond weird cliches, Segura actually does a really good job of putting together a fun little espionage story set just before the third act of Return of the Jedi. It’s a sharp story. Segura keeps the plot rolling along very quickly without making anything feel at all rushed. It plays very much like a 20-minute short that was cut directly out of the third movie, which is pretty impressive given the fact that there has been A LOT of Star Wars that’s come out since Jedi and the franchise has evolved as much as it has. Segura perfectly nails the feel of a very specific 40-year-old film. 

The character design of Ackbar is so distinct. The art team does such a good job of rendering it for the page that it’s impossible to read the dialogue without hearing the distinctive voice of actor Erik Bauersfeld. The layout of the issue is more or less perfect. That initial meeting between Ackbar and Mothma in the Rebel space fleet at the beginning of the issue? No gutters. All stars and fighters and things. Very few Star Wars comics feel this Star Wars. 

Disney, Lucasfilm, and Marvel continue to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi next month with Max Rebo and the band as they hang out with Jabba the Hutt, who...seems to have someone plotting to kill him, too. (Evidently, there was a lot of that going around right before the Battle of Endor.)

Grade: B+