Star Wars 39 is the thirty-ninth issue of the 2020 canon comic book series Star Wars. The issue was written by Charles Soule, illustrated by Madibek Musabekov and Rachelle Rosenberg, and published by Marvel Comics on October 18, 2023.
Publisher's summary[]
DROID DEATH TRAP! – A DARK DROIDS TIE-IN! LANDO CALRISSIAN has finally gotten his hands on the ancient droid with the ability to save his old friend LOBOT from certain death. But before that can happen, they must escape JABBA THE HUTT'S PALACE on TATOOINE, which is swarming with evil droids hungry…for droid blood!
Opening crawl[]
| HOSTILE HYBROID |
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Plot summary[]
Trapped in the pit[]
In Jabba's palace, Lando, Lobot, and the Talky droid are trapped in a rancor's cell, caught between an army of violent droids and an angry rancor. The Talky droid proposes a solution: it will emit a high-frequency screech that will render the rancor unconscious for ten seconds. The droid tells Lando and Lobot to cover their ears before it unleashes a horrible sound, causing a resonance in the rancor's inner ear and knocking the beast out. The droid then presses a button to open a trap panel above them, urging them to climb to safety quickly.
The rancor awakens, agitated and furious, and slashes at Lando as he scrambles to escape. Lando barely makes it into the throne room, leaving the enraged rancor to attack the droids still in the pit. The Talky droid explains that the droids in the cell are only a fraction of those in the palace, and it's likely they've all fallen under a single, unifying intelligence. The droid notes that Jabba is away on his sail barge for a routine pleasure cruise and that they need to be gone before he returns.
The hunt for Lando[]
Out on the Dune Sea, Jabba receives an update that something is terribly wrong with the droids in the palace. They've killed many people and taken control of the palace, hunting every organic being they can find. Jabba orders his majordomo, Bib Fortuna, to take the barge back to the palace and send in their fighters to "kill everything that moves." The rancor keeper, Malakili, begs Jabba to spare the rancor, calling it a "gentle creature" that has done nothing wrong. Jabba agrees to let his pet live.
Back in the palace, Lando, Lobot, and the Talky droid discuss their escape options. The droid explains that it has a virtual map of the palace in its memory and knows many ways to reach the Jundland Wastes. Lando pauses in front of Han Solo, frozen in carbonite on the wall. Lobot attempts to free him, but Lando stops him, saying they don't have time. Lando makes a pledge to return for his friend.
Soon, they are being chased by the unified droids. Lando says there are too many to fight with his blaster alone. The Talky droid slams a door shut behind them and ushers them into a secondary tunnel used by servants. The droid promises the passage will lead them outside, but then a group of droids appears and attacks Lobot. The Talky droid closes another door, trapping Lobot and the attacking droids in a room. Enraged, Lando shoots the droid's hand off and warns it to start helping or lose more limbs.
The droids strap Lobot to a chair and reveal their plan to transfer their consciousness into his cyborg body, a "path from metal to flesh." Lando fights his way through the droids to the chamber where Lobot is held. He finds Lobot surrounded by droids with various flesh parts, like arms and legs. A voice from the droid hive mind, now controlling Lobot's body, says this is not a nightmare but "progress." The hive mind says it now knows everything about Lobot—every memory, feeling, and truth. It adds that Lobot believed in Lando to save him until the very end.
A loud noise signals Jabba's return. The hive mind and the droids say they must leave to assimilate everyone. As Jabba's fighters engage the droids in a battle outside the palace, Lando runs back to the Millennium Falcon without Lobot.
A memory surfaces of Lando and Lobot years earlier, emerging from a body of water, laughing about their luck. Lando holds something up, calling it "priceless," and Lobot calls Lando the "luckiest man" he ever knew. As the Millennium Falcon flies away, the Talky droid asks if Lando will destroy it. Lando says he's going to save his friend, leaving his next move a mystery.
Media[]
Cover gallery[]
Collected in[]
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
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Droid models
Events
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Locations
Organizations and titles
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Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels
Weapons and technology
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Miscellanea
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Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11
Star Wars (2020) #39 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
- ↑ 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 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. As Star Wars (2020) 39 takes place between War of the Bounty Hunters and Star Wars (2020) 43, its events must take place around 3 ABY.
External links[]
