Star Wars 1

Plot
The Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator bears down upon a fleeing Rebel Blockdade Runner, the Tantive IV. Laser blasts strike a solar fin and the ship heaves from the impact. A boarding party consisting of Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith and a squadron of Imperial Stormtroopers stalk through the corridors of the ship gunning down members of the Rebel Alliance. Two droids, Artoo-Deetoo and See-Threepio do their best to avoid random blaster fire. Threepio complains in desperation, but manages to avoid being struck by a stray blast. Darth Vader captures the commander of the ship, Raymmus Antilles, and begins throttling him, demanding to know the location of a set of stolen plans relating to the Galactic Empire's newest super-weapon, the Death Star. When the captain fails to give Vader the information he wants, he snaps his neck and orders his soldiers to tear the ship apart until they recover the missing data tapes. Threepio meanwhile, loses track of Artoo but finds him in the company of a white-robed young woman. The woman inserts something into Artoo's databank then disappears into the smoke. Threepio questions his smaller compatriot who communicates to him through a series of beeps and whistles that he must complete his "mission". Threepio has no idea what Artoo's secret mission could possibly be. Artoo finds one of the ship's Escape Pod and Threepio follows behind him. They activate the launching mechanism and the pod blasts safely away from the Tantive IV.

Appearances
Featured Characters:
 * Luke Skywalker
 * Princess Leia
 * R2-D2
 * C-3P0

Supporting Characters:

Villains:
 * Darth Vader
 * Imperial Stormtroopers

Other Characters:
 * Raymus Antilles

Races:

Organizations:
 * Galactic Empire
 * Rebel Alliance

Locations:
 * Tatooine

Items:
 * Macrobinoculars

Vehicles:
 * Escape Pod
 * Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator
 * Landspeeder
 * Tantive IV

Notes & Trivia

 * Many of the proper names used in this article are taken from the Star Wars Expanded Universe material and are not actually used in the content of this issue.


 * In the beginning of this issue C-3P0 states, "They'll be no escape for the captain this time." In the film, the line is "They'll be no escape for the princess this time".


 * R2-D2 is identified as a "Thermo-Capsulary Dehousing Assister". In the Expanded Universe he is identified as an astromech droid.


 * Darth Vader is referred to as a Dark Lord of the Sith. At this point in time, the Sith have only been referenced in the comic book adaptation, the Star Wars novelization and the Star Wars Topps trading card series. The term is not used in the films until the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.


 * Threepio makes reference to the Spice Mines of Kessel. The Kessel mines are also referenced in the movie, but are not actually featured until the 1994 novel Jedi Search by Kevin J. Anderson.

Reprints
This issue is reprinted in the following comic books and comic book collections:
 * Classic Star Wars: A New Hope #1
 * Classic Star Wars: A New Hope (TPB)
 * Marvel Comics Illustrated Version of Star Wars
 * Marvel Special Edition: Star Wars #1
 * Marvel Special Edition: Star Wars #3
 * Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... - Doomworld
 * Star Wars Weekly #1
 * Star Wars Weekly #2