Warning! This post contains spoilers for Star Wars #50Marvel Comics has released its latest issue of Star Wars Put between The empire strikes back And Return of the Jedi. Framed as a tale and key lesson Luke Skywalker gives to Ben Solo years after the fact, this final issue details the Rebels’ discovery of an incredibly powerful weapon, one that could have killed Emperor Palpatine himself before the Battle of Endor.
in Star Wars #50 By Charles Soule, Madibek Musabekov, and Rachelle Rosenberg, Luke Skywalker returns to the Force vergence known as the Living Sea of Gazian. While Luke hoped to commune with a Jedi from the past as he had before, Jedi were not the only ones seeking knowledge from Gazian. As such, Luke encounters a Dark Jedi who reveals the location of a powerful ancient weapon capable of ending Luke’s enemies without risking those he cares about. After the rebels find the weapon, there is only one clear name in all of their minds:
Known as the Grim Rose, the Rebels acquire this new weapon which is nothing more than an ornate box. However, they soon discover that all it takes is the intended target’s DNA and the Grim Rose does the rest, powered by some darkness connected to the Force Luke cannot fully convince.
The Dirty Rose Could Have Killed Palpatine (For Good)
But it was a major cost for the rebels
Thanks to a secretly rebel records clerk on Naboo who had hidden a sample of Palpatine’s blood years earlier, the Rebels soon had everything they needed to finish off Palpatine once and for all. However, the truth about how the Grim Rose actually works became clear after they activated the box with the Emperor’s blood. Attuning to Palpatine’s spirit, the box would begin searching and locating people who were directly influenced and impacted by Palpatine one-on-one, beginning at the beginning of his life until it eventually finds and kills Palpatine himself.
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however, Threepio’s translations of the box soon reveals that each being identified by the box before Palpatine would too to be killed. Given Palpatine’s vast sphere of influence, this would mean that the Rebels would have to sacrifice hundreds if not thousands of beings in the name of ending the Emperor. Refusing to pay the price, Luke and his fellow Rebel heroes are forced to close the box and let Palpatine live, something that can only be done by giving the box a new purpose.
The Cruel Rose served as a key lesson for Ben Solo
The rebels would be no better than the empire
After Luke uses the remains of someone the living sea of Gazian did not Let go, the box deactivated once it realizes its new target is already dead. Preventing the loss of so many lives, it’s fascinating that this final issue is framed as a lesson for Ben Solo.. The issue ends with Luke telling his nephew that the Rebels chose not to become evil for the sake of defeating it.
“Unfortunately, it seems Luke is doomed to forget his own lesson…”
Luke’s lesson is quite poignant, considering what happened to his relationship with Ben just a few years later. After all, Ben Solo’s rise as Kylo Ren truly begins because of Luke’s major moment of weakness, where he considered killing his own nephew and apprentice in the name of preventing the darkness he saw within him. Unfortunately, it seems as though Luke is doomed to forget his own lesson, making this final issue of Star Wars Something tragic between its epic end.
Star Wars #50 is available now from Marvel Comics