"Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Echoes of the Empire" #4 Finally Explains Han Solo's Return to Batuu
Plus, some more surprising characters show up!
Back in April, I was confused that the first issue of the new Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Echoes of the Empire miniseries from Marvel Comics didn't explain how Han Solo came to be present on the planet Batuu along with his beloved Princess Leia Organa and her Jedi brother Luke Skywalker. Well, it turns out that all I had to do was be patient and that writer Ethan Sacks had a plan in mind all along. Read below for further details.
What's happening:
- In issue #4 of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Echoes of the Empire from Marvel Comics, released today, we learn that Han Solo returned to Batuu after the fall of the Empire (and after he was unfrozen from the carbonite block and rescued from Jabba the Hutt's palace) in Return of the Jedi.
- Notably, the Millennium Falcon now has the rectangular-shaped rectenna from Star Wars: The Force Awakens at this point in the timeline (the circular version was knocked off during the Battle of Endor).
- Han had previously visited the planet's Black Spire Outpost in issue #1 of the 2019 Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge miniseries, also written by Ethan Sacks, during which he procured Dok-Ondar's baby sarlacc.
- Luke and Leia are on Batuu to return an ancient Jedi artifact (see issues #1-3 of Echoes of the Empire) that seemed to have lost its power when it was taken off-planet.
- Of course, this still means that Han and Darth Vader cannot be on the planet at the same time, as Vader died during the climax of Return of the Jedi. But we'll just have to imagine those two areas of Black Spire as taking place at different points in the timeline.
- Also of note in this issue is the appearance of Harkos, a Nikto bounty hunter who was once promised to be an actual in-person character in the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge lands at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. While Harkos never materialized in the parks, it's nice that the character's existence has finally come to fruition in the comics.
- Another surprise character making an appearance in Echoes of the Empire #4 is Hugo Durant, the Ardennian fry cook played by filmmaker Martin Scorsese in Lucasfilm's new movie Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Could this be an indication that we'll eventually get to try some of Hugo's food while visiting Batuu?
- This issue is that it provides more in-story context for the current version of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, specifically pinpointing the exact moment in the timeline when Hondo Ohnaka first "borrows" the Falcon for his smuggling missions. There's a pretty funny panel where Han and Chewie watch a random family stumbling down the ship's ramp after causing it some damage during their flight.
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Echoes of the Empire #4 is available now wherever comic books are sold.
More Galaxy's Edge News:
- Go behind the scenes of the story for the new version of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
- A new lightsaber box is available for purchase in Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities.
- Watch "The Curious Child" projection pre-show playing before Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga.