''Vader's Quest'' is a four-issue

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

miniseries set in the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe, written by

Darko Macan Darko Macan (born 1966) is a Croatian writer and illustrator who has created and collaborated on comics, essays and science fiction and fantasy. He is also an editor. Biography Born in Zagreb, where he still lives, he has a degree in history an ...

and drawn by

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story "For the Man ...

and Angus McKie. Published by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

, the original four issues appeared in February through May 1999; a trade paperback reprinting all four was released in December of that same year. Together, the four covers of the individual issues form a tetraptych, which is printed in the trade paperback. They focus on, from left to right,

Darth Vader Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...

Palpatine Sheev Palpatine, also known by his Sith name Darth Sidious, is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Initially credited as the Emperor in the original trilogy films, ''The Empire Strikes ...

, Jal Te Gniev, and

Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the protagonist of the original film trilogy of the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Portrayed by Mark Hamill, Luke first appeared in ''Star Wars'' (1977), and he returned in ''The ...

Synopsis

Soon after the events of the original ''Star Wars'' film, the Sith Lord

has hired

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

s to find out who was responsible for the destruction of the

Death Star The Death Star is a fictional space station and Weapon of mass destruction, superweapon featured in the ''Star Wars'' Space opera, space-opera franchise. Constructed by the autocratic Galactic Empire (Star Wars), Galactic Empire, the Death Star ...

. At the Museum of the Old Republic, a captured and tortured

Rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

pilot, who survived the Death Star battle and returned to his homeworld of Centares, betrays the pilot's surname:

Skywalker The Skywalker family is a fictional legendary human family in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Within the series' fictional universe, the Skywalkers are presented as a bloodline with strong inherent capabilities related to the Force and sometimes ...

. Vader attempts to kill every bounty hunter who hears this revelation, but one escapes and heads to Coruscant to tell

the name in exchange for protection from Vader. Rebel pilot Jal Te Gniev, who is envious and resentful of

Luke People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...

, tells a woman in a cantina that Luke will be on Jazbina; not knowing anything about Luke besides that he is a wanted man, she then sells this information to an Imperial-connected bounty hunter in exchange for forgiving her father's debt. Vader pursues Luke, and comes face to face with him for the first time on Jazbina (where Jal has also journeyed to warn Luke and redeem himself) but the decidedly anti-

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

locals force him to leave, saving Luke.

Continuity

Vader previously met Luke face to face in the 1978 novel sequel to the original film, ''

Splinter of the Mind's Eye ''Splinter of the Mind's Eye'' is a 1978 science-fiction novel written by Alan Dean Foster as a sequel to the film '' Star Wars'' (1977). Originally published in 1978 by Del Rey, a division of Ballantine Books, the book was written with the in ...

'', though this book became largely non-canonical with the release of a full-fledged sequel in the form of ''

The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...

'' (1980)''.'' The unnamed Rebel pilot who betrays Skywalker's name was later revealed to be Thurlow Harris from the video game '' Star Wars: Rebel Assault'' (1993).

Collections

*''Omnibus: Early Victories'' (2008) * ''Marvel Epic Collection: Star Wars – The Rebellion, Vol. 1'' (2016)

References

1999 comics debuts Dark Horse Comics limited series Comics based on Star Wars Comics by Dave Gibbons {{DarkHorse-comics-stub