Warning: SPOILERS for Poe Dameron #31
Star Wars fans saw the Resistance practically destroyed by the end of The Last Jedi, but a new comic book shows what happened immediately after the movie's ending - and the mission that Commander Poe Dameron sees as the true beginning of the Resistance coming in Episode 9.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi wasn't what any fan expected, leaving Supreme Commander Snoke dead, and Kylo Ren the de facto leader of the First Order. Luke Skywalker dying and returning to The Force, leaving the legacy of the Jedi completely in Rey's hands. And Leia in charge of the smallest rebellion yet. Lucasfilm has confirmed that Episode 9 will end the original Star Wars story once and for all, even if the last Skywalker isn't there to finish it herself.
Thanks to the final issue of Marvel's Poe Dameron comic series, fans can be sure that Poe will be leading the Resistance as Leia always hoped he would.
- This Page: Leia & Poe's First Mission After Last Jedi Ends
- Page 2: The TRUE Resistance is Born, With Poe Leading
Where Star Wars: Last Jedi Leaves The Resistance
What Luke Skywalker claims during his final standoff with Kylo Ren is incredibly reassuring: that the Resistance is not broken, but reborn, having come so close to being utterly erased. The reality of the situation is a bit grimmer, however, with the remaining Resistance whittled down to about the dozen ferried off Crait in the Millennium Falcon. And even with Luke reminding his sister that she never gave up hope - not since it was placed in her hands in the final seconds of Rogue One - the situation is tenuous, at best.
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After all, the Resistance's calls for allies and backup went completely unanswered throughout the course of Last Jedi. The word of Luke Skywalker's return to stand against the First Order, like word of a new Apprentice - the true last Jedi - is sure to spread across the galaxy. But Leia knows that the next decisions she makes could be the most important ones of her life. The passing of Carrie Fisher and the changes it will mean for Leia's Episode 9 role mean those decisions won't be shown on film, but that's right where Poe Dameron #31 picks up.
The Comic Reveals Leia & Poe's Next Scene
Filling in the formative moments in the new Star Wars canon (like so many other incredible Star Wars comic books recently published), the issue begins with what must be the first private conversation between Poe Dameron and Leia after making their escape from Crait. With Poe having been largely inseparable from his fellow pilots of Black Squadron for much of this comic run, it's fitting that he should be pleading with Leia for a chance to save them in this, the final issue of the series. But that's a risk Leia isn't willing to take.
Leia knows that risking what remains of the Resistance to save a handful of pilots, even their best handful, could kill all hope of their survival just hours after Luke died to keep it alive. And as she now sits in the early days of building an organized rebellion from essentially the ground up - for the third time in her life - the decision to leave Black Squadron to their fate might be the easiest to make (tragic as it may also be). But Poe Dameron has taken her lessons, advice, and her efforts to groom him for leadership to heart.
And while his passion for doing what's right for his friends and fellow soldiers got him into trouble in Last Jedi, Poe now sees it as the way to truly "spark" the rebellion Leia has tried to ignite through actions, and not words. But to do it, Leia decides it's time to give him a promotion.
Leia Promotes Poe, Who's Finally Ready To Lead
Poe makes a powerful case, and one that arguably flies in the face of the politics, negotiations, and diplomacy that the so-called 'good guys' of the Star Wars saga turned to in the past. Since those pleasant words and handshakes didn't prevent the First Order from rising, and the Resistance from falling, Poe has a point. Now that the First Order has murdered an entire system without blinking, and cut down even the great Luke Skywalker, Poe believes it's time for the Resistance to show their heart, and not just their hope. A less glamorous ideal to die for... but one Poe is now embracing.
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Poe requests the chance to risk his own life to rescue the other four pilots of Black Squadron, and hopefully take down the First Order forces that have them cornered. A message like that - not that the Resistance is made up of heroes, willing to die to destroy their enemy, but soldiers willing to die in an impossible fight if it can save their friends - is one Poe believes will make all the difference. Clearly, the lessons of Last Jedi have changed his perspective.
Leia seems to feel the same way, granting Poe permission to take a different ship on this apparent suicide mission, and re-promoting him to the rank of Commander. Her last order is that Poe make sure not to "blow it this time," and he does his best to follow it. In fact, it's this mission that puts him on his new path to leading the Resistance "reborn" thanks to Luke Skywalker.
Poe Dameron Sees The Birth of a New Resistance
For the fans who may not remember, Black Squadron was completely missing from Last Jedi, having established themselves as the Resistance's most skilled, and arguably most pivotal weapon in the fight so far. It was only the comic books that actually explained why they weren't around to help Poe during Last Jedi, having been ordered to seek assistance from the Resistance's allies by Leia directly, running into one problem after another. The last one turned out to be the biggest, finding themselves ambushed, outnumbered, and out of luck against First Order forces on the planet Ikkrukk.
Poe's timing couldn't be more perfect, arriving in the nick of time to pull Snap Wexley and Karé Kun from out of the First Order's crosshairs. As the issue reveals, the standard First Order officers still have no idea that the Resistance is alive, much less renewed, nor that Supreme Leader Snoke has been killed and replaced by his apprentice. If they knew, they might have realized how dire their situation really was - before Poe's plan, and the heroism of Black Squadron destroyed the threat entirely (making a new ally at the same time). But when Poe's friends notice that he's the only backup that came for them, and did it in a fighter borrowed from a friendly Hutt, they sense that things didn't go as well for the Resistance as they hoped.
Poe, however, sees their situation differently.
The (Last?) Resistance Finally Begins
Poe explains that he will bring Snap and the rest of Black Squadron up to speed eventually ("we're a dozen people now and Luke Skywalker is dead" is a hard bomb to drop). But for now, it's time to enjoy the win. Because it wasn't achieved through some ancient prophecy, or heroic sacrifice. And if the Resistance is truly going to "burn the First Order to the ground," Poe realizes this is exactly how it's going to be done:
You know, I've been thinking about all of this. Thinking about the fight. I don't think it's about heroes. I used to. Got that idea burned right out of me. It's not about Jedi, or the best pilots in the galaxy winning against impossible odds. It's not about saving the galaxy. It's about saving your galaxy. The one within your reach. You choose right over wrong. When it's dark, you try to bring some light. You end your journey knowing you made things brighter. If everyone made that choice... well... I think everyone can. Maybe they just need to see how you do it.
I think that's the fight. We've lost a lot. Almost everything--But we can still do what needs to be done. We can still win. In fact, in some ways... the Resistance has just begun.
The speech is a fitting end to the series from Charles Soule and Angel Unzueta, effectively placing Poe Dameron on the path to becoming leader of the Resistance, since he appears to be the highest-ranking, most experienced, and now best suited soldier Leia has left. And more importantly, seems to have adopted the belief that it shouldn't be a Jedi or legacy hero who leads the galaxy back to democracy - the very same belief held by Leia throughout the original trilogy.
Leia may have lost her and Han Solo's son to the manipulations of The Force, but it seems another adopted son combining the strengths of Han and Leia is ready to lead a Resistance of people, without much caring what The Force has to say about it. The wait for Star Wars: Episode 9 just got a lot harder to take.
Poe Dameron #31 is available now from Marvel Comics.
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