FOTF Comics: Star Wars Vol. 8: Mutiny on Mon Cala

Off to Mon Cala We Go in Star Wars Volume 8

Leia, Han, Luke, and Chewie head to Mon Cala to meet with their regent, Urtya, to convince him to openly join the Rebellion and allow the Mon Cala fleet to be retrofitted with weapons. When he refuses, Leia devises yet another crazy plan to bring Mon Cala into the Rebellion once and for all. With the help of Queen Trios and a Clawdite with a big ego, they just might pull off their most ambitious plan yet.

Due to Ackbar’s previous appearances in the comic and Raddus’s involvement in the Battle of Scarif, I was under the impression that Mon Cala was already part of the Rebellion. We learn here that Ackbar and Raddus rebelled against their community and left. With King Lee-Char in an Imperial prison, Urtya doesn’t dare openly rebel for fear of Imperial retaliation. His belief that Mon Cala would become the next Alderaan or Jedha is at war with Leia’s insistence that without a fleet they cannot defeat the Empire and thus prevent another such tragedy.

I wasn’t sure what to think of Urtya at first. I saw him as a bit sniveling for most of the comic, until the end when his true colors finally showed. The addition of Trios was nice to see, and she again surprised me with her actions. She’s definitely a much more complicated character than I previously thought. I’m not sure what game writer Kieron Gillen intends to have her be playing, but count me in to see it play out.

The Play’s the Thing

The opera detailed here reminded me of the opera scene in Revenge of the Sith. According to Wookieepedia, it seems the opera featured in the move was also of Mon Cala origin, which makes me wonder how many other galactic cultures have their own operas, ballets, and stage plays. The galactic equivalent to Tchaikovsky or Wagner would make for very interesting story building.

C-3PO was hysterical in this volume. What a diva! For a droid, he is rather full of himself. Not to mention his love of opera and epic poetry was just too funny. I can just hear Anthony Daniels reciting the Star Wars version of Shakespeare.

Overall, this volume was more fun than serious, although the success of the mission was definitely very serious. It’s nice to see some of the more serious elements of the story balanced with a little levity. And with that cliff hanger ending, I can’t wait for the next volume, Hope Burns, to be released around Christmas.

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