Warning! Spoilers ahead for Star Wars #5
In the latest issue of Marvel's Star Wars comic series, Luke Skywalker in his search of his destiny. Currently, Luke is unsure about where his Jedi Path will take him next, or if he should even be on it at all, after learning that Darth Vader is his father in The Empire Strikes Back. Choosing to answer the call he heard in a vision he had of a mysterious woman, Luke learns more about the history of the Jedi, specifically Order 66 and the Jedi Purge at the end of the Clone Wars.
When Luke and his Rebel allies returned to Cloud City, they all had their different reasons for wanting to return. Lando wanted to get his friend Lobot back, and Leia wanted to learn how to free someone from carbonite, so she could free Han once they rescue him. Luke, for his part, hoped to find his lightsaber that he lost after his duel with his father. Though he was unsuccessful, Luke did receive a vision of a mysterious hooded woman calling to him through the Force to fulfill his destiny. As a result, Luke spends some time away from the regrouping Rebel Alliance, in search of the woman who called out to him with the answers he seeks (whether he knows it or not).
This brings things to Star Wars #5, from writer Charles Soule with art by Jesús Saiz. In the issue, Luke and R2-D2 locate the planet of Serelia, which looks exactly like the system Luke saw in his vision. Landing close to a nearby port, Luke finds the woman he's looking for, though she quickly tries to run away. After a quick boat chase, Luke follows the woman into a network of caves filled with booby traps. While he manages to dodge and evade most of them, he does get trapped in a pit that's quickly filling with water. It's then that the woman comes forward and reveals herself to be Verla, a survivor of the Jedi Purge. Luke tries to appeal to her, saying that he's training to be a Jedi like her, which helps her determine that he's not a Jedi hunter like she first thought. When Luke inquires about the hunters and the Purge, it's revealed that he has no idea what actually happened that led to the demise of the Jedi Order.
Verla obliges him, telling him about the end of the Clone Wars and the Order 66 protocol that caused the clone troops to turn on the Jedi, killing them at the command of the Emperor. Any Jedi that did survive the Purge were then hunted by the Inquisitors and Darth Vader himself, leaving next to no Jedi left in the galaxy, hence Verla's desire to remain hidden and why she ran from Luke.
It's interesting to realize that this is first time Luke's hearing about the Purge, Order 66, the Inquisitors, and Vader's major role in all of it. Fans might recall that Obi-Wan did share about the days of the Jedi Knights with Luke in A New Hope, but he only referred to their end and demise as "The Dark Times", not going into any specifics. Upon hearing that Vader was largely responsible for the deaths of so many Jedi, it elicits a strong emotional reaction, which Verla can sense thought the Force. Suspicious that he's hiding something, she reaches out to search his mind, discovering that Vader is Luke's father. Without another thought, she lets the rest of the water in the pit to continue rushing in, with Luke fully trapped and submerged at the end of Star Wars #5. It will be interesting to see how Luke will escape, and if he can convince Verla to help him on his path after what she's just learned.