Warning! Spoilers ahead for Star Wars #7
In Marvel Comics' centerpiece Star Wars comic series, no time was wasted when it came to providing Leia Organa with an all-new nemesis. The new series that began this year takes place after the event of The Empire Strikes Back, where the Imperial Navy has managed to scatter the Rebel Alliance, with no way to regroup. A large player orchestrating these attacks against the divided Rebel cells is the recently introduced Commander Zhara aboard her Imperial Star Destroyer known as the Tarkin's Will. Her Destroyer is aptly named, as Zhara herself was once the protégé of Grand Moff Tarkin himself. Now, she's out for vengeance, and Princess Leia is her main target.
In previous issues of the series, it's been revealed that the Empire managed to successfully break the Rebellion's communication codes after the Battle of Hoth in Episode V. As a result, the Rebellion is spread out across the galaxy into divisions, with no way to contact one another for fear of bringing the Empire down upon them as Zahra has already done with a few of the divisions already. Now, in Star Wars #7 from writer Charles Soule with art by Ramon Rosanas, readers get to learn who Zahra truly is, and why she has such a personal vendetta against Leia Organa.
In Star Wars #7, readers get treated to flashbacks of Zhara's past, back to when she was proving herself worthy of Grand Moff Tarkin's mentorship, hunting the deadly veermok beast and bringing him its head (while also killing her fellow peers that were vying for the position). As the years passed, Zhara thrived among the ranks of the Empire under Tarkin's tutelage. However, when she failed to complete a mission for her mentor, terminating a decoy of a warlord spouting chaos and subversive teachings (from the High Republic's Nihil no less) instead of the real one, Tarkin was done with her. He refused to see her, and seemingly washed his hands of her due to her failure. Determined the get back in his good graces, Zhara stole a shuttle to personally bring the warlord's head to him. However, just as she left the Death Star, it exploded due to the Rebel's offensive in A New Hope. Dismayed that her mentor's last thoughts of her were that of disappointment, Zhara has made it her personal mission to destroy all of the rebels, with a special focus on Leia Organa in particular, whom Zahra views as her ultimate rival.
When the issue takes readers back to the present, it's revealed just how personal Zahra is making her offensives. While her destroyer is closer to the Rebel's Seventh Division, she initially seeks to go after the Fourth, which is led by Leia but is also further out. However, the officers convince her to do otherwise, as their allies are closer to the Fourth. However, not long after, Leia's Fourth Division arrives to support the Seventh, attempting to trap the Tarkin's Will in between their forces. Remarkably, Zahra is glad to see Leia's arrival and prepares a boarding party to take on Organa face to face.
It's clear that the moves Zhara is making are solely in service to her personal vendetta, and not with the overall good of the Empire in mind. She is dead set on revenge and wants to be one to eliminate Leia once and for all by any means necessary. This brashness makes her extremely dangerous to Leia, but will also most likely prove to be her undoing. The risks she's taking will lead to mistakes, perhaps even a fatal one. In any case, Marvel's Star Wars is no doubt heading to an epic clash between the two leaders, and it will be really interesting to see what the outcome will be for Commander Zhara as a result.