Warning: SPOILERS for Star Wars #30The Star Wars universe contains a number of disparate planetary locations, both scenic and terrifying. Despite growing up on the sandy, gangster-ruled dead-end Tatooine, legendary Jedi Luke Skywalker possibly hates one gorgeous planet even more than his old home: Cloud City of Bespin.
Following the events of Star Wars #29, Charles Soule and Andrés Genolet's Star Wars #30 finds Luke, Leia Organa, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, Lobot and Amilyn Holdo stranded in No-Space. No-Space, a creation from Soule's High Republic-era novel Light of the Jedi, hides in isolation from the rest of the galaxy, a vast area of empty space reachable only through the hyperspace Paths of the Nihil. Lando, fresh off his job as Baron Administrator of Bespin's Cloud City, remarks on the dangers of No-Space, telling Luke that he thought his city was bad. Luke doesn't easily let the Administrator or Cloud City off the hook: "Oh, it was, Lando. It definitely was."
Cloud City Will Always Haunt Luke Skywalker
Luke and company wind up in No-Space following the successful heist of a Path engine, capable of accessing secret hyperspace routes, from a Nihil strikeship. Holdo brought the Path engine to the group's attention in a bid to recover the Kezarat Convoy. The Kezarat, thought to be a legend, disappeared after jumping to hyperspace during the High Republic era, containing enough fuel to help ease the supply problems the Rebellion faces. Holdo theorizes that existing navigational data could be used with a Path engine to find where the Kezarat went, securing the fuel for the Rebellion. After a failed attempt to use the Path engine, however, an apparent malfunction leaves the group stranded in No-Space.
Since Soule's Star Wars series directly follows the events of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke's apprehension toward Cloud City certainly feels warranted. The Bespin location served as the site of Skywalker's greatest defeat. It's where he lost his hand, his lightsaber and one of his best friends all in one go. Not only that, but Darth Vader turned Luke's life upside-down in the city in the clouds with the iconic reveal that the Sith Lord is Luke's father. These wounds still haunt Luke throughout Soule's series, with the beginning of the run especially focusing on Luke's disconnection from the Force and fear of Vader. In fact, Luke's return to Cloud City serves as a major stepping stone in his journey to recovery as he searches for his lost lightsaber in 2020's Star Wars #3.
On the surface, Cloud City makes for one of the most scenic locations in all of Star Wars, a mining colony of opulence and beauty tucked away in Bespin's sky. The Empire Strikes Back, however, shows how even the shiniest places in the galaxy like Cloud City fail to evade the Empire's all-encompassing fascistic reach. For Luke Skywalker, it's likely that Bespin's Cloud City will only ever represent the Empire's sinister presence and evil secrets, hidden even in the clouds.
Star Wars #30 is available from Marvel Comics now.