Warning: contains spoilers for Star Wars #13!

The Star Wars comics just revealed that Luke Skywalker's mastery of a key Jedi technique came during the period when he wielded a yellow lightsaber - the time between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the JediStar Wars #13 - from Charles Soule and Ramon Rosanas - sees Luke visit the Smuggler's Moon of Nar Shaddaa in search of Boba Fett, who recently spent some time fighting as a gladiator under an assumed name. Luke's mission is to reclaim the carbonite-encased body of Han Solo (a quest that is about to embroil him in the War of the Bounty Hunters event), but when Fett's enemies come looking for the people so interested in finding him, Skywalker ends up being far more than they bargained for.

Luke took up his yellow lightsaber after losing Anakin Skywalker's blue saber (along with his hand) while dueling Darth Vader on Cloud City. Luke discovered the yellow saber on Tempes at an ancient Jedi Outpost dating back to the High Republic era - a time period Marvel's Star Wars comics are currently exploring in great detail. While Luke will inevitably lose the yellow weapon and later construct his own green lightsaber, fans have been happy to see this artifact brought into canon, as it seems to reference an action figure made by Kenner Toys which erroneously used the color, turning some deep-cut trivia into official continuity.

Related: Darth Vader Comic Reveals Luke Skywalker's 'High Ground' Moment

While the criminals who confront Luke's party don't initially believe he's a Jedi - since anyone could get their hands on a lightsaber - their minds are changed when they actually see Luke in action, and specifically when they witness him redirect blaster fire with surgical skill. The issue opens with Luke replicating his A New Hope training against a swarm of training droids, deflecting their fire and slicing them to pieces. On Nar Shaddaa, Luke shows off his accuracy by deflecting blaster fire back at his foes, demonstrating the finesse needed to avoid fatal harm and even take down moving vehicles.

Star Wars 13 Luke Skywalker Yellow Lightsaber

That Luke is so comfortable not just deflecting but redirecting blaster fire shows that his training has paid off, and he's mastered this essential Jedi technique. Fighting ranged enemies, Luke draws on the force to stay one step ahead, but it's his ability to turn their own fire against them that wins the day. Sadly, Skywalker shows so much skill with his weapon that the villains finally accept he's a Jedi, ending the issue with plans to call the Imperial garrison on Vandor and sell the information they've just acquired.

Star Wars 13 Yellow Lightsaber Luke Skywalker

While Luke's Jedi training with Yoda was famously interrupted, he continued to hone both his abilities and his connection to the Force in the years to come, and the Star Wars comics show that while the yellow lightsaber wasn't his final weapon, it did represent a unique era in Luke Skywalker's growth. While that's put a target on his back in the present, it's also what will keep him alive to save the galaxy, and hopefully allow him to keep innocents out of harm's way as War of the Bounty Hunters dominates Marvel's Star Wars comics in the months to come.

Next: Darth Vader Discovered the Secret Prisoner of Exegol Before His Death