365 Days of Defiance, Day 56: The Seeds of Rebellion

Metalorn!


No, no, I said Metalorn. It's a mining planet in the Star Wars universe circa 2 ABY (Tuesday, just after tea-time). Metalorn is squished under the oppressive molded plastic heel of the Galactic Empire, providing the Emperor and Admirals and the Moffs and the rest with vital-to-the-war-effort starwarstainium!


Panels from Star Wars (1977 Marvel series) #30 (December 1979), script by Archie Goodwin, breakdowns by Carmine Infantino, finishes by Gene Day, colors by Petra Goldberg, letters by Joe Rosen
Starwarstainium! Or, whatever, it doesn't really matter. It could be rich delicious fudge being mined up from the planet's creamy, nougaty core; it just isn't that important to the story. What they do have on Metalorn is a single biome (gee, in the Star Wars Universe?) that is wasted, drained, and poisonous. So, pretty much Flint, Michigan. I imagine that's why they all have to wear those perpetual body condoms. Anyway, Tammi, your mom told you once: nothing grows on Metalorn except galactic intrigue and metaphors.


Meanwhile a group of freedom fighters led by LUKE SKYWALKER has established a new secret base on the remote ice world

Meanwhile, Princess Leia has tracked the villainous Imperial stooge Baron Tagge down to Metaluna and has infiltrated their society by slipping on one of those nifty rubber suits everybody wears. She makes her escape through the cunning use of kicking a table, and Tagge bellows the usual commands to GET CHRISTIE LEIA!


Where do these two storylines collide? Well, right about...here, where little girl Tammi heps hide Leia from her pursuing stormtroopers. They only have a few seconds to talk, but as we all know, Leia is especially inspirational. See, for example, any one of her scenes, except for singing the Star Wars Theme at the end of the Holiday Special.


Rescued from the planet, Leia is HOLY COW LOOKIT THE SIZE OF THOSE CINNAMON BUNS CHEESY PETES CARMINE INFANTINO

I meant her hair.

Ahem. Anyway, Leia gets to have an especially inspirational speech about resistance, rebellion, and hey, it's a word we almost automatically connect with her, even though it's decades before we see her talk about it at the tail end of Rogue One.


Because that's the stuff that defiance and resistance is made up of, after all, not just blasters and Death Stars and Home One. It's created by all living things, it surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together...hope.