Review: Star Wars #35 - In The Clutches of Dr. Cuata Is a Key Moment in Luke Skywalkers Story

In The Clutches of Dr. Cuata is a fantastic issue of the main Star Wars comic, hitting new heights with a fascinating story that delves deep into the inner workings of kyber crystals and the mystical nature of the Force. It's also an important moment in Luke Skywalker's narrative arc in the build up to Return of the Jedi.



Writer Charles Soule delivers one of his best Star Wars issues of all time, giving us some really interesting material to chew on and mercifully resisting the urge to throw in a gratuitous action sequences, in favor of fantastical confrontations and conversations that demand your full attention. When it comes to kyber crystals, Soule knows what he's talking about and it makes for a great read.



While the more studious Star Wars fans will already know some of the rules around kyber crystals, it's great to have them officially explained here in a way that increases Luke's learning while confirming our own beliefs. Luke's kyber-related journey takes him to some fascinating places that make for a thrilling ride, one of the best stories we've had in the main Star Wars comic since Luke's initial search for a lightsaber three years ago.



Spoilers ahead...







For such an interesting issue, it starts off with a very predictable reveal. The figure who announced himself so dramatically at the end of the last issue is in fact Dr. Cuata, the kyber crystal expert that Luke and Gretta were searching for. He quickly agrees to help Luke, taking them to his workshop out in the Christophsis wilderness.



He takes a look at Luke's saber and reveals that the crystal has been cracked, which makes sense. We know Kylo Ren's lightsaber is unstable after he cracked his crystal while bleeding it; of course Luke's saber is even more unstable after the Nihil killdroid squished his hilt, cracking the crystal in the process.







Cuata provides a quick lesson on how a lightsaber is constructed, giving Luke some knowledge on how to construct his own, and explains that Luke never felt a great connection to his yellow blade because neither he nor the crystal chose each other. He even confirms that while it made sense he had a connection to his father's blue lightsaber, it would never be as strong as finding his own crystal.



Cuata fixes his lightsaber and asks for a favor in return. He asks Luke to heal a red kyber crystal, explaining the bleeding process (we first saw this in the Ahsoka novel and Tales of the Jedi adaption, The Rise of Kylo Ren comic series and most recently in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor). Luke doesn't believe he'll be able to do it, but gives it his best shot after Gretta explains the healing process.



We're treated to the first fascinating confrontation of the issue as his attempt to purify the crystal transports him to a Sith (or just dark side?) temple.







He meets the owner of the crystal, surrounded by hundreds of other dark side users in thrall to her. To his surprise, his attempts to heal the crystal are resisted as the crystal's owner reveals that she is not in pain and does not want to be healed. Luke is overpowered and finds himself outside the temple, experiencing the same kind of Force vision that Darth Vader did while meditating in Charles Soule's 2017 run of the Darth Vader comic series. It's a nice bit of consistency that worked to show Luke surrounded by the dark side as Vader appears before him.



Hopefully we'll get to learn more about this Sith/dark side woman (and her pet charhounds) soon, but this tantalizing glimpse is all we're treated to before Luke is booted out of the crystal and finds himself back in the real world. He is visibly shaken by the experience, but Dr. Cuata asks him for one more favor. He asks him to 'connect' with a raw kyber crystal that has not yet been touched by a Force user.



Luke agrees to work on this while noting that the Force wave is making his connection to the Force a bit wobbly. It's stated that losing his connection to the Force while connecting with the crystal could sever his consciousness from his body, trapping him inside the crystal, but Dr. Cuata isn't concerned. In fact, when the tide of the Force wave later does pull out, Cuata deliberately does nothing to see what happens in the name of science. His concern is with his research, not other people.



This time, Luke's journey inside the kyber crystal is less dangerous but arguably even more fascinating. He is transported to Dagobah, where he speaks to Yoda for the first time since The Empire Strikes Back. He asks Yoda why he has not reached out to help him after his confrontation with Vader. The little green Jedi responds that if Luke had really wanted his help, he would have sought him out in person.







Yoda reveals that before Luke can progress further in his story, he must make a decision that has nothing to do with the Force or being a Jedi. Unless this is referring to a new story in the comics that has yet to happen, surely he must be talking about Luke's relationship with his father. Yoda knows he needs to decide how he feels about Vader; is he an enemy who needs to be struck down, or a tragic figure who needs to be forgiven and redeemed?



At the time, we're led to believe that none of this is real like the confrontation with the Sith, that it's all happening on another plane inside the crystal. However, the comic reveals that Luke is appearing to Yoda as an apparition and then once he leaves, we're treated to a surprise appearance from the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi!







Yoda comments that Luke didn't understand what he was really doing, and it seems that Luke had projected himself to appear to Yoda in the real world. It's a very clever way to have Luke confront Yoda, not realizing that the conversation was real so it doesn't mess with the canon behind their final conversation in Return of the Jedi.



Luke eventually returns to his body once the Force wave comes back to him and discovers he has created his green lightsaber crystal. Finally, we have the story of how he got his own crystal! He has yet to create the rest of his own lightsaber but this is a key moment in his story nevertheless, arguably the most interesting one left to answer.



He announces that he's taking both the green and the red crystals with him, intending to heal the red one once he's ready. Dr. Cuata doesn't seem too thrilled that he's taking the red one with him. He doesn't attempt to stop him, but I imagine he'll turn on him before he leaves Christophsis. That said, it seems the next issue will pivot back to Leia and the Empire, so maybe this is the last we'll see of Dr. Cuata.



Gretta decides to go her separate ways too, stating that after helping another Jedi, she has completed her debt to her family. With that, the issue ends, one of the most fascinating Star Wars stories we've had in years. Charles Soule knocked this one out of the park. We've wanted to know how Luke got his green lightsaber for years and this story gives us a remarkably satisfying answer.


<p style='text-align: center;']Rating: 9/10</p>




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