Star Wars #9 just revealed someone very close to Poe Dameron almost gave the Rebels the key to victory long before Return of the Jedi took place.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars #9 by Charles Soule, Jan Bazaldua, Rachel Rosenberg, and VC’s Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
In the Star Wars Universe, Oscar Issac’s Poe Dameron was one of the breakout stars of the sequel trilogy. The X-Wing fighter pilot who became a rebel leader really beefed up the Resistance, proving why he was meant to succeed General Leia Organa in the war against the First Order and the Dark Side.
However, in Star Wars #9, as Marvel backtracks and details what happened just after The Empire Strikes Back, where we discover thathis dad, Kes, almost gave the Rebels victory years before Poe even existed.
In this precursor to Return of the Jedi, “Operation Starlight” finds Leia looking to steal an ancient relic from a Coruscant museum. It’s a droid that she wants to use to generate codes so the Rebels can communicate without being detected through a unique, primitive language: Trawak. But Leia can’t go herself as the Empire has Zahra tracking her down in the most dogged manner, plus Luke can’t participate either, as they don’t want to lose their one Jedi to Darth Vader.
That makes this a mission for the Pathfinders, the team of soldiers Han Solo would use later on the Battle of Endor due to their guerrilla-style warfare tactics. Kes is a key component of this squad, with Needle and Frell, comprising the three-man unit Leia is sending. Their job is to infiltrate and pull off a stealthy smash-and-grab job, which Kes is a specialist in. When they get there, Lando and Lobot help them hack their way in, with Needle being a distraction to the curator and guards, accusing them of stealing something from his people.
However, Kes that steals the show, leading the mission with Frell following his every action and Lando and Lobot as mere spectators. When cornered by former troopers-turned-guards, Kes leaps into battle, beating them down with Frell quickly joining the fray. Kes’ bravado and martial arts skill with staffs is totally different from Poe’s skillset. But one thing’s common between him and his son, Kes is willing to lay his life down on the line too. Clearly, Poe inherited this from his dad. While Kes isn’t piloting any vessels, speeders or using blasters here, he shows why he’s a true Rebel at heart and one of the most trusted and effective members of Leia’s team.