Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars #50Marvel Comics has released its final issue of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Framed as a tale and key lesson Luke Skywalker gives to Ben Solo years after the fact, this final issue details the Rebels' discovery of an incredibly powerful weapon, one that could have killed Emperor Palpatine himself before the Battle of Endor.

In Star Wars #50 by Charles Soule, Madibek Musabekov, and Rachelle Rosenberg, Luke Skywalker returns to the Force vergence known as the Living Sea of Gazian. While Luke had hoped to commune with a Jedi from the past as he had before, Jedi weren't the only ones who had sought knowledge from Gazian. As such, Luke encounters a Dark Jedi who reveals the location of a powerful ancient weapon capable of ending Luke's enemies without risking those he cares about. After the Rebels locate this weapon, there's only one clear name on all of their minds:

Known as the Grim Rose, the Rebels acquire this new weapon which appears to be nothing more than an ornate box. However, they soon discover that all it takes is the intended target's DNA and the Grim Rose does the rest, powered by some darkness connected to the Force Luke couldn't fully ascertain.

The Grim Rose Could Have Killed Palpatine (For Good)

But There Was A Major Cost For The Rebels

Thanks to a secretly rebellious records clerk on Naboo who'd hidden a sample of Palpatine's blood years prior, the Rebels soon had everything they needed to end Palpatine once and for all. However, the truth about how the Grim Rose actually works became apparent after they activated the box with the Emperor's blood. Attuning to Palpatine's spirit, the box would begin searching and locating individuals who had been directly influenced and impacted by Palpatine one-on-one, beginning at the start of his life until it eventually finds and kills Palpatine himself.

However, Threepio's translations of the box soon reveals that every being identified by the box before Palpatine would also be killed. Given Palpatine's vast sphere of influence, this would mean that the Rebels would have to sacrifice hundreds if not thousands of beings in the name of ending the Emperor. Refusing to pay that price, Luke and his fellow Rebel heroes were forced to shut down the box and let Palpatine live, something that could only be done by giving the box a new target.

The Grim Rose Served As A Key Lesson For Ben Solo

The Rebels Would Have Been No Better Than The Empire

After Luke uses the remains of someone the Living Seas of Gazian didn't let go, the box deactivates once it realizes its new target is already dead. Preventing the loss of so many lives, it's fascinating that this final issue is framed as a lesson for Ben Solo. The issue itself ends with Luke telling his nephew that the Rebels chose not to become evil for the sake of defeating it.

"Sadly, it seems as though Luke is doomed to forget his own lesson..."

Luke's lesson is quite poignant considering what happened to his relationship with Ben only a few years later. After all, Ben Solo's rise as Kylo Ren truly begins due to Luke's major moment of weakness where he considered killing his own nephew and apprentice in the name of preventing the darkness he saw within him. Sadly, it seems as though Luke is doomed to forget his own lesson, making this final issue of Star Wars somewhat tragic amid its epic ending.

Star Wars #50 is available now from Marvel Comics