Warning: SPOILERS for Star Wars: Age of Resistance – Poe Dameron #1

From the very start of the new Star Wars trilogy, audiences knew that Poe Dameron was one of the most important parts of the Resistance. But it turns out even HE doesn’t know the truth about how his recruitment began. Luckily, fans can now learn the secret for themselves.

This untold chapter has finally been revealed in Star Wars: Age of Resistance – Poe Dameron #1, the latest canon comic expanding the story and history of almost ever major hero and villain. Movie fans could safely guess how a pilot like Poe would jump from the New Republic Defense Force to the Resistance. But the real question they should have been asking isn’t why Poe joined, but who first opened his eyes to the war he would someday lead. As it turns out, it was a completely chance encounter… and one that Poe Dameron may never actually realize, since his guardian angel gave her life for his in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

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It’s an unexpected detail that Last Jedi fans in particular will love, adding another layer to Poe’s story in the new trilogy’s middle chapter. But fans shouldn’t feel too guilty about overlooking this crucial story beat, since the role played by the New Republic has been so minor, it’s not hard to understand why Poe felt the draw to become something greater.

Based on the variety of movies, TV shows, novels, and the other channels for Lucasfilm to spread new Star Wars lore, most of Poe Dameron’s life has been sketched out from birth right up to The Rise of Skywalker. Previously, the canon skimmed over Poe’s days with the Republic to the mission that landed him his face-to-face meeting with General Leia Organa. From that point on, her explicit invitation and Poe’s immediate acceptance paved the way for him to be chosen as Leia’s successor in leading the Resistance. But by that point, he knew exactly what he was getting into, what he was joining, and who their enemy truly was.

Which is where Star Wars: Age of Resistance – Poe Dameron #1 comes in. The comic one-shot by Tom Taylor and Ramon Rosanas heads years further into the past, to a time when Poe didn’t even know to question his superiors, the wisdom or future of the New Republic, or the evil growing in the Unknown Regions. Back then, he was still serving the New Republic Defense Force, but had already distinguished himself as an ace pilot: commanding the pilots of Rapier Squadron, flying protection out of the Brooksdion New Republic Space Station. Fans can assume this was a relatively calm era in the Star Wars timeline, which makes Poe’s restlessness and hunger for adventure a bit easier to understand.

He might come to regret that enthusiasm for danger and excitement years later, but staring out into the stars, he tells his fellow pilots that there’s no denying his destiny: “I want to chase. I want to run. I want a challenge.” A challenge that presents itself when his superior officers scramble Rapier Squadron in response to a critical security breach–sending them out into space in search of a spy. A spy who somehow managed to infiltrate the base, find the admiral’s protocol droid, and then make off with… its head.

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Poe and his team find the culprit hiding out beneath the space station (a hint that the pilot may have taken some tips from Han Solo), but after toying with the commander over his radio, the snagged thieves make their break to outrun Rapier Squadron, with only Poe foolish enough to give chase into a highly dangerous, gigantic space-worm-inhabited asteroid field. A reckless decision… but one that the mystery voice on the other end of the line can’t help but appreciate. That only adds to Poe’s suspicion, having been ordered by his superiors to cease any attempts to capture or even identify these thieves, and simply blow them out of the sky.

As the unidentified outlaws (being piloted by an incredibly skilled hand) begin to talk Poe through the dangers of the asteroid field, it isn’t long before the outspoken thief and their unexpected “flyboy” wingman are working perfectly in tandem. The mysterious voice obviously amused and impressed by this surprisingly daring Republic pilot, and Poe intrigued as to just who and what he’s stumbled upon. Many readers, if not most, will make the assumption that this is actually the first time that Poe Dameron unknowingly crossed paths with Leia Organa.

But as both ships manage to escape the asteroid field, the thieves forego an invitation or even an explanation. They simply take out Poe’s hyperdrive to make sure he can’t follow. And while Poe is left wondering just who has been coaching him through his death-defying chase… the readers get the answer.

The pilot’s incredibly skilled maneuvering in a civilian spaceship makes total sense once they’re revealed to be Nien Nunb, a virtual legend among the Rebellion’s most gifted and distinguished fighters. But it’s the reveal of Vice Admiral Holdo that will make history, revealing that her affection for Poe goes back much farther than anyone assumed. The Resistance “flyboy” may only meet the living legend in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but this comic makes it canon: it was Amilyn Holdo who told Poe of an unseen evil, a growing threat, and the resistance assembling beyond the borders of the New Republic.

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Fans of Star Wars: The Last Jedi won’t want to miss out on seeing this story for themselves, so read on for the full solicitation details and plot synopsis before picking up your copy:

  • STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE – POE DAMERON #1 (2019)
  • Written by: Tom Taylor
  • Art by: Ramon Rosanas
  • Cover by: Phil Noto
  • FIGHT AND FLIGHT! POE DAMERON is the greatest pilot in THE RESISTANCE. But before the Resistance, he commanded another crew. He flew for the NEW REPUBLIC. But was Poe flying for the right cause?

Star Wars: Age of Resistance – Poe Dameron #1 is available now at your local comic book shop, or direct from Marvel Comics.

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Andrew Dyce
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Screen Rant Editor Andrew Dyce was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Despite calling the vast nothingness of the Canadian prairies home (or perhaps because of it) film and television have been a passion since birth. As a graduate of the University of Manitoba with a degree in English Literature, Andrew has grown to appreciate the story and writing behind everything from blockbuster comic book movies to schlocky B-movie action.

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