157: TIE Fighter Attack!
early 1978 | age 9 I’m titling this page after one of the most exciting pieces of music listed on the soundtrack LP! “Ben’s Death and TIE Fighter Attack”.
Special Edition Version!
Yep, I did one. See the Special Edition version!
You can see a growing collection of Special Editions»
Tarkin’s brilliantly (obvious) plan!
Awesomely drawn TIE Fighters incoming! Are you terrified too?
Tarkin realises that the Falcon is headed to the Rebel base! So—if the Empire want to find their base, they should simply follow the Falcon to it. That’s a good plan isn’t it? But Vader must be silently fuming, thinking:
“Hold on, didn’t I think of that first?
Didn’t I put the tracking device on their ship?
Why doesn’t he remember me telling him this?
Is he senile? I thought I was the one going senile!
Maybe Kenobi really did disappear and it wasn’t me losing my marbles…
No one listens to me anymore.
Tarkin won’t even let me force-choke my colleagues…
“Release him Vader” he commands.
What am I—his Rottweiler?
Maybe I’ll force choke him…
Ohhhh… that would be soooo good.”
Even more terror-inspiring death ships!
If you’re a fan of Star Wars, you’ll know that in the actual film, it’s Vader’s idea to let them escape, and follow them. And Tarkin is very nervous about it. “I’m taking an awful risk Vader. This had better work!” It’s funny, because my youthful version actually fits with the film that would come 4 decades later: Rogue One. In which Tarkin takes all of the credit for Commander Krennic’s hard work on the Death Star. But Vader is unsympathetic to Krennic’s pleas when Krennic whinges to him about Tarkin. Wouldn’t it be funny if Krennic said, “Well, we’ll see how you like it when he does it to you. Don’t come running to me Vader, because you won’t get any of my sympathy.”
But back to ‘Star Wars’: I imagine that, after this plan of Vader’s goes disastrously wrong, and the Death Star is destroyed by the Rebels, he probably keeps quiet about his big idea, happily allowing the late Tarkin to take all of the credit for letting them escape to Yavin IV.
Before and after the blue pen was added. So, Randy Quaid‘s in it now?
Han Quaid
It’s never too late to bring Han Solo back to Star Wars!
We’re switching actors again, to give Harrison Ford a rest (or whoever the hell it was who was playing Han Solo in the previous pages). This time Randy Quaid steps in. Funnily enough, I’ve long thought that Randy’s brother Dennis Quaid would make an excellent Han Solo—if Ford refused to come back for more films. Quaid looks like him, is funny, rogueish but charming, heroic, a good actor—and probably available!
It’s never too late, Disney!
Oh… 1977
The TIE Fighter attack on the Falcon was the first bit of the film I ever saw. Probably on Clapperboard I think it was. A BBC or ITV weekly show about upcoming movies. I was in my auntie Pauline’s house in Bessbrook village, Northern Ireland while my mum was staying there in preparation for my baby sister’s arrival, and this awesome—mind blasting—unbelievably exciting segment was broadcast! I sat there stunned. I’m sure the music was key to its impact on me. A few months later in the South of Ireland, at Christmas time I must have pleaded with dad to take me to see it. It would be the first time I ever went to a film on my own. A big event!
You can read about my experience in comic form, here!
Lave Tarkin alone, somebody has to have Vader’s leash! 😛
I think he looks likd Dolf Lundgren in panel #1 😆
It wouldn’t surprise me if he looked like ANYONE but Peter Cushing!
I remember when they showed the escape from Mos Eisley on Screen Test and I practically shat my pants.
For the record, the doors do indeed go up, Michael Rod.
Oh, and somebody ate all the ham… Solo.
AGHH! Why the hell did we have to grow up?
I bet after you saw that you thought of nothing else for a week!
Chubby in’t he?
Quoting john i white:
“I bet after you saw that you thought of nothing else for a week!”
The fact that I can remember one of the questions from a 1977 edition of Screen Test, and not my own phone number, speaks volumes.
You’re so right!
I still remember my fascist teacher Mr.Casan in Ireland, 1978, trying to ‘bond’ with me and Niall by mentioning “Obi Kenobi”. Typical kids: we found this worthy of ridicule.