Issue number twenty-three of the Star Wars: Legacy comic series is titled Legacy 23. The story it presents is "Loyalties, Part 1." Within this issue, Cade Skywalker, a bounty hunter, and his companions launch an assault on the downed starship, Crimson Axe, located on the planet Socorro. Their objective is to reclaim another starship, the Grinning Liar, from the pirate Rav. Following this, Rav pledges allegiance to the Sith Lady Darth Maladi, while Roan Fel, the ousted Emperor, makes preparations to dispatch several of his Imperial Knights to pursue Skywalker. His daughter, Marasiah, and fellow Imperial Knight Antares Draco, engage in a conversation regarding their mutual affection, and the Mynock's crew arrives on the planet Iego to discover that the home of their friend "Bantha" Rawk is under attack by criminals affiliated with Black Sun. They find themselves pursued to Iego by a mysterious masked figure named Azlyn Rae.
John Ostrander penned the script for the issue, while Jan Duursema provided the illustrations. The events contained within serve to both conclude an existing narrative thread and strategically position elements in anticipation of Legacy's contribution to Star Wars: Vector, the crossover event from Dark Horse Comics. On May 7, 2008, 30,346 copies of Legacy 23 were released to comic retailers globally, making it the third best-selling comic from Dark Horse for that month. Upon its release, the issue garnered generally favorable reviews across the internet, and the subsequent issue, Legacy (2006) 24, which came out the following month, brought the _Loyalties_ story arc of Legacy to a close. The comic was included in Legacy's fifth trade paperback, The Hidden Temple, in 2009, and it was later incorporated into the hardcover edition of Star Wars: Legacy Book 2 in 2013. The digital version of the issue became available on December 28, 2011.
In the year 137 ABY, Naxy Screeger, a gambler who is in debt and works for the pirate Rav, secretly enters the back entrance of Rav's Golden Gorg Cantina. This establishment is located within the grounded starship Crimson Axe on the planet Socorro. Rav notices him and scolds him for using the unauthorized entrance. However, Screeger reveals that he has brought along some companions: Cade Skywalker and Jariah Syn, who are bounty hunters, as well as Chak and Kee, who are smugglers. They storm in with their blasters drawn, aiming to retrieve Chak and Kee's starship, the Grinning Liar. Rav has held the ship since he betrayed Syn to Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire. In response, he orders his henchmen to engage the intruders. Skywalker and his allies swiftly dispatch their adversaries using a lightsaber, blasters, and razor bugs. Skywalker then turns his lightsaber on Rav. Rav attempts to bribe him with death sticks, but Skywalker uses the threat of Force lightning to compel Rav to swear the loyalty oath of the Bloody Bones as retribution for Rav's betrayal of Syn, a former member of his crew. Rav relinquishes the Grinning Liar back to Chak and Kee. As Skywalker and his allies depart the cantina, a masked stranger observes them from the back door.
Rav promptly contacts Darth Maladi of Darth Krayt's One Sith and informs her of Skywalker's location. She threatens him with death should he ever betray her, and he swears the oath of the Bloody Bones for the second time in a matter of minutes. Meanwhile, on Bastion, a fortress world, Roan Fel, the deposed Emperor of the Empire-in-exile, expresses regret over allowing Skywalker, once his guest, to leave the planet. Fel is concerned that the bounty hunter may have divulged Imperial secrets to Darth Krayt, the Galactic Emperor, during his recent imprisonment as a Sith prisoner. Consequently, he dispatches three Imperial Knights—Ganner Krieg, Antares Draco, and his daughter Marasiah—on a mission. Draco is absent when summoned, instead wallowing in the palace's greenhouses due to his forbidden love for Marasiah. However, she seeks him out and reassures him that his feelings are mutual, sealing the sentiment with a kiss.
As they prepare to leave Socorro in their respective vessels, Skywalker bids farewell to Chak and Kee, who advise him to disappear into the galactic underworld. Screeger, desperate to escape Rav's wrath, pleads for a ride offworld. Skywalker throws him into the cargo hold of his ship, the Mynock. He and Syn then prepare the ship for a journey to Iego to visit their old friend "Bantha" Rawk. During the journey, Skywalker seeks out Deliah Blue, the ship's mechanic and a former romantic interest, who is working on the ship and harbors resentment towards him for his affair with the Sith Hand Darth Talon. She eventually forgives him, and Skywalker sends his astromech droid, R2-D2, away as he and Blue share a moment of intimacy.
The Mynock arrives at Iego, shadowed by the masked stranger from the cantina. The crew discovers Rawk's home under attack by forces of the criminal syndicate Black Sun. Skywalker takes control of the ship's guns to assist Rawk's family in repelling the attackers. After the threat is eliminated, Rawk invites them in for dinner. The stranger lands on the planet and uses a comlink to report Skywalker's location to an unseen ally. As she concludes her transmission, she reveals her name: Azlyn Rae.
Randy Stradley, the Vice-President of Publishing at Dark Horse Comics, conceived of a crossover event in 2006. This event would span all four Star Wars comic series then being published by Dark Horse: Knights of the Old Republic, Dark Times, Rebellion, and Legacy. His intention was that the crossover's events would have a tangible impact on the characters in each series, satisfying existing fans while also attracting new ones. John Ostrander and Jan Duursema, the creative duo behind Legacy, collaborated with Stradley to plan the crossover, which was eventually named Star Wars: Vector. They were dedicated to crafting a compelling narrative within Legacy's installments of the story. Vector was designed as a twelve-issue event, unfolding across all four series throughout 2008, and would conclude within issues 28–31 of Legacy. Ostrander and Duursema determined that the death of Darth Krayt, the series' primary antagonist, would serve as the pivotal event to conclude Vector. Consequently, nearly every issue of Legacy released in 2008 was structured to build towards Krayt's demise, setting various plot elements into motion. Legacy 23 marks the introduction of Azlyn Rae, a character who would later play a significant role in Legacy's Vector chapters and deliver one of the final blows to Krayt.
This comic represents the twenty-third issue of Legacy and the initial installment of the two-part Star Wars: Legacy: Loyalties story arc within the series. However, the "Blaster" section of the 101st issue of Star Wars Insider, which was released on May 6, 2008, claims the arc encompasses Issues 22–23 and is entitled Home. It is the first issue of Legacy since its nineteenth to spotlight the bounty hunter Cade Skywalker, the series' central protagonist. The nineteenth issue depicted Skywalker's escape from Darth Krayt's grasp, and Legacy 23 concentrates on his actions and choices immediately following that escape. Skywalker utters several phrases in Huttese within the issue, and a concise glossary is included in the comic's letters column. Ostrander consulted the Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide, published in 2001, to ensure the accurate portrayal of the language.
Ostrander wrote the issue, Duursema provided the pencils, and Stradley served as the editor. Dan Parsons handled the inking, Brad Anderson was responsible for the coloring, and Michael Heisler provided the lettering. Duursema and Anderson also collaborated on the cover design, which features a photograph of Skywalker, Jariah Syn, and Rav. During the penciling process, Duursema aimed to evoke the atmosphere of a photograph from the American Old West, hoping to reflect a happier period from Skywalker's past. Sean Cooke was credited as Designer, Mike Richardson as Publisher, and Freddye Lins and Dave Marshall as Assistant Editors.
First announced in January 2008, Legacy 23 was initially slated for release on April 16, but its publication was delayed by nearly a month due to accumulated delays from previous Legacy issues. Following the release of a three-page teaser preview online by Dark Horse, the issue was eventually released to comic retailers on May 7, 2008. The issue consists of forty pages, including advertisements; the story itself spans twenty-two pages. The comic was subsequently included in the trade paperback Star Wars: Legacy Volume 5: The Hidden Temple, which was released on January 21, 2009, and the hardcover omnibus Star Wars: Legacy Book 2, which was released on September 18, 2013. The digital edition of the issue was made available on December 28, 2011.
Beyond setting the stage for the events of Vector, Legacy 23 also brings a particular storyline to its conclusion. Chak and Kee initially appeared in Legacy in its fourteenth issue, where they revealed that Syn and Blue had borrowed the Grinning Liar before disappearing. Issue 16 established that Rav had betrayed Syn and Blue to Darth Krayt's Imperials and seized the Grinning Liar for himself. Loyalties, Part 1 depicts Chak and Kee reclaiming their ship from Rav, marking their final appearance within the pages of Legacy.
Legacy's nineteenth issue featured Skywalker impaling Darth Talon with his lightsaber. Although The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, which was later released in December 2008, asserts that this act resulted in her death, Legacy 23 portrays her floating in a bacta tank behind Darth Maladi. However, a fully recovered Talon had previously appeared in Legacy (2006) 22. The planet Iego's appearance in the comic marks its debut within the Star Wars Legends continuity, having first been mentioned in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.
The various narrative threads introduced in Legacy 23 continued to develop in subsequent issues of Legacy, influencing its storyline throughout 2008 and beyond. "Bantha" Rawk is revealed to be Skywalker's Uncle Nat in the following Legacy (2006) 24, and Azlyn Rae is revealed to be an Imperial Knight and a childhood friend of Skywalker's. The mission undertaken by Draco, Krieg, and Marasiah leads them to follow Skywalker to the Jedi Order's Hidden Temple and join him on a mission to assassinate Darth Krayt. Rae plays a significant role in the remaining 2008 issues of Legacy, also joining the assassination mission and rekindling an old romance with Skywalker during its course. She stabs Darth Krayt during the climax of Vector, directly contributing to his apparent demise. Rav's alliance with Maladi results in him luring Skywalker into her clutches on Wayland during a story arc spanning 2009–2010, and the Grinning Liar aids in the evacuation of residents from the planet Dac after the world is poisoned by the Sith.