Star Wars: Legacy: Fight Another Day represents the ninth story arc within the Star Wars: Legacy comic series. The narrative centers around Treis Sinde, an Imperial Knight affiliated with the Empire-in-exile, as he joins forces with the Mon Calamari Rangers of the water planet Dac. Together, they wage war against the aquatic forces belonging to Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire during the year 137 ABY. In the midst of an Imperial Civil War, Darth Krayt has proclaimed a genocidal campaign against the Mon Calamari. Sinde, marooned on Dac, acts as an advisor to the Rangers as they resist the onslaught of Krayt's military machinery. A conflict arises between Sinde's belief in sacrificing some for the greater good and Captain Tanquar's desire to save everyone. This ideological clash intensifies after they disable, but fail to secure, an Imperial Acklay battle fortress. Simultaneously, Darth Azard and [Vul Isen](/article/vul_isen], both members of Darth Krayt's One Sith, unleash a formidable Sea Leviathan into the oceans of Dac, compelling Sinde and Tanquar to find common ground on how to effectively confront this new menace.
Fight Another Day encompasses issues thirty-second and thirty-third of Legacy. John Ostrander penned both issues, while Omar Francia handled the penciling and inking duties. Francia notably created fully poseable 3D models of the various vehicles featured in the story before rendering them on the page. Fight Another Day, Part 2 establishes new continuity by identifying Jagged Fel, a prominent figure in several Star Wars novels, as the inaugural Emperor of the Fel Empire. Ostrander had deferred this revelation for nearly three years, but ultimately deemed the timing appropriate. Dark Horse Comics released the two issues of Fight Another Day in January and February of 2009, respectively, with approximately 25,000 copies of each being distributed to comic retailers worldwide. The story garnered generally favorable reviews from fans and critics, with its exploration of themes such as loyalty and duty frequently cited as a highlight. Later, Fight Another Day was included in the 2009 trade paperback Star Wars: Legacy Volume 7: Storms and the 2013 hardcover omnibus Star Wars: Legacy Book 2. Digital versions of both issues were made available in 2012.
In the year 137 ABY, a few weeks following Galactic Emperor Darth Krayt's decree for the annihilation of the Mon Calamari species on their native world of Dac, a group of Mon Calamari seeks refuge in a makeshift settlement nestled within the depths of the planet's oceans. However, they are discovered and subsequently attacked by aquatic war machines belonging to Krayt's Imperial Army: namely, the Acklay-class mobile fortress dubbed the Sea Lion, along with Shark Squadron's shark underwater fighters. Members of the Mon Calamari Rangers resistance movement arrive to rescue them, piloting Krakana underwater fighters. As a barrage of laser fire erupts throughout the ocean, Commander Sturves of the Acklay Battle Fortress deploys seatroopers into the fray. Master Treis Sinde, an Imperial Knight of the Empire-in-exile who has been fighting alongside the Rangers since becoming stranded on Dac, swiftly eliminates their squadron with his lightsaber.
Sinde, clad in undersea armor, infiltrates the Sea Lion's bridge, resulting in significant damage when defensive blaster fire punctures a fuel tank. Sinde is compelled to kill the fortress's chief mechanic, Bor Alsek—a former comrade from their shared service to the Fel Empire prior to the onset of the Imperial Civil War—before retreating back into the ocean as the crippled Sea Lion withdraws. The Rangers return to their grotto base, where Sinde criticizes Captain Tanquar for launching a premature attack, thereby thwarting their attempt to capture a much-needed mobile fortress. Despite Tanquar's actions being motivated by a desire to prevent the loss of his people, Sinde emphasizes the need for prioritization, stressing that their fight is not for victory but merely to buy time until external forces can rescue them. A plan is then devised to transport the rescued refugees to a safer location, and Tanquar and Sinde engage in a more measured discussion, reflecting on the battle and deliberating on the concepts of obedience and loyalty.
Meanwhile, several kilometers away, an Aquatic Terrain Armored Transport oversees Imperial Extermination Camp 28 within the Soheras Trench. Aboard the transport, Sith Lord Darth Azard and Sith scientist Vul Isen deliberate on the best course of action to execute the genocide ordered by Darth Krayt, who also leads their One Sith order. Isen has modified a colossal Leviathan creature for underwater combat, and the two Sith subsequently use the Force to influence the mind of the nearby dormant Sea Leviathan, bending it to their will. The beast slaughters the refugees within the camp, absorbing their life energies and sentience in the process. Azard and Isen then decide to deploy the creature to the site of the earlier battle in order to lure out the Mon Calamari Rangers.
The Mon Calamari Rangers Shonmai and Adriphar are patrolling the Devil's Crevasse on the outskirts of their patrol zone. Upon spotting the Sea Leviathan, it drains Adriphar's life force, prompting Shonmai to flee back to base. Azard and Isen allow her to escape in order to draw out the Rangers, and then proceed to argue about their respective ranks within Krayt's Sith Order. Back at the grotto, Treis Sinde manages to use a makeshift comm unit to contact his Emperor, Roan Fel of the Empire-in-exile. Sinde objects to Fel's order to return to the fortress world of Bastion, but the Emperor insists that Sinde's duty lies with him, not the Mon Calamari. Tanquar overhears the conversation, but their ensuing argument is interrupted by Shonmai's return.
Tanquar immediately orders a counterattack to rescue the refugees they had previously released, and when Sinde declares the plan suicidal, the captain asserts that sacrificing the helpless for the greater good is not the Mon Calamari way. Sinde proposes a compromise, and when the Rangers encounter the Leviathan and the AT-AT swimmer near the Devil's Crevasse, his plan is put into action: the Rangers focus their fire on the swimmer while the nearby refugees are moved into the crevasse. Several devilsquid emerge from the crevasse; Sinde rides one of them, using the Force to tame them all. As they attack the Leviathan, Azard orders shark underwater fighters into the battle, despite the resulting loss of shielding around the hatch. Azard is confident that the Mon Calamari value their lives too much to directly attack the non-shielded but heavily defended area, but Shonmai sacrifices herself by ramming the hatch, triggering a chain reaction that destroys the entire swimmer.
The devilsquid drag the Leviathan into the crevasse, and Tanquar rescues a weakened Sinde before he is pulled down with them. On the bridge of the destroyed swimmer, Azard is impaled in the shoulder by debris, but Isen saves him, and the two Sith swim to safety. At the Rangers' grotto, Sinde speaks again with Emperor Fel, who is unable to spare a shuttle to retrieve him. Sinde maintains that leaving the planet is therefore impossible, and Fel reluctantly accepts his stubbornness. Tanquar overhears the conversation and thanks Sinde, who tells him that the only thing gained from the battle is the right to continue fighting.
The comic book series Star Wars: Legacy was initially published by Dark Horse Comics in June 2006. Prior to its launch, series creators John Ostrander and Jan Duursema developed a large ensemble cast of characters, and as Legacy progressed, new characters were introduced. One such character was Treis Sinde, who made his debut in April 2008's Legacy (2006) 22. In that issue, he becomes stranded on Dac following Darth Krayt's declaration of genocide, and ultimately joins forces with a Mon Calamari resistance movement. Ostrander further developed Sinde's adventures on Dac for Legacy's thirty-second and thirty-third issues, which comprise Parts 1 and 2 of the series' ninth story arc, Fight Another Day.
Fight Another Day marks the debut appearance of the Mon Calamari Rangers. Ostrander considered using the previously established Mon Calamari Knights, a group that first appeared in the fifth chapter of the 2003 Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series, but given that Legacy already featured similarly named groups such as the Jedi Knights and Imperial Knights, he instead sought permission to create the new "Mon Calamari Rangers" for the Legacy era. His intention was for the Rangers to be presented in the same vein as the Knights, despite any visual distinctions between the two. Ostrander was enthusiastic about chronicling the Rangers' story underwater, a setting rarely used in Star Wars comics, which he felt presented unique challenges and opportunities.
Omar Francia, the artist behind Fight Another Day, was also excited to work in an underwater environment. He created fully poseable 3D models of all of the arc's vehicles, including the Acklay Battle Fortress's interior, as well as models of the Sea Leviathan and the seatroopers' plasma rifle. This enabled him to position a model, print the image, and then pencil it into the comic. His initial design for the Sea Leviathan was created before he was aware of the existing Leviathans in Expanded Universe lore, and he subsequently used those Leviathans to develop a more accurate final model. While designing the arc's Mon Calamari characters, Francia was determined to make their faces recognizable and expressive, unlike the limited Mon Calamari puppets used in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. His goal was to depict a variety of faces that would definitively prevent the reader from perceiving the Mon Calamari as an "animal species." He also provided the covers for both issues of Fight Another Day, which were created using a combination of 3D models and traditional illustrations. Ostrander praised Francia's work, admitting that he had given the artist a lot to handle, and Francia in turn described the story as "beautifully written," expressing his desire to have worked on it for an entire year rather than just a few months.
The second issue of the story arc, Fight Another Day, Part 2, introduces new continuity to Legacy by revealing the identity of Roan Fel's grandfather, the first Emperor of the Fel Empire, as Jagged Fel, a prominent character in several Star Wars novels. The identity of the first Emperor Fel had been a mystery since the 2006 release of Star Wars: Legacy (2006) 0, but Ostrander "felt it was necessary, appropriate, and it was time" to make the reveal. Lucasfilm Ltd. approved the issue's script, and according to Ostrander, would have removed the revelation if they had felt it compromised the novels in which Jagged was still appearing.
In addition to Ostrander's script and Francia's penciling, inking, and cover art, the colors by Brad Anderson and the letters by Michael Heisler helped bring both issues of Fight Another Day to life. Mike Richardson was credited as the issues' Publisher, Freddye Lins as the Assistant Editor, Dave Marshall as the Associate Editor, Randy Stradley as the Editor, and Sean Cooke as the Designer. Dark Horse posted a three-page online preview for each issue prior to its release, and the "Blaster" section of Star Wars Insider 107, released in January 2009, featured Fight Another Day with a preview article that included quotes from both Ostrander and Francia. Dark Horse published Fight Another Day, Part 1 on January 28, 2009, and Fight Another Day, Part 2 on February 25 of the same year. Both issues included a page featuring Francia's concept art in lieu of a letters section. Fight Another Day was later published as a single, uninterrupted story in Star Wars: Legacy Volume 7: Storms, a trade paperback released on December 2, 2009, and in Star Wars: Legacy Book 2, a hardcover omnibus released on September 18, 2013. Digital editions of each issue were made available for purchase in 2012 on February 22 and March 21, respectively.
By naming Jagged Fel as the first Emperor of the Fel Empire, the second issue of Fight Another Day connected the Fel Empire's continuity to that of the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force novels. Although 2007's Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Special Edition identified Roan Fel as a descendant of Jagged's father, Baron Soontir Fel, and 2008's Legacy of the Force: Invincible—the final volume of Legacy of the Force—placed Jagged in command of the Imperial Remnant, the Fel Empire's predecessor, it wasn't until Fight Another Day, Part 2 that all of the connections were explicitly made. The Essential Atlas, released later in 2009, further elaborated on how Jagged's leadership of the Remnant evolved into an Emperorship.
In Fight Another Day, Part 1, Vul Isen adapts a Leviathan creature for underwater use. A Leviathan initially appeared in the 1998–1999 comic miniseries Jedi Academy: Leviathan. The Imperial seatroopers and AT-AT swimmer featured in Fight Another Day originate from the 1988 roleplaying game adventure Battle for the Golden Sun, while the Krakana underwater fighters share a name with the krakana, a creature native to Dac that first appeared in the 1994 novel Dark Apprentice.
In January 2009, 25,806 copies of Fight Another Day, Part 1 were shipped to comic retailers worldwide, followed by 25,384 copies of Part 2 the following month. Each issue was Dark Horse's second-best-selling comic of the month, surpassed only by Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Part 1 ranked as the seventieth-best-selling comic overall in January, while Part 2 ranked seventy-first in February.
Sinde's presence on Dac is revisited as early as Legacy's thirty-fifth issue, in which Roan Fel dispatches the Imperial Knight Sigel Dare to Dac to retrieve her wayward comrade. Her mission is depicted in the forty-second issue, where she encounters Sinde and Tanquar on Dac's surface. However, Sinde informs her of his intention to remain on Dac with the Rangers. Dare, unwilling to accept this, initiates a lightsaber duel, but Jedi Master Asaak Dan, who has accompanied Dare on her mission, intervenes and volunteers to take Sinde's place, an offer that Sinde accepts.
In Legacy's forty-seventh issue, the Imperial Regent Darth Wyyrlok orders Isen to release his viral spores and poison all life on Dac. The resulting massacre leads to Isen and Azard becoming the primary antagonists of Legacy's final story arc, Extremes. The undersea armor worn by Sinde in Fight Another Day is worn by numerous Imperial Knights in the tenth issue of Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman's comic series Star Wars: Legacy Volume 2, released in December 2013.
- " Blaster " — Star Wars Insider 107