Star Wars 45: Death Probe represents the forty-fifth installment in the Marvel Star Wars comic book series.
Admiral Damon Krell of the Imperial forces dispatches an experimental Infiltrator probe droid directly towards a damaged Rebel ship of the line. The probe breaches the ship's exterior, initiating a massacre of the crew. Subsequently, it connects to the vessel's primary power network, assuming control over all automated functions.
Luke Skywalker's X-wing fighter approaches the blockade runner, only to have his ship destroyed by the larger vessel's weapon systems. Luke and R2-D2 eject from the X-Wing, proceeding to space-walk towards the blockade runner. Utilizing his lightsaber, Luke creates an entry point through a service conduit. Upon encountering the probe droid, Luke recognizes the danger of tampering with it, fearing accidental activation of a self-destruct sequence. He further discovers the probe droid's intention to pilot the blockade runner into the Rebel fleet and detonate the ship. However, the probe droid detects Luke Skywalker's presence on board. A pre-programmed directive activates, prioritizing the capture and delivery of Skywalker to Darth Vader alive. This directive overrides all other commands, causing the Probe Droid to alter its course. The Rebel fleet is now warned of the impending danger. Luke manages to have R2 hack into a portion of the ship's controls, sufficient to activate one escape pod. Luke transmits a warning message to the fleet before he and R2 enter the escape pod. The probe droid reroutes the blockade runner through hyperspace, heading back to Admiral Krell's ship. Nevertheless, the reactor core remains set to meltdown. The runner collides with the Imperial Star Destroyer, resulting in the destruction of both vessels.
The events described unfold immediately following the conclusion of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.
Darth Vader and Yoda make brief appearances in flashbacks to The Empire Strikes Back.
Luke is in possession of a lightsaber. The method by which he acquired it remains unexplained, given that he lost his lightsaber in The Empire Strikes Back. His possession of a lightsaber is also depicted in issues 49 and 51.