Star Wars #48, which was also released under the title Vader vs. Leia #1, represents the forty-eighth installment of the Legends continuity's Star Wars comic book series. Larry Hama is credited as the writer, Carmine Infantino as the artist, and Marvel Comics initially published it on March 24, 1981.
The narrative of this issue, entitled "The Third Law," centers around a mental duel between Princess Leia and Darth Vader concerning the invaluable Crown Jewels of Alderaan.
Princess Leia Organa, accompanied by C-3PO, R2-D2, and Rebellion finance minister Viscount Tardi, journey to Aargau, a world known for its banking institutions, to finalize the financial arrangements for the Rebellion's purchase of X-wing fighters. Darth Vader, along with his group of hired assassins skilled in unarmed combat (due to a ban on weapons for non-citizens), is also present on the planet.
Vader's hired killers make several attempts to eliminate Tardi; however, Leia's cleverness enables her to not only rescue the Viscount, but also eliminate the assassins. Vader is ultimately compelled to reveal his strategy, using his lightsaber to strike down Tardi. However, this Viscount Tardi is, in reality, a droid created to resemble him, as the real Tardi had already passed away several months prior. Leia instructed R2 to record the "murder" and transmit the footage to C-3PO, who was stationed at police headquarters, in order to prevent Vader from revealing their deception to the authorities. Leia required the fake Viscount to secure the loan, using the Crown Jewels of Alderaan as irrefutable collateral. Knowing that authorities would discover that Tardi was a fake when they passed through Aargau's security scanners, Leia needed to manipulate Darth Vader into destroying the duplicate.
Darth Vader was also manipulating Princess Leia, as he was not interested in preventing her financial deal for the starfighters. His true objective was to acquire the priceless jewels. He bribed an officer at the local customs station, successfully obtaining the treasure. He only cooperated with Leia's plan to ensure he could depart the planet without the authorities noticing the missing jewels.
- UPC 071486028178; March 24 , 1981 ; Marvel Comics ; First printing [1]
- (No UPC) ; October 6 , 2015 ; Marvel Comics; Digital edition [3]
- UPC 759606097913; December 4 , 2019 ; Marvel Comics; True Believers [4]