Star Wars: Vader's Quest, a miniseries consisting of four issues, saw its release in 1999. The covers, when arranged sequentially, created a composite image depicting characters and settings featured within the narrative.
Following his narrow escape from the Death Star's demise, Darth Vader becomes obsessed with locating the Force-sensitive young pilot responsible for the devastating shot. He views Luke Skywalker as the embodiment of the Alliance's spirit and, perhaps, as something far more significant to himself. The initial print run of this book boasted a logo stamped with foil and a special fold-out poster created by Gibbons and Angus McKie as a bonus.
Darth Vader relentlessly pursues the individual responsible for obliterating the Death Star. At the Museum of the Old Republic on Centares, he, along with a bird-like associate named Ban Papeega, subjects Thurlow Harris, a Rebel pilot who survived the Death Star battle and traveled to his home planet of Centares to spread news of the station's destruction, to interrogation and torture. The pilot divulges the name of the person who destroyed the station: Skywalker. Before Vader receives this information, a Sephi spy named Mala Mala—who is in debt to Brazzo and others—witnesses the interrogation, overhears the name, and departs the area with her droid, Fordee, after enduring taunts. Upon learning the name, Vader becomes furious and destroys the recording in Papeega's presence. The name is that of his son.
On Yavin 4, Jal Te Gniev, a disgruntled pilot, resents Luke Skywalker's heroic status, as Jal was sidelined from the Battle of Yavin due to measles, despite having flown more missions. In a fit of rage, he takes off in an X-wing and crashes near the temple after R2-D2 triggers the alarm accidentally when C-3PO tells him not to go near it, but he survives the crash.
On Centares, everyone who witnessed the interrogation and might have heard the name "Skywalker," including Brazzo and Selle, is executed, except Mala Mala and Fordee, who grants Thurlow an honorable death before escaping.
On Yavin 4, the Rebel Alliance leadership council determines that Jal poses a threat to their secrecy and reassigns him to Dubrava as a recruiting liaison. Simultaneously, General Jan Dodonna assigns Luke a mission.
In the aviary on Centares, Vader eliminates Papeega and ignites the aviary using a stormtrooper's blaster. Outside, Mala Mala and Fordee are caught in stormtrooper fire. The troopers report their deaths to Vader, who then departs for his Interdictor ship. Fordee is destroyed, but Beesix rescues Mala Mala.
On Dubrava, a boy named Bobek approaches Jal, expressing his desire to join the Rebellion. Jal dismisses the boy's aspirations. Jal then attempts to drown his sorrows and inadvertently reveals to Nevana, a local woman, that "Skywalker greenhorn" is on a mission to Jazbina. Recognizing the name Skywalker from a recent bounty list, Nevana informs the bounty hunter Sarma in exchange for the cancellation of her father's debt to Sarma.
On Jazbina, Luke is greeted by Lord Prepredenko, who appears sympathetic to the Rebellion. He seeks Luke's assistance in rescuing his kidnapped daughter, Syayna.
On Dubrava, Nevana is killed for her knowledge, and Jal narrowly escapes the same fate when Bobek takes a blast for him. Jal realizes that Vader must be pursuing Luke on Jazbina.
On Coruscant, Vader finally reports to Palpatine, concealing the shared last name with his quarry. Vader is then informed of the Jazbina lead and departs immediately. Elsewhere on Coruscant, near the palace, Mala Mala arrives, her ship having been shot down by defense fire. After repairing Beesix, she prepares to infiltrate the palace.
Back on Dubrava, Jal purchases a used Z-95 Headhunter from a Dubravan salesman and departs for Jazbina to warn Luke about the Empire's pursuit.
On Jazbina, Luke ventures into a mine with journalist droid 3DVO and Choraw, an elderly guide, in search of Syayna. Choraw sacrifices himself to a large carnivorous worm called a tikulini, and Luke battles the tikulini, stumbling upon Syayna and her "kidnappers." Upon seeing (via 3DVO) Syayna and her "captors," Prepredenko orders 3DVO to drug Luke, and Prepredenko's guards take Luke and Syayna's "captors" hostage. They are not her captors at all, however, as she was not kidnapped, but escaped to join them. They are the Rebel underground on Jazbina, and now Luke has gotten them caught.
Soon, Darth Vader arrives at Jazbina. Jal arrives as well, and the race for Skywalker is on. Vader wishes Luke to be captured alive, but when Prepredenko asks what Vader's message is, 3DVO tells Prepredenko that Vader wants Luke dead. 3DVO is not happy with being used to capture the Rebels, and he knows that Prepredenko will be punished for killing Luke. Shortly thereafter, Syayna goes with her father to kill Luke, but she blasts him with a stun setting, convincing her father that he is dead. As Syayna frees Luke and the other Rebels, Prepredenko meets with Vader and informs him of Luke's death. Vader is furious.
On Coruscant, Mala Mala is captured invading the palace and taken to the Emperor.
Back on Jazbina, Prepredenko is imprisoned and tortured, but thanks to a feed from 3DVO, the entire planet sees his heartfelt message to Syayna when he confesses his mistakes and tells her he loves her. 3DVO is then destroyed by stormtroopers. The Rebels determine that they must get Luke off the planet, and they break into the hangar where Luke's X-wing is stored, only to find that Jal has already killed the guards himself. Vader arrives, though, and they are to be arrested and/or killed. A horde of angered citizens arrives, though, causing a standoff. Jal jumps in the X-wing and charges up to Vader's Interdictor cruiser, which he destroys (along with himself) in the memory of Bobek. Seeing the explosion of the Interdictor from the surface, Vader relents and stalks away, as his stormtroopers are defeated by the citizens. The situation on Jazbina will soon be one of Rebel sympathy and a kinder leadership.
On Coruscant, Mala Mala has told Palpatine that the man who destroyed the Death Star is named "Skywalker," and she has been given parts to build new droid friends in return. Mala Mala leaves, satisfied with the arrangement, and Palpatine sits amused, planning to greet Vader on his next visit by using Vader's former name, Skywalker.
Darko Macan, a Croatian writer, drew inspiration from his native Croatian language to name numerous characters and planets in the series, including the bounty hunter Mala Mala, the planet Dubrava, Princess Syayna, and the Rebel pilot Jal Te Gniev. The meanings of these names are similar across most Slavic languages, such as Bulgarian and Serbian.
In Vader's Quest, Vader discovers that "Skywalker" was responsible for the Death Star's destruction. He will learn that the "Skywalker" in question is "Luke" Skywalker in Star Wars (1977) 35.
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