Issue number eighty-four of the Legends comic book series Star Wars is titled Star Wars 84. This particular issue, with a story called "Seoul Searching," tells of Han Solo's discovery of the legendary key crystal. The comic was penned by Roy Richardson, the artwork was done by David Mazzucchelli, and Marvel Comics released it to the public on March 20, 1984.
Han Solo's current task involves extending invitations to planetary leaders for a Galactic Congress. Having delivered an invitation to the inhabitants of Zhotta 3, Solo and his Wookiee companion decide to unwind in a shady cantina located on an obscure world. Solo's prowess at cards leads him to win all the money from the gamblers present. However, one gambler proposes a final, more intriguing wager: a crystal he unearthed in the Seoul system, along with a holomap to the system, against Solo's beloved ship, the Millennium Falcon. Solo expresses skepticism, given the widespread belief that Seoul 5 was annihilated in a cosmic war ages ago, with only remnants of Seoularian civilization found in abandoned outposts.
The gambler, angered by Solo's doubt, shares his story. He served as an advance scout for the Galactic Empire Exploratory Division when a [meteor](/article/asteroid-legends] struck his ship just as he was entering hyperspace. Upon reaching the system, he landed on the fifth planet and discovered the crystal he now possesses. He returned to the Empire, but the escalating war prevented him from acquiring the funds for a return journey.
To prove his story, he uses the crystal to telekinetically hurl Chewbacca across the room. Intrigued, Solo accepts the bet. The gambler confidently lays down a "Full System," believing he has secured Solo's ship, as the odds against his hand are "astronomical." Yet, Solo reveals the winning hand. Enraged, the gambler draws his blaster, accusing Solo of cheating. Hearing this, and still bitter about their losses, the other cantina patrons draw their weapons, intending to attack Solo. Chewbacca and Solo narrowly escape, without their winnings. However, Solo manages to grab the holo-map and the crystal, deciding to investigate the gambler's claims.
The Millennium Falcon arrives at the Seoul 5 system, where they indeed find Seoul 5, as the gambler described. As they prepare to land, Chewbacca detects humanoid life-signals emanating from the planet. Perplexed by the presence of another group, Solo lands near an ancient city. He decides to investigate alone, claiming that Chewbacca needs to stay with the ship for a quick escape if necessary. Despite his skepticism, the Wookiee agrees to remain with the Falcon.
Meanwhile, the humanoid lifeforms detected by the two Rebels are actually an Imperial landing party. Despite Palpatine's demise, their large ship has arrived on Seoul 5 under the orders of one of the Emperor's Imperial Governors, seeking further power and riches. The leader of the Imperials, Captain Drezzel, detects the Millennium Falcon's arrival and tasks his telepathic "pet," Adjutant Ssssk!, with locating the intruders.
The Imperials enter the city and find Solo examining an ancient statue of the Mother Goddess, Onrai, the supposed ruler of the planet Notron, the origin of all Humans in the galaxy. Solo doubts the claim about Notron, as many other planets make the same assertion. As he contemplates the statue, he is struck by a telepathic assault from Ssssk!, causing him to collapse.
After a brief exchange of blaster fire, Solo activates a button on the statue, which transports him through a hidden passage into the crystal room described by the gambler. However, the Imperials have already established a presence there. As Solo approaches the crystals, they begin to resonate loudly, drawn to the crystal he carries. Before he can investigate further, stormtroopers appear, forcing Solo to hide.
In a small room where Solo seeks refuge, he discovers two tied-up xenoarchaeologists, Dr. Ualp Xathan and his assistant Fem Nu-Ar. They explain that they led the Imperials to the planet on a fact finding mission. Upon discovering the crystals, they learned that the Seoularians used them to power their city. Unfortunately, Ssssk! mind-probed them, and immediately informed Drezzel. The Imperials then imprisoned the archaeologists, intending to use the crystals for weapons development.
Nu-Ar implores Solo to help them escape and prevent the Imperials from misusing the crystals. Solo agrees, and after freeing the archaeologists, he uses his hiding spot to incapacitate the stormtroopers. As the trio attempts to gather the crystals, the other crystals begin to hum once more. Intrigued by the crystals' reaction, Dr. Xathan asks to see Solo's crystal. Upon seeing it, the archaeologists are shocked, identifying it as the key crystal, the central crystal that powers all the others. Before they can decide what to do, the Imperials, led by Drezzel, storm the crystal room and open fire.
Trapped, Solo instructs the archaeologists to retreat to the entrance he used, providing covering fire. Before Solo can escape with them, Ssssk! arrives to confront him. Fortunately, the crystal amplifies mental energy, allowing Solo to repel the adjutant's attacks and turn them against him. Ssssk! collapses, and Solo is free to escape. However, he accidentally inserts the key crystal into a slot on a Seoularian pedestal. The action floods the chamber with light, blinding the Imperials and giving Solo time to escape.
However, this action has unintended consequences. When locked in alongside the other crystals, the crystal room's power begins to build dangerously. Realizing that the area is about to explode, Solo and the archaeologists flee through the trap door and race back to the Millennium Falcon. As the city fills with a loud whine, the Falcon takes off, pursued by TIE fighters. Before the fighters can attack Solo's ship, the Seoularian city is obliterated in a massive explosion, destroying the TIE fighters as well. As the Millennium Falcon escapes, Solo remarks that he hasn't witnessed such an explosion since he and Chewbacca "blew away the Death Star." The archaeologists lament the loss of archaeological knowledge, but they thank Solo for saving them and preventing the Imperials from using the crystals. As a final gesture of gratitude, Nu-Ar kisses Solo, who is pleased to finally receive a positive surprise from the trip.
Star Wars 84 introduced the planet Notron, which was later identified as an ancient name for Coruscant.
- UPC 071486028178; June 1 , 1984 ; Marvel Comics ; First printing [1]
- (No UPC) ; October 13 , 2015 ; Marvel Comics; Digital edition [2]