With the new canon of the Star Wars franchise exploring the period immediately following Return of The Jedi, fans are already looking forward to a new 'sequel era' to the original trilogy. And the first truly shocking revelation has arrived, revealing a strange new power in the palm of Luke Skywalker's hand. Ancient, mysterious, and from the look of Luke's horrified screaming, a power he won't be looking to keep.

With the Empire defeated, Luke will be entering this new Star Wars era by ing forces with franchise fan-favorite Doctor Aphra. The first look at interior pages from Doctor Aphra - Chaos Agent #1 (and tease from writer Cherish Chen) are here courtesy of ComicBook, and while the events that bring Luke and Aphra together on a relic hunt are still a mystery, that is nowhere near as mysterious as the power it apparently unleashes upon Luke Skywalker. Take a look:

In addition to these first preview pages, Chen also offered some brief tease of the glowing blue power bestowed upon Luke, and how this strange new artifact may be linked to lore and powers already familiar to fans of the franchise:

From what we know of the series, Doctor Aphra s Luke Skywalker as they go in search of a mysterious artifact. Why is Luke so interested in finding it?

Chen: Readers are going to see the effect of this artifact very quickly in Issue #1. What I can say is that it is an amalgamation of the old and the new, and you’ll see quickly that it’s quite dangerous. Its power is mysterious, even to Luke, and that’s why he’s so invested in getting it, understanding it, and keeping it safe.

What Luke Skywalker's New Power Means For This Star Wars Era

No Star Wars fan, nor Luke himself, need to be told about the temptations of power as it relates to forces, enchantments, or objects in the galaxy far, far away. Whether in the form of Lord Momin's Sith-haunted helmet, or countless other crystals, weapons, or armors spread throughout Star Wars legend, the idea of an artifiact that can unleash enough power to rattle a Jedi is easy to grasp. And at this point in his journey, having defeated the Empire, refused the call of the dark side, and redeemed his father, Luke has nothing to prove.

But in these pages, the expressions on Luke's face denote anything but inner peace. Without the accompanying text it's impossible to know if Luke is in panic, pain, or awe of the power seemingly held within his robotic hand. Since Chen describes this artifact as "an amglamtion of the old and the new," perhaps the answer is somewhere in between. Either way, this new power wielded by Luke (or simply witnessed) suggests the post-Return of the Jedi era won't go as smoothly as fans hoped.

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra – Chaos Agent #1 arrives on June 18, from Marvel Comics.

Source: ComicBook