As part of the 40th Anniversary celebrations for 1983 Star Wars trilogy climax Return of the Jedi, Marvel are releasing a short series of one-off issues focusing on different characters and situations related to the third movie.

The first one – Jabba’s Palace – was a fun, if tragic tale of why the Hutt was so displeased with his previous protocol droid, necessitating the use of C-3PO as his new translator.

In the Ewoks One-Shot, the lovable little tribespeople gathered around a campfire to tell each other stories. Three stories, as well as the framing tale, were featured – all without any speech – including a surprisingly scary story!

Next up was Lando – in which the titular ex-smuggler (with Chewie) looking to get the plans to Jabba’s Palace, as part of the plan to retrieve Han Solo from the Hutt’s clutches.

This time, with the issue titled Empire and featuring Stormtroopers on the cover, you might be thinking that we would get a look at a Stormtrooper unit – yet there’s actually a somewhat unexpected story here.

Rilo Grenth is a new recruit to the Imperial army, but he’s not a trooper of any kind. Nope, Grenth is essentially an IT systems tester – and his first assignment is to perform stress tests and other technical support assistance in an Imperial bunker, located on a very familiar forest moon.

Grenth’s family lost their business when it was forcibly taken over by the Empire. Is Grenth really on Endor just using his technical ability for the Empire? Or does his unique situation mean that he’s there to sabotage the Empire’s best, secret project?

Grenth doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere – and doesn’t exactly respond to rejection in the best way, either.

Yet does that mean he’s a spy?

The Imperials are, of course, short on patience for failure and notoriously, understandably paranoid after what happened with the first Death Star. Can Grenth just finish his job and move on?

It’s a fascinating story, with a rather sad, tragic central figure. I found myself sympathizing with Grenth and his difficulty fitting in; pretty much everyone he encounters, despite being on his side, treats him with disdain and outright hostility.

Empire is a great, ground level look inside the famous Endor facility, with a surprisingly sympathetic lead character.

After enjoying the previous Return of the Jedi one-shots so much, I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy another walk on the dark side – but writer Jody Houser handles this tale brilliantly, along with Jethro Morales providing brilliant art that bursts with character.

So far, each issue has been a fitting tribute to what’s often seen as the weakest of the original Star Wars trilogy; yet it’s a film I have immense fondness for.

I’ve loved spending time in and around the events that take place in Return of the Jedi, especially as these issues have added some much needed depth to some underexplored elements in the film.