“History is on the move, Captain. Those who cannot keep up will be left behind, to watch from a distance”
The Star Wars Black Series Publishing line started back in 2019 with the Skywalker Strikes release of Luke from Marvel Comics as a convention exclusive. He was followed by three full waves and a further exclusive in the shape of the War of the Bounty Hunters Boba Fett. Up to 2024, the Publishing series had been single-figure releases, but that all changed with the release of a 4-pack from Timothy Zahn’s original Thrawn Trilogy, and in particular the 3rd novel The Last Command.
The Last Command set is an Exclusive release available first at Hasbro Pulse and with stocks also heading to Shop Disney in the future. Touted as a July 2024 release, Hasbro Pulse in the UK started shipping in late June.
The set follows the established principles of the Publishing Series packaging with a closed box that replicates that of a book complete with an opening front cover. The cover recreates one of the Last Command comic book covers from 1997 with a bold yellow backdrop, blue logo, and a central image that includes the four key characters that are included in this set. Around the back of the box is further art panels from the comic in colour, while black and white comic art adorns the sides. The front cover is held in place with two Velcro tabs and opens to reveal the figures as well as an internal cover that has more artwork and a short synopsis of The Last Command storyline. This internal part of the front cover also carries the artwork on which the figures are based with Luke facing off against Jorus C’Baoth in front of a fallen Mara Jade, and with the clone Luuke pictured in a side panel.
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker has already had a Thrawn Trilogy release from Heir to the Empire with his vest top, so for this Last Command version we have a repack of Luke Skywalker from Return of the Jedi, a figure recently updated and released as part of the 40th Anniversary although this Last Command version has only one tunic front piece and that is fixed in place. The figure is almost entirely cast in black with a painted grey panel where the tunic is folded down and some silver detail on the belt.
Luke’s head is a good likeness to the Return of the Jedi era Mark Hammill with facial print tech enhancing the sculpt to one of the better Lukes we’ve had to date in the Black Series.
Luke comes with his newer lightsaber, comprising of a silver hilt with painted black and gold detail. This can be hung on his belt by way of a loop on the hilt and a corresponding hook on the belt. The green translucent blade slots into this cleanly and feels more robust than earlier versions of this saber which did suffer from warping and snapping around the thin end of the emiter.
Luke has 19 points of pinless articulation benefitting from enhanced arm movement granted by butterfly shoulders, and with a neater neck joint that is now jointed top and bottom removing the need for the visible pivot. Luke’s slim build and non-restrictive outfit make him easy to pose both in neutral stances and more dynamic positions with his lightsaber in hand.
Mara Jade
Like Luke, the Mara Jade included in the pack is not a new figure. She was released in 2023 as part of Wave 3 of the Publishing Series and features another all-black outfit that originated with the Jaina Solo figure way back in 2017. Mara Jade’s costume is overlaid with a gunslinger belt in brown with a silver hilt, and a similarly coloured strap and harness around her shoulders. The head features Mara with her flowing red hair, and despite not having an actor on which to base the likeness, we do get a realistic look complete with a facial print.
Mara does benefit from an enhancement on her original figure with the inclusion of a second head that replicates her hooded look. This replaces the original head and the folded hood which comes off once the head is removed. The fit is not great and I really struggled with our figure to get the hooded head to engage and remain connected. The head beneath the hooded section appears to be the same as the main head but without the hairpiece.
Mara is packed with her blaster, a grey cast piece with a silver barrel that fits in either her holster or her right hand. She also comes with her lightsaber which is silver with black trim, and this can also be holstered with a hook and loop function for the belt. The lightsaber features a translucent purple blade that slots into place.
Because Mara Jade uses an older body the legs are pinned, but this is not overly noticeable with the black colouring of the outfit. She has 17 points of articulation, including a torso ball joint and ab-crunch which is a rarity on the Star Wars line and used more with the Marvel Legends figures.
Luuke
The Clone Luuke is a kit-bashed figure comprising of the legs from the Dagobah Traning Luke Skywalker, and the torso and arms of the Episode 1 Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi from 2019. This hybrid combination allows Luuke to match the proportions of the real Luke Skywalker and the figures stand the same height. The colouring for the body is darkened vs the original donor figures to a murky brown finish with brown boots and a dark brown belt.
Luuke is provided with a new soft goods blue cloak as per the comic book art, and this sadly arrives very badly creased due to the way it is scrunched up and packed into the box behind the figure. This is a shame as the cloak is relatively impressive with a hood that is tailored to sit as well as any other that I have seen to date in the Black Series.
Luuke is given a brand new head sculpt differentiating him from Luke Skywalker with a manic expression while also retaining the likeness to Mark Hammill. It is eerie in some poses, particularly when peering out from beneath the hood thanks to the face printing and the focus on the eyes which are wide and starring.
Luuke comes with a version of the Anakin Skywalker lightsaber hilt. This is accurate to the plot of The Last Command where Luuke, as a clone, was created from the hand cut off by Vader which was recovered by The Empire along with the lost lightsaber. This appears to be a re-use of the saber accessories packed with Anakin Skywalker figures that then allows Luuke to wear it on his belt by way of the incorporated plug. The saber features a blue translucent blade that slots into place and it will fit in either of Luuke’s hands.
Luuke does included butterfly shoulders sat under the main torso robes which makes two handed saber grips possible but difficult thanks to the broad cut of the upper torso robes across the shoulders. Luuke features a total of 19 points of articulation, and this is all pinless with a reasonable range of motion
Joruus C’Baoth
The highlight of the set is the brand new figure of Dark Jedi Joruus C’Baoth who is based on the comic book illustrations of the 1997 publication of The Last Command. While he is a brand new character to the line he does feature some re-used parts, particularly the pinned legs which originage on the Lando Calrissian Skiff Guard - but with new sandal feet.
Joruus is wearing a deep red set of robes which are sculpted on the torso and arms, and translate to soft goods for the skirt section, albeit these are kept in check with a sculpted belt and front & back skirt pieces a combination that works really well. Joruus has an exposed muscular midsection and wears a pendent around his neck - an individual gold-coloured piece that will move around as the figure is articulated.
The head sculpt is new and again despite the lack of an actor on which to base this, the execution is impressive and enhanced by facial print tech. The hair sculpting is equally as impressive with ragged hair and beard that frame the face and flow down around the head and over the shoulders of the figure itself.
Joruus is provided with his lightsaber, a simple piece with a black hilt and red translucent blade that can be held in either hand. You also get the blue translucent Force Lightning hands that originally came with the Emperor Palpatine Deluxe release from 2019, and these swap out with one or both of the standard hands.
Joruus features 19 points of articulation and is a mix of pinned legs with dual jointed knees and pinless upper torso incorporating newer features like butterfly shoulders and dual joint neck. There has been some thought placed around arm articulation for a robed figures and the hanging sleeves are separate to the forearms which means they hang in what you’d consider a natural position when the arms are posed at the elbows. Jorus has a bit of restriction through the plastic part of the skirt piece, and again around the head thanks to the beard and the hair. Everything else works well and allows Jorus to wield his lightsaber or Force Lighting in dynamic posing.
Summary
Considering the current status of Legends lore like the original Thrawn Trilogy, this set is very much a labour of love for someone at Hasbro while likely taking advantage of the Heir to the Empire links seen in the Ahsoka series of 2023. It follows the usual Publishing Series criteria mixing re-used parts with updated sculpts and paintwork and provides us with a quartered of figures to play out the climax of The Last Command as illustrated in the 1997 comic.
The packaging is impressive but will need quite a bit of shelf space height-wise to display for boxed collectors. And the price is not overly exaggerated at £104.99 so just a fiver above what you would normally pay for four figures. In a time where Black Series releases are heavily skewed to the newer Disney+ media, it is great that we can still see this level of depth in the releases and fans of the 1990’s and what we now refer to as Star Wars Legends (Expanded Universe as was) are still getting nuggets to add to their collections.
Keep Track of all the Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...