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Quote1 Not bad, folks, I've seen some heavy stompin' in my time...but this takes the cake. Hey one-eye, we got what we came for, right? That princess chick? How 'bout we head on home while we got the chance? Quote2
Wolverine

Appearing in "Where No X-Man Has Gone Before!"

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Synopsis for "Where No X-Man Has Gone Before!"

Transported to another galaxy via stargate, the X-Men (including the Phoenix) find themselves on the ancient and mostly barren planet in the heart of the Shi’Ar Empire. They are in pursuit of their enemy, Erik the Red, who has abducted the alien, Lilandra Neramani.

The Shi’Ar Empire spans its entire home galaxy. Currently, it is ruled over by the insane Emperor D’Ken (Lilandra’s brother). Erik the Red is revealed to be Davan Shakari, a high-ranking Shi’Ar official loyal to D’Ken. Although mostly barren, this world does contain the M’Kraan Crystal, a mammoth and legendary jewel that contains unimaginable power. D’Ken has come here with an entourage of about twenty members of the empire’s Imperial Guard in order to access the power of the Crystal. Legend states that when the stars are aligned in a particular way (as they have just recently done), then the Crystal can be penetrated and its power unleashed.

Shakari has brought Lilandra to be an offering to the demonic “Soul Drinker” beast which lurks upon this world. Cyclops demands that D’Ken hand over Lilandra to the X-Men. D’Ken dismisses him and orders his Imperial Guard to kill the X-Men. A ferocious battle commences. The X-Men hold their own against the Guard, despite the latter team’s much larger number of combatants.

Emperor D’Ken unleashes the Soul Drinker on Lilandra, but Nightcrawler teleports to her rescue and spirits her away to the X-Men’s side of the battlefield. The Soul Drinker therefore takes an unnamed member of the Imperial Guard in her place as its sacrifice. Elsewhere in the war zone, Wolverine’s uniform gets shredded. He finds an Imperial Guardsman named Fang with a similar build to his, knocks him out, and takes his uniform.

Lilandra reveals that D’Ken intends to use the M’Kraan Crystal to gain absolute power. She opposed him and became his enemy and a fugitive of the empire. She explains further that she was first psychically connected to Professor Xavier when he used his mental powers to thwart an alien invasion by the Z'Nox; she journeyed to Earth to seek his aid in the hope that he could aid her resistance efforts.

Inexorably, the X-Men are being overwhelmed by the sheer number of their opponents. But the tide of the battle is turned by the arrival of the Starjammers, a group of interstellar pirates who join the X-Men in battle against the Guard. Phoenix mind-probes their leader Corsair and is shocked by what his thoughts reveal.

Suddenly the M’Kraan Crystal pulsates… and for a fraction of a second, reality ceases to exist! Back on Earth, Peter Corbeau warns the Fantastic Four that should reality suffer more cosmic “blinks”, the universe will be destroyed.

Notes

  • The story continues into the next issue.
  • This issue introduces the Imperial Guard, the Starjammers (save for a brief cameo in Vol 1 104, this is their first real introduction), Scott and Alex Summers's father Corsair, and the universally deadly M'kraan Crystal.
  • This issue also begins a long tradition of Wolverine's uniform being shredded and left in tatters in battle, leaving him nearly naked in the process. At least in this issue he appropriates the uniform of the Imperial Guardsman Fang to cover himself up.
  • Lilandra's explanation of her psychic link with Professor X ties the ongoing Shi'Ar saga to the attempted invasion of Earth by the Z'Nox in Vol 1 65, one prevented by Xavier's actions.
  • references: X-Men #105 (x2), X-Men #104 (x2), X-Men #65, X-Men #97, X-Men #101, X-Men #102, and X-Men #103

Trivia

  • The title of this issue's story is an homage to Star Trek, which uses a similar phrase in its opening credits narration.
  • The members of the Imperial Guard are closely based on DC's superhero/science fiction series the Legion of Superheroes of which Dave Cockrum was a longstanding artist.
  • Lilandra becomes the first person to teleport along with Nightcrawler.

See Also

Recommended Reading

  • This is the start of a two-part battle that concludes next issue.
  • This is the culmination of Eric the Red's efforts for Emperor D'Ken. Previous issues focusing on his work include X-Men #97, Vol 1 104, and Vol 1 105.

Links and References

References

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