Star Wars 88 : Figurehead Star Wars 88 : Figurehead is the eighty - eighth issue of the " Marvel Star Wars " series of comics . Publisher ' s summary . " Marvel continues to present all - new post - " adventures ! It ' s a diplomatic mission , just perfect for Princess Leia and Mon Mothma to handle — until they stumble upon Imperial forces fighting to control a strategic stronghold ! And the Imperial forces are " winning " ! " Figurehead " is written by Jo Duffy , penciled by Bob McLeod , and inked by Tom Palmer ! " The return of one of our most requested characters ! From the Star Wars canon comes . . . Shira Brie ! Shira is Luke Skywalker ' s second deadliest enemy ! We ' ll leave it to " you " to find out Luke ' s " deadliest " enemy — but only if you buy this phenomenal issue ! " " Continuing the post - " adventures of our heroes ! This issue : Princess Leia , on a diplomatic mission to another world , encounters a cyborg villain we ' ll be seeing lots of in the future ! Plot summary . Mon Mothma , Leia Organa , and a delegation of the new Alliance of Free Planets have come to the planet Herdessa to meet with the powerful Herdessan Guild . The planet has had recent financial success , and the Alliance has come to negotiate a possible political membership . However , during the introductions , Princess Leia is greeted with a chorus of boos . While puzzling over the less than friendly welcome , Leia is hit full in the face by a clump of mud . The Herdessan Guild tries to downplay the incident , claiming that the culprits are simply malcontent rabble , and that the planet ' s security force will apprehend them . The head of the security forces , the cyborg Lumiya leads her forces in the pursuit , while the delegation makes their way to more comfortable surroundings for the negotiations . After a long meal , the Herdessan Guild members , Brylin , Tof , and Gaza , begin to attract suspicion from the Alliance members . They refuse to let the planet ' s citizens have a say in the diplomatic meeting , and the negotiations fail to materialize , as the Guild suggests that the Alliance simply spend the day relaxing and enjoying the pleasure of the planet . Irritated by the lack of progress , Leia excuses herself to take a walk . Outside of the Guild headquarters , she witnesses Lumiya apprehending the woman who threw the mud at her , Suzu . The woman struggles desperately against the cyborg , claiming that she and her partner , Finn , will now likely be killed as an example to anyone else who might rise up against the Guild . Leia , shocked by the claims , interferes in the arrest , allowing Suzu to escape Lumiya ' s clutches . Lumiya , refusing to let her captive escape , tries to shoot down Suzu with blasters concealed in her hands . Leia attacks Lumiya , smashing her to the ground to prevent her from killing an unarmed person . Leia chases after Suzu , trying to get to the bottom of the situation . Lumiya fires her blasters after Leia , but the Princess escapes to find Suzu holed up in a bombed out building with several hungry and starving Herdessans . Suzu claims to Leia that only those affiliated with the Guild have enjoyed the planet ' s prosperity , and that those outside of their power were subject to torture or a spot on the slave block . Before Leia can decide what to do about the situation , the hideout is stormed by Lumiya and her security forces . The Herdessan rebels are easily beat back , falling quickly to Lumiya ' s forces . Leia escaped the carnage , hoping to find a way to even the odds . Lumiya pursues Leia through the streets , where she learns that the middle class are much too frightened to oppose the guild , creating a system where the government is unopposed in its oppressive actions . Meanwhile , Mothma and the rest of the Alliance delegation are captured by the guild , intent on selling them into slavery . The guild has allied itself with the Galactic Empire , and the pretense dropped , stormtroopers enter the street to crack down on the minor uprising that has resulted in the shootout with the Herdessan rebels . Lumiya , having lost Leia , uses a loudhailer to announce to the populace that they need to leave their homes so that they can make sure that nobody is harboring the Princess . Leia and Suzu , having both escaped the Imperials , hide in the bushes nearby , trying to think of a plan . Lumiya announces that if Leia is not apprehended in two minutes , she will begin executing the prisoners . After the time has passed , Lumiya selects Finn from the group and prepares to kill him . Suzu , unable to let her lover be killed , jumps from the bushes and points behind her to where Leia is located . The stormtroopers search the bushes , but Leia and Suzu have tricked the Imperials . Leia emerges from the opposite side of the courtyard and opens fire , quickly freeing several of the captives and arming them . The Herdessans slowly begin to push back the Imperials , and Lumiya comes face to face with Leia . The princess fires a blaster bolt into the cyborg , hitting one of her power pack s , creating an explosion that takes Lumiya out of the fight . The momentum of the battle turns completely when the middle class finally decides to rise up , flanking the Imperial forces and capturing the guild members and their forces . With the battle won and many of the Imperials in custody , Mon Mothma tells Leia that it is time to go — they need to warn the rest of the Alliance that the Empire is continuing to operate in increased capacity , even so soon after their recent defeat at Endor . Before the Alliance ' s departure , Leia warns Suzu and Finn that Lumiya had disappeared following the end of the fight , and that they should keep an eye out for her . From the bushes , Lumiya , badly damaged , promises that Leia will soon learn how dangerous of a foe she really is . Behind the scenes . This issue features the first appearance of Lumiya . In later issues , the design of Lumiya changes . Lumiya does not reappear until several issues later in " " . This issue is also the first identification of the Alliance of Free Planets as the delegation brought to Herdessa is introduced with this name . Mon Mothma says in " " that Leia has been sent on a diplomatic mission . Whether that was a separate mission or whether Mothma later joined Leia on her mission to Herdessa is unknown . Leia later returns to Endor in " " . Although Lumiya ' s identity as Shira Brie is not revealed until " " , the publisher ' s summary for this issue in " " # 16 , published in April 1984 , announces Shira ' s return . When the book is solicited again in " " # 18 , the reference to Shira is removed . " Figurehead " was originally intended to appear in the .