Vader ' s Quest Vader ' s Quest was a four - issue miniseries published in 1999 . When placed next to each other in order , the covers formed a mural of characters and places from the story . Publisher ' s summary . After Darth Vader ' s narrow escape from the destruction of the Death Star , the Dark Lord is consumed with a desire to find the Force - strong young pilot who fired the fatal shot . For Luke Skywalker represents the heart and soul of the Alliance , and perhaps , for Vader , he represents much , much more . The book ' s first printing features a foil - stamped logo and special bonus fold - out poster by Gibbons and Angus McKie . Plot . Darth Vader continues to seek out the man who destroyed the Death Star . In the Museum of the Old Republic on Centares , he and his bird - like mercenary agent known as Ban Papeega interrogate and torture Thurlow Harris , a Rebel pilot who barely escaped the Death Star battle , who had come to his home - planet of Centares to spread the word of the Death Star ' s destruction . The pilot offers up the name of the man who destroyed the station , Skywalker . Before Vader is told what the name was , a Sephi spy named Mala Mala , who has lost some bets to Brazzo and others , witnessed the interrogation and heard the name , leaves the area with Fordee , her droid , after being teased . Vader then learns the name and is enraged and demolishes the recording . It is the name that the man who destroyed the Death Star bears , his son . On Yavin 4 , the disgruntled pilot Jal Te Gniev is angry that Luke Skywalker is a hero , which he , who had to sit out of the Battle of Yavin due to a case of measles , has flown more missions , but is not yet a hero in the eyes of others . He takes off in an X - wing in a fit of anger and crashes just outside the temple , after R2 - D2 accidentally sets off the alarm when C - 3PO tells him not to do around it , but survives . On Centares , everyone , including Brazzo , Selle , a Bith , and three other bounty hunters , who had witnessed Papeega ' s interrogation and could have heard the name " Skywalker " is executed , except Mala Mala and Fordee , who manages to give Thurlow an honorable death before escaping . On Yavin 4 , the Rebel Alliance leadership council determines that Jal is a threat to them , and their secrecy , so Jal is reassigned to Dubrava , where he will be a recruiting liaison . In the meantime , General Jan Dodonna has a mission for Luke . Meanwhile , in the aviary on Centares , Vader kills Papeega and sets the aviary on fire from one of his stormtrooper ' s blasters . Outside the aviary , Mala Mala and Fordee are caught in stormtrooper fire . The troopers report them dead to Vader who then takes off to his Interdictor ship . Fordee is destroyed , yet Mala Mala is rescued by Beesix . Shortly thereafter , Jal is approached on Dubrava by a boy named Bobek who wishes to join the Rebels . Jal patronizes the boy and breaks his hopes . Jal then tries to drown his sorrows in liquor , and while doing so accidentally tells Nevana , a local woman , that " Skywalker greenhorn " is on a mission to Jazbina . Recognizing the name " Skywalker " as one on a recent bounty list , Nevana goes to the bounty hunter Sarma and trades the location for an erasure of her father ' s debt to Sarma . On Jazbina , Luke is greeted by Lord Prepredenko , who seems to be sympathetic to the Rebellion . He wants Luke to help rescue his daughter , Syayna , who was kidnapped . On Dubrava , Nevana is killed for her knowledge , and Jal almost is , but Bobek saves his life by taking a blast for him . Jal knows that now Vader must be going after Luke on Jazbina . leaves On Coruscant , Vader reports to Palpatine ( finally ) and hides the fact that his quarry has the same last name . Vader is then informed of the Jazbina lead and leaves immediately . Elsewhere on Coruscant , near the palace , Mala Mala and her ship have been shot down by defense fire , arrives and prepares to infiltrate the palace after she repairs Beesix . Back on Dubrava , Jal purchases a used Z - 95 Headhunter from a Dubravan salesman and leaves for Jazbina to warn Luke that the Empire is on his trail . On Jazbina , Luke heads into a mine with journalist droid 3DVO and Choraw , an elderly guide , in order to find Syayna . Choraw lets himself be killed by a large carnivorous worm called a tikulini , and Luke fights the tikulini , stumbling upon Syayna and her " kidnappers " . Upon seeing ( via 3DVO ) Syayna and her " captors " , Prepredenko orders 3DVO to drug Luke , and Prepredenko ' s guards take Luke and Syayna ' s " captors " hostage . They are not her captors at all , however , as she was not kidnapped , but escaped to join them . They are the Rebel underground on Jazbina , and now Luke has gotten them caught . Soon , Darth Vader arrives at Jazbina . Jal arrives as well , and the race for Skywalker is on . Vader wishes Luke to be captured alive , but when Prepredenko asks what Vader ‘ s message is , 3DVO tells Prepredenko that Vader wants Luke dead . 3DVO is not happy with being used to capture the Rebels , and he knows that Prepredenko will be killed for killing Luke . Shortly thereafter , Syayna goes with her father to kill Luke , but she blasts him with a stun setting , convincing her father that he is dead . As Syayna frees Luke and the other Rebels Prepredenko meets with Vader , informs him of Luke ' s " death " , and Vader is furious . On Coruscant , Mala Mala is captured invading the palace and taken to the Emperor . Back on Jazbina , Prepredenko is imprisoned and tortured , but thanks to a feed from 3DVO , the entire planet sees his heartfelt message to Syayna when he confesses his mistakes and tells her he loves her . 3DVO is then destroyed by stormtroopers . The Rebels determine that they must get Luke off of the planet , and they break into the hangar where Luke ' s X - wing is stored , only to find that Jal has already killed the guards himself . Vader arrives , though , and they are to be arrested and / or killed . A horde of angered citizens arrives , though , causing a standoff . Jal jumps in the X - wing and charges up to Vader ' s Interdictor cruiser , which he destroys ( along with himself ) in the memory of Bobek . Seeing the explosion of the Interdictor from the surface , Vader relents and stalks away , as his stormtroopers are defeated by the citizens . The situation on Jazbina will soon be one of Rebel sympathy and a kinder leadership . On Coruscant , Mala Mala has told Palpatine that the man who destroyed the Death Star is named " Skywalker " , and she has been given parts to build new droid friends in return . Mala Mala leaves , satisfied with the arrangement , and Palpatine sits amused , planning to greet Vader on his next visit by using Vader ' s true name , Skywalker . Behind the scenes . Croatian writer Darko Macan named many characters and planets in the series using words from his native Croatian language . For example bounty hunter Mala Mala , planet Dubrava , princess Syayna , rebel pilot Jal Te Gniev , etc . Their meaning is similar in most of the Slavic languages such as Bulgarian , Serbian , etc . Vader ' s Quest sees Vader discover that it was " Skywalker " who destroyed the Death Star . He will go without discovering that it was " Luke " Skywalker until " " .