Star Wars is one of the most popular movie franchises of all time, but it's absolutely riddled with gaping plot holes, deeper than a Sarlacc pit and just too big to ignore.

The sequel trilogy is a particularly easy target. Why is The Emperor so surprised to learn about Rey and Kylo Ren being a dyad in the Force when Snoke, his horribly mangled, failed clone, was the one who supposedly bridged their connection in the first place? But whatever, we're not here for that.

Star Wars: Skywalker Saga box set

We're actually here to deliver some good news: a niggling, but nevertheless detrimental plot hole from the original trilogy has finally been resolved, thanks to Marvel's new Star Wars comic book series from Charles Soule and Jesus Saiz.

Lucasfilm

Related: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker didn't ignore the Chosen One prophecy

The comics, which depict the events between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, have been working tirelessly to fill in the blanks and gaps in logic left by the films.

Already, the mystery of Luke Skywalker's blue lightsaber, which he lost (along with his hand) during his battle with Darth Vader on Cloud City, has been solved. More or less.

It turns out, just seconds after their duel, the lightsaber was caught by a hooded figure, whose identity is yet to be revealed. For some reason, this mysterious individual was lurking around in Cloud City's air vents like some sort of trash-collecting weirdo.

Given they're dressed in robes, however, it seems highly likely that this person must be another Jedi or even a Force Ghost. Either way, that "story for another time" Maz Kanata promised us in The Force Awakens finally appears to be unfolding.

Lucasfilm

With that out of the way, the comics have now brought to an end another glaring plot hole that has been bugging fans for decades: what on Earth happened to Luke's X-wing?

The retrieval of Luke's lightsaber actually plays into the main story arc of the comics, as Luke, Leia and Lando carry out an audacious return mission to Cloud City. However, it's not just his Jedi weapon Luke wishes to rescue.

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He definitely left his X-wing behind on Cloud City as well. After cutting short his Jedi training with Yoda, Luke piloted the aircraft to the floating metropolis to rescue his friends.

But after losing his battle with Darth Vader and escaping in the Millennium Falcon, Luke's trusty one-man-ship ended up being abandoned and impounded.

Lucasfilm

This wouldn't be a plot hole at all if it was implied that Luke simply acquired a new X-wing for Return of the Jedi (the Rebellion surely had a few extras lying around?), but no, he uses the exact same ship because he's sentimental like that.

Related: Star Wars theory suggests Mace Windu was the real villain of the prequel trilogy

After all, that scene in The Rise of Skywalker where Luke lifts the X-wing out of the water for Rey would be far less meaningful if it wasn’t actually 'his'.

And thanks to Star Wars #4, we now know for certain that it's the same ship, because, during their return mission to Cloud City, Luke sets himself a side quest to retrieve it.

This is actually part of his and Lando's exit strategy after rescuing Leia, who bafflingly ends up being frozen in carbonite just like her lover Han Solo.

After laying out their plan to find, defrost and rescue Leia, Luke then adds: "I want to get my X-wing back too. I left it here last time, and we might need it if they send the fighters after us."

Marvel Comics

Luke is later illustrated piloting his X-wing once again as he protects Lando's ship, containing Leia, from a fleet of TIE Fighters.

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And there you have it – with just a simple piece of dialogue and a lovely picture of things blowing up in the sky, one of the most annoying Star Wars plot holes has finally been polyfilled.

Luke may have left his X-wing behind following his battle with Darth Vader in Empire, but this simple addition now explains how he ended up back in the cockpit, before eventually passing it over to Rey, decades later.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is available to pre-order on , and now.

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