LAND of the GOLDEN STAR
|
| Official Name: The Land of the Golden Star (see comments)
Nature: Extraterrestrial planet, Milky Way galaxy (near Vrellnex)
Natives: The native population of Golden Star is unrevealed.
Those seen appear to
be members of unrelated races, but perhaps they are a world where the
Celestial-created Deviant population came to dominate.
Residents: Oona and his/her/its mate and other auction attendees, the Resistance (Gregor and many unidentified, including an unidentified elder), unidentified gruel-server,
unidentified rodent
Non-native inhabitants: A number of Sssth (including Sssthgar) and Vrellnexians; the Vrellnexians' mercenary army
Visitors: Fandral, Hildegarde, Hogun, Odin Borson, Thor Odinson, Silas Grant, Starjammers (Ch'od, Corsair, Hepzibah, Raza), and Tana Nile, apparently numerous unidentified Asgardians;
possibly briefly Karnilla and Sif
Population: Unrevealed
Capital City: Unrevealed
Government: Unrevealed;
formerly/briefly ruled Sssthgar and the rest of the Sssth;
formerly ruled by an alliance of Vrellnexians and Sssth;
government prior to being conquered by the
Vrellnexians and Sssth unrevealed, but considered a paradise by at
least some of its natives.
Languages: Unrevealed;
Thor and his allies didn't need any sort of translation technology, etc., but perhaps that just occurred off-panel
National Defense: Unrevealed
Places of Interest: Auction Hall, Drug factories, dungeon, harbor/port, Mondurian steel door, Resistance base, unidentified base from which Sssthgar ruled
First Appearance: Thor I#212
(June, 1973) |  |
Features:
The Land of the Golden Star seemed to be comparable to Earth in terms
of atmosphere, gravity, temperature, etc., as not only the Asgardians
and Tana Nile, but also the mortal humanoid Silas Grant, did not
comment on anything uncomfortable, nor did they require any special
equipment to survive.
Large waterways facilitated travel by boat to port cities.
While the
Vrellnexians and Sssth gathered the beings who were auctioned, there
were apparently plenty of beings who were willing to purchase such
slaves.
History:
(Thor I#213 (fb)) - Golden Star was once
filled with gleaming, gilded spires reaching triumphantly for the
heavens, and peace and prosperity were spread across the land.
Some of its natives considered it to be a paradise.
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(Thor I#213 (fb)) - A fleet of Sssth and Vrellnexians traveled to
the planet Golden Star where the ship flew through its atmosphere
raining carnage and devastation across its surface.
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 |
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(Thor I#213 (fb)) - After the planet was in flaming ruins, the ships
landed, and the Sssth and Vrellnexian crews emerged and gathered the
residents and placed them in their slave pens. |
 |
(Thor I#212 (fb) - BTS / Thor I#213 (fb) /
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe#10: Appendix to Alien Races: Sssth) -
The Sssth were partnered with the insectoid Vrellnexians to enslave and
sell intelligent beings from other worlds, using the conquered world
"Golden Star" as a base.
(Thor I#212 (fb) - BTS) - When
the Vrellnexians assaulted Asgard and captured a number of Asgardians,
a number of Sssth departed the Vrellnexian ship (or were marooned there
by the Vrellnexians) and inhabited Asgard.
(Thor I#212 (fb) - BTS / Thor I#212 (fb) - BTS)
- The Vrellnexians used drugged food to make Odin and the other
captured Asgardians submissive upon their arrival back at Golden Star.
(Thor I#212 (fb) - BTS)
- After the Asgardian Thor led fellow Asgardians Fandral,
Hildegarde, and Hogun, as well as the Blackworld native Silas Grant,
and the Rigellian Tana Nile to Asgard, Sssthgar agreed
to lead him and his allies to the Golden Star, noting that the Sssth,
too,
had a reason for revenge.
(Thor I#213 (fb) - BTS)
- Sif and her sorceress companion (Karnilla) were
sold to the Miners of the Dark Nebula scant hours before the
Space/Starjammer had arrived on Golden Star.
(Thor I#212 (fb))
- Aboard Thor's galley (aka Voyager/Spacejammer/Starjammer), they reached the Golden
Star, and Sssthgar guided them to a port where they found Odin being
auctioned off.
Thor and his allies attacked the
Vrellnexians, while
Sssthgar informed his allies that with their former partners on the
run, they would become the masters of the Golden Star.
After Thor and his allies defeated
the Vrellnexians, the Sssth surrounded them and Sssthgar revealed that the Vrellnexians had been
the Sssth's partners before marooning them on Asgard.
(Thor I#213)
- Distracted by Odin's pleas that they had no hope in battle, Thor and
his allies were ultimately defeated and imprisoned by the Sssth. 
(Thor I#213 (fb) - BTS) - Fandral, Hogun, and other captives consumed the drugged food and became submissive.
(Thor I#213)
- Thor recovered, refused
to consume any of the drugged gruel, and broke out of his cell and then
liberated the free-willed Hildegarde and Tana Nile.
Thor, Hildegarde, and Tana jointed
forces with the Resistance, with the former invading the Sssth stronghold and gaining the advantage over Sssthgar and the Sssth.
(Thor I#213 - BTS)
- The Resistance journeyed to and destroyed the facility in which the
will-sapping drug was manufactured.
(Thor I#213)
- Thor then pointed out the explosions that
signaled the death of their secret drug factories, meaning the Sssth could
no longer hold the inhabitants of Golden Star in silent subservience.
Thor told Sssthgar there was no
room on their craft (or anywhere) for him and advised him to begin
running, as far and as fast as he could.
(Maximum Security: Dangerous
Planet#1) - Near Vrellnex, the interstellar freebooters known as the
Starjammers raided the slave markets of Golden Star.
(Maximum Security: Dangerous
Planet#1 - BTS) - At a meeting of the Intergalactic Council, a
Laxidazian represented discussed the Starjammers actions on Golden
Star, using them as an example of how a human-led group upset the
economy of a dozen worlds.
Comments: Created by Gerry Conway, John Buscema & Don Perlin, and Vince Colletta.
So, Sssthgar obviously concealed
the fact that the Sssth were allied with the Vrellnexians in being
slave-traders on the Land of the Golden Star. How does that reflect on the other
information Sssthgar provided? Only the fact that the Sssth were
brought to the Golden Star as slaves to be auctioned (from Thor I#212)
is directly contradictory to the Sssth fighting alongside the
Vrellnexians to conquer the Golden Star (from Thor I#213).
However, it is not explicitly stated that the Sssth
were auctioned off on Golden Star. The Sssth are just shown being
auctioned/sold on a "civilized world."
It has been said many times that
falsehoods work best when sprinkled with elements of truth, and I don't
see any reason to believe Sssthgar's discussion of the history of the
Sssth is false. It makes perfect sense to me for a population of Sssth
to have been captured by the Vrellnexians, but Sssthgar somehow
convinced the Vrellnexians to ally with them to conquer Golden Star
instead for whatever reason.
But, of course, this is speculative..
There are a lot of unidentified
aliens shown on Golden Star, but I don't note many of them to be
comparable to known alien races.
On a semi-related note, there are multiple unidentified aliens shown with the Vrellnexians auctioned off the Sssth, wherever that was, and if it happened at all.
Upon the Asgardians'
approach, it is noted that they "neared a golden star--and dropped
toward the azure globe below." So, technically, the Golden Star is the
sun/star, and the planet is the Land of the Golden Star, but the planet
is consistently referred to as Golden Star throughout Thor I#213. This
information is confirmed in the Official Index to the Marvel Universe:
Thor entry for Thor I#212. The planet is referred to as "Golden Star"
in the
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe entries for the Sssth and Vrellnexians.
Thanks to Donald Campbell for pointing out the appearance in Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet#1!
Obviously the defeat of Sssthgar and the destruction
of the drug-producing plants did not end the slavery on Golden Star.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Land of the Golden Star should be distinguished from:
- GOLDEN SUN (Kenji Sabuki) - daughter? of Golden Woman, father of Goldfire, V
Battalion, Penance Council, died in action when Ameiko was five years old--Citizen V and the V Battalion#2
- other "Golden" or "Star" characters, worlds, etc...too many to list
 
The Resistance was formed primarily of non-enslaved residents of Golden
Star, left to starve or eke out an existence in squalor without any
means for employment, etc.
They opposes the Sssth-Vrellnexian alliance, and later the Sssth-only rule.
Known members: Gregor, unidentified elder
(Thor I#213) - After Thor,
Hildegarde, and Tana Nile had escaped imprisonment from the dungeons of
Golden Star, Gregor sought them out and convinced them to accompany him to meet the Resistance.
Thor remained skeptical, but Gregor convinced him to accompany him
to meet his compatriots, the faces of whom would surely convince Thor
of his sincerity.
Upon reaching the Resistance base, Gregor offered Thor anything
from their meager food supplies, at which point the rest of the
Resistance made their presence known.
When Gregor introduced Thor and his allies, noting they had come
to join their fight for freedom, Thor reminded him that he had not yet
agreed to anything.
However, after an elder of the Resistance revealed
their world's history, Thor vowed to take down Sssthgar and the Sssth,
noting the need to destroy the source of the will-killing drug used to
make others obedient.
Gregor then revealed an old chart that would aid both in the
defeat of the Sssth and the destruction of the drug factories.
Gregor and a band of Resistance members initially accompanied
Thor, Tana Nile, and Hildegarde back to the surface, after which they
parted ways, with Gregor's group planning to bomb the drug factories.
(Thor I#213 - BTS)
- The Resistance journeyed to and destroyed the facility in which the
will-sapping drug was manufactured.
--Thor I#213
Note: Although Thor and his
allies defeated and captured Sssthgar and his allies, they departed
soon after, leaving Sssthgar alone. I'm sure they were eager to depart
and find Sif, but it's hard to believe they wouldn't have seen him
imprisoned and under the control of the Resistance before departing.
I don't believe any of the Resistance were
seen after the overthrow of Sssthgar or the destruction of the
drug-creating facility; while it was only Gregor and a few members of
the Resistance that traveled to the facility, it is quite possible that
those who did go perished in the facility's explosive destruction.
|
 
Beneath the surface of Golden Star, the
Resistance had a base, accessed via a cleverly concealed cavern within
a decaying part of the city.
The base was largely subterranean caverns, and it
(Thor I#213)
- Gregor led Thor, Hildegarde, and Tana Nile to the base.
Convinced to ally with the Resistance to take down
the Sssth, Thor and his allies departed along Gregor and members of the
Resistance, parting ways on the surface, each to pursue a goal that
ultimately led to the Sssth's defeat.
--Thor I#213 |
 
Gregor was a representative, if not the
leader, of the Resistance against the cruel rule of the Sssth and
Vrellnexians.
(Thor I#213) - After Thor, Hildegarde, and Tana
Nile had escaped imprisonment from the dungeons of Golden Star, Gregor
sought them out.
Although Thor originally considered him to
possibly be a scavenger or some other threat and grabbed him from the
hallway and yanked him off of his feet and threatened him, Gregor
assured Thor that he was a friend, offering to help him in return for
his aid.
Thor remained skeptical, but Gregor convinced
him to accompany him to meet his compatriots, the faces of whom would
surely convince Thor of his sincerity.
Trusting Gregor's earnest face, Thor agreed to
let Gregor lead them through a decaying portion of the city and finally
into the depths of a cleverly concealed cavern.
Upon reaching the Resistance base, Gregor
offered Thor anything from their meager food supplies, at which point
the rest of the Resistance made their presence known.
When Gregor introduced Thor and his allies,
noting they had come to join their fight for freedom, Thor reminded him
that he had not yet agreed to anything.
However, after an elder
of the Resistance revealed their world's history, Thor vowed to take
down Sssthgar and the Sssth, noting the need to destroy the source of
the will-killing drug used to make others obedient.
Gregor then revealed an old chart that would
aid both in the defeat of the Sssth and the destruction of the drug
factories.
Gregor and a band of Resistance members
initially accompanied Thor, Tana Nile, and Hildegarde back to the
surface, after which they parted ways, with Gregor's group planning to
bomb the drug factories.
(Thor I#213 - BTS)
- The Resistance journeyed to and destroyed the facility in which the
will-sapping drug was manufactured.
--Thor I#213
Note: Although Thor and
his allies defeated and captured Sssthgar and his allies, they departed
soon after, leaving Sssthgar alone. I'm sure they were eager to depart
and find Sif, but it's hard to believe they wouldn't have seen him
imprisoned and under the control of the Resistance before departing.
I don't believe Gregor or any of the Resistance were seen
after the overthrow of Sssthgar or the destruction of the drug-creating
facility; while it was only Gregor and a few members of the Resistance
that traveled to the facility, it is quite possible that those who did
go perished in the facility's explosive destruction.
If those on Golden Star are aliens who
traveled there rather than being Deviants/Inhumans/etc. type native
races, I would speculate that perhaps Gregor is of the same race as Fath of the Mourners.
|
 
After Gregor brought Thor, Hildegarde, and Tana Nile to the Resistance base.
After Thor noted that he had not yet
agreed to anything, an elder of the Resistance revealed
their world's history, after which Thor vowed to take down Sssthgar and the Sssth,
noting the need to destroy the source of the will-killing drug used to
make others obedient.
--Thor I#213
Note: This elder was apparently present at the time of the Sssth and Vrellnexian invasion.
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The Sssth and the Vrellnexians used an
unidentified will-sapping drug to control those imprisoned in their
dungeons and/or placed in the auctions.
(Thor I#212 (fb) - BTS) - Odin and other unidentified Asgardians were rendered submissive by this drug.
(Thor I#212) - Even Odin completely surrendered and further urged Thor and others who came to rescue him to surrender as well.
(Thor I#213 (fb) - BTS) - Fandral and Hogun consumed the drugged gruel and lost their wills.
(Thor I#213) - Thor refused to consume the gruel, broke free, liberated Hildegarde and Tana Nile, and met up with the Resistance.
While Thor and his allies defeated Sssthgar
and the Sssth, Gregor and a number of members of the Resistance blew up
the drug factories, preventing the Sssth from keeping the people of
Golden Star docile.
Meanwhile, Tana Nile liberated the captive
Asgardians, who regained their wills at some point after they departed
Golden Star.
--Thor I#213 |
 
(Thor I#212) - When Thor, Fandral,
Silas Grant, Hildegarde, Hogun, Tana Nile, and Silas Grant arrived on
Golden Star via their flying longship Starjammer/Spacejammer/Voyager,
they landed in the harbor, which took them to the port city in which
the auctioning of Odin was occurring.
--Thor I#212 |
 
One of the servants of the Sssth/Vrellnexians,
this man was charged with feeding the drug-laden gruel to captured
prisoners/slaves/auction candidates in the dungeon to ensure their
subservience.
(Thor I#213 (fb) - BTS) - Most of the captured
Asgardians, including Odin and later Fandral and Hogun, consumed the
gruel and became docile/passive.
(Thor I#213) -
When the gruel-server approached Thor, the thunder god told him, "Nay,
unwashed one -- away with thy foul-smelling gruel. Thor has little
taste for garbage such as this!"
The server informed Thor that the masters demanded he eat the gruel.
After Fandral urged Thor to eat the gruel as
well, noting that he would quickly grow accustomed to its fragrance and
that a slave needed strength to survive, Thor was surprised that the
taste-refined Fandral was happy with it, after which he appreciated a
medication-type smell to the gruel.
Thor then kicked away the
gruel-server, incapacitating him, and he similarly flattened the Sssth
presiding in the dungeon.
--Thor I#213
Note: After the Resistance destroyed the drug factory, this guy was presumably out of a job...and happy about it...
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A highly durable
material; a foot
thick door of this material was present on the planet Golden Star
amidst its subterranean tunnels, inexplicably obstructing the
passageways.
As
it was additionally electronically sealed, Tana Nile noted that it
would require a company of good Rigellian battlecraft to penetrate it.
Regardless, Thor and Hildegarde were able to tear it open
--Thor I#213 |
 
The Golden Star showed significant variation
in structure, material, technology, etc. within a short distance.
Ruined sewer caverns/tunnels were next to advanced technological structures
(Thor I#213) - Thor, Hildegarde, and Tana Nile passed through the strangely different regions after escaping from the dungeons
--Thor I#213
Note: No explanation for the sudden changes in architecture/technology was provided.
Since Golden Star hasn't been seen since 1973, I doubt any such explanation is forthcoming.
|
Those captured by the Vrellnexians and/or Sssth were placed in a dismal dungeon.
The walls were stone, with some stone blocks that could be used as
benches, as well as a stone staircase that led to the only door out of
the dungeon.
There was apparently a single chair present (upon which a drugged Odin was seated)
There was apparently a single, barred window toward the dungeon's ceiling that let in some sunlight.
The ceiling leaked, and a stream of water pooled on the ground below.
Prisoners were fed a drugged cruel that made them docile and compliant.
Pending consumption of the drugged gruel,
dangerous or more powerful prisoners, at least, were bound in manacles.
Most of the drugged prisoners lied around, complacent.
In addition to the
bound Thor, we see Fandral, Hogun, Odin, several other unidentified
Asgardians, and a number of unidentified aliens.
(Thor I#213) - Awakening in the dungeon, Thor refused to consume the gruel, deduced its drugged nature, broke free, and escaped.
(Thor I#213 - BTS) - As
Thor and Hildegarde ambushed and captured Sssthgar, Tana Nile liberated
the other Asgardians (all of whom soon departed the Land of the Golden
Star).
At the same time, the Resistance destroyed the
factories producing the drug used by the Golden Star's rulers, which
presumably led to the Sssth being overthrown
--Thor I#213
Note: It would seem
likely that Tana Nile left the dungeon open, at least, so the other
prisoners could escape when they got over their drugged complacency.
On the chain towards the upper right, a rodent
is seen. Other than it being largely rat-like, we don't know anything
else about the rodents of Golden Star...presumably there's more of
them...
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 Oona's mate considered the Vrellnexians to be untrustworthy, and he/she/it told this to Oona, likely on a frequent basis.
Oona's mate attended the auction of Odin.
During Odin's auction, Oona's mate considered that Odin looked a little
old to be good for a worker, and he stated his opinions to the being
next to him.
--Thor I#212
Pictured here is Oona's mate. Oona was not shown
And that's all we know about Oona's mate...or Oona.
|
 
We don't see its full structure, but the base from with the Sssth, at
least, ruled had large, presumably stone, pillars and may have been
some sort of castle...or not.
(Thor I#213) - While Sssthgar and his allies
celebrated their victory, an escaped Thor and Hildegarde broke in and
overwhelmed them.
--Thor I#213
Note: As the Resistance destroyed the factories that created
the drug that the Sssth used to keep their prisoners, etc. docile and
compliant, the Sssth rule was almost certainly overthrown.
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images: (without ads)
Thor I#212, pg. 13, panel 2 (from orbit);
panel 3 (port city from above);
panel 4 (harbor);
pg. 14 (auction)
#213, pg. 7 (dungeon);
pg. 8, panel 4-5 (gruel server, upper body oblique posterior view and upper lateral);
pg. 9, panel 1 (gruel server, smashed away);
pg. 11, panel 2-3 (dichotomy of corridors);
panel 5 (Mondurian steel door);
pg. 13, panel 1-2 (Gregor);
pg. 14, panel 1-2 (Resistance);
panel 3-4 (elder, upper body & face close-up);
panel 5 (Golden Star in prosperity);
pg. 15, panel 1 (Vrellnexian/Sssth fleet spotted);
panel 2 (Vrellnexian/Sssth fleet assault);
panel 4 (captured by Vrellnexian/Sssth fleet);
panel 5 (those left homeless);
pg. 18, panel 2 (exterior of base from which the Sssth ruled);
panel 6 (interior of base from which the Sssth ruled);
pg. 20, panel 2 (destruction of drug factories)
Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet#1, pg. 19, panel 3 (Starjammers)
Appearances:
Thor I#212
(June, 1973) - Gerry Conway (writer), John Buscema & Don Perlin
(pencilers), Vince Colletta (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#213
(July, 1973) - Gerry Conway (story), Len Wein (scripter), John Buscema & Don Perlin
(pencilers), Vince Colletta (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe#10: Appendix to Alien Races: Sssth
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#15: Appendix to Alien Races: Sssth
Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet#1 (October, 2000) - Kurt Busiek & Jerry Ordway, Will Blyberg &
Paul Ryan (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
First posted: 10/9/2020
Last updated: 11/01/2020
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
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