Issue(s): Uncanny X-Men #162, Uncanny X-Men #163, Uncanny X-Men #164, Uncanny X-Men #165, Uncanny X-Men #166
Published Date: Oct 82 - Feb 83
Title: "Beyond the farthest star" / "Rescue mission" / "Binary star!" / "Transfigurations!" / "Live free or die!"
Credits:
Chris Claremont - Writer
Dave Cockrum / Paul Smith - Penciler
Bob Wiacek - Inker
Danny Fingeroth - Assistant Editor
Louise Simonson - Editor

Review/plot:
At the end of issue #161, the X-Men were captured by Deathbird and the Brood. This issue jumps ahead a bit, with Wolverine having already escaped from the Brood. He's been infected with a Brood egg and he's loose on their planet, avoiding re-capture.

His healing factor kills the egg but a side effect gives his skin a disturbing insect-like texture.

Wolverine learned what the Brood eggs do by watching what happened to Fang, the Shi'ar Imperial Guardsman that Wolverine stole a costume from in their previous foray into space.

The other X-Men have been hypnotized and don't realize what's really going on, but they've all got eggs in their bellies as well. And, intrigued by Carol Danvers' genetic structure, the Brood experiment on her.

Wolverine helps the others escape...

...but Cyclops, not yet knowing about the eggs, won't let Wolverine kill the Brood Queen before they leave.

It turns out the Brood experiments unlocked a new set of super-powers for Carol, remarkably similar to the Phoenix's.

She renames herself Binary, and leaves the X-Men's ship to go extract vengeance on the Brood for the egg in her belly. Angry and unthinking, her exit accidentally destroys the ship's hull, leaving the X-Men in danger...

...but they manage to recover from that.

Back on Earth, Professor Xavier talks with Illyana Rasputin, but he's finding himself unusually uninterested in even determining if she's a mutant, or the fact that she's got a psychic shield and making vague references to powers that she has.

He's also not very interested when Xavier gets a letter from Mr. Fantastic regarding the mutant Karma they met a while back, but Moira manages to convince him to contact Reed by suggesting that if Xavier doesn't, Moira will turn Karma over to Magneto or Emma Frost's Massachusetts Academy so that she'll at least get some training, unlike Moira's own child Proteus. (Not sure why Reed thought writing a letter made sense, as opposed to picking up the phone.)

Storm is very freaked out by the egg in her belly, especially since she has sworn to never take a life. She resolves the conflict by deciding to take her own life, doing so by heading out into space.

Paul Smith's run begins on issue #165. For whatever reason, i really didn't like Cockrum's second run (although Wolverine's fight through the Brood world in issue #162 is a lot of fun), and Smith is a pleasant change.

Facing their own imminent deaths, the rest of the X-Men decide to go back and kill the Brood Queen after all.

As they are heading back, Wolverine stumbles upon Nightcrawler praying. This is the first display of Nightcrawler's religious nature, I believe (other than the time he used a makeshift cross to repel Dracula). Wolverine makes it clear that he's not at all religious.

It turns out that Storm didn't actually die. She was instead rescued by an Acanti - the space whales that the Brood use as spaceships.

Storm has actually merged with the Acanti...

...and she recruits the X-Men and Binary to rescue the rest of the Acanti rather than go after the Queen. The X-Men return to the Brood homeworld and go on the attack, although Cyclops is already turning.

They are helped by a small flying dragon that hunts the Brood for food. It's the first appearance of Kitty's "pet" dragon Lockheed, although it doesn't join up with them just yet.

The X-Men fight their way to the Acanti's crystal "soul", which cures the X-Men and also crystallizes the Brood Queen.

The Starjammers, who have been searching for the X-Men for some time, show up to help take the team home. On the way, the team realize that Xavier, back on Earth, has also been infected by the Brood.

This arc is a fun space adventure story, but like all the X-Men space stuff it seems "off theme" to me. Still good, though.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 4 - 1st Lockheed. Carol Danvers becomes Binary.

Chronological Placement Considerations: This issue begins a short time after the end of issue #161. No other X-Men appearances should take place between that issue and this arc. All Uncanny X-Men issues have been pushed backwards in publishing time because Uncanny X-Men #167 has to take place before Contest of Champions and Hulk #277-279. Professor X recruits the New Mutants in their graphic novel debut and issues #1-3 of their series before the X-Men return home next issue.

References:

• Colossus is still coping with the fact that his sister has aged 7 years due to the events of Uncanny X-Men #160.
  
• Apparently in Uncanny X-Men #155, Professor Xavier taught Kitty Pryde all about the Shi'ar, right down to the way their airlocks function. I guess i missed that.
  
• The Fantastic Four met Karma in Marvel Team-Up #100.

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: X-Men Classic #66, X-Men Classic #67, X-Men Classic #68, X-Men Classic #70 (#165 is an original)

The title to #162 refers to an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, and #166 is some state's motto(don't remember which state).

It's New Hampshire's motto.