Darth Vader (2020) #50
TERMINUS
Sly Moore’s Schism Imperial, a covert group within the Empire determined to overthrow the Emperor, has continued to grow.
Now, after various betrayals and double crosses, it all comes down to the final confrontation for control of the Empire….
Writer: Greg Pak
Pencillers: Raffaele Ienco, Paul Fry, Luke Ross, Adam Gorham
Inkers: Raffaele Ienco, Paul Fry, Luke Ross, Adam Gorham
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colorists: Federico Blee, Frank William, Alex Sinclair, Guru-eFX
Cover artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: September 18 2024
50 episodes in to this latest volume of Darth Vader and Greg Pak ends this particular era of storytelling running that glorious stretch from The Empire Strikes Back to Return of the Jedi with this oversized finale, and while – much like the recent Star Wars #50 – it doesn’t take us directly to the door of Jedi, it does thematically and emotionally deliver us to where these characters were when Episode VI began.
We open chapter 1 ‘Destroyer‘ at the southern pole of Canathanax B as our characters pick themselves up after the explosion that ended the last issue. Vader steps forward, the one who stopped the attack on his son Luke, as Tauntaza tells Sly Moore that the schism Imperial is now a failed project. Moore fires on Vader, who absorbs the blast and stands over the prone Moore, using the mechsuit of Tauntaza. She tells him how Luke will never join him, but to defeat the Emperor he needs help, to which he replies ‘we shall see‘.
Meanwhile, Luke stirs as the M.A.R. Corp arrive, only for Sabé to begin firing upon them, and them back at her. Sabé doesn’t trust them as they came with Vader, but they reply they came to help Luke. She’s distrustful, but Warba and Luke implore her to join them as they escape. She resists, claiming that she’s the only one who can stop Vader because she reminds him of someone he used to know, and who would be proud of Luke. He seems shocked, asking to know more but Vader is approaching and she turns to leave, and we see the vessel roar away as Vader and Sabé meet once again. She reminds him of how she knew Padmé, and once knew him. She wants to believe Padmé and see the good in him, but he tells her no one but him – not Luke or even the Emperor – is ready for what’s to come, and he leaves in his Lambda Class Shuttle.
Meanwhile, Vader takes command of the planet-draining Death Machine as everything alive on the planet begin to suffer, and Sabé blasts off in her hull-breached ship. Luke senses the machine’s activation, as does Leia and on the Death Star the Emperor who now knows Vader has all the power he needs and a desire to wield it. we see the Summa-Verminoths and legions of Stormtroopers who race to take on Vader, and watch as he slays them as Palpatine speaks to him through the Force of how he caused every death, and felt every one of them die because of him.
Sabé watches in horror, and we see the piles of the dead as she runs down from her vantage point, the Emperor seemingly there also (a Luke in The Last Jedi Force projection perhaps?) Palpatine knows Anakin hates him and dares him to show his power, goading him as we look through the litany of acts Anakin committed, acts the Emperor reminds him were conscious decisions. Vader attacks, his power roaring into his master, repeating ‘hate you, hate you‘ as he does, and as he looks on the ashes of Palpatine that changes to ‘hate you, hate me, hate, hate‘ All he can see now is blind hate, and we end as Palpatine stands above him, reminding him that despite all his power only he – Darth Sidious, Emperor Sheev Palpatine – has ever been ready, and we see the eye of Vader as he glances down and kneels before his master.
We head into the second chapter, ‘In Service of the Emperor‘ on Coruscant as Sly Moore arrives, greeted by Ochi of Bestoon who gloats at her imminent demise for daring to rebel against the Emperor. His surprise is quickly apparent as Palpatine greets Moore, congratulating her, Pryde and Corleque who all unknowingly played their part in helping Vader reach his potential in service to the Emperor. Moore asks Ochi to accompany the subdued Vader on a trip back to Caranthanax B for some ‘exercise’, and we see the pair aboard an Imperial Shuttle in hyperspace as Ochi remembers the pain Vader has brought him across the galaxy and delivers him to two juvenile Summa-Verminoths to defeat. Vader destroys them in quick order, but Ochi spots two children who saw what happened and orders Vader to kill them, goading him of his weakness and we see the children flee and Ochi land from a great height as Moore’s own shuttle arrives. Vader is back to his usual self, Ochi battered and bloody having brought the Sith out of the Lord.
Chapter 3 ‘There Is Another‘ returns to Caranthanax B and the battered body of Ochi of Bestoon who has been found and is tended to by Sabé. He tells her Vader did this to him, and how he’ll eventually come for her and she walks back to her ship and we cut to Feleantor on the Outer Rim and rebel base E322 where Leia sends the order for rebel forces to get to their ships, as the Empire swoop through the huge trees to attack. The speeder she leaps into swings a different direction away from the evacuation vessels and realising the driver isn’t the usual soldier she attacks and the vessel crashes, throwing them both far from the speeder. Pursued by probe droids they make for the trees and cover where Leia realises she’s Sabé, who most recently served Vader. Leia is understandably angry, that chain of command leading to Tarkin who destroyed 2 billion people on Alderaan. Sabé explains how that decision was made by Tarkin, not Vader but Leia doesn’t want to hear it, but after taking out the two probe droids Sabé begins taking about Padmé, how she was a Queen and a senator much like Leia who was a Princess and a leader. Vader offered Sabé power in the name of the Empire, but she wasn’t strong enough to take it. Leia could stand by Vaders side as Empress Organa if she wanted to, but Leia (who at this point has no idea Vader is her father) can’t see that, and the conversation ends as ZED-6-7 stuns Leia and Sabé departs knowing Leia is well set to be a leader.
We conclude the issue and this volume of Darth Vader with Chapter 4 ‘Phantoms‘. Once again on Caranthanax B we see Vader and Palpatine battle, but from the point of view of Kitster and Wald as they made good their escape, with Wald carrying a handful of power sticks. Back on Tatooine they start making deals to sell the power sticks, and later free a number of slaves including childhood friends Amee, Melee and Seek. Reunited after many years, they remember the one member of thier childhood gang who’s missing, Anakin.
Sat around a campfire at night they reminisce about Ani and his podracing prowess, believeing that somehow he became a Jedi and survived the purge. Kitster pulls out one of the power sticks when through the darkness he’s shot and they’re robbed for the remaining sticks. Suddenly Ochi of Bestoon appears, taking down the pirates and taking the power sticks, travelling back to Mustafar where he returns them to Vader and tells the Dark Lord how they were talking about a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker. Ochi offers to return to Tatooine to eliminate them but Vader says ‘No need‘, and the final words of the run, ‘Anakin Skywalker is dead‘.
A solid finish to a fantastic series that gave us more of Anakin Skywalker than we could reasonably expect, links to Naboo that felt logical, and a delve into the power balance between Vader and Palpatine that has played perfectly into where we find them in Return of the Jedi. Let’s hope we get more from Greg Pak in the GFFA, as his insight has turned yet another run of Darth Vader into something very memorable indeed.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Pak, Greg (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 09/18/2024 (Publication Date) - Marvel (Publisher)
