Star Wars: Hidden Empire #4
PART 4
“RINGS”
Dreaming of a freer galaxy, Lady QI’RA and her organization, CRIMSON DAWN, have waged a secret war against the Empire.
Qi’ra acquired a means of prevailing against the Sith in the FERMATA CAGE, an artifact that supposedly suspended an ancient Sith Lord in time. Qi’ra tasked the Archivist with unleashing this Sith against the Emperor and activated her operatives across the galaxy to serve as a smoke screen. The Emperor retaliated against Crimson Dawn, forcing Qi’ra to her stronghold Dawnfall, where a Crimson Dawn fleet prepares to strike against the Empire.
A failed attempt to unlock the Fermata Cage nearly killed the Archivist, and the disturbance in the Force it produced served as a beacon to Darth Vader. Qi’ra dispatched Chanath Cha and the Orphans to defend the Archivist and the artifact. Chanath Cha and the Orphans fought valiantly but proved no match for Darth Vader.
However, their sacrifice allowed the Archivist to escape, providing Crimson Dawn a final opportunity to enact their plan….
Writer: Charles Soule
Penciller: Steven Cummings
Inker: Victor Olazaba, Wayne Faucher
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Guru-eFX
Cover artist: Paulo Siqueira
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: March 1, 2023
Opening an issue of any Star Wars comic is certainly a flex, but having the master and the apprentice spar while they converse really is an eye-opening moment, but that’s what greets us as we turn to opening pages of Hidden Empire #4 as Palpatine thinks aloud to Darth Vader, almost regretting the inevitable death of Qi’ra while applauding her well-laid trap using the Fermata Cage, one that contains the spirit of a powerful Sith. The sparring is a moment to remember, as Vader goes in full-tilt, as palpatine easily blocks and parries, besting Vader in the end as we switch to the Siroto as it blasts through space with the Archivist aboard, speaking to Qi’ra and making it clear that any attempt to use the Fermate cage will alert the Sith, while the cage will drain the Force, be it dark side or in its absense the good. Qi’ra is convinced others will do as she asks, but in a surprise turn she calls Nightstick who refuses, and the remaining Knights of Ren who also initially refuse, but eventually agree.
Qi’ra turns to Cadeliah, who crisply tells her she believes she’s losing her allies, and Qi’ra explains that yes, she may be nearing the end one way or another, and gives her a disc to play in 5 days before turning to take a call from someone clearly not expecting to hear from her.
We cut to the Amaxine Station where the Archivist has set up the Fermata Cage, all the Dark Side energy it could need available to it, and taking a moment she activates it as we cut to Qi’ra addressing a huge crowd of loyal followers, firing them up in an Independence Day worthy rallying speech that sends them to their vessels ready to retake the galaxy from Palpatine once and for all. We step back to the Archivist, shocked at the cage’s hunger and dismayed when she looks outside the viewport to see the huge ISSD Executor waiting, with Vader and the Emperor aboard. Palpatine knows the folly of trying to take on an ancient Sith power and orders the Executor destroy the station, but just as the destroyer is about to annihilate the station the forces of Crimson Dawn arrive and lace into the Imperial fleet, taking up the destroyers defensive resources and forcing Palpatine and Vader to head to a shuttle to travel to the station and deal with it themselves.
We roll out of the issue as Vader and Palpatine exit their Imperial Shuttle, determined to show no mercy and once again we’re at the final issue of a Charles Soule mini series, one that apparently nudges right up to the last few weeks before the events of Return of the Jedi. This really has been great stuff, with galaxy-spanning action, a fascinating array of characters and high stakes. As modern Star Wars does so well, it folds in elements from films, movles, TV and long-standing concepts that are key to the entire story. On the grandest scale we know where this goes, but as far as this particular storyline is concerned it’s fresh and fascinating. Perhaps that ancient Sith power is unleashed, maybe Qi’ra does make good an escape, but despite all this there’s plenty we don’t know. Does Cadeliah unite the clans? Will Crimson Dawn survive onto the post-Jedi era? We’ll find out soon enoug, but as far as issue 4 goes this really was another impressive issue.
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