Meet the Inquisitors in the latest Darth Vader comic…
In what is now my favorite Marvel Star Wars comic run, Darth Vader (2017) takes us deep into the depths of the Dark Side of the Force, showing no mercy in the process. If you are a fan of Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader, the Emperor, Dark Side lore, and Star Wars connective tissue of the new cannon, this comic series is definitely for you.
*Spoilers for Darth Vader (2017) #6 incoming*
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Coming fresh off his first Jedi kill while within his menacing mechanical suit, Darth Vader constructed his first Sith blade with its kyber crystal, bleeding the Light Side power with his Dark Side anger and strength. It was no easy task, with the remnants of Anakin Skywalker fighting back, resurfacing and tempting him with the Light Side of the Force. Vader denies the pull to the Light Side, embracing his hatred and pain to defeat it.
The newly knighted Sith Lord Vader then returns back to Coruscant, mostly in one piece, showing his Master Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious his newly constructed Sith blade. After some R&R within a Bacta recovering from his injuries, Vader is commanded by his Master to destroy a (thought to be) intruder who has entered the halls of the Jedi Temple.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Obeying the commands of Emperor Palpatine, without hesitation, he then ventures into the Jedi Temple — which is in the process of being turned into the new Imperial Palace at this time — finding a hooded figure, who then reveals himself to be the Grand Inquisitor. Yes, the same one from Star Wars Rebels. Toying with him for a while, Vader then destroys the defeated Inquisitor’s lightsaber, ready to deal the final death blow. The Emperor interferes before Vader kills him, revealing to them both that he intended this to be a test for the duo.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Always two there are
Palpatine then excuses the Inquisitor, using this as a teaching moment for his Apprentice. He encourages Vader that he is worthy to be his student and that the Inquisitor was no match for his strength, reminding him that the rule of two is always trying to snuff out any and all weakness. He then takes Vader to the Works, which we first saw at the end of Attack of the Clones, revealing to his learner of some very important and Dark (Side) plans that have been in the works for years. He also reminds Vader that even though he has these new assassins, they are the only two Sith in the entire galaxy.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Apparently, Palpatine has been kidnapping Force-sensitive children for years — see The Clone Wars animated series for more details — turning and corrupting them to the Dark Side, killing some and keeping a select few to serve his evil plans. Vader’s role in all this is to lead these group, which we see a total of six in this issue. Their sole purpose is to seek out any surviving Jedi throughout the galaxy, which the Emperor still sees as the greatest (and only) threat to his power.
I love how this comic run really develops and show the relationship between Vader and his Master, revealing much of Palpatine’s motives. At this point, the Sith Master is disappointed in Vader’s failure on Mustafar, but uses it to his advantage, knowing that Vader is too weak to overthrow him now. At the same time, Vader shows shades of that betrayal, which Palpatine welcomes since it embraces the Sith Code.
The issue ends changing settings, showing us a seasoned Jedi Master, who you might recognize from Episode II and the Clone Wars era.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Easter Eggs
Inquisitors and more Inquisitors
We only see a total of 4 of these Jedi-hunters in Rebels, read/listen about one more from the Ahsoka novel, but in this issue, we get to see them all together for the very first time, with a few others added to the mix. This makes me wonder how many more of these Dark Side acolytes there were at their peak and if we will see the story of how they all meet their demise, which is rumored to have been executed by Darth Vader in an Order 66-like way. Brutal. Treachery is the ways of the Sith, though.
Vader embraces his inner “Hamlet”
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
There is a brief — if you blink you will miss it — moment when Vader mirrors that of a famous Shakespearean tale, which both are not lost on me and I see the irony, with it resembling the famous skull image from Hamlet, where this is no doubt a nod to that classic story. Vader must embrace his destiny, while the main character in Hamlet his. The photo above with Mark Hamill was just perfect for this very moment.
The Grand Inquisitor reflecting on his time as a Jedi Temple guard
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
We learn the motivations and reasoning for the Grand Inquisitor’s turn to the Dark Side. As a Jedi Temple guard, he was denied access to the Jedi Temple Archives, which contained all of the secrets of the Force, both Dark and Light for thousands of millennia, which he had been craving for years. This explains why he is so well versed about 15 years later within the canon when we meet him in Rebels and he is teaching Kanan all about his knowledge of it.
Returning to the Works
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
The meeting place of Darth Sidious and Darth Tyrannus at the end of Episode II, this clandestine secret fortress has a wide variety of connections to the hidden schemes of Emperor Palpatine. He once kept all of his former Sith relics here, until moving them to the Grand Republic Medical Facility, then later the new Imperial Palace aka the (former) Jedi temple.
Count Dooku’s statue
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Speaking of Dooku, you can see briefly in Episode II — when Obi-Wan Kenobi seeks the help of Jocasta Nu in the Jedi Temple — a bust of Dooku next to a handful others. According to the Revenge of the Sith novelization and also (canon) deleted scene, as well as the visual dictionary, we learn that Dooku is one of 20 Jedi Masters to leave the order, where there is a memorial for them to serve as a reminder for the Jedi Order of their shortcomings. None of the others, to my knowledge, turned to the Dark Side and it was even a shock to the Jedi Council when they learned that Dooku himself had turned to the Dark Side and became the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Jocasta Nu
Speak of the devil, Jocasta Nu also makes an appearance in this issue. She is the very Jedi that we see at the end of the issue and one of great importance. More than just a mere librarian, this Jedi Master has enough information and knowledge to bring the Jedi Light (Side) back to the galaxy and Palpatine knows this. That is why he will send Vader and numerous Inquisitors with him to defeat this dangerous adversary. My prediction is that she will, in fact, die — which is no shocker — but will pass on the knowledge she has safeguarded onto Lor San Tekka, the explorer from The Force Awakens whom Kylo Ren murders at the beginning of the film. We discover in the visual guide for the film that he was able to preserve Jedi teachings during the Empire, later passing them onto Luke Skywalker.
Next: Darth Vader constructs his first Sith lightsaber in Vader #5
Vader # 7 drops November 1, where we will spend much more time with Vader and his new set of toys, the Inquisitors.
You can pre-order it here and visit Marvel.com to catch up on the many comics that are archived within the Star Wars canon “Holocron.”