Charles Soule talks Dark Droids, the Scourge, and more
By Aidan Burns
WARNING: This article contains plot spoilers for the Dark Droids miniseries.
After many Star Wars comics produced by Marvel, such as the Obi-Wan Kenobi adaption, Dark Droids is the newest issue to follow suit. Unlike most Star Wars content, this issue has been written as a horror story. StarWars.com has recently sat down with writer Charles Soule to discuss multiple aspects of the issue, including the genre and where he drew inspiration from while writing this unique comic issue.
Soule is no stranger to writing Star Wars comics. He’s previously written a number of issues, including Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters, Hidden Empire, and more. However, Soule was not shy to share the unique challenges of this particular project.
Soule told StarWars.com:
"“Dark Droids is different in almost every way. It’s shorter, for one thing — a five-issue comics event miniseries running from August through December 2023, and tonally, the feel is pretty unique.”"
Certainly, horror is a theme not heavily explored in cinema and Star Wars television. While Lucasfilm is focused on keeping the on-screen content kid-friendly, the comic issues have always seemed to push the parameters regarding edgy, adult content. Although some scenes in Star Wars contain horror elements, such as the opening scene in The Rise of Skywalker featuring the returning Emperor Palpatine, the lack of overall horror in the Star Wars universe presented Soule with tremendous opportunity.
"“Droids is a horror-fueled story — it’s legitimately scary, especially based on what we’ve seen before in Star Wars. The idea is that droids are being consumed by a monstrous entity called ‘The Scourge,’ but they don’t reveal themselves right away.”"
Because there isn’t much horror content in Star Wars, Soul states that he had to draw inspiration from multiple horror films. The writer also mentions why and how he used this inspiration to better the overall story of Dark Droids.
"“Dark Droids draws inspiration from horror masterpieces like Frankenstein, The Thing, and the Evil Dead series, among many more. For Dark Droids, though, the reference images were key shots from horror films designed to evoke mood or moments — something from Alien, and even things like the music video for Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit.”"
Like any good story, Dark Droids has an ultimate villain. Soule identifies this villain and explains what makes the character he’s created so dangerous.
"“The Scourge not only won’t stop, he literally can’t. He’s driven by an ancient hunger he can’t understand and can’t deny.”"
Soule explains that The Scourge has the power to absorb the data and droids he takes control of. Given the unstoppable supervillain, the unique horror theme, and much more, Dark Droids is shaping up to be unlike anything we have seen in the Star Wars universe.