Originally published on Patreon
Writing Darth Vader seems to be a very tricky thing. There are two ways to go about doing it. There's the absolutely frightening Sith Lord who'll destroy everything in his path. And there's the version where Anakin Skywalker is trapped inside, where you can see the tortured soul underneath. This current arc in Star Wars: Darth Vader is doing both.
After having rescued Sabé and Kitster from the planet killing weapon, Vader is forced to take matters into his own hands when his ship's weapons are unable to penetrate the shields. Discovering that the only way to disable it is fro beneath, where it's life sucking powers would kill anyone who gets close, Vader sets out with an astromech to bring the machine to a halt.
The fact that Vader is able to enter the life draining field of the machine and not die is a pretty balls move. It's not clear whether its the Force, or being part machine that's keeping him alive, or maybe a bit of both, but it does weaken Vader to the point where there's some actual danger for him; which is always a hard thing to make believable.
Whilst Vader going around killing people and destroying stuff might be the spectacle of the issue, the real heart is the continued relationship between him and Sabé, who knows that Anakin Skywalker is beneath the armour. Understanding Sabé's motivations has always been a bit tricky, as she should want to kill Vader for the things that he's done; and this issue really showcases some of the stuff she's struggling with.
There's a moment when Vader is down, where his suit need re-powering or he'll die, and Sabé finds him. She could do nothing, and let him die. She could even pull the trigger and end him herself. And there's a moment where she almost seems to justify it to herself. Then she remembers Padmé, remembers the love between her and Anakin. She saw it firsthand, being there with Padmé through so much. She might not truly believe that there's still good in him, but she's willing to give him that chance. Her line of 'Okay Anakin, one last time' as she re-powers Vader's suit is oddly touching, and made me a little emotional. And for me, was the true highlight of this issue.
This story has certainly been some of the more interesting stuff in this volume of the series; and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes next, especially with the Emperor entering the fray.
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