This article contains spoilers for Star Wars #5.
It's official: Darth Vader is going to get his son, Luke Skywalker, killed. The Dark Lord of the Sith was taken aback when a mysterious pilot who was strong in the Force succeeded in destroying the First Death Star. His surprise turned to amazement when he finally learned the pilot's name: Luke Skywalker. It didn't take long for Darth Vader to become absolutely obsessed with finding his son.
The Sith operate according to the Rule of Two; there is one Master, and one Apprentice. One to wield power, and the other to crave it. Palpatine had become concerned that his Apprentice lacked ambition, but the discovery he had a son sparked something in Darth Vader's heart. As seen in The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader wanted his son to become his own Apprentice, believing that together they could overthrow the Emperor. Palpatine had given his blessing to seducing Luke Skywalker to the dark side, taking something of a gamble. But Luke rejected Darth Vader's offer, more willing to die than to fall to the dark side.
This week's Star Wars #5 reveals Darth Vader had forgotten one simple fact when he told Luke Skywalker he was his father. He had forgotten he has enemies. Over the years, Darth Vader has been responsible for countless atrocities, from the Jedi Purge to the enslavement of the Wookiees. There are innumerable people out there in the galaxy who have good reason to hate the Dark Lord of the Sith - and to target his son as an object of vengeance.
Luke Skywalker has never been in a more dangerous position. That is made abundantly clear in Star Wars #5, when Luke encounters a woman named Verla. She appears to be a survivor of the Jedi Purge, but disturbingly she seems to have abandoned the ways of the light side; she uses Mind Probe to search Luke's memories, an invasive power typically associated with the dark side. When Verla peers into Luke's mind she is horrified to discover his greatest secret; that Luke is Darth Vader's son. She immediately decides Luke Skywalker has to die.
Luke has learned a truth he must keep secret, but the naive farmboy is ill-equipped to keep secrets. Even assuming he manages to keep quiet, he clearly lacks the basic Force skill to repel a Mind Probe. The interesting question is whether or not Darth Vader knew he was putting his son at such a terrible risk. He is a Sith Lord, and while he burns with anger, he is expected to master it. As such, it wouldn't be a surprise to learn Darth Vader intentionally put his son in the firing line, believing it would make him more likely to switch sides in the end.
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August 13, 2020 at 05:55AM
