Darth Vader Goes After Wat Tambor's Grandson In 'Darth Vader' #28
Image Source: Wookieepedia
Darth Vader seems to be having a few technical difficulties. Following his mission to Gabredor III, the Dark Lord of the Sith was forced to return to his fortress on Mustafar and heal from the deadly artificial sandstorm on the planet. But aside from the physical damage, Vader was mentally exhausted from wrestling with Sabé’s words about there still being good in the Sith Lord, as instilled in her by the deceased Queen Padmé Amidala.
Overwhelmed by the pull to the light side, Vader shattered his bacta tank in anger as he recovered. He then returned to the Executor, where he learned from Sabé that Ochi had left to find the renegade Imperial Governor Tauntauza, who had aligned herself with Crimson Dawn. Vader had also learned from his droid ZED-6-7 that Tauntauza was working on the orders of Emperor Palatine himself. So Vader and Sabé returned to Coruscant and confronted the Emperor in his palace.
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Image Source: YouTube
Upon reaching the Emperor, Vader was asked by his master what his heart told him about Sabé. To this, Vader held Sabé in the air with the Force as the Emperor laughed, proclaiming that Sabé’s words had only reminded Vader of his past weakness. Releasing his grip on her, Vader refused to aid Sabé as the Emperor ordered his Royal Guards to destroy her. But once Sabé outwitted the guards in combat, the Emperor killed them in anger and, seeing her worth as an agent, allowed her to continue working with Vader, whose loyalty he wished to test through Sabé’s pushes towards the light. As such, Vader and Sabé returned to their ship and were informed by ZED-6-7 of their next mission. The Imperial regime on Skako Minor, former headquarters of the Techno Union had been overthrown by Skakoan Jul Tambor; grandson of Wat Tambor. Tambor had also enlisted pirates to blockade the planet and stockpile technology that he would use against the Empire. Vader and Sabé’s objective was to end Tambor’s uprising and restore Imperial control over Skako Minor.
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Upon arriving on the planet, they discovered a crashed Corellian commercial shuttle, as well as a few pirates surrounded by a pack of cliff worms. After killing the cliff worms, Vader and Sabé noticed a pile of corpses nearby. Realizing the pirates had killed the shuttle’s crew, Vader struck them down, though Sabé hesitated and allowed one of them to escape. When Vader asked her if they deserved mercy, Sabé admitted she didn’t know who did anymore. Vader then reminded her that she was his shadow now, to which Sabé said that they would need one of the pirates alive to locate Tambor. To this, Vader instructed Sabé to follow the surviving pirate and find Tambor while he took care of the rest. Meanwhile, Ochi found himself captured on Naboo and interrogated by four figures for Sabé’s location. When Ochi asked who the figures were, they revealed themselves to be the last of Padmé’s handmaidens; Dormé, Eirtaé, Saché, and Rabé Tonsort. Having learned about Sabé’s alliance with Vader, they had decided to track her down and either rescue her from the Sith or stop her if need be.
Image Source: YouTube
Darth Vader 27 and 28 are a solid start to the comic’s next arc. The dynamic between Vader and Sabé continues to be a compelling conflict, pushing Vader more toward the light and pushing Sabé more toward the dark. The setting of Skako Minor and the introduction of Wat Tambor’s grandson as the antagonist is a fun connection to The Clone Wars and an opportunity to incorporate elements of The Bad Batch arc from said series’ final season. I’m also excited for the return of Padmé’s handmaidens and to see how things will go between them and Sabé considering the latter’s uneasy alliance with the Empire. The current Darth Vader comic from writer Greg Pak and artist Raffaele Ienco continues to be one of the best and most entertaining outings from Marvel Star Wars and I can’t wait to see how this next arc plays out. Jul Tambor may be Wat’s grandson, but we’ll have to see if the Techno Union army is truly at his disposal.
Rating: 7/10
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