Darth Vader Could Have Found Luke Much Sooner If He Took Palpatine's Advice
Spoiler warning for Star Wars: Darth Vader #20 (2017) ahead.
What was preventing Darth Vader from finding his son, especially since Luke was raised on his homeworld of Tatooine? That’s a question some of you might have had, though you likely just wrote it off as him just not looking because he thought he was dead. Others were likely to conclude that Darth Vader simply never had the opportunity to look for him, even if he wanted to, as he was busy being the Emperor’s enforcer. Others still just probably ignored the question entirely.
However, the 2017 Star Wars: Darth Vader comic revealed that Vader came this close to encountering his son early, but didn’t know it. It was an opportunity the Darth Sidious had unknowingly given to him, and might have even been his downfall if his apprentice had actually taken it. But Vader didn’t, and thus, the Skywalker Father and Son would not be reunited until the fateful encounter on Cloud City, where the famous words “No, I am your father,” were spoken, and one of the most iconic twists in cinematic history was born.
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But what actually happened? The answer may be a bit surprising. Once again, SPOILER WARNING. In Darth Vader #20 (2017), Vader is sent off world after causing a bit of chaos on Coruscant. Emperor Palpatine admits that he is impressed with his apprentice. This leads Vader to make a personal request of his Sith master, control of his own world, much like the Emperor has Coruscant.
Palpatine decides to honor his request. The first planet he offers is his own homeworld, Naboo. After all, it was Padme’s homeworld, and Vader would be sure to appreciate this gesture, right? However, it’s the second world the Palpatine offers to his apprentice that warrants mention. He offers Vader’s homeworld of Tatooine to him, promising him he could “repay your suffering there a thousand times over.”
Think about the possibilities for a second. If Vader accepted Tatooine, he might have found Obi-wan, Luke, and Owen and Beru Lars. He might have discovered the lies of his master. Vader and Obi-wan could’ve had a rematch years early, and Luke may have been reunited with his father, albeit he likely would have been made a pawn of the Dark Side. Darth Vader could have even made his move, succeeding and overthrowing his master and ruling the galaxy with his son.
But of course, that never happened. Darth Vader rejected his master’s offer. Vader just wanted to forget the past, and leave Tatooine behind with the name “Anakin Skywalker”. He instead asked for the Planet Mustafar, which represented his full rebirth into the dark side. As fans of Rogue One would know, Vader would build his own Castle on the Lava world, which would later inspire it’s own Comic stories. It would serve as his home away from Coruscant, and his base for the Empire’s purposes.
Still, Palpatine’s offer remains one of the biggest “what if” moments in the franchise’s history. Fans will likely be talking about this for years, and we’re sure it’ll inspire numerous fan fiction. If Stars Wars ever makes a modern version of Infinities, we’ll likely see this incident as the inspiration for a story. Of course, that’s merely speculation on our part, but this close brush with destiny is certainly never to be forgotten. The Jedi don’t believe in luck, and we don’t think it was mere luck that sent Vader back to Mustafar. But for now, this will remain a near miss on Vader’s part.
Source(s): ScreenRant