Comics Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith #1-6: The Chosen One (6/6 Released)

I have a feeling Lucasfilm is just going with the idea that she was killed in prison around the time of Order 66. They are soon going to be moving heavily into the post ROTJ period and it wouldn't make any sense at all to have her around at that time.

 

I wouldn't mind them going that route TBH. I can't think of any logical reason for her not to have gotten the death sentence for her crimes. In her own messed up way she did try to warn the Jedi about what the Republic was turning into and that was probably too close to the truth for Palpatine's liking so I doubt he would secretly intervene.

Anyway I just got and caught up on all the issues of this series so far and it is really good especially this latest issue.

My favourite moment though has to be

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Palpatine's line of "You of all people know better than to dwell on what could have been, my friend." So savage.

 

Apparently, in the original script for The Wrong Jedi she blew herself up at the end of the episode but Filoni cut that part because he has "plans" for her, whatever that means.

 

This comic was great. While it wasn't as action packed as the last issue, it still set up the next arc very nicely and gave us a nice introduction to the Inquisitors.

 

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Interesting parallel from Jedi Quest:
"Stop. It was Obi-Wan's sternest tone. "Jedi do not go down the path of 'ifs.' You know that, Anakin."


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I am not found of the Inquisitorius organization existing in numbers so close to RoTS, especially with all having a jedi background.

In my eyes, having just the grand Inquisitor exist so far would have been better. While being dark jedi does justify their abilities in hunting down Jedi, I hope to see another generation of Inquisitors come about before their fall. It does add to the story if some Inquisitors later came from a non-jedi path. The empire finding force sensitive young adults and training them.

Nice foreshadowing of the GI end in his duel with Vader.

 

Hated this issue:

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I am not a fan of the Inquisitorius at all. They were added to Rebels because Disney wanted kids watching the show to see lightsaber battles but it seriously is messing up canon now. I could except that between the 20 years of ROTS and ANH Palps and Vader trained some dispels and hunted down small numbers of Jedi that lingered after Order 66, but this makes no sense.

If their organization has been setup for quite some time and somehow between planning the take over of the republic and now Palps has found time to train half a dozen of them what was the point of Order 66? Why not wait until this army of Inquisitorius is increased and then attack the Jedi one by one?

If there are soooo many Jedi still alive that they need half a dozen Inq plus Vader after ROTS hunting them down then why the hell is Yoda hiding like a weakling instead of gathering together resources and striking against Palps again?

What purpose doe Vader serve exactly if Palps already has half a dozen Inquisitors at his disposal to hunt down and kill the rest of the Jedi Knights? Wasn't that Vader's main job after ROTS?

Do these Inquisitorius including the Grand Inquisitorius just spend the next 20 years doing Palps and Vader's bidding? They never try to overthrow Palps or Vader? It seems like 6-7 Inquisitorius could take Vader down and make a case to Palps they should be trained as Sith Lords as well. Especailly considering the Grand Inquisitor admit he hated that the Jedi ways were holding back his full potential/power. So he's going being Vader's lacky forever now?

Where did all the Inquisitorius get their Red lightsabers from?

Not to mention Spinning Lightsabers? Really this is now a thing? Shame.

So many plot holes created just to sell toys on Rebels.

 

Palpatine has been planning the Inquisitorious Program ever sense he decided that kidnapping Force Sensitive babies in the Clone Wars was a spectacular plan.


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You must be fun at parties.

 

With them not being part of the RoT Sith, im sure they are not taught the sith technique of bleeding crystals to create the red coloring.

Meaning that im sure Palpatine did it for them. After all he has acquired a lot of jedi crystals from the fall of the order, and while he destroyed plenty, im sure he kept a fair sized reserve of them intact.

Also with the Inquisitor sabers practically being the same (and all having the spinning double bladed option) im sure they are a recant creation from one of Palpatines factories. Lots of blades made, some kept as extras for later usage.

If none of the origins of the Inquisitors blade are revealed in this series, I hope the Inquisitors get at least their own mini where we do explore this topic.

 

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I did not like the idea that Palpatine had already formed the Inquisitors
It would be better if Vader recruited the Inquisitors one by one

 

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I disagree. Having Vader recruit them would put their loyalty on Vader, not Palpatine. And I doubt Palpatine would accept that.

 

Well, I´ve been a fan of the Inquisitorius way, way before Rebels got it back into canon. Of course, I can only offer my reasons for it to work for me, but by no means I´m assuming this should work for everyone...

For me the Inquisitors make perfect sense because it also makes sense that, from 10.000 Jedi, some would survive the Purge for various reasons (Kirak Infil´a and Kanan Jarrus are both good examples of this). That being said, the galaxy is just an immense place. The amount of places a person could hide are almost infinite, and in no way Darth Vader, basically the second most important/powerful man in the galaxy, could check every rumour and unconfirmed sighting of Jedi by himself.

Therefore, an organization of absolutely loyal Force sensitive agents capable of discovering, hunting down and, in most cases, even defeat a hiding Jedi does work for me. The Emperor apparently has been recruiting them for a while by the time of the comic, and this means that, even if they´ve got some Jedi training, perhaps they were inducted at an early stage, and this is all the training they have (hence the GI being their leader, and the need for Vader to start training them in the dark side).

About what keeps them in check, I would say it´s the same reason that in Legends: Jerec, for instance, was said to be first in line to replace Vader should anything happen to the Sith Lord, and the High Inquisitor was very resentful of the fact that he couldn´t get that promotion... but, while very powerful, he knew himself inferior to Vader, and didn´t dare to face him directly. He was biding his time all along, waiting for the right moment. We don´t have enough information on them yet, but it wouldn´t be far fetched if the canon Inquisitors are the same...

 

Okay, this makes the story of kidnapping Force children even more disconnected. Really, what happened to those kids? All these guys are still too old to be them. I was expecting to see at least a kid in there.

I am bit disappointed that the story of origin for the Inquisitors is, “well they already exist, complete with outfits and the stupid lightsaber”. That’s not an origin story.
And who made those lightsabers? Whose idea was that?

Still, I liked the introduction of the Grand Inquisitor. Vader and Palpatine interactions were great.

 

The issue was something of a mixed bag to me as well. It does not really answer much, but opens up new questions and raises eyebrows.

The Grand Inquisitor and the rest all appear to have red lightsabers, so they must have all underwent the same challenges as Vader or Sidious hands them out as none of them knew about Vader and they believe they all just served the Emperor. Ahsoka felt the kybers being familiar to her which suggests it belonged to a Jedi she once knew, but in any case it was converted . So there does not appear to be any true significance to the color aside from it being the color of those aligned with the Sith and not just Sith Lords, which basically we know since Ventress and Opress(and Vos) were like proto-Inquisitors being bodyguard and personal assassins and essentially quasi Sith Apprentices to Dooku.

Vader is constantly being tested by Sidious, who always seems irritable at Vader, and the last couple of issues is more of the same ruses being uses and again will be used against Vader with Cylo and his cyborgs that most of them also use lightsabers(akin to Grievous quasi-Sith trained apprentice and another proto-Inquisitor of sorts). Apparently Sidious formed and trained these warriors on the down low and they apparently altered the kyber's themselves and before Vader had learned to. The Grand Inquisitor is almost able to kill Vader, cept Vader ends up pulling the same move than Kanan uses to destroy him. So in all the years since, the GI never bothered to learn, and why still use such weak point weapon ?! The GI and the Inquisitorius all appear to predate Darth Vader, so am guessing these warriors were indeed around by at least the 5th Season of the Clone Wars in some form already.

The kinda Gollum-like pathetic GI roaming around the temple searching for arcane and ancient knowledge and all cloaked and hooded, going on about being promised things and exclusive rights, I got more the impression this storyline would've been close to the early Malachor Rebels arc with Vader vs an older Filonified version of Darth Maul, and was ported over to this comic after being re-worked. Basically the GI is a secret quasi-apprentice to Sidious and was being groomed as a possible substitute for Vader or like Tyranus, Sidous too had needs of personal assassins . The TCW movie implied that Ventress was a shared asset to both Sidious and Tyranus. The old EU had Tyranus dreaming of leading a new order of Dark Side knights, which these Inquisitors fill in canon.

The art kinda makes it hard to tell if the GI had his "Sith Eyes" yet, in some panels its clear he did not. We know not all of the Inquisitors for whatever reason had these "Sith Eyes", another mystery perhaps. But its clear that the Grand Inquisitor did not seem completely trained in the Dark Side yet, as Sidious wants Vader to complete their training and being trained to destroy all Jedi survivors all who happen to be the most cunning , strongest, duplicitous, deadliest as the Jedi still represent the greatest threat to the Empire.

All of which goes against much of the post episode commenting about these warriors. On one hand they're trained by the GI(a former Jedi Knight and Guardian) and further trained by Vader yet Lucasfilm tries to tell us they're not really trained or trained to kill Jedi or really wanted by Emperor? Seems like bad schizophrenic storytelling and production.

Its still unknown how Maul acquires the GI's lightsaber, did Maul modify the destroyed hilt or did the GI lose another lightsaber? It probably has to be his lightsaber since they all have a personalized individualized hilts. And how would this GI survive Darth Maul's wrath in the first place, only to be killed by goofy Kanan later on. It is possible Maul may feature in this Vader comic at some point.

 

Where is this from?

 

Nothing but love from me for this new Darth Vader series. Every issue deepens the greatness.

 

I am in complete agreement. This series is a love letter to the Clone Wars and Prequels as a whole. And of course to Anakin/Vader.

 

Well this former temple guard apparently cannot fight conventionally for long nor use his double-bladed lightsaber conventionally. I remember this quote from Filoni :

Other quotes from 2014-16 would be pretty much the same thing, that their training is limited, they're more like a attack dogs to lure out Jedi for Vader, neither Vader or the Emperor really want any them around. Or in the Ahsoka novel its blatantly stated that the 6th Brother was poorly trained and would be no match for a trained Jedi and not just herself. His sword skill level was so poor he could sword fight with his visor down, which could've saved his life she reflected . The weapons they use are largely gimmicky to make up for lack of skill and training.

So for this former Jedi Knight and former temple guardian who was already supposedly skilled in a double-bladed lightsaber and combat ect, to use such a weapon, opens up a lot of questions by itself. The gimmick part of the weapon does him in not once but now twice when he uses it to overwhelm as a finisher. Strange. While the GI is agile and despite that his near complete reliance upon gimmick weapon briefly does succeed against Vader, it primarily does does so because it was a barrage of blows but with a fatal flaw - it was not born of natural talent or any training but an illusion, through machinery. The weapon ultimately is not of the Sith nor the Jedi. He nearly gets killed by a Sith and later does by a Jedi part timer cause of it and his reliance upon it. As I turn back to the Darth Maul comic, its quite apparent that the GI lacks any of the skills and aptitude of Darth Maul - where Maul himself uses his lightsaber in a spinning of a single wrist motion these Inquisitors and even a former temple guardsman is completely outclassed. I guess even Grievous' spinning wrists was meant to imitate Maul's skill.

 

Vorax

Why are you so surprised by the Grand Inquisitor's defeat by Vader? Rebels already established the character as only moderately skilled. Is it really so shocking that Vader crushes him as soon he decides he's had enough of testing his suit?

After all, this is what happened when Grand Inquisitor went up against a former Padawan who hadn't really practiced his Jedi skills in fifteen years.

 

It will be interesting to see them in the comic because as you pointed out they don’t seem very skilled. Getting ravaged by Vader is no surprise but getting eaten by Kanan doesn’t give them much cred


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To me, their lack of power and skill makes sense. A skilled and powerful Force-wielder might become enamored with the power of the Dark Side, growing ever stronger and more ambitious. Someone with Savage's power or Quinlan Vos's ambition would not be content to be a mere Inquisitor. They would aspire to become a true Sith Lord, which would lead to serious problems for both Sidious and Vader. The Emperor doesn't need a powerful acolyte, he already has the most powerful Force-wielder he'll ever find, in Vader.

He needs a small group of beings who can wield the same powers as their quarry. Hunters who have the same skills as those they stalk.

That's all the Inquisitors are. Force-wielding attack dogs that may bicker among themselves for position and power, but will never think to challenge their Sith masters.

 

Having such an unbelievably ungainly and ridiculous weapon doesn't help matters either.

 

Guess at length the point I am throwing out that has to be made that the former Jedi Knight & Temple guard should've put up a far better fight, even against Vader, afterall he was trained and not a novice whether with a blade or with the Force. Does the Dark Side make you dumb? Its like powers and abilities in SW wax and wane at the whims of the production needs, its far too arbitrary. Vader seems to suffer from insecurity, much like his Anakin persona, that seems to get the better of him. He was nearly did in cause he was taken off guard by the Inquisitor's spinning blade, but it took him a few seconds rather than months like Kanan to figure out the weak spot of the GI, one that he never learned from,lol. I don't know, but the fight was rather anti-climatic.

I suppose some of the Inquisitors may die in training with Vader, but I hope it won't turn out to be like another run with the Cylo abomination clowns from the last Vader series. I rather expected a little more fight from the Grand Inquisitor perhaps, I mean the Grand Inquisitor did not even appear to use the Force against Vader but Vader used the Force early in the duel. Meanwhile on the toon the GI was a gifted Force user. And wouldnt the training he received after the events of this story arc some 15 years or so later have made the GI a superior warrior by the time of Rebels and even more Dark Side of the Force empowered and knowledgeable combined with what he already knew as a Jedi Knight. This version of the GI seems less polished than the version on Rebels for sure, almost feral. Am kinda wondering if Sidious tampered with these Inquisitors, like perhaps cybernetically and biologically. I think even in the Ahsoka comic it was hinted at the 6th Brother was in some way tampered with. But I don't see how it downgrade a warriors aptitude and talents, natural and learnt . Sidious so far also directly responsible for their training, and he was interested in such agents going back the 2nd Season of the Clone Wars, so quite a few years. We do not know how many attempted he made aside from the one shown in "Children of the Force." These Inquisitors are all adults or young adults.

Vader in ROTS used what he knew as a Jedi against the Jedi, as did Krell against the Clones or Vos against the Jedi or whoever went Dark. So its not like yeah their abilities and skills suddenly evaporate. On Rebels during his debut appearances he appeared like a powerhouse Force user, but this quickly faded once Kanan had his Rey at Starkiller Base moment. Was it necessarily making this guy a former Jedi, I don't really think it makes sense really, it certainly does not explain his crap skills with a blade at this point in the story. Nor the early explanations for the Inquisitor and his spinning lightsaber, and now these others seem to have been training a while prior to the comic and all the way into Rebels, it really makes little sense as it is now

 

Their are still ways to redeem the weapon even with the spinnny blade and sabercopter.

I do prefer the saber when it is being used as a single blade. Got that similarity to swords of old.

You could have a story about an Inquisitor who has grown to prefer the single blade over 1 opponent. In a post-Rebels world you could have an ex-Inquisitor or another person using an old Inquisitor blade that has been damaged/modified, forcing only a single blade to be used. At least one of these blades should pop up in the post-RoTJ environment. This time in the hands of a very skilled swordman. Being used in a manner that doesn't scream ridiculousness and unskilled force user. Thankfully a Inquisitor blade that lacks a spinning capability means NO more sabercoptering for it.