Comics Darth Vader #20: End of Games, part 1 (of 6) & The Misadventures of Triple-Zero and Beetee

As established in Bloodline,

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The first order is the military arm of about half of the New Republic who willingly secede from the Senate. So the ideals of the true Empire are alive and well. (Also, those trigger happy Jakku villagers started firing on the Landers before their hatches even opened)

 

Thanoth is still a bad guy and as such a pointless and ironic death seems fitting, even though I can sympathize with him. We need more competent imperials like Thanoth in canon. Lets hope Rogue One delivers on this front.

 

Very true! He really was an Imperial that, while bad, you could understand and relate to as not pure evil.

 

He's an Imperial's Imperial. Calculating, bureaucratic where he uses the rules in his favour, and a true believer in the cause that he would literally sacrifice himself to Darth Vader to ensure the Eternal Empire.

 

For sure.

 

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How are the Jakku villagers trigger happy? They are being attacked by a massive force no duh they will be nervous and shoot at the evil military organizations ships a bit early. Thats like trying to shame that old guy in two towers who shoots the first arrow at the orcs. They are an invasion force that is evil. i see no issue with someone shooting early at the fascists

 

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One thing you forget:

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In order to defend yourself you must let them shoot first. Otherwise it is an attack. You know. That's what some people think

 

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I get that your joking but now I have the mental image of the FO just sitting there waiting for them to shoot first and having a lawyer on the coms so they can sue the villagers for damages. Star Wars matlock edition. Like during the court case they are like "who could possibly see a paramilitary organizations landing ships coming as a sign of attack?".

 

Lawyers? Not even the First Order is that evil.

 

Anything but the Lawyers!

 

Was alright, but not really sure its better than what we saw in Dark Horse through the years. I would take things at face value with that Thanoth guy, he could just be carrying out the Emperor's will whether he knows it or not. Tarkin was Sidious's 2nd, Vader despite being the Sith Apprentice was still under Tarkin's military rank and the Emperor's graces, as Tarkin commanded the Grand Inquisitor and Vader alike. The Emperor relies on his military officers to enforce his control over the galaxy. So Thanoth could be sincere in wanting Sidious dead or not, its pretty clear by ESB and ROTJ the soldiers and Vader are still in fear of the Emperor there is no signs of sedition on the surface or otherwise cept the quasi- treacherous Sith apprentice pitch Vader gave to Luke where it could be sincere or just a front, as we heard it from Tyranus a few times, and even Maul to Tyranus(Maul knowing he would not turn against Sidious). The Emperor likes to play both sides and pit opposing sides at eachother's throat to see who survives and emerges the strongest. For instance if Cylo's cyborgs succeeded Sidious would've gave them the speech and not Vader and Vader knows this at the end after all of this. With the Sith, its still , "Two there should be. No more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it."

The Emperor's speech was interesting in two aspects, one the shattered corpse being used as a puppet remark for the Republic , I kinda get Sidious can use the shattered body of Snoke and possess it perhaps like in "Dark Empire" or Talzin in 'Son of Dathomir, perhaps but its something that went into my head when I read the panel. The other was that Maul was referred to as a loss, a clear indication that that Sidious held Maul as someone of great value being lost not only to him but to the Sith Order itself - and he's included as a Sith as he's still referred to as "Darth" while Tyranus Sidious did not appear to hold in great esteem as he compared him to a proton torpedo , a one shot disposable weapon, of limited worth and significance. Vader he claims was a prize but Vader's failure on Mustafar Sidious still holds a certain disdain and fear about which further leads him to still seeking a more powerful apprentice[ Luke] as Sidious still apparently seeks a worthy successor of his legacy - but this is at face value as Sidious like all Sith talk a lot of crap whether truths, half truths, or false truths. Vader at the end of this now desires to supplant Sidious with Luke. But something must occur before ROTJ that leads Vader to change his mind, as he was fearful of the Emperor's powers and it took a very long time to choose and it cost him his life in the end - still more repeating Tyranus's attempts to supplant Sidious - if he ever intended but presumably all Sith Apprentices do at some point as its their duty.

 

After this Vader series I would certainly be on board for a mini/ongoing series featuring Doctor Aphra, space archeologist, could be bloody amazing.

 

We're not even sure she's a real doctor!

 

Of course Aphra is a real doctor! Graduated from the University of Coruscant, one of the few students who could make it from the Outer Rim to a Core World University (Uncle Owen kept telling Luke to apply with his stellar grades, but Luke was fixated on joining the Imperial Military Academy with Biggs. Owen had concerns about this for understandable reasons--wouldn't you if Vader was head of the military? So it actually wasn't Owen keeping Luke on a Tatooine farm, it was Luke himself with his Steve Rogers fixation on joining the military of a government he claimed to hate--something Owen and Beru never quite understood).

Aphra had a romance with Voren Na'al while at University of Coruscant, although she wasn't a big fan of his history pieces (she never understood why his earlier articles repeatedly glossed over the Clone Wars for instance--and when he did write about it, he always got the timeline completely wrong. Everyone knows General Skywalker was knighted at the beginning of the war, not 6 months before the end!). Then Voren ditched her for that Tarkin girl, and Aphra's currently contemplating whether to send Vader after them on charges of pro-Rebel bias in Voren's writings...

 

You... are off your medication. And I'm gonna need mine.
Seriously though:


That would explain why she spents her time killing, thieving and being evil rather than, y'know, practicing archaeology.

 

Given the background they wrote for Aphra, perhaps Gillen realized that getting a doctorate didn't fit in with the scavenger, on-the-streets type of backstory they want for her. It may be why they are backtracking on her doctorate now despite being introduced as having one.

A lot of the higher education characters in fiction, like Charles Xavier and even Indiana Jones, have a rather privileged upbringing as part of their backstory to getting a doctorate. Perhaps Gillen couldn't find a way to fit a doctorate into the scavenger background he seems to be writing for Aphra.

 

Clearly she got her doctorate from the planet of Perugia.

 

She bought her doctor title fair and square!

Also, I'll have you know that the University of Nar Shaddaa is a very respected and esteemed institution.

 

Hey. She could have just slept with all her professors She clearly did something like that with Sana to get whatever it was she was after.

 

I hope the final punchline is Aphra goes "I have a doctorate ... in PAIN!" and the kicks some dude in the face or something.

 

Well Deadpool was Captain Deadpool but then he just dropped the Captain so maybe Dr. Aphra will do the same.

 

Are we going to make this the thread for the remaining comics because if so:

(Issue 2 Preview)

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You know, for non-native English speakers like me, some of these names like “Thlu-ry” are already difficult to figure out the pronunciation, but trying to read them in “Vader’s voice” is really bizarre. It sounds like he is purring in my head.

Anyway, this issue looks like is gonna be good. Already in love with the part “Thank him. And then kill him.”
Classic polite Vader. Reminds me of “Apology accepted, Captain Needa.”

 

And this is why Gillian is amazing. He throws in little stuff for those of us who love lore. The bartender being a Vurk is the kind of touch I felt was missing in episode 7. I love how he manages to fluidly bring different races into his stories to make the universe feel more consistent.

 

Love the line:

You survived one disaster Professor. Surviving another seems unlikely.