Warning: SPOILERS for Star Wars: Darth Vader #5.
Darth Vader’s quest has just taken a violent turn. After encountering Padmé’s former handmaiden Sabé and her Amidalan alliance on Naboo, Vader has struggled to deal with his former love’s lookalike. However, after finding a hidden secret at Padmé’s tomb and facing the Amidalans one more time, Vader unleashed a massive, deadly attack on the alliance.
Darth Vader has been on a mission to find out more information about what happened to his son, Luke Skywalker, and Padmé after he left them. His journey has taken him to Naboo, where he came across the Amidalans who tried to trick him into a deathtrap and want revenge for their belief he killed her – but ultimately failed. Vader pushed his way through to Padmé’s tomb, but refused to kill the Amidalans. Still, his memory of Padmé still harbored emotions for Vader.
Darth Vader #5 opens with Vader about to desecrate Padmé’s tomb, but at the last second, he changes his mind. Instead, ZED-6-7, the chatty Imperial forensic droid who’s assisted Vader, scans the tomb and finds a med implant that features a traceable map. Sabé and the Amidalan’s make a quick course to Polis Massa. Vader arrives first, where he locates a Starport Control that reveals Obi-Wan transported her to the base in order to save her. As Vader takes in this new information, the Amidalan fleet attacks. Vader’s forces flank the attackers, and he uses the force to take down ships singlehandedly.
By the end of the battle, Vader and his army defeat the Amidalans. The scene is gruesome, as ships are falling out of the sky, Amidalans are cut in pieces, and Vader’s army takes no prisoners. Presumably, Sabé is also killed in the deadly battle. Her and the Amidalan’s loyalty to Padmé are felt right up until the end of the battle. The comic provides the likely answer to what happened to the resistance group after the prequels – they fell to Vader.
Things get even more tragic, as Vader finds out that the records inside have been destroyed, but finds a droid that projects a hologram of Padmé. In the image, she calls out for Obi-Wan, which causes Vader to destroy ZED-6-7. As he lays in wake of the destruction he caused, Padmé’s hologram cries out “there’s good in him. I know… I know… there’s still…” The scene is beautifully juxtaposed with Vader standing in front of clouds of smoke and the destroyed droid. It’s a tragic issue that showcases how far Vader has gone in his quest for answers. He’s destroyed his greatest love’s entire alliance in the name of seeking answers. It adds another emotional layer to Darth Vader’s quest for vengeance and illustrates why he’s one of the greatest, most complex villains of all time.
