Darth Vader Secretly Saved The Next Generation Of Jedi From The Emperor

Although Darth Vader was instrumental in the Jedi Purge that marked the beginning of the Dark Times for the Star Wars galaxy, he did secretly save the next generation of Jedi from Emperor Palpatine. In the aftermath of Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader was tasked with hunting down and bringing Jedi Archivist Jocasta Nu before his new Sith master who wanted her alive. However, Darth Vader made a critical decision, one that proved how unbalanced he was in the Force at the onset of his dark side path.

As seen in Marvel Comics’ Darth Vader #10 by Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli, the canonical issue features Darth Vader on the Imperial Core World of Coruscant where Jocasta Nu has returned to the Jedi Temple in the aftermath of Order 66 and the rise of the Empire. As such, their encounter is incredibly significant regarding what it might mean for future generations of Jedi in the Star Wars canon, including Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy as seen in The Mandalorian series on Disney+. Surprisingly, Darth Vader saved a collection of Force-sensitive children, despite having recently massacred several younglings during Revenge of the Sith’s Jedi Purge.

Darth Vader Destroyed A Record Of Force-Sensitive Children

Vader Defied Order And Destroyed Jedi Secrets

Although Palpatine wanted Jocasta alive due to her knowledge and records of Force-sensitive children, the Sith Lord did not get his wish. This was because Jocasta rightly figured out that Vader was Anakin Skywalker underneath his new armor. Furthermore, she also confirmed what Palpatine had kept from his new apprentice: Palpatine wanted to make more Sith agents just like Vader himself using the secret list of names and locations Jocasta tried to recover. In light of this revelation, Vader not only killed Jocasta, but he also lied to Palpatine by claiming that she died in her attempt to flee. Likewise, he destroyed the list rather than telling Sidious about it.

There are multiple reasons explaining why Vader defied his master’s orders so early in his career as a Sith lord. The first reason is likely one of self-preservation, wanting to ensure that Palpatine wouldn’t try to replace him. Secondly, it follows that Vader was still incredibly unbalanced in the Force following the murders of so many Jedi he once lived with and fought alongside during the Clone Wars. Rather than sending them down the same path, Vader elected to keep the names and locations a secret. As such, this means that there were more Force sensitives in the galaxy than previously known thanks to Darth Vader himself.

Did The Children Darth Vader Saved Grow Up To Become Jedi?

There Could Be Secret Jedi Survivors

With eight names on this secret list, the fates of these young Force sensitives are unknown. Unfortunately, some may have been discovered by the Imperial Inquisitors while others might have found their way to the secret network known as The Path which tried to keep Force sensitives and their families safe from the Empire’s grasp. However, perhaps some survived the Dark Times and were found as adults by Luke Skywalker when he began building his Jedi Academy. At any rate, it’s rather compelling that Darth Vader is directly responsible for saving a potential generation of Jedi from Palpatine, despite the fact he had just ended one in the Star Wars canon.