Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #24
In the latest issue of Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, the rogue archeologist discovers an ancient sect of Sith lords who might have been the inspiration for Darth Vader’s Imperial Inquisitors. Being possessed by the Spark Eternal, an advanced device created by a dark side cult, Aphra is along for the ride as she learns more about the Spark’s creator and an ancient conflict with the Sith Lords hundreds of years before the events of the prequel trilogy. As such, an impressive new Sith faction is revealed that may have left behind a dark legacy.
Previously in Doctor Aphra from Alyssa Wong and Minku Jung, Aphra and Sana Starros had been investigating the ancient technologies of the Ascendant, a dark side cult dedicated to creating artificial replications of the Force to become just as powerful as their rival Sith lords. As such, their greatest weapon was the Spark Eternal which has now corrupted and possessed Aphra for its own ends. However, it’s also given Aphra a connection to the memories of the Ascendant’s leader and inventor of the Spark itself, a Chadra-Fan named Miril.
As seen in the new Doctor Aphra #24, Aphra explores Miril’s memories including a time when she found herself cornered by several Sith lords she refers to as Darkseekers. According to Miril, Darkseekers were an elite faction of Sith tasked with hunting down any and all threats to their order, including the Ascendant whom they saw as heretics due to their fabricated and artificial Force abilities. As such, these ancient Darkseekers sound a lot like Darth Vader’s Inquisitors, a select group of assassins trained by the Dark Lord to hunt down Jedi and any threats that might rise against the Empire.
Did Star Wars’ Ancient Darkseekers Inspire the Imperial Inquisitors?
Given their purpose as hunters and protectors for their order of Sith Lords, one could imagine that Emperor Palpatine was inspired by old records and texts about the Darkseekers to form a similar sect of agents for his apprentice Darth Vader to command. Wielding lightsabers and Force abilities of their own, the Inquisitors were a formidable and lethal faction within the machine of massive Imperial terror and oppression. As such, the potential of these new Darkseekers being the precursors to the Inquisitors is a very intriguing prospect.
In any case, the possessed Doctor Aphra continues to arm herself in this issue with Ascendant technology, giving herself the closest things to Force powers a non-Force sensitive could ever hope to have. As the series continues, it will be interesting to see if she finds herself face to face with Darth Vader once more, albeit far more powerful than she ever was when she used to serve him previously in the Star Wars timeline. Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #24 is on sale now.
