Contains mild spoilers for Star Wars: Hidden Empire #1!In the Star Wars universe, there are few conflicts as iconic as the one between Luke Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine for the soul of Luke’s father, Darth Vader. And there are few moments as rewarding as Anakin Skywalker choosing to join his son and betray his master. But even though the younger Master Skywalker was the hero who ultimately stopped the Sith, he was far from the first one to try.
Many classic Star Wars characters have tried to defeat Palaptine. Unfortunately for the Galaxy Far, Far Away, those attempts weren’t destined for success, with organizations like Crimson Dawn ultimately failing to topple the Sith. Lady Qi’ra’s attempts to wield her criminal syndicate against Palpatine will soon unfold in Star Wars: Hidden Empire, as she unleashes a Dark Side weapon known as the Fermata Cage, but there’s a reason she’s destined to fall short.
The dangerous new anti-Sith weapon known as the Fermata Cage has been teased for some time now. Although it’s clearly a force to be reckoned with if a character as calculating as Qi’ra believes it has a shot at taking down Palpatine himself, it’s a risky gambit that would ultimately be destined to fail even if fans weren’t aware of existing Star Wars canon. While the exact capabilities of the Fermata Cage have yet to be revealed, fans know it’s an ancient Dark Side weapon being wielded by a powerful villain. And while there are many who would argue that the ends justify the means, when it comes down to going up against the master of the Dark Side, that’s never the case. Qi’ra will wield the Fermata Cage in the upcoming Star Wars: Hidden Empire #1 by Charles Soule and Steven Cummings.
The Dark Side Strengthens Palpatine
As one of the greatest villains in the galaxy – and pop culture as a whole – there are few as closely tied with the Dark Side of the Force as Palpatine. Even when the strategies employed by the Sith – treachery, guile, wrath – are used against him, they ultimately serve to make him more powerful by strengthening the Dark Side. Franchise creators have shared in the past that this is why Palpatine didn’t fear the Rebellion – he believed he’d created a system where the underhanded tactics and moral compromise needed to stop him could only make him stronger.
Only Luke Skywalker’s Light Can Balance The Dark
It’s this revelation that makes it clear that Luke Skywalker’s actions are the only ones that could successfully stop Palpatine. In avoiding stooping to the methods of the Dark Side, Luke instead chose to embrace the Light, meeting his broken father with love, faith, and forgiveness as opposed to the violent rage that the Emperor sought to cement within him. As powerful as Qi’ra’s weapon may be, it is a tool of the Dark Side, and therefore incapable of unseating the Emperor. In the end, Qi’ra’s efforts are destined to fail, but the fact that fans already know Luke Skywalker is destined to stop the Emperor means that the Fermata Cage may yet have a different kind of significance in the franchise.
Star Wars: Hidden Empire #2 is available now from Marvel Comics!
