Star Wars’ New Zombie Droids Are Even Deadlier Than Thrawn’s Night Troopers

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #37

Star Wars’ new droid zombies are even more dangerous than Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Night Troopers seen in the finale of Ahsoka. As seen in the new Star Wars show, Thranwn’s forces were resurrected as the undead thanks to the dark magics of the Nightsisters. However, they’re nothing compared to the Scourge seen in Star Wars‘ ongoing Dark Droids crossover event in the canon comics, especially after a key reveal about how they’ve been operating across the entire known galaxy.

As seen in the pages of Doctor Aphra #37 from Alyssa Wong, Minkyu Jung, and Jethro Morales, the titular Doctor Chelli Aphra continues to work for the powerful Domina Tagge during the Galactic Civil War, having returned from a mission with Just Lucky where they were attacked by droids afflicted with the sentient virus that’s been plaguing droids all over the galaxy. As such, Aphra confirms that the droids aren’t merely following orders. Instead, they’re all acting as one being, a hive mind of bodies connected to one central mind: The Scourge. Likewise, the issue then features a horde of droids completely overwhelming a team of Rebels.

While Thrawn’s Night Troopers are quite monstrous as undead stormtroopers empowered by Nightsister magicks, the dark brilliance of the Scourge infection is that every new droid that gets corrupted becomes an extension of the Scourge, giving the entity even more power and influence across the entire galaxy. With countless droids having been corrupted during this ongoing crossover, the Scourge is practically omniscient while it works to evolve into something even more deadly.

“Meat and Metal”: Star Wars Droid Infection Is Truly Horrifying

As seen in Marvel’s Dark Droids Crossover Event

While the Scourge already has incredible power and reach during the events of the original trilogy, it’s also looking to become more. As such, Doctor Aphra #37 and more issues of this new crossover have shown the Scourge taking a keen interest in Star Wars’ cyborg characters in this era, possessing their cybernetic enhancements in order to control not only the galaxy’s “metal” but also its “meat”.

Currently, the Scourge has taken over the cyborg bounty hunter Beilert Valance, Lando Calrisisan’s right-hand man Lobot, and now Magna Tolvan following this new issue. While the Scourge also tried to corrupt Darth Vader and coopt his connection to the dark side of the Force, the sentient droid virus ultimately failed. However, the Scourge likely won’t stop in its attempt to take over organic life, just as it already has with the vast majority of the galaxy’s inorganic droids.

What’s Next For Star Wars’ Dark Droids Event

As it stands, the Dark Droids crossover event is just over halfway finished, taking place between the events of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. As such, it stands to reason that either the Empire, Rebellion, or perhaps will come up with a way to end the droid plague prior to the events of the final movie in the original trilogy. After all, C-3PO doesn’t appear to be corrupted by a sentient droid virus during Return of the Jedi as he currently is during Dark Droids. At any rate, it’s become clear that the Scorge is the far more horrifying zombie-esque threat when compared to Ahsoka’s Night Troopers.

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #37 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.