Spoilers: Star Wars: Dark Droids #5
If there is one thing Disney’s future Star Wars films need, it is a viable new threat to build around, in order to move the franchise away from the Jedi vs. Sith conflict that has dominated the saga since its inception. Marvel’s Dark Droids crossover event provided exactly this, in the form of the Scourge.
Star Wars: Dark Droids #5 – written by Charles Soule, with art by Luke Ross, Alex Sinclair, and Travis Lanham – was the climax of Marvel’s major comic book crossover event, which proved to be the height of Disney-era Star Wars storytelling so far. The series introduced the Scourge, positioning it as a major player in the past, present, and perhaps the future of the galaxy.
A viral artificial consciousness, able to spread itself across the galaxy, the Scourge would be an incredible on-screen threat for the next generation of Star Wars heroes and villains alike – and Dark Droids‘ conclusion perfectly sets it up for a return in future stories.
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The Threat Of The Scourge Expands The Boundaries Of The Star Wars Universe
The Scourge proved to be an immediate, franchise-altering threat due to its ability to spread its consciousness through mechanical lifeforms, infecting and acting through hordes of droids galaxy-wide. Given galactic civilization’s reliance on droids, this immediately caused massive destabilization throughout the Empire. Further, Dark Droids made it clear the Scourge’s intentions were not just to turn machine life in the galaxy against their organic masters; the villainous AI sought to get “into the meat,” attempting to make itself truly unstoppable by spreading among biological beings. The Scourge achieved this goal in spectacular fashion in Dark Droids #5, the conclusion to the story.
With the crossover event set in the year between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the creative options available for crafting an ending to Dark Droids story were limited. As the Original Trilogy reached its own epic conclusion at the Battle of Endor, the galaxy was, of course, not overrun by a malevolent AI. The status quo ante-crossver had to be restored by the end of the story. The Scourge gained the ability to possess organic lifeforms – including Lando Calrissian, Leia Organa, and most notably, Luke Skywalker – only in Dark Droids’ final moments. Before this threat could be truly realized, its “main” body was destroyed by droid revolutionary Ajax Sigma.
“Dark Droid” Proved Star Wars Can Move Beyond The Jedi vs. Sith Conflict
If anything, this is the only critical slight against Dark Droids. The ending proved to be a familiar, if necessary, final beat for a story that was otherwise thoroughly engaging throughout. However, if the Scourge has a future in the Star Wars franchise – which it should, and which the end of the series sets it up for – this will prove to be an entirely satisfying introduction. Another Star Wars trilogy is inevitable. In order for it to truly succeed, however, Disney and its creators will need to reach beyond the familiar Jedi vs. Sith binary of conflict that has dominated the galaxy for decades.
The final pages of Dark Droids #5 reveal that Ajax Sigma, rather than destroy the Scourge entirely, preserved it, giving it new life among his “Second Revelation” colony of sentient droids. What’s more, Sigma has seemingly come to consider the Scourge as the future of droid life in the galaxy, adding a “Fourth Revelation” to his previous three: “All.” This sets up another chapter in the conflict between artificial and organic life, one future Star Wars movies should realize on-screen. The Scourge and the Second Revelation would be dynamic villains for a future trilogy, moving the franchise beyond the cyclical conflict between Force users that has been its focus for so long.
Star Wars: Dark Droids #5 is available now from Marvel Comics!
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