Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Darth Vader #42
Darth Vader has been made a surprising offer in the Star Wars canon, one he may have no choice but to accept. Taking place between the events of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the Dark Lord of the Sith’s relationship with Emperor Palpatine has been tenuous at best. To that end, the Dark Lord will likely try to overthrow his master once more.
As seen in Darth Vader #42 by Greg Pak and Adam Gorham, Vader is replacing his elite Death Troopers who recently betrayed him when he tried standing against Palpatine on Coruscant as their true loyalty had always been the Emperor himself. Seeking power outside of Palpatine’s purview, the Dark Lord corrupts a handful of cyborg soldiers who’ve been fighting for the Rebellion, forcing them to become his new elite agents instead. However, Vader finds himself greeted at the new issue’s end by none other than Sly Moore, an administrator in Palpatine’s inner circle with an intriguing proposition for the Dark Lord.
Offering him a place among the ranks of an Imperial plot to take down Palpatine, Darth Vader now has to make a critical choice about whether he’ll join this secret cabal or not in the Star Wars timeline.
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Sly Moore Reveals The Imperial Schism
An Imperial Plot To Remove Palpatine From Power
There’s no denying that Sly Moore has had quite an interesting arc in between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Initially, Moore exposed herself as a leader among a secret group within the Empire seeking to remove the Sith from power over the Imperial hierarchy. This began with an assassination attempt on Vader himself who in turn defeated the agents before turning Moore into a tool of his own.
Now, Moore has found herself back in the Emperor’s good graces as seen at the beginning of Darth Vader #42 with the promise that she could take care of Vader, potentially teasing that Moore’s motives in offering Vader a role with the Imperial Schism might not be as genuine as she claims. It remains to be seen who she truly serves, and she may not have fully decided at this point herself, choosing instead to play a very dangerous game between two powerful Sith Lords. Nevertheless, Moore indeed reveals the Schism’s existence to Vader, offering him a position of power in which he might finally overthrow Palpatine.
Will Darth Vader Join The Imperial Schism?
Fighting The Emperor With His Own Empire
With Moore having made the official offer to help take down the Emperor while also revealing the Imperial Schism’s core leadership, Vader now has a major decision to make. After all, it’s not as though any of his prior attempts in the Star Wars canon to overthrow Palpatine have succeeded in the past. However, he’s never had the level of support and resources being offered by Moore and Schism either.
Although Return of the Jedi confirms what the outcome will be for Darth Vader, the Imperial Schism will at least provide the chance to use the Empire itself to bring about Palpatine’s downfall (or so Vader hopes). The journey will undoubtedly be plenty exciting and full of dark action. To that end, it will be very interesting to see how Darth Vader answers Moore compared to his actual intentions for the Schism, and the same goes for Moore herself and her more than likely duplicitous motives in recruiting Vader in the Star Wars canon.
Darth Vader #42 is available now from Marvel Comics.
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