The Future of the Jedi is Preserved in Marvel’s Star Wars: Darth Vader #10
Written by Charles Soule
Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli
Vader’s showdown with Jocasta Nu comes to a startling conclusion! What secret information has the Jedi librarian risked her life to protect? And can she stop Vader from getting it?
SPOILERS AHEAD
When we left Jocasta Nu in the last issue, she had used her knowledge of the old Jedi Archives to confront Vader with a hidden weapon. As this issue opens, she is on the offensive. She doesn’t believe that Vader doesn‘t want her dead. Jocasta clearly learned Vader’s true identity from the vault droid, and she sees him as Palpatine’s tool, little better than a droid, set out to destroy the Light Side. But, that is impossible, as she claims, because the Force is eternal, and as long as there is life, there will be the Force. And the Force will find the way.
Even when Vader dismantles her weapon, Jocasta doesn’t give up. She attempts to blow him up, but manages only to blow a hole in the wall of the former Jedi temple, startling the Clone Troopers outside. With a lightsaber acquired from the archives, Jocasta faces the squadron of her former allies.
Eager to contain the Jedi “traitor”, the Clone Troopers on the ground confuse Vader for another Jedi, which earns a broken neck for their Commander and a short reprieve for Jocasta. However, that is not enough, and she is finally overwhelmed by their superior numbers.
Faced with Vader and his troops again, Jocasta chooses to trust the Force and end her life, but that choice is taken away from her by Vader. She is brought on board and searched. The only thing in her possession is a memory crystal containing the names of recently born Force sensitive children. One thing is for sure, you have to admire the way Jocasta faces Vader – she isn’t afraid, she calls him ‘boy’, which compared to her age, this newly created monster certainly is.
When she reveals to the troopers that they are actually working for Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, Vader deals with it in a truly Vader way.
He tells Jocasta that their deaths were her doing. Jocasta demonstrates the arrogance of the Jedi again here (or perhaps she really doesn’t know why the Clone Troopers turned on the Jedi) as she tells him they chose their own path. When she inquires about her own destiny, Vader ignites his lightsaber, and Jocasta accepts her fate.
Vader crushes the ship and informs Palpatine that Jocasta died in the attempt to escape. When Palpatine asks about what Vader learned from her, Vader destroys the memory crystal and says that he learned nothing.
But Jocasta’s words to Vader echo through the remaining panels: The Force is eternal. It cannot be ended, it cannot be stopped, not so long as life exists. It will find its vessels. It always does. It already has – you know this. There are others, waiting, out in the galaxy. When the time is right… the Jedi will rise again.
As her words play over the panels, we see her friend Gar at a secret location watching over the holocrons and Jedi knowledge they had gathered together, waiting for her return. When he is certain that she is not coming back, he destroys the entrance, sealing the secret archive within. But years later, when the time was right, the archives were uncovered, by a newly risen Jedi.
Let’s talk first about the star of this story arc (and that certainly wasn’t Darth Vader). Jocasta Nu gained notoriety over the years among the Star Wars fans as an example of Jedi arrogance and hubris: “If an item does not appear in our records, it does not exist.” (Attack of the Clones). Many of us, myself included, thought that she made a dumb decision to confront Inquisitor, thus attracting Vader’s attention. But, over the last two issues Jocasta proved that she was a Jedi through and through. Knowing that she wasn’t strong enough to confront Vader, she used her knowledge to her advantage, and even when she lost it, she was fearless. Anyone who calls Vader “boy” to his face is a badass in my book. Additionally, her trust in the Force is unconditional, even in the face of defeat and death. She went out like a champ, and I am glad that Palpatine didn’t get to get his dirty hands on her.
Speaking of which, Vader’s decision to destroy the memory crystal raises the question: did he do it to secure his future next to his master or did he do it to protect the children? It’s hard to say with this early Vader (and it’s hard to read the feelings behind the mask – even with Camuncoli’s expressive art). But, either way, you have to wonder if some of what Jocasta said to him penetrated through to Anakin beneath.
But, the most important thing this issue gives us are Jocasta’s words. They resonate through time, from these early Empire days, to Skywalker’s new Jedi, and then right to this new era we were just introduced to in The Last Jedi. When the new Jedi were killed in Luke’s training temple and he cut himself off from the Force, when the Dark started spreading across the galaxy once again, the Force found a way to restore balance. The Force found Rey.
I have praised this new Darth Vader run before, but it has to be said again: Soule does an exceptional job. Not only is he giving us an insight to the early days of Vader, but in this issue alone he managed to thematically connect three eras of Star Wars. I enjoy Camunculi’s art as well, the characters are recognizable enough, yet stylized in a way that never takes you out of the story. He does amazing things within limitations that Vader’s mask presents to the artist, doing wonders with reflections, cape and posture to achieve expressiveness.
What this duo will give us in the future, remains to be seen, but I highly recommend this arc to new readers. Until then, have a glass of your choice in memory of Jocasta Nu.
This issue gets 8/10 STARS.
NEXT TIME:
Written by Charles Soule
Art and Cover Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli
An expensive bounty has been put on Vader’s head! Who would dare try to challenge the Dark Lord’s place in the Empire?
Staff member, comic and book reviewer. Cheers for the Light Side, but would drink with Grand Admirals.
This is an excellent issue. Charles Soule is probably my favorite Star Wars comic writer right now. The Poe series is great right now and the Vader series is the best of them all.
Indeed. I dare say that this ‘Vader’ series is even better than the first one (so far), and that was already quite excellent.
The series continues to go from strength to strength and I’m loving what it’s doing with Vader and the immediate post-prequel world. It has also managed to turn Jocasta Nu into one my favourite Jedi. She’s proven herself to be surprisingly badass, helps sow the seeds for the future of the Jedi and even manages to get insider Vader/Anakin’s head in the end.
The only question I have now is why Vader continues to put up with Palpatine once he knows this early that he’s probably looking for a replacement.
Probably knows he’s not strong enough at this point to challenge him or break away.
Maybe, but he does seem surprised when he realises, later in the first ‘Vader’ comic series, that Dr Cylo would have begun nurturing his potential replacements around this time.
Then again, maybe he was just surprised that Palpatine was already looking for alternatives to Force-users or that he intended to replace just him rather than simply create more of him.
I guess that, as the review points out, the fact that we have both Anakin and Vader in the same person on the page makes his motivations almost indiscernible. It just makes reading and speculating a bit more fun!
Exact. As we see in the novel Lords of The Sith, Vader cultivate that thinking of go against Palpatine, but the Emperor perceive that, and keep controling and surpassing him in that. Vader, at the same time loyal to the idea of the Empire and Dark Side, go preparing himself to some day use a breach to defeat his Master. It is the way of the Sith anyways, and Palpatine even stimulates that.
Why would Vader crush the memory crystal with all of the force sensitive children information on it?
I speculated two possible reasons in the review: one more Vader’s and one more Anakin’s.
He uploaded it to his systems. he didn’t deliver it to the Master to avoid competition.
It’s possible that Vader maintained a backup copy in his suit. However, as Fred states below, he destroyed it to ensure Palps wouldn’t get his hands on it and thus he eliminated the competition from the start.
In case anyone is interested, here are the names of the Force-sensitives (they were in Aurebesh and I translated quickly so forgive me if they are not 100% accurate):
Darien Whit (Alderaan)
Scape Loewig (Cathar)
Devin Hvitur (Bespin)
Alaytia Taverre (Kessel)
Kris Elioup (Eadu)
Annali Bissa (Corellia)
Nik Lowe (Mustafar)
Jacque Porte (D’Qar)
How cool would it have been to see “Galen Marek” on that list? Missed opportunity to give a little legends nod there. Nonetheless, great comic, and probably the best ongoing SW title at the moment.
100% in agreement.
I remembered Force Unleashed too when I saw that list.
Now that’s a stretch. Rey was born long before Luke shut herself off. Her powers awoke sure, but because of actions she took.
“Something inside me has always been there, but now it’s awake.” She was Force sensitive since birth, but Awakening happened later with the rise of Kylo Ren and no one to answer his darkness.
One thing: many sites are stating that Gar killed himself in that explosion. I don’t see that way. For me, he just left. We don’t really see him dying. What you guys think? Is there official info on this?
One thing: many sites are stating that Gar killed himself in that explosion. I don’t see that way. For me, he just left. We don’t really see him dying. What you guys think? Is there official info on this?
Initially I agreed with you. But Wookieepedia claims he killed himself and after reexamining the panels and where he stood (inside the cave, waterfall is outside), it seems that the boulders killed him.
Every single issue has been amazing…it’s far and away the best SW comic of the new canon…
IDK why this issue didn’t get a 10/10. Excccellent
I am confused now…is the clone wars series now NOT canon? In the Clone Wars the data of force sensetive bloodlines were inside of a blue Kyber crystal..and the data could only be read by a Holocron.
It’s still canon. It was a memory crystal.
Watch Star Wars, bro.