Page 61 - Star Wars Insider #188

SITH UNSEEN: A RETROSPECTIVE
ending the vader trilogy
DARK LORD:
THE RISE OF DARTH VADER
RELEASE DATE: November 22, 2005 AUTHOR:
James Luceno
PUBLISHER: Del Rey
he final entry in The Dark Lord Trilogy,
The Rise of Darth Vader landed in stores
T several months after crowds fi rst saw
Revenge of the Sith in theaters, and James
Luceno’s novel catalogues the war’s closing
chapter, the Republic’s transition into the
Galactic Empire, and Darth Vader’s early
exploits as a Sith Lord.
Vader undertakes a mission to punish clone
troopers who hesitated to carry out Order 66 on
Murkhana, thus leading several Jedi to be spared
the fate suffered by their peers. The Jedi struggle
to deal with the confusion, presenting an eye-
witness account from combatants far removed
from the Jedi Council’s inner circle during the
war’s abrupt end. The group react to factors
outlined in the movie, including the Jedi Temple
beacon’s initial recall message, Kenobi’s alternate
order to hide, and a general puzzlement regarding
what occurred between the Jedi and Palpatine.
Ultimately, only two Jedi escape the clutches
of their pursuers and flee Murkhana. The elder
one believes their cause to be lost and holds a
desire to move on with his life, while his younger
companion wishes to search for other survivors.
The less experienced Jedi actually succeeds,
assembling a rag-tag group who hope to stoke
the Jedi Order’s flame once more. Their endeavor
results in failure, as congregating together just
makes it easier for Darth Sidious to trace their
movements and come close to wiping them all
out at once. In this regard, the
novel presents a logical reason
why Yoda, Kenobi, and other Jedi
stragglers select solitude instead of
coordinating an effort to reform
and initiate a counterattack against
the Emperor.
The novel offers Darth Vader’s
reflections on his reimagined
physical form in the weeks after his
defeat on Mustafar. Vader internally
expresses anger toward Palpatine
and the medical droids who built
his suit, as the ill-fi tting armor
hinders his movements, hampers
his fighting technique, and causes
him to feel imprisoned in its
confines. The Sith Lord’s dexterity
gradually improves as he draws
upon the dark side to engage and
slaughter several of the Jedi trying
to consolidate their forces.
Another thread that extends
from Revenge of the Sith pertains
to the surprise reemergence of
Qui-Gon Jinn and Luke Skywalker’s
concealment on Tatooine. Obi-
Wan Kenobi begins to panic
when he learns that Anakin lived,
understandably concerned that
placing the baby with the Lars
family on his former friend’s
homeworld puts Luke in danger.
The novel reveals that Jinn reaches
out to his former Padawan and
assures him that Vader’s fear
of reliving painful memories
prevents him from stepping foot
on Tatooine. Author James Luceno
connects Yoda’s encouragement for
Obi-Wan to commune with Qui-
Gon with an explanation as to why
Kenobi believes Luke will remain
safe on Tatooine.
The novel offers
Darth Vader’s
reflections on
his reimagined
physical form in
the weeks after
his defeat on
Mustafar.
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