MG Reads Dark Empire #3
Jul. 3rd, 2025 07:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
masterghandalf
Dark Empire #3
On the bridge of the Star Destroyer Emancipator, an officer reports to Lando Calrissian that they’ve intercepted a transmission beaming images of Mon Cal’s destruction to the Deep Core. Lando has the crew latch onto the signal so they drop from hyperspace into Mon Cal orbit right on top of the Super Star Destroyer that’s transmitting it and destroy it. Lando gives the order to inform Pinnacle Base that they’re in position and to begin the attack. As the rest of the fleet holds the Imperial Star Destroyers back, Emancipator launches fighter squadrons to take the fight to the World Devastators on the surface.
On the bridge of Silencer 7, the lead Devastator, an officer reports to Commander Klev that they’re under fighter attack. Klev correctly deduces it’s the Rebels, launching fighters from a captured Star Destroyer. His subordinate thinks the X-wings are antiques that stand no chance against them, but Klev orders him to send a report to “Supreme Commander Skywalker” on Byss anyway, while they show the Rebels just what they’re up against here. On the surface, Mon Cal fighters are heartened by the arrival of Rebel forces – Ackbar hasn’t forgotten them! But the World Devastators start launching the drone TIE Fighters they’ve been producing, while Silencer 7 rises into orbit to confront Emancipator. Though the Star Destroyer fights back, Emacipator is swallowed by the Devastator’s maw. Lando opines that things haven’t been this bad since Vader was alive.
On Pinnacle Base, Leia is suddenly confronted by what appears to be an image of Darth Vader himself. The apparition says that it’s not really Vader, who has become one with the Force… and then transforms into Luke. He warns Leia not to follow him; he’s taken their father’s path, which was the only way to save the galaxy from the dark side. Leia says that if Luke follows that path, he’ll only destroy himself, and everyone else; before Luke can respond, another voice breaks into the conversation, gloating that Luke has risked all… and lost. Leia collapses and is discovered by Threepio. In the base’s main hangar, Han is instructing some Alliance pilots – a major weapons factory just defected from the Empire and brought a bunch of new E-Wing fighters with them, and these pilots will be flying them. They’ll be going up against the World Devastators, which Han has heard are worse than the Death Star, so they’ve got their work cut out for them. Han is suddenly approached by Mon Mothma, who tells him that Leia has collapsed and is in the infirmary, and Threepio, who says she was babbling about Master Luke.
In the infirmary, Leia tells Han that Luke is being swallowed by the dark side, and they have to find him. Han grouses that they’ll only have to search the whole galaxy, but Leia says the Force will lead her to him. Mon Mothma says that losing Luke would be a disaster for the Alliance, but Han complains about having to keep saving him. Leia scolds him and Han apologizes; he was getting bored playing professor anyway, but they still don’t know where to look. Leia says she thinks Luke is somewhere in the Deep Core, but that region of space has been cut off from the rest of the galaxy by the Empire for decades. Luckily, Han knows some people who’ve bought permission to travel the Deep Core…
Han and Leia get ready to head out on the Falcon; Threepio wants to go with them, for Artoo’s sake. Han promises General Rieekan to bring Luke back, and they head off. Mon Mothma, watching them go, worries to General Rieekan that if Luke has fallen, the New Republic may be lost. The Falcon sets course for the Nal Hutta system; Leia is not enthused about the idea of going to Jabba’s homeworld, but their actual destination is its moon, Nar Shaddaa, a major smuggling hub. Leia protests that Nar Shaddaa will be crawling with Hutts and bounty hunters, and that there’s no doubt a price on her head for killing Jabba; Han thinks that’s probably right, but he’s got friends here who can help them. He calls up one old friend, a man named Mako, who warns him that the Hutts have indeed quadrupled the price on their heads, but opens the shields and let them in. The Falcon flies through the decaying cityscape and indeed is quickly pursued by bounty hunters, but Han manages to outfly them while calling up another old friend, Shug Ninx.
Ninx is wary of helping, but Han reminds him of some old favors he did him; Ninx agrees to shelter them for a price. The Falcon flies through an advertising holoscreen and down a hidden tunnel to Ninx’s repair shop, followed by one last bounty hunter, but Ninx’s security system takes care of them and the Falcon lands in the garage. Han introduces Leia to Ninx as the one who really killed Jabba, and he’s impressed. He tells them he’s glad to help, but he warns them that things are crazy here, with the Imperials buying up cargo space to run military equipment everywhere they can, which is why Ninx’s companion Shalla is working on a souped-up ship of her own, Starlight Intruder. Shalla and Han apparently have a history, but Han just says they need a run to the Deep Core, for which he’s willing to pay handsomely. Shalla’s willing to do it, once Intruder’s hyperdrive is overhauled; Han introduces her to Leia, and Shalla warns her that Han will break her heart. Shalla can have the Intruder’s hyperdrive ready quickly, but Ninx thinks some of the old power couplings Han kept stashed in his place here might help.
Leia is losing patience – Luke falls farther into darkness every moment they wait! But she and Han set out through the slums to Han’s old apartment. He admits the city is even worse now than when he lived here. Suddenly, they’re accosted by an old woman, who claims she can sense that Leia is a Jedi! The old woman, Vima, claims she was once a Jedi too and begs Leia to forgive her for her crimes. When the Jedi were killed, Vima fled here to hide, and she’s been hiding ever since – but Leia is the spark that will rekindle the fire. She gives Leia something in a small box – once it was Vima’s, and now she wants Leia to have it. When Leia looks up again, Vima is gone. Reaching Han’s old apartment, they find a rundown old droid named ZZ, who Han apparently left to look out for the place. ZZ tells Han that haltingly tells Han that he has a visitor… there’s a Mr. Fett here to see him…
MG’s Thoughts
Once again, this is an issue where a lot happens in a very short time; reading through this series, I’m starting to think that it might have worked to Dark Empire’s benefit had the original limited series been longer, nine or even twelve issues instead of six. Because this one throws a lot at us. We have the opening battle on Mon Cal, Leia’s vision on Da Soocha V and subsequently setting out on her mission, and the extended sequence on Nar Shaddaa where we meet a bunch of new characters. At the same time, I don’t really have a lot to say about most of it; this is very much a middle-of-the-story type issue, that advances a lot of the plot without really resolving anything.
I continue to like the idea of the World Devastators, and we get to see them in action directly and get a sense of just how dangerous they are in the opening battle (though I do find the continued shilling of them as “worse than the Death Star” to be rather wearying; surely we can establish that they’re dangerous without having to transparently one-up the movies like this? Especially since the World Devatastators are a completely different sort of weapon from the Death Star and offer a completely different sort of threat?). Leia’s vision is nicely creepy, and the sort of thing the comic’s art style handles quite well, though it’s notable it’s the only appearance of Luke or Palpatine in the whole issue (and our heroes aside from Luke still haven’t realized just who they’re up against yet, so the Emperor actually goes entirely unmentioned this time around except for when he butts in on the vision). Han’s characterization feels a bit off to me here and has somewhat across the comic so far – I kind of feel like Veitch is making him a bit too cynical and grumpy for where he should be at this point in his arc. Maybe the hopelessness of the situation is just getting to him.
It is a bit nice to see more of Han’s backstory, and the grimy, decaying cityscape of Nar Shaddaa is another element the artwork does well with (though I’m not sure it distinguishes it enough from other locations, when the overall atmosphere of the whole comic is so dreary). OTOH, at least so far none of Han’s friends, or the other characters we meet on Nar Shaddaa, are all that interesting to me. I think it’s telling that while a lot of the supporting characters introduced in the Thrawn books (Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, Garm Bel Iblis, Pellaeon, etc.) would go on to play major roles in further EU storylines, I don’t feel like any of the new Dark Empire characters had the same staying power. Maybe they’ll grow on me as we continue this story. Something else I’ve noticed is that we’re starting to get more explicit references to the time frame in this issue, but at the same time people are talking about events like the Battle of Endor and Jabba’s death like they’re much more recent than they are, so I don’t think the timeline has been quite straightened out yet. And we have our cliffhanger – Fett’s alive! IIRC, regardless of his thoughts on bringing Palpatine back, Fett escaping the Sarlacc was something Lucas himself always wanted to do, and both Legends and Disney have followed through on that.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-03 02:16 pm (UTC)I don't know what it is about big spaceships eating smaller spaceships that makes me so happy, but damn if it isn't one of those weird tropes popularised by Star Trek that I absolutely adore! Also just solidifying my belief that the World Destroyers were absolutely worth their own series instead of being shoved into this as a backdrop to everything else going on.
That panel of Leia looking up at Darth Vader's shadowy image is so good. The way she's not cringing away but meeting it head on, but still completely overshadowed and almost enveloped in it... Just fantastic. I've definitely settled on 'this style annoys me but occasionally it pulls out a real banger of a panel that redeems the worse ones' for this series.
Leaning into Han's past as a criminal and smuggler is interesting! A lot of the fandom seems to forget that he's not always been a good person and that his past has got consequences and connections still lingering. I do love that Han keeps introducing Leia as the person who killed Jabba, and how much it impresses everyone. He's getting better at being in a relationship.
I never really bought Fett dying in the Sarlacc to begin with. I could see him having to take some time to get out, but the man literally wears a jetpack! He was always going to escape eventually!
This story feels more and more rushed with every issue. It definitely needed more time to breathe and build on what it was working with.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-06 12:50 am (UTC)Yes, whatever else you can say about the plotline (and I'm saving my more detailed thoughts for the end of the first arc), I do think there's some good art of dark!Luke here.
I don't know what it is about big spaceships eating smaller spaceships that makes me so happy, but damn if it isn't one of those weird tropes popularised by Star Trek that I absolutely adore! Also just solidifying my belief that the World Destroyers were absolutely worth their own series instead of being shoved into this as a backdrop to everything else going on.
The good news is I think Veitch must have liked the idea too, since we'll see a bit more of it before the series is over!
That panel of Leia looking up at Darth Vader's shadowy image is so good. The way she's not cringing away but meeting it head on, but still completely overshadowed and almost enveloped in it... Just fantastic. I've definitely settled on 'this style annoys me but occasionally it pulls out a real banger of a panel that redeems the worse ones' for this series.
I think the art has grown on me the more I've read through this series, personally - like, it's certainly not something I'd want to see everywhere, but I think it largely works at setting the tone for this series and, like you say, pulls out some good moments.
I never really bought Fett dying in the Sarlacc to begin with. I could see him having to take some time to get out, but the man literally wears a jetpack! He was always going to escape eventually!
Yeah, Fett went in with full armor, all his weapons and, as you note, the jetpack. Him managing to survive and blast his way out is entirely plausible!
This story feels more and more rushed with every issue. It definitely needed more time to breathe and build on what it was working with.
Agreed 100%.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-04 03:03 am (UTC)I always did like the idea of the New Republic using captured star destroyers, complete with launching flights of X-wings off of them. And of course, Bret Devereaux has commented on that as well.
That's very clever, and kind of plausible, I think? We don't really know if you can do that with a hyperdrive in the Star Wars galaxy, but it kind of feels like you could? And it seems like just the sort of thing Lando would think of, when no one else would. Good to see the heroes score a major win by being smart, right out of the gate...and just as effective at showing how terrifying the villains are, if even this barely slows them down.
I am...torn, on whether that is appropriately shocking, unnatural, and otherworldly, or just too goofy to take seriously. It also presents the question of why they can't just tear into the thing's systems from the inside; is everything in the destroyer's line of fire really just as armored and shielded as the outside is?
...Why? Why does he pretend to be Vader for all of ten seconds? What's that supposed to accomplish? Does he think it will scare her away from him, or something, or is it just some kind of visual aid? Seems like a lot of trouble to go to just for that, and more likely to confuse her, than anything. Or else make her even more distraught, given he's identifying himself with the man who committed so many atrocities against her loved ones.
That is, the path of "joining the Dark Side to defeat the Dark Side," the path Vader originally took, which did not work. Vader was only able to defeat Palpatine when he turned away from that path and fully embraced love and hope, without compromises or excuses. And Luke would know this, because he was there, and indeed, was the catalyst for it. Heck, he didn't just refuse to compromise his morals in the face of Vader's arguments, he refused to compromise them in the face of Obi-wan's arguments. Everyone was telling him the only way to defeat Vader was to kill him, but he held out hope that there was a better way! Where did that hope go, exactly?
Yes, exactly! And it's odd that he needs to be told this, given that he already reached the same conclusion on his own at the climax of Return of the Jedi!
So, Palpatine knows about this conversation? Meaning that he knows Luke is planning to betray him? Or at least, Luke thinks that's what he's doing? I can believe Palpatine would think Luke is just deluding himself and will break down and join him for real eventually - but wouldn't he want to wait until that point to give Luke actual power? Even if he thinks Luke falling is inevitable, it hasn't happened yet, he apparently knows it hasn't, and yet he's made Luke "supreme commander?" There's dangling power in front of someone, there's giving them false hope in order to crush it...and then there's just shooting yourself in the foot.
Nice to Han drawing on his old smuggler connections for a good cause (something he also did in the Thrawn books, for that matter). Makes him feel like a more distinct kind of hero, who can bring something unique to the table.
It's also nice to see C3PO show some real courage and loyalty, honestly, with how often he's just made into a coward.
Good to see she has such faith in the rest of her troops, who are out there selflessly risking their lives because they believe in a free galaxy /s. I'm sure she would hold Luke in high regard, but I don't see why she'd be this fixated on him. True, they needed him to win at Yavin, but not at Endor, technically. And there was a time when she probably believed the Jedi were completely extinct, and she still kept fighting.
Interesting that this was the first appearance of both Nal Hutta and Nar Shaddaa, given how prominent they'd be going forward (perhaps even the second most prominent non-movie planets, after Corellia). Though what I'm really wondering is, when did the trend of most Hutts being crimelords start? The original movies had Jabba, but there was no particular reason to believe the rest of his species was anything like him. I'm not even sure if the Thrawn books mentioned any other Hutt crimelords, or the Hutt Cartel in general, though I could just be forgetting something. But after a certain point, everyone, including the writers, just sort of assumed all Hutts were gangsters, and apparently that point was quite early, given how they're portrayed here. If Leia is in danger just setting foot on a Hutt controlled world, one must imagine Jabba's criminal empire was deeply intertwined with Hutt society.
Han's not stupid, but I'm still not sure he would be willing to acknowledge the superiority of any ship, for any task, over the Millennium Falcon.
I suppose I can't really say, since I haven't read the thing, but the ideas seem interesting. Shug, here, comes across as self-serving, but still with a sense of fairness and loyalty buried underneath. Pretty much the same as Han was at first, admittedly, but putting Han side-by-side with what's basically his pre-character-development self could make for cool dynamic. Shalla could also potentially work as someone who only knew pre-character-development Han, and never believed he could change, with her eventually realizing she doesn't know him as well as she thinks. And Vima, I think, stands out because of how sharply she contrasts with the other Old Republic Jedi we would've seen at this point. Obi-wan and Yoda were living in exile, but retained their strength and wisdom, and had an idea of how to continue the fight. Vima, meanwhile, has been left a shell of her former self by her experiences, and is more just desperately hoping there's a way to keep fighting. The reader can't be entirely sure if there's hidden wisdom in what she says, or if she's just deluding herself. And where Luke looked to Obi-wan and Yoda for guidance, Vima is the one hoping for guidance from Leia, suggesting their relationship will be very different from Obi-wan and Luke's. Though, it would be better if she was built up more slowly, not revealing who or what she is right away, and giving the reader a chance to guess at it for a while.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-06 01:03 am (UTC)Agreed here (and on your earlier comment about the star destroyers). I'm liking the Mon Cal battle quite a bit on this readthrough; wish it got more time but, sadly, it's the c-plot.
I am...torn, on whether that is appropriately shocking, unnatural, and otherworldly, or just too goofy to take seriously. It also presents the question of why they can't just tear into the thing's systems from the inside; is everything in the destroyer's line of fire really just as armored and shielded as the outside is?
As we'll see next time, the Devastator starts cannibalizing Emancipator almost immediately. And while the comic itself doesn't specify, iirc supplemental materials will establish that the Devastators are self-repairing, which makes them very hard to damage unless you can cut their power somehow (or just overwhelm them with massive force, but that's not really an option here).
...Why? Why does he pretend to be Vader for all of ten seconds? What's that supposed to accomplish? Does he think it will scare her away from him, or something, or is it just some kind of visual aid? Seems like a lot of trouble to go to just for that, and more likely to confuse her, than anything. Or else make her even more distraught, given he's identifying himself with the man who committed so many atrocities against her loved ones.
I'm honestly not sure from context if Luke even intended to appear as Vader or if it just sort of... happened.
So, Palpatine knows about this conversation? Meaning that he knows Luke is planning to betray him? Or at least, Luke thinks that's what he's doing? I can believe Palpatine would think Luke is just deluding himself and will break down and join him for real eventually - but wouldn't he want to wait until that point to give Luke actual power? Even if he thinks Luke falling is inevitable, it hasn't happened yet, he apparently knows it hasn't, and yet he's made Luke "supreme commander?" There's dangling power in front of someone, there's giving them false hope in order to crush it...and then there's just shooting yourself in the foot.
We'll get a bit more sense of what Palpatine is actually up to in the next few issues. Though I will say, as of this moment, I think we're meant to think everything is still going according to plan, even accounting for Luke's betrayal. Whether it ends up making sense or not...
Nice to Han drawing on his old smuggler connections for a good cause (something he also did in the Thrawn books, for that matter). Makes him feel like a more distinct kind of hero, who can bring something unique to the table.
Agreed!
Interesting that this was the first appearance of both Nal Hutta and Nar Shaddaa, given how prominent they'd be going forward (perhaps even the second most prominent non-movie planets, after Corellia). Though what I'm really wondering is, when did the trend of most Hutts being crimelords start? The original movies had Jabba, but there was no particular reason to believe the rest of his species was anything like him. I'm not even sure if the Thrawn books mentioned any other Hutt crimelords, or the Hutt Cartel in general, though I could just be forgetting something. But after a certain point, everyone, including the writers, just sort of assumed all Hutts were gangsters, and apparently that point was quite early, given how they're portrayed here. If Leia is in danger just setting foot on a Hutt controlled world, one must imagine Jabba's criminal empire was deeply intertwined with Hutt society.
It may be here; IIRC, Veitch was the one who established a lot of the worldbuilding for Nal Hutta and Nar Shaddaa that later authors would use. Interestingly, the recently concluded High Republic books would actually introduce a Hutt supporting character who very much doesn't want to follow in the footsteps (er, so to speak...) of his powerful criminal family but also doesn't really know how to extract himself from it (the Hutt Cartel in general serves as a sort of third party in the series' overarching conflict, opposing and/or allying with both the Republic and the main bad guys, the Nihil, at various points).
Han's not stupid, but I'm still not sure he would be willing to acknowledge the superiority of any ship, for any task, over the Millennium Falcon.
To be fair, in this case, Starlight Intruder has clearance for Deep Core travel - the Falcon doesn't. So he doesn't have a lot of choice;).