Darth Vader (2017) 13: Burning Seas: Part 1
What is it ? : Vader dreams of his fight against Obi-Wan on Mustafar, but he imagines it with him as Vader instead of Anakin, he force chokes Obi-Wan hurling him into the Lava, and as Obi-Wan burns he repeats his speech about them being brothers and Anakin being the chosen one.
Vader awakens in his meditation sphere, Palpatine summons him. They meet in the throne room in what was once the Jedi Temple and is now the Imperial Palace. Palpatine tells him that now, after 3 years, it's time to begin making breaks with the fantasy that the Empire is just the Republic, so they must begin using the military to bring worlds in line, especially rebellious worlds such as Mon Cala. Vader asks if "the station" is ready, but Palpatine says Krennic informs him it's primary weapon is not ready. Vader comments that he can't lead an attack as he is not a General, but Palpatine wants him to do something else as he suspects the Mon Calamari are getting advice from an advisor, perhaps a Jedi.
Around Mon Cala, aboard the Star Destroyer Sovereign, Tarkin meets with his officers, the military have been training to assault a water world since they arrived, the ISB has been preparing propaganda to drive the 2 species, the Mon Calamari and the Quarren, against one another, and the Navy is asking why they don't just pound the planet into submission. But Tarkin reminds them that the Empire wants to control the world, not destroy it.
On the surface, the Imperial Ambassador is meeting with King Lee-Char, who is objecting to the Empire setting trade at below what Mon Cala could sell for elsewhere, and the negotiations end.
Tarkin watches as a custom shuttle arrives with Vader and the Inquisition, and he prepares his forces for battle as he recognises a new form of diplomacy has arrived.
The shuttle lands, and Ackbar tells Vader and the Inquisition they have no right to step foot on the planet without good reason as there are no enemies on Mon Cala. The shuttle carrying the Ambassador back to orbit explodes overhead, and Vader tells Ackbar that he is wrong.
Tarkin orders his forces to begin landing, and in a cave deep below Mon Cala a robed figure is told by King Lee-Char that Imperial Forces are landing, led by the Inquisition and a Dark Armoured figure who hasn't identified himself, but the robed figure says he knows who it is, Skywalker. . . .
High Points : So it's really interesting to see Mon Cala as recognisable from the Clone Wars animated series, Prince Lee-Char has taken the throne and leads the world, with Ackbar as a trusted aide. I wonder if they'll make more of Anakin's role in protecting Lee-Char during the Clone Wars, as he now returns to conquer on behalf of the Empire.
Low Points : Although it's definitely part of the timeline, this issue does draw attention to the time it takes to build the Death Star. Here we are around 15 years before A New Hope, and Vader already has expectations that the Death Star will be complete. It bring images of people working most of their career aboard the battlestation, soldiers guarding it, officers maintaining it's systems and weapons, only for it to be blown up just days after it finally goes operational. We know the vulnerabilities of the station were designed in, but this just makes the crew look more incompetent, because they had over a decade of doing nothing much to notice these. "Hey Dave, I've been watching this exhaust vent for over a dozen years, and I just thought, shouldn't there be some kind of anti-missile screen over it?"
So what do you really think ? : It's all set up for the next story, Vader is on Mon Cala, the Mon Calamari King has a Jedi advisor who knows Anakin, they'll end up coming into conflict among the Imperial Conquest of the planet. We'll see if they come up with something interesting beyond that.
Final Words : The death of the Imperial Ambassador when his shuttle explodes, I have to admit I thought it was an Imperial Plan to give Vader a reason to search Mon Cala for terrorists, but Tarkin doesn't seem to have been in on the plan as he is as surprised as anyone, and expresses disappointment in the Mon Calamari for not negotiating. Now it could just be an Inquisitorial plan, but they didn't seem to have enough time to sabotage the Ambassadors shuttle between landing, and it exploding moments later. So I wonder if the explosion will ever be explained?
Score : 7.5/10
Comments made about this Article!
There are currently no comments for this article, be the first to post in the form below
