Star Wars Comic Connects Prequels to Sequel Trilogy, Possibly Plants Seeds for Snoke

The Skywalker Saga spans generations not only within its narrative, but also with the films’ actual releases, with new installments having been released across more than 40 years, which sometimes makes it difficult to unite the overall storyline. While some fans might only check out the live-action films to enjoy the series, various supplemental stories offer more insight into the sprawling saga. The most recent issue of Star Wars: Darth Vader, for example, found ways to unify events from the prequel trilogy with the original trilogy and even set the stage for the now-concluded sequel trilogy of stories, including teases about Supreme Leader Snoke.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Star Wars: Darth Vader #7

Set shortly after the ending of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Vader finds himself back on Mustafar, with the Emperor forcing him to fend for himself after severing his robotic limbs. To truly test Vader, Palpatine also tasked the ruthless assassin Ochi of Bestoon with killing Vader, testing the famous Sith Lord’s sense of survival.

As Vader explores the lava-covered planet, he sees the corpses of those he had slain during the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.

Despite these memories of the past doing little to impact Vader, these moments are grim reminders of the horrible things the villain did in the prequel trilogy, helping solidify the narrative tissue of the Skywalker Saga.

The issue doesn’t merely look to the past, as it also teases the saga’s future. When Vader confronts Ochi of Bestoon, the assassin talks about Palpatine’s master plan and how it extends well beyond exploiting his Sith apprentice. This is where the issue aims to keep things much more subtle, offering only the slightest implications about what fans learned in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The specific mention of what the Emperor can “build” is likely teasing Palpatine’s plans of the creation of Supreme Leader Snoke on Exegol. While Snoke was a major threat in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, audiences learned in The Rise of Skywalker that Snoke was merely one part of Palpatine’s plan. Given how much material that film had to cover, it was never explicitly detailed that Snoke’s corporeal form was only meant to be under the control of Palpatine’s consciousness, with the reference in this issue to “building” something clearly hinting at this reveal that Vader likely never learned the full details of.

One of the issue’s most exciting moments comes from Vader meeting the Eye of Webbish Bog, a figure crafted for The Rise of Skywalker but ultimately never made the final cut.

With the creature only appearing on the final page of the issue, we don’t know how it will factor into Vader’s journey, but it sure has us excited for what’s to come, knowing that audiences were originally meant to see Kylo Ren’s interactions with it.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #7 is on sale now.

What did you think of this issue? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!