Star Wars’ New Darth Vader Release Will Show an Important Anakin Moment Not Seen on Screen

It’s a great time to be a Star War prequel trilogy fan, and not just on screen. The upcoming novel Star Wars: Master of Evil by Adam Christopher hits shelves on November 11th, and we now have a synopsis of what this book is all about. As expected, it’s about the early days of Darth Vader’s Sith apprenticeship and his descent into the Dark Side of the Force. According to publisher Penguin Random House, it will even depict the “dark ritual” Vader conducts in order to forge an authentic Sith lightsaber. It’s a major turning point for Vader, and while we’ve never seen it on screen before, it was depicted in the 2017 comic book Darth Vader #5. Seeing it from a new perspective in Christopher’s novel should be a boon to the Chosen One’s fans.

The Star Wars prequel trilogy showed us most of Anakin Skywalker’s life from the time he was rescued from slavery by the Jedi to the time he turned on the order and succumbed to the Dark Side. It leaves the Chosen One in a mournful, broken state, and it’s not exactly clear how he becomes such a loyal follower of Emperor Palpatine by the time of the original trilogy. Thankfully, some talented creators have already begun to fill in the blanks, and Christopher is joining the effort now.

The 2017 Marvel Comics series Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith was written by Charles Soule and penciled by Giuseppe Camuncoli, with a long list of other artists as well as letterers and editors. It picks up right from the ending of Revenge of the Sith, and it went on for two years and 25 issues. It depicts several key events that made Vader a true believer in the Dark Side, and forging his own Sith lightsaber was the first.

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Judging by the synopsis, it sounds like the novel Star Wars: Master of Evil will depict this same period of transformation for Darth Vader, but from a slightly different perspective. The canonical events remain the same — “On the volcanic world of Mustafar, Vader undertakes a dark ritual, bleeding a kyber crystal to forge his lightsaber. This act unleashes a power far greater than he anticipated, giving him a glimpse into the limitless potential of the Force.”

“Bleeding” a kyber crystal is a rite of passage for a Sith, but so far, Vader’s undertaking of this ritual has only been depicted in comics. The only times fans have seen it on screen is in one video game and one Disney+ series, but never with a character as central as Vader. It’s the kind of esoteric lore many fans have been craving in the wake of titles like Andor.

Star Wars: Master of Evil is available for pre-order now in print, digital, and audiobook formats. It will be delivered on November 11th. In the meantime, fans who want to get ahead can find related events in Darth Vader (2017), available in print and digital formats.