Warning! Spoilers ahead for Darth Vader (2020) #37!Darth Vader's hatred for the Jedi is near absolute, but in the latest issue of Marvel's Darth Vader ongoing, it is the memory of one individual Jedi which ever-so-briefly seems to tug Vader back to the Light: the first Jedi he ever met, the man responsible for having him trained in the ways of the Force, Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
Darth Vader #37 – by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco – finds the Sith Lord still recovering after encountering a Fermata Cage, which disrupted Vader's otherwise unwavering command of the Force. The appearance of Qui-Gon Jinn, and Vader's continued reverence toward his memory, remind readers that Darth Vader was once a Jedi, and perhaps the key to regaining full control of his abilities lie in the teachings of his original masters.
A Lone Light Surrounded By Vast Darkness
In Darth Vader #33 – by Greg Pak and Adam Gorham – the detonation of the Fermata Cage emitted a Force Wave which disrupted Vader's Force powers. Vader has been slowly re-asserting his mastery over the Force with the aid of rebuilt Jedi training droid, Arex, though as of Pak and Ienco's Darth Vader #37 the Sith Lord's control over the Force remains tenuous at best. Vader's recovery, utilizing the teachings of the Sith, has resulted in slow progress, leading Arex to insist on a different approach. Darth Vader is initially reluctant to take Arex's advice, saying the Jedi "wallowed in weakness, not power."
Qui-Gon Jinn: the One Jedi of Value
the Executor, overrun by the Droid Uprising, Darth Vader's adherence to Sith dogma is put to the test. Unable to use the Force to mend the machinery which controls the ship-wide droid shutdown failsafe, Vader relents to Arex's advice and ed the words of the Jedi. Master Qui-Gon Jinn's words echo in Vader's mind. There's no anger, nor hatred in this memory – Vader simply recalls one of the first lessons the Jedi Master slyly gave to young Anakin Skywalker.
The Light Side interlude in Darth Vader #37 is brief, as Vader's memories of Qui-Gon quickly slip into those of Obi-Wan Kenobi, serenity slipping into untethered rage, which Vader unleashes upon the material world. However, this brief interlude of peace for the agonized fallen Jedi confirms that Qui-Gon Jinn, unique among the of his former Order, is ed with fondness, and furthermore, respect by the Dark Lord of the Sith. Sith deal in absolutes, thus Vader's hatred for the Jedi should be absolute. In his memories of Qui-Gon Jinn, Vader reveals perhaps his sole exception to this otherwise inviolable rule.
Qui-Gon epitomized what Anakin Skywalker once believed the Jedi to be – a standard the rest of the Order failed to live up to in Darth Vader's eyes. The Jedi Master's lessons gave meaning to Anakin's existence, setting the example of what a Jedi could, should, and must be. Vader's memories of Qui-Gon Jinn vindicate the belief Luke Skywalker would come to hold: that there was still good inside Darth Vader. The moment may have been fleeting, but in that brief window the Sith Lord wasn't filled with hatred for the Jedi – instead, Anakin Skywalker felt the tug of the Light.
Darth Vader (2020) #37 is on sale now from Marvel Comics
