Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The sequel trilogy has come to a conclusion, and tie-in novels and comics are drawing all the loose threads together. It's already the case that, in order to fully understand the sequel trilogy, you need to pick up several novels, novelizations, and prelude comics.
Greg Pak's current Darth Vader series is technically set shortly after the events of Darth Vader and an unnamed Sith assassin. It was logical to assume this will be Ochi of Bestoon, the agent of Palpatine ultimately responsible for killing Rey's parents.
Lucasfilm has just released a new synopsis for January's Darth Vader #9, confirming this theory. According to the synopsis, a vengeful Darth Vader - who has just been tortured by his Master for his failure at Bespin - will investigate Palpatine's greatest secrets. These will lead him into pitched battle with Ochi of Bestoon. Here's the full synopsis:
- DARTH VADER #9
- Written by GREG PAK
- Art by RAFFAELE IENCO
- Cover by AARON KUDER
- THE ASSASSIN RETURNS!
- In his search for vengeance in the depths of MUSTAFAR, DARTH VADER has seized the mysterious key to the EMPEROR’S greatest secret.
- But the key itself needs a key — which only the deadly assassin OCHI OF BESTOON seems to have. Vader and Ochi are in for the fight of their lives with the fate of the Emperor in the balance — but how much of this is all PALPATINE’S plan?
- And what happens when the SITH LORD and the SITH ASSASSIN start to figure that plan out?
Clearly, this is setting up Darth Vader's acquisition of the ancient Sith Wayfinder, and presumably his discovery of Exegol. Chuck Wendig's Aftermath trilogy suggested Palpatine had not always been aware of Exegol's existence but rather had sensed this mysterious vergence in the Force, and thus sent his forces to explore the Unknown Regions. One of the Emperor's closest allies, Gallus Rax, recalled:
"The Emperor was convinced that something waited for him out there — some origin of the Force, some dark presence formed of malevolent substance. He said he could feel the waves of it radiating out now that the way was clear. The Emperor called it a signal — conveniently one that only he could hear. Even his greatest enforcer, Vader, seemed oblivious to it, and Vader also claimed mastery over the dark Force, did he not? Rax believed Palpatine had gone mad."
It seems the Emperor has discovered Exegol by the time of The Empire Strikes Back, but has never told his apprentice about it. Furious at the way he has been treated, Darth Vader swears revenge against his Master and begins to investigate his Master's deepest secrets. But is he actually going against Palpatine's wishes, or has the Dark Lord of the Sith instead been manipulated?
The encounter between Darth Vader and Ochi of Bestoon will be a particularly exciting one. Darth Vader is at his weakest, clearly badly injured after he was tortured by Palpatine; the cover suggests he's even been forced to replace some of his cybernetic limbs with parts from old Clone Wars-era Battle Droids. But even weakened, Darth Vader is still a force to be reckoned with, as Ochi of Bestoon will undoubtedly learn to his cost.
Source: Lucasfilm
