Summary

• Princess Leia blames herself and Grand Moff Tarkin's ruthless tactics more than Darth Vader for Alderaan's destruction.
• Darth Vader regrets his role in the Death Star's creation and still carries guilt for Alderaan's obliteration.
• Star Wars #48 hints at Vader's potential redemption, portraying him as a heartbreaking, sympathetic villain.

The destruction of Alderaan is Star Wars franchise seems ready to forgive him for it. Chronologically speaking, Anakin has plunged his lightsaber into the backs of the innocent too many times to count. On-screen, however, fans first witnessed Vader’s insidious nature in Star Wars: A New Hope as he held Princess Leia in place and forced her to watch her people’s genocide. Over time, both Legends and the current canon have attempted to absolve the Sith Lord of his involvement, if only slightly.

Star Wars (2020) #48 by Charles Soule, Jethro Morales, and Rachelle Rosenberg may have given another hint that even Alderaan’s most burdened survivor doesn’t blame Vader as much as they do someone else.

Taking place sometime after Han Solo’s capture by Boba Fett and Darth Vader, the issue sees Princess Leia still plagued by nightmares of her homeworld’s demise. She tells Luke that she dreams of being on the planet when it falls. She dreams of Grand Moff Tarkin taunting her. She dreams that she's the one who activates the planet-killer. Yet, while Darth Vader is present, she does not focus her blame on him.

Princess Leia Fears One Imperial More Than Any Other

Grand Moff Tarkin Represents Everything Leia Hates in the Empire

Princess Leia makes it openly clear in Star Wars #48 that she blames herself for her planet's destruction; she wishes she could have done more and worries that she has failed her loved ones. But in her nightmares, hunched underneath Vader's black mass, peering over her nervous hand, is Grand Moff Tarkin. As seen in the films, Tarkin is a power-hungry tactical mastermind who subscribes so heavily to the Doctrine of Fear that he gladly steps on his fellow Imperials to take credit for their terror.

Tarkin seizes control of the juvenile Death Star and has the fallen planet Scarif razed.

In 2016’s Rogue One, the film’s primary antagonist, Director Orson Krennic, is the direct overseer of all Imperial weapons development, including the conception and construction of the Death Star. Krennic, however, has a hostile relationship with Tarkin. When the Rebels threaten to release Imperial military secrets, Tarkin seizes control of the juvenile Death Star and has the fallen planet Scarif razed with Director Krennic still on the surface. It’s Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin whom Princess Leia fears more than anybody. It’s Tarkin whom she blames most for the death of Alderaan.

Darth Vader Regrets His Role in Alderaan’s Destruction

The Dark Lord of the Sith Was Openly Opposed to the Death Star’s Creation

As early as Star Wars: A New Hope, Darth Vader shows his disapproval of the Death Star’s construction. Immediately before he displays the powerful Force choke ability for the first time, Vader calls the Death Star a “technological terror” and belittles the project in comparison to the power of the Force. In Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #24 by Greg Park and Marco Castiello, Vader reflects on Alderaan’s destruction, itting that he still carries the weight of the planet’s obliteration. Like Obi-Wan once did, Vader also experienced the billions of cries echoing throughout the Force before they were quelled into sudden silence.

Over the years, Star Wars has tried to make Darth Vader more sympathetic regarding his relationship with Alderaan’s destruction. After discovering that it was his own son who led the assault against the first Death Star, Vader embraced his dissent against the Empire and schemed its potential downfall. While Grand Moff Tarkin is certainly to blame for the Death Star’s creation, the Dark Lord can’t completely be absolved of his casual participation. That said, Darth Vader has been successfully recreated as a heartbreaking, sympathetic villain, with stories like Star Wars #48 giving him inches of redemption.

Star Wars #48 is available now from Marvel Comics.