Before his fall and transformation into the tyrannical Darth Vader , Anakin Skywalker despised the Jedi. He believed the Order had become corrupt and hypocritical, leveraging the war to gain political power. To Anakin, the Jedi Order was evil. However, after reading through this Star Wars Legends comic, it’s hard to deny that Vader was right about a few things. Maybe the Jedi were evil?

Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison - by W. Haden Blackman and Agustin Alessio - is a Legends-era comic that takes place within the infant moments of the Galactic Empire . Investigating a nefarious Jedi conspiracy he had unearthed during his time in the Order, Darth Vader collects a small cell of unlikely Imperial allies to uncover the Jedi secret.

Unknown to everyone but the Council, the Jedi maintained a top-secret prison where they hid their personal enemies away from the eyes of the Republic. Just as Darth Vader thought, the Jedi believed they were above the law.

Darth Vader Was Right to Distrust the Jedi Council

Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison #1-5 - Written by Haden Blackman; Art by Agustin Alessio; Lettering by Michael Heisler; Cover Art by Dave Wilkins

Before the fall of the Galactic Republic, deeply entrenched in the ongoing Clone Wars , Anakin Skywalker noticed that his deadliest prisoners of war, all lieutenants and officers under Dooku’s command, inexplicably vanished. He compelled the Council to explain why his prisoners conveniently disappeared from Republic records after being handed off to the Jedi, only for his concerns to be ignored. Even Obi-Wan kept Anakin in the dark, downplaying his concerns, practically gaslighting his apprentice before shoving him out the door. In secret, the Jedi had been running a private prison, exclusively holding top-ranking soldiers of the Confederacy.

Anakin wouldn’t have a chance to uncover the truth about the Jedi’s secret prison, commonly referred to as the “Prism,” until after the Empire’s formation and his transformation into Darth Vader. Yes, Darth Vader was heavily swayed by the Dark Side and was a puppet to Emperor Palpatine’s machinations, but his original distrust of the Jedi Order was sound. The Jedi believed that the Republic was incapable of handling Dooku’s rabid soldiers, when in reality the Prism was explicitly designed to hold the enemies of their religious order.

The Jedi Council Treated Anakin Like a Tool of Warfare, Not an Equal

The Council’s Dependency on Secrets Defined Anakin’s Distrust

Darth Vader was right. The Jedi Council were liars and traitors, conspiring against due process and transparency.

The Jedi Council , no better than the Republic or the Empire, was a corrupt organization that practiced the “Do as I say, not as I do” mentality of leadership. Their dependency on secrets and subterfuge, while sending their best to die in a political war, is what ultimately defined Anakin’s distrust of the Order. Even Obi-Wan did not know of the prison’s location at first. As long as it was “for the sake of peace,” the Council justified their actions which, had it been the Republic or the Confederacy, the Order would normally have condemned.

Darth Vader was right. The Jedi Council were liars and traitors, conspiring against due process and transparency. Upon setting foot inside the prison for the first time, Vader feels immediate vindication. It’s revealed that of the 208 prisoners, over half were captured by Anakin. It’s hard to see this information and not see the unjust cruelty in the Council’s actions towards Anakin. Obi-Wan its that Anakin is best suited for battle, but clearly not trusted enough to know where his prisoners were going. The Jedi Council, including Kenobi, treated Anakin as nothing more than a tool of war.

The Jedi Never Served the Republic or Democracy, They Served Themselves

It’s Hard to Maintain the Democratic Process When Your Organization Is Built on Secrecy

While the prison and the prisoners were kept in impeccable condition, something that, ittedly, the Republic would have failed to maintain, it doesn’t soften the inherent problem of the Council’s secrecy. The Jedi Order was supposed to be a religious organization that served as peacekeepers. Instead, they trained their children to fight in war and kept secret prisons outside the eyes of the legitimate government. The Jedi believed that they were above the law, above due process, and above the galaxy. The Prism wasn’t designed to help the Republic, it was designed to quietly remove Dooku’s influence and power .

No, I can’t exactly justify everything Darth Vader has done . His version of “peace” doesn’t justify his means. However, he was right about the Jedi Order and the Council. Who’s to say that, if the Empire had never formed, the Jedi would have let the Republic know about the Prism? One justification leads to many more, another fault Anakin saw in the Order. The Jedi didn’t serve the Republic, they served themselves and their own goals. The Jedi devolved into nothing short of a tribal war council, propagated by their lies and secrecy, something Darth Vader knew from the start.