The Star Wars saga often highlights the immense power of super-weapons, but the true instrument of galactic change might be far more insidious: the manipulation of history. This subtle weapon, wielded with devastating effect, has warped perspectives and shaped destinies, proving far more destructive than any planet-destroying station.

This potent form of influence is starkly on display in Star Wars: Legacy of Vader, written by Charles Soule with art by Luke Ross. Through the schemings of Vanee, Darth Vader's former attendant, Kylo Ren is fed a biased and distorted of Palpatine's impact on Naboo, which he readily accepts.

This perversion of history, a consistent theme throughout the series thus far, highlights Kylo's inability to think critically on his own and mirrors the pervasive media bias seen in our own society today.

The Deliberate Distorting Of History Serves To Fuel Tyranny

Vanee Has Been Telling A Warped Version Of Vader’s Past

Vanee has been a consistent source of slanted truths for Kylo Ren. His purpose is clear: to mold Kylo into a darker, more ruthless leader by shaping his understanding of history, particularly the legacy of Darth Vader and the origins of the Empire. Vanee's retelling of Palpatine's actions on Naboo is perhaps his most egregious distortion yet. Instead of presenting the oppressive truth of Palpatine's rise, a calculated manipulation using Naboo as the catalyst that led to the erosion of the Republic and the suffering of countless beings, Vanee recounts Palpatine’s glorious path to power as a popular and beloved leader.

This historical whitewashing allows Kylo to view Palpatine not as a tyrant, but as a visionary and skilled politician, a master of control whose methods should be emulated. This deliberate misrepresentation of events is a powerful tool in Vanee's arsenal. By controlling the past, he controls Kylo's present and future actions. He crafts a reality where the most influential dark side villain was painted as a hero among his own people, leaving out the truth about Palpatine’s orchestration of blockades of his own homeworld that led to the suffering of the Naboo people.

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Kylo, eager to embrace his perceived destiny and emulate his grandfather, readily absorbs these twisted “truths”, further cementing his commitment to the First Order's authoritarian agenda. Vanee’s tales of Anakin’s past are riddled with lies crafted to make Kylo more enraged than the already unstable man is. This historical revisionism is the very foundation upon which new tyrannies are built. It serves to indoctrinate, making the radical seem rational and the tyrannical appear justifiable. Kylo Ren’s unwavering belief in Vanee's fabrications serves as a poignant parallel to the very real issues facing society today, particularly regarding media bias.

In a world saturated with information, the ability to discern truth from manipulation is essential. Kylo, despite his immense power and potential, exhibits a profound failure in critical thinking. He trusts Vanee implicitly, absorbing every skewed detail without questioning the motivations or the validity of the source. This uncritical acceptance leaves him vulnerable to Vanee's agenda, preventing him from forming an objective understanding of the galaxy’s history or his own family's past. Just as Kylo is being shaped by Vanee’s curated stories, audiences in our world can be profoundly influenced by media that lack objectivity.

The consequence is a populace, or in Kylo's case, a leader, who makes decisions based on incomplete or outright false information, leading to outcomes that can be detrimental to an entire society. The comic serves as a cautionary tale, illustrating how unchecked information consumption can lead to a decrease in critical thinking skills and ultimately, the propagation of destructive ideologies. Kylo Ren's journey under Vanee's guidance is a powerful reminder that the greatest weapon isn't a laser blast, but the subtle, pervasive influence of a biased story, capable of reshaping an individual's worldview and, by extension, the fate of an entire galaxy.