Warning! This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Darth Vader #35 Star Wars has no shortage of incredibly powerful weapons, though a surprisingly small number of them have anything to do with the Force, at least, until now, as Darth Vader’s new weapon–the Zaly Shield–is the ultimate Force upgrade.
The Zaly Shield is an artifact created by Separatist scientist Dr. Istan Zaly. The shield is made from pure kyberite, which is the substance kyber crystals are grown from. Just as kyber crystals are attuned to the Force–which is why they are used within lightsabers–the kyberite can concentrate and guide the energy channeled through the Force. While the shield is a long-forgotten artifact that many Force-wielders wouldn’t have any interest in obtaining anyway, the current predicament Darth Vader finds himself in makes the shield not just of interest to him, but something that is, in fact, necessary for his continued survival. And, now that he has it, Darth Vader has become more powerful than perhaps he’s ever been in Star Wars history.
Darth Vader is at Max Power with the Zaly Shield
In Star Wars: Darth Vader #35 by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco, Darth Vader tracks down Doctor Aphra as she is the only person he can think of who might know the location of the Zaly Shield. The reason Vader needs the artifact is that his grip on/control over the Force is tenuous, at best. Since the Fermata Cage was opened by Lady Qi’ra, the Force has been surging across the galaxy. The reason being that the Fermata Cage released a wave of Force energy, causing ripples in the cosmic current that every living thing–especially those who are particularly intune with the Force–can feel. Sometimes Darth Vader feels as though he’s cut off from the Force entirely, while other times he’s surging with so much power that he can’t even control it. During one such time, Vader accidentally tore a hole in the hull of his ship, which sucked him out to space and nearly killed him. Vader is vulnerable when he’s cut off from the Force, and a very real danger to himself when he is hit with a flood of Force energy. However, with the Zaly Shield, Vader has effectively nullified both weaknesses, and turned them into incomparable strengths.
When Darth Vader is cut off from the Force, the Zaly Shield becomes a heavy piece of nearly unbreakable material, able to shield him from practically any attack while he’s free to counter with one of his own. And, when he’s surging with power from a Force ripple, that’s when the shield really becomes the prized weapon he sought. Given that it’s made from kyberite, the Zaly Shield can channel and guide Force energy, no matter how powerful. That means the raw power Vader couldn’t control–the same power that made him rip a hole in his own ship–is made into a concentrated blast of pure Force energy through the Zaly Shield, meaning Vader now has full control over his previously unpredictable Force power.
The reason the Zaly Shield is perhaps the most powerful Force weapon in the galaxy (aside from being one of the few ones of note) is very much due to who is wielding it and when it is being wielded. The ripples in the Force make Force-s more powerful than they’ve ever been, which is why it’s so hard to control. This means the Force-energy attack Vader can shoot through the Zaly Shield is the strongest concentration of Force energy that has ever been shown. So, from its practical uses to its ability to channel Force attacks no matter how strong, it’s easy to see how Darth Vader’s Zaly Shield is Star Wars' ultimate Force upgrade.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #35 by Marvel Comics is available now.
