Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: A New Legacy #1!Even the most casualStar Warsfan knows that the Sith and the Jedi are cosmic enemies, as they are constantly working to eliminate the other from the galaxy. Indeed, the Jedi pretty much succeeded in doing just that to the Sith betweenthe Old Republic EraandThe Phantom Menace, where they enjoyed a thousand years of peace. Therefore, it’s fair to assume that the Sith would have a healthy fear of the Jedi. However, there’s onlyone person the Sith have even more reason to fear: Emperor Palpatine.
InStar Wars: A New Legacy#1 “The Grand Imperial Jubilee” by Charles Soule and Ramon Rosanas, Doctor Aphra and her partner-in-crime, Sana, are planning a heist. The Emperor is holding a party celebrating his ascension to Supreme Chancellor, which effectively solidified his standing as Emperor. So, this party was going to be extravagant, not just in terms of the extensive high-profile guest list, but the priceless pieces of artwork on display for everyone in attendance to see and enjoy - includingthe Mask of Darth Momin.
Before Aphra got the chance to steal anything, a Stormtrooper who was exploring the storeroom stumbled upon the Mask of Darth Momin, unaware of its horrific properties. The dark side power emanating from the mask called to the trooper, persuading him to put it on. Once he did so, the spirit of Darth Momin possessed him, bringing the Sith Lord back to life. Momin decided to join the party, where he found one of his own pieces of artwork on display. However, he was uncredited on the plaque, which threw the Sith artist into a fit of pure rage.
Palpatine’s Disrespect Towards Darth Momin is Just His Latest Offense Against the Sith
Palpatine is a Sith Heretic who Constantly Perverts Their Legacy & Makes Other Sith Suffer
Emperor Palpatine erased Darth Momin from history by not crediting him as the original artist for the artwork in his collection, and while that’s of little consequence for the story at large, it is indicative of Palpatine’s entire treatment of the Sith as a whole.Palpatine has long-been considered a Sith Hereticbecause he picks and chooses which Sith tenets to adhere to, and disregards others. Indeed, his very existence is a slap in the face to the legacy of the Sith.
Palpatine makes the Sith suffer more than a Jedi ever could, while also spitting in the face of the Sith’s legacy.
Not only that, but Palpatine also makes any Sith he encounters suffer more than anyone else could - just look at what he passively did to Momin. Darth Maul and Count Dooku suffered immensely by Palpatine’s hand, Darth Plaguis was murdered by Palpatine, and Darth Vader literally stayed with his master because of how much Palpatine made him suffer (as Vader concluded that would only make him stronger). Palpatine makes the Sith suffer more than a Jedi ever could, while also spitting in the face of the Sith’s legacy.
Emperor Palpatine Has Weirdly Become Star Wars’ ‘Joker’
No One is More Detrimental to the Forces of Evil Than Palpatine (Just Like DC’s Joker)
What’s interesting about drawing this conclusion about Palpatine is that it kind of makes himStar Wars’ ‘Joker’. Yes, that is a weird comparison, but it makes sense when considering that the Joker has actually (permanently) stopped more of Gotham’s criminals than Batman, despite being a villain himself. Now, compare that to Palpatine, who regularly makes Sith Lords suffer more than any Jedi, with the addition of perverting the very identity of a Sith, forever harming theStar Warsdark side religionin ways the Jedi never could. Is it weird? Yeah. But that doesn’t make it any less true.
“The Third Jedi Purge”: Years Ago, Star Wars Set Up an Epic Story That’s All But Begging to Return
Not 1, not 2, but 3 major Jedi Purges have happened in Star Wars, and the Third Jedi Purge is just begging for a major comeback in Star Wars canon!
Joker comparison aside, thislatest installment inStar Warsloremerely highlights how much Emperor Palpatine can make other Sith Lords suffer. In this case, it was erasing Darth Momin from his own history, just as Palpatine has erased so much of Sith culture with his heretical ways. But, more than anything else, this issue brings up the fact that Emperor Palpatine is the one person the Sith should fear more than the Jedi inStar Wars.
Star Wars: A New Legacy #1by Marvel Comics is available now.
