Summary
Warning! Spoilers for Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #48 ahead!Despite their rocky relationship in theStar Warssaga,Darth Vader’s position asEmperor Palpatine’s apprentice mostly remained secure until Palpatine discovered Vader’s son - Luke Skywalker. But, by pitting Luke against his father for a place by his side, Palpatine disrupted the once stable Sith hierarchy and left it susceptible to attack from an unlikely outside force –the Umbaran.
In Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco’sStar Wars: Darth Vader(2020) Vader discovers an underground resistance composed entirely of Imperial government officials and military personnel.Calling themselves the Schism Imperial, the group of collaborators seeksto overthrow Emperor Palpatineand implement their own rule.
Led by Sly Moore aka the Umbaran, the Schism Imperial poses one of the most significant threats to Palpatine’s rule since his rise to power. Notably, Moore’s previous role as Palpatine’s chief aide granted her unparalleled access to his inner circle. Furthermore,as a Force-sensitive Umbaran, Moore can manipulate the minds of others, likely making her privy to many of Palpatine’s and Vader’s plans that they’d rather keep secret.
The Prequel Trilogy’s Ever-Present Sly Moore Always Posed As The Dutiful Assistant
Normally, Vader’s discovery of a threat as dangerous as the Schism Imperial ends with their elimination. In this case, rather than kill Moore, Vader joins forces with her – perhaps influenced by the fact that both have issues with Palpatine. However, as revealed inStar Wars: Darth Vader(2020) #48, Moore has a change of heart.Rather than overthrow Palpatine, she decides a better plan is to kill Vader and Skywalker and present herself to Palpatine as his new apprentice.
Moore’s attempted power grab is surprising if seen only from the perspective of theStar Warsprequel trilogy. Throughout the Clone Wars, Moore obediently stands by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine’s side. She does so even though her home world,Umbara, becomes one of the fiercest foes of the Galactic Republic. Her loyalty to Palpatine continues even after he becomes Emperor. As documented inStar Wars: Darth Vader(2020) and other comic book series, Moore even plays a crucial role in carrying out Palpatine’s punishment campaign against Vader after the Dark Lord of the Sith decides to seek out his son Luke.
Accordingly, her interest in taking on a more direct role seems uncharacteristic of her personality and demeanor. She’s always seemed satisfied with playing a background role. However, after her failure to kill Vader leads Palpatine to “cancel” her, Moore decides to put her tremendous network of assets to use to overthrow the Emperor. However, still longing to return to his side, Moore sees her chance to achieve this by eliminating Vader and Luke. She knows that, if she can do that, then Palpatine would surely choose her as his apprentice.
Why The Umbara Arc Was Clone Wars' Most Important Story
Though Star Wars: The Clone Wars had many memorable arcs across its seven-season run, the arc of Umbara is the show’s most definitive, important one.
The Umbaran’s Plans Are Even Grander In Scale Than Palpatine’s
Considering her “deep state” involvement in overthrowing Palpatine, Moore’s new plan to replace Vader as his apprentice is audacious but not insane. Indeed, having spent so many years alongside Palpatine,Moore is aware of his preference for ambitious, skilled, loyal, and obedient apprentices who possess both power and a subtle capacity for betrayal. It’s clear to her that, with those skills, she poses a significant threat to Vader’s position as Palpatine’s second-in-command. Her only vulnerability is that she can not match Vader’s strength in the Force. This makes killing Vader even more important, as it would prove she can take down the most formidable Force users.
However, what she lacks in Force strength, she makes up for by getting others to do her dirty work for her. Nowhere is this more evident than through her leadership of the Schism Imperial covert network. Another characteristic that Palpatine would probably see positively is her appreciation of the sheer harshness of the apprentice position. By working alongside Palpatine for so long and at such a critical period, Moore has certainly developed deep insights into Palpatine’s mindset. Those insights should enlighten her about the pain, terror, and sacrifice that goes along with being Palpatine’s apprentice. Despite this, knowingly and voluntarily subjecting herself to such pain is something no other apprentice has admitted to contemplating.
Moore certainly doesn’t plan to remain an apprentice indefinitely. She most likely sees it as a more effective means to eventually kill Palpatine and take control of the Empire herself. His initial rejection of her after her failure to eliminate Vader cannot be a feeling she’s easily gotten over. If she succeeds in her plan to kill Vader, Palpatine would likely lean into the sheer audacity of her mindset and the execution of a plan he didn’t think possible. Indeed, her plot againstDarth Vaderin his and his son seems to be exactly the combination of ruthlessness, adaptability, ambition, and emotional coldness thatPalpatinewould find compelling for a Sith apprentice poised to share his control over theStar Warsgalaxy.
Star Wars: Darth Vader(2020) #48is available now from Marvel Comics.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
