To uncover the secrets of a nefarious Jedi conspiracy,Darth Vaderassembled a team of Imperial horrors. Each member, like Vader, is a twisted relic from the days of the Republic, radicalized to serve the Empire. This group of Imperials was so talented that they even gained the Emperor’s recognition. While the team was short-lived, Darth Vader’s forgotten Imperial squad was an unmatched terror.
Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison -by W. Haden Blackman and Agustin Alessio - chronicles Darth Vader’s investigation into a pre-Empire Jedi conspiracy. This Legends-era comic series reveals that the Jedi Council possessed a secret prison, hidden from the Republic and the rest ofthe Jedi Order.
Darth Vader gathers a small squadron of twisted Imperial agents to help uncover the secrets of this classified prison, known as the Prism. Together, these unmatched terrors slaughtered their way to their respective goals, momentarily becoming one ofthe galaxy’s greatest scourges.
Darth Vader’s Squadron Are Unmatched Republic-Era Terrors
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
This unnamed squad, of canon long past, was one of Vader’s mostdynamically interesting teams.Unlike many of his modern crews, often consisting of Inquisitors and morally ambiguous rogue agents, this team holds only legitimate Imperial agents. While Vader briefly expands his ranks with the liberated prisoners of the Prism, his two most prominent compatriots areLieutenant Laurita Tohm and Moff Trachta.Both men, like Vader, are relics frombefore the Empire, twisted andmalformed from the chaos of the Clone Wars.
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Before therise of the Empire, Tohm and his family were tibanna gas harvesters, a critical material for starship hyperdrives. During his childhood, the Confederacy bombed Tohm’s home, killing his entire family and heavily disfiguring him. Years later,Tohm swore complete fealty to the newly elected Emperorand his aid, Darth Vader. Meanwhile, Moff Trachta was once a decorated soldierin the Clone Warsuntil he was nearly killed and equally disfigured by a rogue Jedi padawan. During the war, Trachta gainedthe respect of Senator Palpatine, leveraging that relationship to become one of the first Moffs of the Empire.
Each Member of Vader’s Team is a Master of Military Tactics
The Clone Wars Forged Them Into Devout Soldiers
The trio’s loyalty to the Empire is absolute, however, their visions of a perfect Empire greatly differ.
Both Imperial agents, like Darth Vader, see the Republic and the Confederacy as utter failures. The trio’s loyalty to the Empire is absolute, however, their visions of a perfect Empire greatly differ. Lieutenant Tohm is exclusively loyal toPalpatine and Vader. Despite his physical limitations, Tohm displays tactical prowess, threatening to outclass Vader and Trachta. While Darth Vader leads the operation, Lieutenant Tohm is who ultimatelydiscovers the location of the Prismandorchestrates a decisive victoryagainst an academy of rogue Imperial cadets. His drive and tactical callousness deeply impress Emperor Palpatine, who considered Tohm aviable Imperial apprentice.
However, Moff Trachta couldn’t care less about Palpatine or Vader. While he originally proved himself to be loyal to the Emperor,Trachta despises the presence of the Sithwithin the Empire. He believes thatthe Sith are a cultand, like the Jedi, would threaten to undo the Empire’s true purpose to unite the Galaxy. It was force-wielders who condemned Moff Trachta to become a cyborg and who he blamed for the collapse of the Republic. Trachta isrecognized for his tactical and intellectual prowess, however, his rivalry with Darth Vader would prove to be a lethal misstep.
Darth Vader Bolstered His Team With the Jedi’s Secret Prisoners
Once Loyal to Dooku, Now Subservient to the Empire
Together, the three laid siege to the Jedi prison, eventually liberating the facility’s inmates to conscript into Darth Vader’s forces. However,Vader requires a test of strength, leading to an all-out slaughter fest, as the prisoners andVader’s Imperial squadfight for domination. Moff Trachta delivers a powerfully inspiring speech, halting the violence and empowering the prisoners to join Vader’s side. Among the cyborgs, mind readers, shapeshifters, and assassins,all once commanded by Count Dooku, one ex-Confederate prisoner proved herself to be the most valuable of the Prism’s inmates.
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Captain Shonn Volta was aForce-sensitive sniper assassin in the Confederate army. After being liberated by Lieutenant Tohm, Volta’s skills were recognized by Tohm and she was appointed as an Imperial officer. While the assassin was originally going to accept a promise of freedom from Imperial rule on the Outer Rim, she and Tohm grew fond of each other andplanned to serve side-by-side.Unfortunately, despite Tohm, Trachta, and Volta’s clear and obvious care for one another, their personal ambitions ultimately contradictedDarth Vader’s vision, eventually havinglethal consequences with the Sith Lord.
Vader’s Imperial Team Reflect the Sith Lord’s Characterization
Together, this Legends-era Imperial squadron was one of Darth Vader’s most talented and terrifying teams yet. Like many of Vader’s other teams, this onereflects some of the Sith Lord’s own characteristics.Not relying on lightsabers or the Force, Tohm, Trachta, and Volta all reflect Vader’s desire for order and peace. Tohm and Trachta especially werevictims of the Clone Wars, heavily scarred and left for dead due to the unruly actions of the Confederacy.The Republic and the Jedi let them down, leading to an incredible loyalty tothe Empire’s promise of a better galaxy.
Their devout resolve for a unified galaxy, regardless of whether they share an identical vision, gives them purpose, which ultimately surpasses raw power.
This squad isn’t terrifying because they wield mystical powers or fly around on helicopter lightsabers, but becausethey are morally loose tactical geniuses.It’s easy to forget that past his cybernetics and Force powers, Darth Vader was considereda military prodigyduring the Clone Wars. Their combined horror stems from the physical and mental scars earned during the war. Their devout resolve for a unified galaxy, regardless of whether they share an identical vision, gives them purpose, which ultimately surpasses raw power. While they may no longer be considered canon,Darth Vader’s Legends-era squadron was once an unmatched Imperial terror.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Conceived by the will of the Force itself, Anakin Skywalker was the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring the Force into balance. Anakin struggled to balance competing attachments to the Jedi Order and his wife Padmé Amidala, and ultimately fell to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. For years he served as Palpatine’s right hand man, but he was ultimately redeemed by the faith of his son, Luke Skywalker. Now a Force Ghost, Anakin continues to act as an agent of balance.
