Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Darth Vader #50!Darth Vaderhas committed no shortage of heinous atrocities throughout hisStar Warshistory, from hunting down and killing rogue Jed to slaughtering a room full of children. However, one ofthe worst crimes fans believed Darth Vader was responsible forcan officially be removed from the list, asStar Warsabsolves Vader of a truly despicable crime that happened during the original trilogy.
InStar Wars: Darth Vader#50 by Greg Pak, Raffaele Ienco, Luke Ross, Paul Fry, and Adam Gorham, Sabé (the former handmaiden of Padmé Amidala) tried and failed to convince Darth Vader to put down his weapons and walk away from Palpatine. Vader’s been on a warpath against his master, but Sabé knew that his quest for vengeance would only end in more pain and suffering. But, afterVader picked a fight with Palpatineand lost, resulting in Vader submitting once more to his master, Sabé decided to have a conversation with his daughter, Leia Organa.
Sabé needed to make sure that Leia would not succumb to the same dark temptations as Darth Vader. Vader was seemingly too far gone to be saved, and Luke Skywalker already proved to be incorruptible. In Sabé’s eyes, Leia was the only person who could eventually become a serious threat to the galaxy like Palpatine and Vader, but after they talked, Sabé’s anxieties were put to rest. During that talk, the destruction of Alderaan was brought up, at which point Sabé clarified that, “That was Tarkin’s choice. Not Vader’s”.
Star Wars Confirms Darth Vader was Not Responsible for Destroying Alderaan, Tarkin was
Alderaan was Destroyed by the Death Star inStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Upon going back and watchingA New Hope, it’s clear thatDarth Vader was not responsible for the Death Star’s destruction of Alderaan, even ifStar Warsfans have attributed that atrocity to him for decades. The Emperor gave Grand Moff Tarkin complete control over the Death Star upon its construction, and Tarkin flexed his authority to its fullest extent when he ordered the destruction of Alderaan.
Not only was Tarkin solely responsible for Alderaan’s destruction, but Darth Vader was against the planet-destroying weapon from the start. InEpisode IV, Darth Vader calls the Death Star a “technological terror”, and even deems it insignificant next to the raw power of the Force. Vader didn’t agree with this weapon’s mere existence, let alone its use. That, combined with the fact that Tarkin simply outranked Vader on the Death Star, and it’s easy to see how the destruction of Alderaan was not his fault - a point that was simply hammered home in thisStar Warscomic.
Star Wars Has Been Separating Darth Vader from the Destruction of Alderaan for Some Time
Star Wars: Darth Vader#24 by Greg Pak and Marco Castiello
Star Wars: Darth Vader#50 isn’t the first time theStar Warscomics have clarified thatDarth Vader isn’t to blame for Alderaan’s destruction. InStar Wars: Darth Vader#24, Vader admits that he felt the horrific disturbance in the Force the moment Alderaan was destroyed. All those lives taken in an instant was too much, even for Vader, and he bore the weight of that horror throughout the original trilogy. If it was up to Vader, the Empire never would have taken such atrocious steps to defeat the Rebellion. But, it wasn’t up to Vader, it was Tarkin’s call.
Anakin Returned BEFORE Return of the Jedi, Influencing a Key Darth Vader Decision
Darth Vader famously found redemption and became Anakin Skywalker again in Return of the Jedi, but the seeds of that redemption sprouted beforehand.
While Darth Vader is still responsible for crimes that cost the lives of countless people across the galaxy, the destruction of Alderaan is not one of them, asStar Warsofficially absolvesDarth Vaderof his most heinous original trilogy crime, instead placing the full blame on Grand Moff Tarkin.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #50by Marvel Comics is available now.
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.
