Darth Vader (2017) 21: Fortress Vader: Part 3
What is it ? : Vaders Naboo Starship blasts through Hyperspace, in the throne room aboard we see little Anakin, but as Vader approaches him he turns and his face is flesh formed into the shape of Vaders mask.
And an Imperial Officer tells Vader they are almost at Mustafar, but asks him why he has chosen that world for his project. And we flashback to Vader and Palpatine walking just after Vader has requested Mustafar. Palpatine assigns Imperial Architects to build Vader a home of Mustafar, but asks given all the pain he has suffered there, why Mustafar?
Vader leaves the officers to take control of the ship for the landing, and the officers discuss their task on Mustafar, to build a Fortress for Vader. The architect says that she assumed from what she knows about Vader than a minimalist design would be his preference, but on seeing the Nubian J-type they are aboard she wonders as it is the last type of ship she would expect Vader to own.
They examine a helmet on display, and discuss being present when Vader executed the 5 officers, saying that Vader seems like a droid, and wondering who wore the sinister helmet.
One of them notices they are entering the atmosphere of Mustafar with no shields and the hull is heating up to critical temperatures. The architect rushes to the cockpit, offering to help repair the shields, but Vader tells he that he deactivated them, and she reaches for her blaster, telling him that Palpatines orders did not include suicide, but Vader snatches the weapon away using the force and tells her to stay there and do nothing, although there may be pain.
The ship plummets from space, as alarms blare warning of imminent complete systems failure, as native Mustafarians watch from the surface.
The Naboo J-type has landed and Vader surveys it's burned and wrecked hull and declares it to be better, and the Imperial Architect comments that now she knows Vaders aesthetic. And Vader strides into a cave, leaving the architect to her job designing his new fortress.
And we flashback to Palpatines question of Why Mustafar. Vader tells Palpatine that when he was sent there to bleed his lightsaber crystal, he felt a deeper connection to the force then he'd ever felt. Palpatine senses the truth of Vaders sentiment, and tells Vader that perhaps he will find a connection with Amidala there, and that he has given Vader a ship, a planet and he has one final gift for him.
The Architect returns to the ship to begin her work, saying she'll start with basic and functional to see how Vader reacts, the other officer asks how he can help, and she asks for Tea now, and probably Brandy later.
Vader meditates in the cave, the architect measures and plans, and brings Vader an initial design, saying she think's he'll be pleased, but he is not, so she tells her assistant that they've entered the Brandy phase of the project.
Vader hears her cry out, and leaves the cave finding her dead on the ramp to the ship, inside the assistant is wearing the helmet and working at a console.
We flashback again to Palpatine giving Vader the helmet, telling him it belonged to Darth Momin, someone that Palpatine thought Vader might find inspirational as he found uses for the Force that were unique and never replicated. Vader says he has never seen the name Momin in any Holocron, Jedi or Sith, and Palpatine tells him that he was struck from the records as he was deemed heretical. So Vader asks how he knows of him, and Palpatine responds that the helmet told him.
Back aboard the ship, Vader smashes the assistant wearing the helmet against a wall, but before he can do anything else they show him blueprints for a massive fortress. . . .
High Points : The imagery of little Episode 1 era Anakin with his face melted into the shape of Vader's mask is wonderfully unsettling, although doesn't seem to go anywhere, but perhaps future issues are going to build on this.
And although she dies, I found the Imperial Architect to be interesting, she expressed a lot of common sense about working for clients, talking about ones who say they don't have anything in mind before requesting thousands of changes to the design, insinuating she'll be driven to drink by the client, and having the very sensible idea of starting basic and seeing what Vader wants, although he doesn't comply with this plan by not saying what is wrong with the design, just that it is wrong.
Low Points : The switching between the current time period and flashing back to just a day earlier is annoying, it's just keeping secrets to dramatically reveal them one by one.
I'm also confused as to why the ship needs shields to enter the atmosphere? We've seen Tie Fighters enter planets atmospheres many many times, but they aren't equipped with shields, so it's obvious that ships can land without shields.
And although it's supposed to be obvious, the fact that the Helmet contains the essence of Darth Momin (who I keep reading as Darth Moomin, which would make him very different) just comes as no surprise.
So what do you really think ? : There's just so much exposition in this one, it just drags as it's putting everything in place for the next few issues. Vader now has a Sith Lord architect to build his fortress, who will, as the Sith always do, betray him and try to seize power. Although obviously Vader himself can't wear the helmet, and Palpatine seems to have worn it at some point, but overcome the control (unless he just put it on someone else for a chat, which is entirely possible).
Final Words : I'm left wondering, if this is the final struggle in this series, for Vader to overcome another Sith Lord, albeit one who used the force in unique and unreplicated ways. Is this where the story is really going to end?
Score : 7/10
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