Warning: Contains spoilers for Star Wars: Darth Vader #50! While he has made several cameo appearances since, Anakin SkywalkerIt’s full Star Wars The story has come to a close Return of the Jedi When he found redemption after years of terrorizing the galaxy as Darth Vader. however, Episode VI Is not involved in every facet of Anakin’s redemption, including when it comes to the lives of his former closest friends. But now, Star Wars Finally fully closes the book on Anakin Skywalker with a final twist, one that is linked to Anakin’s origin.
in Star Wars: Darth Vader #50 by Greg Pak, Raffaele Ienco, Luke Ross, Paul Fry and Adam Gorham, Darth Vader is launching his long-awaited attack on Emperor Palpatine. During this arc, Darth Vader has been collecting loyal (enough) allies and powerful weapons in the hopes of gaining enough strength to challenge Palpatine, and ultimately kill him. When he was finally ready to face his master, Darth Vader did it outside an Imperial prison facility, and he actually acted as the perfect distraction for the escape of a few of the prisoners, including two in particular: Kitster and Forest.
Kitster and Wald were on the planet from which Darth Vader drained the energy to super-charge his suit, which – combined with the Cyber-fueled Zolly Shield and Electrostaff – gave Vader the strength he needed to take on Palpatine. Not only are Kitster and Forest on this planet, they are actively fighting against the Empire’s use of this world-draining resource. So, after Vader did so, the two were arrested. However, Darth Vader made sure Kitster and Forest got out of there alive by wiping out every stormtrooper in the area during his fight with Palpatine, effectively saving their lives.
Why do Kitster & Wald close the book on Anakin Skywalker?
Kitster & Wald are Anakin’s childhood friends
While their names alone may not be the most familiar to many Star Wars Fans, Kitster and Forest are two more characters that every fan will recognize, as they are Anakin Skywalker’s childhood friends in The Phantom Menace. The two supported Anakin when he faced seemingly insurmountable odds during Episode Is podracing competition, and they were the first to celebrate with him after he won. Being a slave on a desert planet, Anakin didn’t have very many things that made him happy, but his best friends Kister and Forest were two of them.
By saving their lives when he is trying to kill Palpatine, Darth Vader not only gives fans an unexpected twist during this tale of revenge and violence, he honors his past as Anakin Skywalker. Darth Vader could have killed Kitster and Forest along with the Imperials he slaughtered, but instead, he allowed them to escape unharmed. By doing so, Vader was protecting his inner child, as Kitster and Forest were living reminders of his own innocence.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #50 ends with the confirmation that Kitster and Wald not only got off the planet with their lives, but that they also went back to Tatooine and freed a number of slaves – all of whom were also Anakin’s friends from Episode I. Because of Darth Vader’s compassionate actions, each of his friends were freed from slavery, and were able to live long, happy lives, even after Anakin’s death in Return of the Jedi – Cementing Anakin’s Lasting Star Wars Legacy as a hero (at least, in the eyes of his friends).
Kitster & Wald are constant reminders of the good inside Darth Vader
Star Wars: Darth Vader #23 by Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco
Darth Vader saving the lives of his childhood friends is not an isolated incident in Star Wars: Darth Vader #50, but something that happened twice before. The first time Vader saved their lives was back when he was Anakin Skywalker, as his connection to Padmé inspired Sabé (Padmé’s girlfriend) to free a number of slaves on Tatooine – including Kitster and Forest.
Afterwards, Darth Vader saved the two Star Wars: Darth Vader #23, when he helped Sabe free a world ruled by a particularly terrifying general named Tauntaza. Kitster and Wald are attacked by a horde of alien predators, and Vader steps in to save them after learning who they are.
Throughout Darth Vader’s life, Kitster and Forest remained constant reminders of the good within him. They only remember Anakin Skywalker as he was when he was a child on Tatooine, which meant that a piece of Vader’s innocent past remained alive in the galaxy as long as Kitster and Forest survived – and Darth Vader always made sure that they Do.
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Darth Vader’s story came to a close Return of the Jedi When he redeemed himself and became Anakin Skywalker once again, but with the addition of Kister and Forest, and how they played a constantly important role in Anakin’s life, Star Wars brings Anakin Skywalkers story full-circle, officially closing the book on his character with an unexpected twist.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #50 by Marvel Comics is now available.