The destruction of Princess Leia Organa’s adopted home world of Alderaan in Star Wars: A New Hope is one of the greatest tragedies in the entire Star Wars universe. Many stories in both the franchise’s current canon and the now-defunct Star Wars: Legends continuity has explored the impact that its destruction had on the rest of the galaxy. However, despite being one of the chief architects of the planet’s demise, Darth Vader’s thoughts on Alderaan’s destruction haven’t been explored in much detail.
In Darth Vader #24 (by Greg Pak, Marco Castiello, and VC’s Joe Caramagna), the titular Sith Lord’s feelings about Alderaan’s death, and his pivotal role in it, were finally revealed. While many who served the Galactic Empire took pride in participating in the murder of an entire civilization, the man once known as Anakin Skywalker saw the fate of Alderaan as further proof that he had become a monster beyond any hope of salvation.
After helping Padme Amidala’s former handmaiden, Sabé, liberate refugees enslaved by the Crimson Dawn, Vader learned that a rogue Imperial governess working for the criminal syndicate had developed technology capable of draining the life energy from living beings. She had also used it to reduce the planet of Karolia to a lifeless wasteland. Observing the desiccated husk of Karolia via holographic projection, Vader’s mind drifted back to the moment Grand Moff Tarkin gave the order to test the newly-completed Death Star’s destructive power on Alderaan while he and Leia watched.
While Star Wars: A New Hope implied that Vader was unmoved by the destruction of an entire planet, Darth Vader #24 revealed that the Sith Lord felt the same great disturbance in the Force that his former master, Obi-Wan, did. Forced to remember the horrifying sounds of billions of people crying out in collective terror, Vader could do nothing but lament that, unlike the governor’s staff, he knew what the Death Star would do to Alderaan but did nothing to stop it.
The revelation that Vader was affected by the destruction of Alderaan is a surprising one that exposes the Sith Lord’s self-loathing. Before discovering that the X-Wing pilot responsible for the Death Star’s destruction was his son Luke, Vader showed no remorse about the Empire’s decision to destroy Alderaan. The former Jedi Knight even went so far as to present a charred shard of the destroyed planet to the rebellious Princess Trios of the planet Shu-Torin in Darth Vader Annual #1 (by Kieron Gillen, Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Jason Keith, and VC’s Joe Caramagna) as a warning, showing just how divorced Vader initially was from the tragedy he’d helped orchestrate.
As shown in the ongoing Darth Vader series, the revelations that Luke was alive and that Padme had used her dying breathes to insist that there was still good in him, have pushed Vader’s long-suppressed doubts about his decision to turn to the Dark Side to the surface. No longer in denial about his downfall being self-inflicted, Vader’s recent exploits have seen the Dark Lord confronted by constant reminders of both the man he used to be and the atrocities he committed during and after Order 66. After being reminded of Alderaan, Vader’s thoughts instinctively drifted to his other crimes, showing how deeply he’s come to regret the choices that have led him to where he is now.
Despite this, Darth Vader #24’s ending sees Vader reject Sabé’s attempts to appeal to his humanity. With his actions having directly and indirectly taken the lives of billions across the galaxy, Vader believes that he’s no longer human, let alone the man who Padme loved. Convinced that his crimes are unforgivable, Vader believes there is no good left in him. In his eyes, he’ll always be a traitor and a murderer, and pretending that he’s anything but those things would be a pointless endeavor.
Of course, Star Wars fans know that, in the end, Vader will fulfill his destiny as the Chosen One by killing Palpatine during the climactic final battle of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. By accepting his guilt for Alderaan, Vader has taken the first step down a road that will end with him embracing the Light Side again by finally achieving his lifelong goal of protecting the people he loves.